We have discussed a bit in koto class about character leitmotifs and their musical significance. To explain this term, a character leitmotif is a recurring musical phrase or theme that is associated with a certain character, object, setting, emotion, or idea. They are used frequently in films, usually an anthology, or TV to describe and introduce the main character. I chose to analyze The Pink Panther Theme Song by Henry Mancini and performed by His Orchestra.
The main leitmotif phrase in the video starts from the beginning and ends at about 0:44. The phrase starts out fairly quiet and mysterious sounding, with a steady beat. Then at 0:12 the main melody comes in, and you can hear that some of the notes are accented and you can also hear crescendo and decrescendo in the longer notes. The background melody is quiet so that you can hear the main melody, and it gradually gets louder and then suddenly stops as it approaches the climax of the leitmotif (at 0:36). The dynamics in the theme are quite pronounced and I think the accents, crescendo and decrescendo well describe the Pink Panther’s character. He is full of surprises (accents) and changing moods (crescendo/decrescendo), and I think these dynamics give across this message. The tempo is moderate and stays the same, and I think this is so that the piece still stays somewhat simpler, what with all the other elements already incorporated.
As for the melody, the theme is played in the key of E minor. This insinuates a mysterious tone, especially in the beginning of the phrase when only the background melody is playing, and it doesn’t sound very lively. The mysterious tone, to me, describes the occasionally unknowable or unpredictable side to the Pink Panther, as he is full of surprises and doesn’t like to let the other characters in on his mischievous plans. The melody has notes that range on a large scale, so there are the low, mysterious sounding notes and the high, confident sounding notes as well. Also, there aren’t obvious harmonies I detected. The texture of the music is usually thick in my opinion. In the beginning of the phrase when the main melody hasn’t begun yet, the music sounds quiet and uninvolved, so needless to say, the texture is thinner in the beginning of the phrase, but throughout the entire phrase, the texture is fairly thick and the many instruments that are playing each have significance.
The instruments used in the theme are orchestral instruments. The instrumentation for the theme is very jazzy. Wind instruments such as trumpets are used, as well as percussion. The jazzy instruments suggest the playful characteristics of the Pink Panther. The percussion adds some surprise and dynamic to the music as well, and makes the melody catchier than it already is. I would describe the timbre as being sonorous and low, then mellow as well. However, it is also bright because of the instruments and catchy melody.
Lastly, the general mood of the music is mysterious yet also dramatic and playful because of the dynamics and catchy tune. The main section of the theme sounds confident and lively, which denotes the Pink Panther’s fun, trickster side. The fact that there is interesting rhythm and melody throughout the theme suggests the Panther’s whimsicality. Also, the descending and ascending notes in the phrase which are not often very close together remind me of the Panther jumping away from characters who try to catch him throughout the series, and this can also remind people of the way he plays tricks and then hides, so that he never really gets caught.