Moacir Santos ghostwriter : the composition of film scores in the north-american period

Author(s)

Lucas Zangirolami Bonetti

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Artes
• Defense date: 2018-02-28

Examining board members

Andrea Ernest Dias; Paulo José de Siqueira Tiné; Cacá Machado; Cintia Campolina de Onofre

• Advisor: Claudiney Rodrigues Carrasco

Abstract

This dissertation aims to discuss a specific part of the work of Moacir Santos (1926-2006), which is temporarily located in the first decades that the composer fixed residence in the United States, between 1967 and 1985. By that time, Santos established a relevant performance as a composer in American audiovisual productions, participating in films as Love in the Pacific (1968), Africa Erotica (1970) and Final Justice (1985). The research was based, as a starting point, in the Masters dissertation of the same author, which deals with the analysis of film scores signed by Moacir Santos in Brazil in the 1960s, period immediately prior to his move to the U.S. From these preliminary results standpoint, his compositions for North-American audiovisual products were analyzed. The films scores in which Santos received formal credit were thoroughly studied and all cues were transcribed to musical notation. In this way, it was possible to identify the main characteristics of his compositional processes as a film music composer. In addition, it was also of great importance for the research to find out about his participation as a ghostwriter in non-credited productions, demystifying speculations commonly associated to this part of Santos career (AU)