 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
New Book Now Available!
This new well illustrated pdf book from PineTree Press
is to help support Film Music Review,
an online e-zine since 1998.
It was written by Roger L. Hall,
A Film Music Historian and Music Critic,
and Managing Editor of Film Music Review
This pdf book also comes with two bonus audio clips (MP3)
from radio programs with the book's author:
-From the 50th anniversary radio program in 1991of the CITIZEN KANE film score by Bernard Herrmann
-From a 1983 birthday tribute to John Williams on Public Radio
It will include interviews, reviews and tributes to these twelve composers
The new PDF book from PineTree Press
written by longtime film music critic and historian, Roger L. Hall
includes a chronology of film songs and soundtracks
from the first use of synchronized music in the silent film, DON JUAN, in 1926
to 30 years of listings for the Sammy Film Music Awards up to 2016,
the longest-running awards for "EXCELLENCE"
in film music recordings.
Chapters in the book:
1. Memorable Movie Music
2. CD Reviews Listing
3. Chronology of Film Songs and Scores
4. 100 Essential Film Scores of the 20th Century
5. Listening to Film Music: Songs and Scores
6. Interviews and Tributes:
Elmer Bernstein
Aaron Copland
Jerry Goldsmith
Bernard Herrmann
Henry Mancini
Jerome Moross
Alfred Newman
David Raksin
Miklos Rozsa
Max Steiner
Dimitri Tiomkin
John Williams
7. Interviews with Authors and Producers:
Steven C. Smith
Sally Stevens
James Fitzpatrick
Diana Friedberg
8. The Sammy Film Music Awards, 1988-20209. Memorable Movie Music, 1929-1979
10. Sample Film Music Reviews
KINGS ROW and THE SEAL WOLF (Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
Frank Sinatra in Hollywood (6 CD box set)
11. By The Author
12. Composer and Songwriter Autographs
As a special bonus for orders of this book
you will also receive a free audio selection sent by email
from a birthday tribute to film composer John Williamsby Roger Hall on WGBH Public Radio.
This new PDF book (PineTree Press, 2026)
is available exclusively from this website
sent by email attachment
as a fund raiser to help support
Film Music Review.
It is filled with many colorful illustrations
and will make a great addition to any film fan's library.
Hooray For Hall's Massive Hollywood Tribute!
Film music writer and reviewer Roger Hall has spent a lifetime exploring music for the big screen along. He has reviewed hundreds of scores and honored a host of composers over the years on his Film Music Review and The Music Buffs web pages for decades. Now he has compiled a lot of that research into a complete book, Hooray for Hollywood, in a downloadable PDF format.
Hall's invaluable work is a must for anyone wanting to learn more about film music. It is also an important entry point to how one might begin tackling the massive amount of recorded material now available. The first portion brings together the Guide to Film Music: Songs and Scores from some thirty years of work. This portion has appeared in updates over the years and builds on the historical outlay of film music from the 1920s and onward. The chronological layout is a perfect way to see significant trends and scores across the century and includes a variety of photos as well.
An important section here is the collection of 100 Film Scores of the Twentieth Century. It focuses on Hollywood scores from the 1930s on and makes for a great place to start curating one's own film score collection. There is also a section helping explain how to best listen to film music with plenty of examples. A section providing an overview of core concepts in how film music is written also helps guide the reader to a deeper understanding.
Over the years, Hall has also included a variety of tributes to composers. This section now brings these together and allows for the reader to further explore the important music for these specific composers. Reviews of recordings are also interspersed here to add some additional highlights to the careers of the featured composers. (These include several of my own contributions to the website over the years). Interviews with producers and authors fill out this section.
Hall has also awarded the Sammy Awards for significant recordings each year (1988-2020) and these are included.A variety of additional lists and articles help fill out this massive volume. Letters and photos from Hall's personal collection are also shared.
What Hooray for Hollywood is is a testament to Hall's dedication to the art of film music.
The personal connections and astute discussion lays things out well throughout this volume.
It pulls together a life's work from his long-running website.-- Steven A. Kennedy - Cinemusical Blog
"Hooray For Hollywood" - Memorable Movie Music
by Roger L. Hall
PineTree Press, 450 pages, 2026
This PDF book with many illustrations
is only available here for $17.95
It is available as a fund-raiser to help supoprtFilm Music Review
To order your copy of this PDF book
and also receive a free audio clip
from a John Williams Birthday Tribute
with Roger Hall
click the "Add to Cart" below
to pay through PayPal
After your payment
for the PDF book
and a free bonus audio clip
with an excerpt from
John Williams Birthday Tribute with Roger Hall
on WGBH Public Radio in Boston
Send your email address
Your order will help support the long-running e-zine, on the web since 1998
Film Music Review
© 2025-2026 PineTree Productions. All Rights Reserved for original material on this website.