THE SOUNDSCORE TO heartBEAT: A NARRATIVE-FORM MUSIC ...

CHAPTER n
STRUCTURAL DIMENSIONS
heartBEAT is a work of television art, integrating the physical aspects of the
television medium witii the symbols through which it speaks to our culture. The work
draws from the related disciphnes of visual design, drama and music in a musico-dramatic
form uniquely designed for (and about) television. Central to the aestiietic of this work is
the presentation of three distinct, yet interpenetrating levels of meaning simultaneously.
Conceptual Levels
Plot-Narrative Level
On its most obvious, plot-narrative level, heartBEAT is the story of a man (MR)
returning home from a long day at the office. He goes to the bathroom and bathes,
shaves and dresses for bed. During these activities, he reflects on his life, his job and his
family. MR goes to bed, falls asleep and dreams.
Psychological Level
As we observe these events, heartBEAT explores a second idea: the process of
thinking. At the beginning of the piece, the Host and the Expert/Contestant discuss
dioughts. Graphics appear which read, "THINK." We see Rodin's The Thinker. The
process of thought is explored through the symbols of thought. In a stream-ofconsciousness
style, MR's thought sequences are presented as montages of both image
and sound. Familiar to the viewer at first, these thoughts become more cryptic as the
work progresses. Symbolic elements (the gun, the head. The Thinker, the car horn, an
elephant playing the harmonica, bells, the telephone) reappear throughout the piece in
new combinations and forms. These symbols eventually arrange themselves as large
patterns of elements from which many possible meanings can be derived.