Semantics is the study of meaning. It is a key feature of language. But also music can carry semantic information.
Film music is an element of the narrative. Semantic and technical aspects of film music often have to be considered together. Such an element would be the leitmotif technique.
Even if the music might sound quite different today than it sounded for example in the Thirties, the basic semantic principles are the same. Also some of the techniques of film music that are still used in our days where developed by film music pioneers such as Max Steiner at the beginning of the sound film era.
The semantic and technical aspects of film music will be demonstrated in several audio or audiovisual examples from different periods of the film history.
