Carlos Colon Perales, Fernando Infante del Rosal and Manuel Lombardo OrtegaHistoria y Teoria de la Musica en el cine: Presencias afectivas (History and Theory of Film Music: Affective Presences)296pp. Sevilla: Alfar, 1997The first part of this book expands on the historical overview presented in Colon's previous work, La imagen visitada por la musica, offering an exhaustive chronological vision of film music history divided in two main parts, one of them dedicated to Europe, approaching the panorama of countries such as France, England, Italy and Germany, and including references to developments in Spain. Another section is dedicated to Hollywood music from the golden age, paying special attention to the musical. The second part, entitled 'theories on film music', written by Manuel Lombardo and Fernando Infante, is a review of the main perspectives on the study of film music, although it doesn't include Anglophone contributions. It begins by analysing the relationship between music and image within film theory, and by considering the work of several authors from Bela Balazs to Edgar Morin. The second section of this part is concerned with the explanation of the functions of music in cinema according to the works of French authors such as Colpi, Porcile and Chion. The book also includes a CD of soundtrack examples.Carlos Colon is a scholar at the University of Seville and is one of the pioneers of film music research in Spain. His PhD dissertation deals with the music of Nino Rota in Fellini's films. He published several books on this topic, such as Europa en Hollywood, Introduccion a la Historia de la musica en el cine, La imagen visitada por la musica and Para una periodizacion de la historia de la musica cinematografica en los Estados Unidos (1895-1993).* * * * *Jose NietoLa musica para la imagen: La influencia secreta (Music for images: The secret influence)268pp. Madrid: SGAE, 2002 (1st edition 1996)The composer Jose Nieto wrote this key practical work to understand the techniques, functions and uses of music in the audiovisual media. The book is not only useful for researchers but also for film composers. Part of this work is a reflection on the utility of music in contemporary soundtracks as a structural and expressive component, as an element that guides the interpretation of the image using established semiotic codes. Then the author focuses on the analysis of music in films, dealing with the structure of music and the way of treating music in montage, attending to its interaction with the rest of elements that take part in the soundtrack and the aesthetic questions to be considered in relation to genre, historical context and characters. There is also a section on ways of approaching the composition of film music, i.e. the questions that every composer has to face: what should the music give to the film, where to place it, when it should start and end, etc. Nieto also approaches practical issues, such as synchronisation, sound systems, and the perception of sound in cinema. This is a practical volume with many illustrations and graphics, useful in approaching the tools of composition in audiovisual media.Jose Nieto is one of the most important film composers in Spain. He started his career in the 1960s and has collaborated with distinguished Spanish directors such as Vicente Aranda and Pilar Miro. His career and work have been studied in many articles and books, such as the outstanding volume by Rosa Alvares and Julio Arce, La armonia que rompe el silencio. Conversaciones con Pepe Nieto, which analyses his development and music for film.* * * * *Matilde Olarte (ed.)La musica en los medios audiovisuales (Music in audiovisual media) (2005)andReflexiones en torno a la musica y la imagen desde la musicologia espanola (Reflections on music and image in Spanish musicology) (2009)532pp. and 1007pp. respectively. Salamanca: Plaza UniversitariaThese two volumes are derived from four international conferences on 'Music in the Soundtrack' held between 2002 and 2008 at the University of Salamanca, organised by the editor, Matilde Olarte. …