Some of the industry’s brightest music experts discuss what it takes to use iconic melodies in a meaningful way, and how to avoid the common pitfalls that come with this decision, writes LBB’s Josh Neufeldt.
Classical music – and by that we mean anything within the realm of Baroque to 20th century – is an interesting thing. It represents the sounds that, regardless of birth year, we’ve all grown up with. Whether you were forced to take music lessons at a young age or not, nobody goes their life without familiarising themselves with the likes of Beethoven’s fifth symphony or Mozart’s ‘Eine kleine Nachtmusik’. In short, it’s iconic, world-round, and you’d know it if you heard it.
Of course, within the realm of advertising, that can be a very potent tool. The power of music is seldom lost on people in today’s era, but when you’re playing with tools that EVERYONE will recognise, both the potential for success (and disaster) scale dramatically. When done right, it can bring together the best, amalgamating creativity with the unexpected-yet-familiar, providing expressive and defiant tuning and elevating the work. But on the other hand, badly-selected music can make a mockery of the work, proving cheesy, stuffy and problematic, and making listeners shake their heads in disappointment.
With that in mind, to discuss the good examples of classical music in advertising, and how to avoid missteps in this regard, LBB’s Josh Won Neufeldt sat down with some of the industry’s brightest musical minds.
Nat Jenkins
Composer at Butter Music and Sound
An important prerequisite of the classical music world is deep knowledge of the repertoire. It takes someone who understands classical music to be able to successfully use it in a modern arena. From Bach to Stravinsky, there’s something deeply human embedded in the harmony and organic qualities of orchestral and chamber music. When you can tap into that human aspect, it can elevate almost any message you’re trying to convey.
For my work on the Coca-Cola ‘Scream’ spot, having the ability to point out Rossini’s ‘La Gazza Ladra’ as a musical representation of its piece required both knowledge of the repertoire and an understanding of the mechanics of opera overtures. They’re energetic, always changing, and contain a lot of musical information. So, editing around it can be tricky, but the end result is worth it.
In other spots with an orchestral element, being able to take from traditional classical orchestration and give it a new voice also requires an understanding of how instruments have been used in the past, paired together, or featured. That can be the key to unlocking the heart of a new piece of music.
In my score for the Super Bowl teaser for ‘Agent State Farm’, the whole of it is orchestral with somewhat traditional orchestration. And while we all wanted it to be a big, modern action score, I tried to make sure I was grounded in traditional orchestration techniques. By using instruments like harp, celeste, trumpets, and tubular bells in a traditional way (instruments that are used less and less in contemporary orchestral scores), I was able to capture something that has a foot in both the old school and the new.
All in all, classical music holds so many of the structures on which modern popular music is based. Yet, tapping into the source material directly can provide a new and unexpected emotional result.
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