Paideia: The Heart of Music

Nino Rota won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Godfather in 1974.

On this date in 1911, the great cinematic composer, Nino Rota was born.

One way of judging the effectiveness of a movie score is to imagine how a scene would feel if the music were removed. How would the mood be changed? How memorable is it with a background of silence?

If this test were applied to Nino Rota's work, the answers are clear. Yes, movies such as The Godfather or La Dolce Vita would still be masterpieces, but their underlying intensity of mood, which the music conveys, would certainly be weaker. In the case of lesser films, Rota's music is that which makes them stand out.