In Psycho (1960), The extreme upper register of the violins is used along with harmonic dissonance to suggest:

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In Psycho (1960), The extreme upper register of the violins is used along with harmonic dissonance to suggest:

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In analyzing how film music communicates character state, we consider how orchestration and harmony map onto psychology. 
Option 1: 'Norman’s heartbreak' — While music can express emotion, the extreme upper register of violins combined with harmonic dissonance tends to signal something unstable or fractured in the psyche rather than a straightforward romantic sorrow. Heartbreak is often conveyed through melodic contour or timbral choices that emphasize pathos, but the described sonic device is more about mental fragmentation than romantic ache.
Option 2: 'Norman’s dementia' — This choice aligns with the use of shrill, piercing high strings and dissonant harmonies to evoke a deteriorating, unsettled mental state. The high register can feel exposed and invasive, and together with dissonance it suggests an unraveling or loss of grip on reality, which is consistent with Norman Bates’s deteriorating condition depicted in Psycho.
Option 3: 'Marion’s sadness' — The score here would be expected to reflect Marion Crane’s emotional arc, perhaps through melancholic tones or sorrowful motifs, but the described extreme high violin register with dissonance is less characteristic of a single character’s sadness and more indicative of a destabilizing psychological force, making this a weaker fit for Marion’s emotional state.
Option 4: 'Marion’s love' — Love themes typically employ warmer, consonant textures and more comforting harmonic material. The described harsh high-register dissonance and aggressive timbre contrast with a traditional portrayal of love, making this an unlikely descriptor for Marion’s love moment in the context of Psycho’s score.
Overall, the combination of an extreme high violin register and harmonic dissonance is a musical signal of psychological destabilization or fragmentation, which is most accurately associated with Norman Bates’s dementia-like condition rather than the other named states or characters.

Film Music SP 25 Chapter 17 Quiz

In Psycho (1960), The extreme upper register of the violins is used along with harmonic dissonance to suggest:

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