It's an interesting thing to consider, but our principle focus here is in the world of cinema and the music which can be found there. So how does it all come together? The score for To Kill a Mockingbird is written from the point of view of a child, and thusly does not include the shading of the world an adult perceives. This score is all black and white.
"Could use some more sexual ambiguity and mild racism."
And I'm not grasping at straws here either, Elmer Bernstein himself said that this was how he approached the score, it opened the film up for him. So while some of my musings on film music could be complete and utter bullshit, this one isn't.
It starts from the very beginning, and it is so convincingly done that we can identify with Scout before we even see her.
There's something so ineffable about this music, all at once beautiful, nostalgic, and somewhat sad. It favors the high end, the low only acting as harmonic support, which lends to the idea of childhood, it matches the vocal range of a kid. The orchestration too lends to innocence, tinkling piano, flute, it's a total package that screams "Hey, I'm a kid!" But there's so much more there, doesn't it encompass that desire every kid has to be an adult and be taken seriously? But it also includes that feeling every adult has where we miss being a kid. Elmer Bernstein is a divisive figure in a lot of ways, but I think these two minutes prove that he was the genius he always purported to be.
And that happens in the opening two minutes. He doesn't stop after that, at no point does this score feature any kind of adult shading, it is the unadulterated (booyah!) child's perspective of the world around her, and a situation she cannot possibly understand.
Consider a few more scenes. How about this one where Atticus puts down the rabid dog.
What's that you say? I tricked you? If you really think that you've missed what it means to be a great film composer in the first place. Knowing when not to use music is sometimes far more important than knowing when to use it. But in all seriousness, how does this prove my point? Scout and Jem are literally speechless at what they just witnessed, when Jem tries to vocalize what he's feeling and thinking he literally responds with "... nothing." Nothing proves my point better than this scene, as the children are rendered speechless so is the music because it's from their point of view.
Here's another scene in the movie that lacks any kind of subtlety.
So here Bernstein literally hits, with low tones, the moment we see the villain. And then proceeds to hit (with upward motion) the moment when Bob Ewell's hand reaches up and touches the window. He scores it with childlike responses, after all doesn't the music match exactly how Jem looks?
No not this Jem... unless there's something really weird happening in Maycomb County.
And the music makes a remarkable paradigm shift when we see Atticus Finch, resident badass and moral authority, come down the stairs. Jem feels relieved, and so some of the orchestrational tension is relieved as well. It's a masterstroke that elevates the film and score to greatness.
One final scene to prove my point:
Bernstein follows every emotion the kids feel in this scene, beginning with the mysterious piano, strings, and woodwinds as they think the wind may be whistling through the trees. When it becomes apparent that Bob Ewell is literally trying to kill them, Bernstein shifts musical tone and spares no expense at telling us that shit has gone down. The low brass enter, and we are treated to some pretty top notch action music as Scout witnesses her first homicide... ain't that cute?
The music is frenetic and confused, and the camera doesn't let us see things very clearly because Scout can't, so the music follows suit, leaving us to guess at what is happening off screen, but most definitely filling in the gaps with imagination. When our mystery hero (spoilers it's Boo Radley) carries Jem off, Bernstein even hits the footsteps, they take on a mythical quality in the same way Jem's rescuer must to Scout.
There are obviously more examples than these (because you know... the whole movie). But I think these are the most convincing arguments. So next time you watch this movie, or check it out for the first magnificent time, listen for Bernstein's childlike score and be amazed. There are those who dismiss Elmer Bernstein, but I'm hard pressed to think of another composer who would have been wise enough to write this score.
