In Search of the Villain: Using Musematic Analysis and Interobjective Comparison in Musical Pieces from Silent Cinema Era

Abstract

This study investigates the role of musical anthologies in the development of musemes related to the villain archetype in cinematic soundtracks during the silent film era. Using the methodologies of Musematic Analysis and Interobjective Comparison proposed by Philip Tagg, musical pieces included in anthologies published in the first quarter of the 20th century were examined, specifically those indexed as "Mysterious" in their titles or cataloged as such in the anthologies' indices. The research identified recurring musical structures, such as minor tonality, parallel octaves, staccato articulation, and diminished chords. These structures were reiterated across different pieces while presenting similar paramusical contexts, contributing to the connection between formal musical patterns and connotative figures. Observing these structural similarities highlights the relevance of the repertoire composed during the silent film period for the solidification of formal and connotative patterns in musical elements that later influenced the musical narrative of sound cinema. The conclusions suggest that these elements, through their repeated combinations, contributed to the consolidation of a codified musical language and the creation of a specific sound archetype used to accompany the figure of the villain in cinematic works.