The Encyclopedia of Musicians and Bands on Film by Melissa U.D. Goldsmith, Paige A. Willson, Anthony J. Fonseca (review)

As film music scholarship continues to grow, the need for large collections of information also grows. One of the earliest film music encyclopedias was Erno Rapeé's Encyclopedia of Music for Pictures, first published in 1925, a collection of music for orchestra leaders and music directors, filled with several cues for every style and emotion. In the past 20 years, no fewer than four encyclopedias dedicated to some specific element of film music have been published, including The Disney Song Encyclopedia and The Encyclopedia of Film Composers, but the most recent collection focuses on musical performances in film. The Encyclopedia of Musicians and Bands on Film is a collection where the emphasis is placed on depictions of musical performances within the narrative of the film. The book's three authors, Melissa U.D. Goldsmith, Paige A. Willson, and Anthony J. Fonseca, each with their own specialisations in musicology, film, theatre, and dance, have put forth a collection specifically designed to introduce musicians performing on film, addressing those involved in making the film, the plot of the film, and giving information regarding the film's soundtrack.

The book begins with a Reader's Note that is specifically geared to how scholars can best utilise the book, as well as the set of criteria that was chosen and the goals of the authors. The design of each entry is outlined, listing the names of the parties involved, to the soundtrack information, and then a detailed plot synopsis of the film. Even though they write, 'This book offers many possible avenues for further research, and our introduction and comments within each entry merely scratch the surface' (p.vii), this a major selling point–that an interested scholar or even a curious fan does not have to go to multiple sources to try to find the information, since it is all in one location. The authors also write that this is the first reference book to focus exclusively on films that feature musicians and bands as narrative subjects. This priority of the authors means that famous examples of musicians on film may be omitted, such as Bernard Herrmann conducting the London Symphony Orchestra in the Royal Albert Hall in The Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchcock, 1956), because that event is deemed not to be the focus of the film's narrative. Indeed, a quick check through the alphabetical list of films shows no entry, nor is Herrmann's name found in the book's index. This prioritisation also means that a film where music plays an integral role, such as High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000), is not included because the film's central character does not make music–he only listens to music and owns a record store. The Encyclopedia's primary objective is to provide entries for films where the plot is driven by musicians and bands. Additionally, these films must show actual performances by these protagonists, not just that they have a job in a band or as a performer.

The body of the Encyclopedia contains the listing of films, which covers 108 films in more than 350 pages. The films listed in the body of the Encyclopedia span nearly 90 years, from The Jazz Singer (Alan Crosland, 1927) to Whiplash (Damien Chazelle, 2014). A typical entry provides all of the production and credit information, including any awards won and its commercial availability as of 2016. This information given shows a terrific level of depth and detail as every actor who was a musical performer in the film is named. Following the credits, the entry provides a long description of the film. This element may be one of the weaker points of the book, as these descriptions are sometimes unnecessarily long. Following the description, a summary and brief analysis of the film are presented, but they are not offset in any way by the film's description...