By Josh Eugster

Music 1010

Craig Ferrin

Randy Edelman

Randy Edelman is from Teaneck, New Jersey.He moved to Cincinnati and enrolled in Music Conservatory. He graduated from Music Conservatory and then started to begin freelancing at James Brown’s Records.He moved to New York and got a job at CBS, as a writer. After working at CBS, he started going on the road to become Music Director for entertainers. While on the road Randy started making his own lyrics this was the beginning for him.

Biography

His music was gaining attention to popular artists, the artists were: Olivia Newton John, Bing Crosby, The Carpenters, and many more.When he got to Los Angeles he landed the T.V. series MacGyver, and many more. He worked on children’s T.V. series like PBS.He wanted to focus his work on film scores after all the work he as done already. At this time, he had already composed 100 works.

Gaining Popularity

Randy was working with the Boston Pop’s, London Symphony Orchestra and more Orchestras. The movie that got most attention for Randy was The Last of the Mohicans. He was nominated for both British and Golden Globe.The scores for movies he did was main job for but he did some sports work for ESPN too. His score opened for the Super Bowl once.His piece closed for the Altanta Olympics.

Film Works

It is a referential piece of music.It came from the modern time.The song starts with a crescendo and evens out. The middle of the song starts to contain a diminuendo.The tempo is allegro and contains a 4/4 time beat.It is a wide range of instruments: brass, strings, and percussion.It contains disjunct and counterpoint.

Promontory/ The Last of the Mohicans

“Promontory” – Randy Edelman0:00 Introduction: Starts the beat with percussion instruments such as a bass drum.0:17 The main instrument for the strings is the mandolin. The strings start with quick movement with woodwinds right behind. The percussion is still playing the rhythm in the background. There is a chorus to the strings and woodwinds. The strings are playing a triple meter. The pace for the melody right now is mezzo. The counterpoint in the piece has already begun after 20 seconds. The percussion is doing an overtone because it is playing over the parts of the melody.0:46 Here begins a bass background to add for the first verse. I believe it is a group of double basses, not just one single instrument.1:38 I think the clarinet just started to become the leader of the woodwinds. The woodwinds are trying to overpower the basses, like the battle in the film.2:28 The mandolin is keeping the melody at the same pace throughout the whole piece so far. The mandolin is the overall melody as well as the violins. The second verse has started to play, it acts like it has a binary “ABA” sequence. The crescendo and diminuendo has started to take effect in the song. 2:52 The piece has gone back to the first of the binary sequence. The bass has gradually built up in the crescendo more in the melody.4:00 The bass is playing trill.4:20 The bass stops the sequence of the trill.4:32 The bass has began a different style of sequence known as a arch contour.5:25 The melody is starting the diminuendo.During the melody, there was act of fugue going because of the instruments playing where the theme is.

Promontory Listening Guide

It is a referential piece of music.It came from modern time.It starts with brass then adds woodwinds. The strings come in later with percussion. It is a binary music piece.The tempo is mezzo and ¾ time beat.It has both diminuendo and crescendo.

Massacre/The Last of the Mohicans

“Massacre” – Randy Edelman0:00 The piece starts off with the strings and the bass. The cymbals are coming into play for the background beat of triple meter.0:40 The crescendo picks up quickly and the tempo is mezzo with an arch contour.0:59 The woodwinds and bass are growing and the other parts are fading.For a short time from 0:59 to 1:55 the instruments would have a disjunct time to time.1:49 Diminuendo has set into the melody, and now we are just waiting for the growing arch of music.2:30 The flutes can be heard for a little bit.2:56 There is a disjunct in the melody because of the cymbals and bass come in like a intervallic.3:33 The second verse begins.4:11 Reverting back to the first verse.5:08 the xylophone was taking place of the cymbals as the percussion part. The instruments are counterpoint each other. It sounds like the music is similar the battle in the movie, that is what makes it great.

Massacre Listening Guide

He won the Richard Kirk award for outstanding career achievement in 2003.He was honorary doctorate of fine arts from the University of Cincinnati in 2004.In 2005, recorded with Nelly on song “My Place” and reached number one on rap and hip hop charts.He received a Emmy for the work he did for the Olympics.

Awards

Randy Edelman set the standard for composers for ages to come.In my opinion, The Last of the Mohicans is the best soundtrack that Randy composed and maybe the best album out today.How many people know of Edelman?

Legacy

RandyEdelman.comYoutube.comItunes.comThe Last of the Mohicans soundtrack

References