To continue the development of the underscore, I aimed to introduce a higher register to contrast with the existing lower frequencies established by the Clarinets and Basses. I chose to incorporate vocal elements—both for their extended pitch range and their capacity to reintroduce recognisable melodic fragments from La Bella Lavanderina. The goal was to evoke a sense of innocence and nostalgia reflective of the twin sisters’ childhood, which plays a central role in the narrative. For the initial vocal layer, I selected a MIDI patch labelled Boys Chamber Ensemble. Although a Girls Chamber Ensemble would have been more appropriate given the story’s context, this was not available within the sample Logic Pro X library or the BBC Symphony Orchestra plugin used.
The melodic material for the vocal line was derived from the introduction score and arranged for the boys’ ensemble. The default “Aa” articulation, however, evoked a choral timbre reminiscent of religious music, which detracted from the intended tone. After cycling through various vowel articulations (Aa, Uu, Oo, Mm), I settled on “Mm”, which created a subdued, humming quality. This not only introduced a more intimate and mysterious texture but also served as a direct sonic reference to the earlier narrative moment where Aurelia hums while concealing her sister’s murder. This intertextual reference imbued the underscore with an eerie yet nostalgic resonance.
To support and echo the boys’ humming, I introduced a Classical Female Ensemble as a secondary vocal layer, entering shortly after. Unlike the first line, this part retained the “Aa” articulation, offering a natural progression from the closed-mouth hum to open-vowel singing. Symbolically, this transition sonically mirrors the gradual emergence of truth in the story—from secrecy to confession. It also serves as a metaphor for the sisters’ transformation from childhood to adulthood. As Tagg (2013) suggests, musical meaning often operates through cultural codes and associative processes; here, the articulation shift operates semiotically, communicating the psychological and narrative development through sound.
Together, these elements formed an underscore that remains, as previously discussed, both multimodal and emotionally ambiguous. By balancing simplicity with symbolic depth, the composition engages listeners on several emotional and cognitive levels. According to Juslin and Västfjäll’s (2008) multi-mechanism model of emotional response to music, such emotional engagement may arise from mechanisms such as musical expectancy, evaluative conditioning, and emotional contagion. In this case, the combination of vocal timbre, melodic recall, and articulation subtly activates these mechanisms, reinforcing the narrative’s affective arc.
Despite the minimal instrumental palette—consisting of just four MIDI instruments—the underscore’s simplicity proves advantageous. Rather than overwhelming the narrative, it leaves space for listener interpretation while offering emotional support to the dramatised adaptation. Through careful sound design, articulation choices, and thematic integration, the underscore becomes an active agent in the storytelling process, enhancing immersion and providing a nuanced emotional framework.
Bibliography
Juslin, P.N. and Västfjäll, D. (2008). Emotional responses to music: The need to consider underlying mechanisms. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, [online] 31(5), pp.559–575. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x08005293. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
Tagg, Philip. Music’s Meanings : A Modern Musicology for Non-Musos. New York, The Mass Media Music Scholars’ Press, 2013, hugoribeiro.com.br/area-restrita/Tagg-Music_Meaning.pdf. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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