First Advisor

Casey, Brian

First Committee Member

Landry, Dana

Second Committee Member

Kovalcheck, Steve

Third Committee Member

Allen, Lin

Degree Name

Doctor of Arts

Document Type

Dissertation

Date Created

5-2025

Department

College of Performing and Visual Arts, Music, Music Student Work

Abstract

“The Knight Bus” scene is a jazz-infused comedic scene from the movie score of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). The scene’s musical cues, composed by John Williams, ingeniously blends elements of jazz within a predominantly cinematic framework tailored for the film.

This research explored how these elements harmoniously coexisted within a prototypical orchestra format, skillfully blending symphonic and jazz orchestration techniques. The analysis spotlighted the intricate jazz composition techniques, showcasing the utilization of bebop language and the seamless integration of quintessential jazz harmonies and rhythms throughout the composition.

The jazz cues from “The Knight Bus” scene contain compositional devices and musical elements that are scrutinized in depth, ranging from rapid saxophone passages (often doubled with other woodwinds) to intertwined walking bass lines orchestrated for various instruments. By employing a distinctive blend of musical idioms and compositional techniques, John Williams strives to infuse jazz into twenty-first-century cinema--an endeavor where a film composer adeptly merges traditional orchestral film scoring methodologies with studio jazz compositional practices. This stems from his background as a studio pianist, during which he collaborated with renowned composers like Henry Mancini and Leonard Bernstein, among others. This study also included biographical insights into John Williams’s career as a jazz musician, examining how his early jazz experiences influenced his development of quasi-jazz compositions as a Hollywood composer.

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Places

Greeley, Colorado

Extent

145 pages

Local Identifiers

Towsey_unco_0161D_11298.pdf

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

Digital Origin

Born digital

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