This thesis illustrates the transitional period between silent films and fully-scored sound films. Connecting the history between producers, directors, and composers reveals how and why film scoring became an accepted practice by the mid-1930s while shedding light on the commonly-overlooked composers whose innovations in these early films paved the way for future film composers. The principle objective of this project is to score selected sequences of Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) by synthesizing contemporary film scoring practices with techniques commonly used in horror films of the 1930s. An accompanying analysis of the score will explain the purpose of each cue and how it functions to appropriately enhance the already-completed film.
Keywords:
Film, Music, Horror, Universal Monsters, Cinema, Film Score
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis illustrates the transitional period between silent films and fully-scored sound films. Connecting the history between producers, directors, and composers reveals how and why film scoring became an accepted practice by the mid-1930s while shedding light on the commonly-overlooked composers whose innovations in these early films paved the way for future film composers. The principle objective of this project is to score selected sequences of <em>Mystery of the Wax Museum </em>(1933) by synthesizing contemporary film scoring practices with techniques commonly used in horror films of the 1930s. An accompanying analysis of the score will explain the purpose of each cue and how it functions to appropriately enhance the already-completed film. </p> <p>Keywords: </p> <p>Film, Music, Horror, Universal Monsters, Cinema, Film Score</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Deterling, Ian"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Music","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"School of Music","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Stephen Lias","Nathan Fleshner","Jamie Weaver"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:15Z","subjects":["Film","Music","horror","universal monsters","cinema","film score","Composition"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/104","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Stephen Lias","Nathan Fleshner","Jamie Weaver"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Deterling, Ian"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-05-19T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School of Music"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Music"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Film","Music","horror","universal monsters","cinema","film score","Composition"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/104"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis illustrates the transitional period between silent films and fully-scored sound films. Connecting the history between producers, directors, and composers reveals how and why film scoring became an accepted practice by the mid-1930s while shedding light on the commonly-overlooked composers whose innovations in these early films paved the way for future film composers. The principle objective of this project is to score selected sequences of Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) by synthesizing contemporary film scoring practices with techniques commonly used in horror films of the 1930s. An accompanying analysis of the score will explain the purpose of each cue and how it functions to appropriately enhance the already-completed film.
Keywords:
Film, Music, Horror, Universal Monsters, Cinema, Film Score
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Mystery of the Wax Museum: An Original Film Score for Orchestra and an Analysis Outlining the Evolution of Film Music Through American Horror Films of the Early 1930s"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Stephen Lias","Nathan Fleshner","Jamie Weaver"],"dc:creator":["Deterling, Ian"],"dc:date.available":["2017-05-19T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis illustrates the transitional period between silent films and fully-scored sound films. Connecting the history between producers, directors, and composers reveals how and why film scoring became an accepted practice by the mid-1930s while shedding light on the commonly-overlooked composers whose innovations in these early films paved the way for future film composers. The principle objective of this project is to score selected sequences of Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) by synthesizing contemporary film scoring practices with techniques commonly used in horror films of the 1930s. An accompanying analysis of the score will explain the purpose of each cue and how it functions to appropriately enhance the already-completed film.
Keywords:
Film, Music, Horror, Universal Monsters, Cinema, Film Score
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/104"],"dc:subject":["Film","Music","horror","universal monsters","cinema","film score","Composition"],"dc:title":["Mystery of the Wax Museum: An Original Film Score for Orchestra and an Analysis Outlining the Evolution of Film Music Through American Horror Films of the Early 1930s"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["School of Music"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Music"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:15Z"}