Classical music in films and series

Classical Music in film achieves a number of things: it establishes setting; it creates atmosphere; it calls attention to elements; it reinforces or foreshadows narrative developments; it gives meaning to a character’s actions or translates their thoughts; and it creates emotion. ‘What does classical film music do?’ shows, using the example of  Barber’s ‘Adagio for Strings’ in the blockbuster movie ‘Platoon’, how music adds an extra dimension to a film, uniting a series of images and encouraging audience absorption into the story.

Each sound recording made of let’s say Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, whether made at home by a musician or in studio by a record company, will be protected by copyright. Regardless of the number of sound recordings, there will only be one copyright in the underlying composition. So when you are listening to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony on the radio, it’s not just Beethoven’s 5th Symphony you are listening to, it’s also the performer’s arrangement of that piece, which is also protected by copyright, and therefore cannot be used without permission from the sound recording’s makers.