To understand the concepts of diegetic and non-diegetic music, you first need to understand the definition of diegetic sound.
This term comes from “diegesis”, which in Greek literally means “narration”, from which we can extrapolate that diegetic sound is fundamental to the narration or film.
It’s worth noting that the film itself encompasses a world of its own, in which the things we see and hear happen. Everything included in that world is considered diegetic, since it forms part of the narration of the story.
Once we’ve understood the concept of the film’s “world” and the concept of “diegesis”, we can move on and define the concept of diegetic sound.
Diegetic and non-diegetic sound
Diegetic sound is that which originates within the film’s world — that is, it takes place within that world.
A very simple way to identify whether a sound is diegetic or non-diegetic is to ask yourself whether the film’s characters can hear that sound. If the answer is yes, then it’s a diegetic sound; if it’s no, it’s a non-diegetic sound.
What is diegetic music?
As we explained earlier, a diegetic sound is one that takes place within the work’s own world. Well, with music it’s the same.
If the music originates within the narration itself, we’ll say it’s diegetic music; the same question as before works for this specific case. If the music playing can be heard by the characters in the film, it means it’s diegetic music.
There are many moments in which the film’s music is played within the film’s own world, whether it’s the music of a concert or a nightclub, or a man playing some instrument in the street or on the metro… Below we leave you some examples of films in which diegetic music is used to complement the narration, so you can understand it more precisely.
Examples of diegetic music in film
If we have to talk about diegetic music, the clearest examples are those films and sequences that treat music as the main theme. Some of the clearest examples could be:
The Pianist
In this scene from The Pianist, a film by Roman Polanski starring Adrien Brody, we can see how Adrien’s character plays the piano. This is a clear example of diegetic music, since it’s the character himself who makes the music play.
School of Rock
Another clear example of diegetic music is this scene from “School of Rock”, in which the well-known actor Jack Black begins to form a rock band with the pupils of a class at an upper-class school.
EuroTrip
In this scene from “EuroTrip”, a well-known teen comedy, the actor Matt Damon gives a concert in which he dedicates a song to one of the protagonists, teasing him. This is another clear example of diegetic music.
Skins
An example in which the characters aren’t the ones making the music play, but we have diegetic music. In this scene from “Skins” the characters are at a club and DJ music plays in the background; this music is diegetic since it’s within the film’s world and the characters can hear it.
What is non-diegetic music?
If you’ve understood what diegetic music is, it’s very easy to understand what non-diegetic music is. Non-diegetic music is that which isn’t part of the film’s world and which the characters can’t hear, since it doesn’t originate in the film’s world.
You may understand it better through the concept of soundtrack music, although it isn’t a very accurate term.
So you understand it better, below we leave you some examples.
Examples
Any film that contains music the characters in it can’t hear contains non-diegetic music; some examples could be:
The Exorcist
One of the non-diegetic pieces of music that stays most etched in the subconscious. In this scene, Mike Oldfield’s composition accompanies the images, creating a very distinctive and characteristic atmosphere. This music can’t be heard by the characters, since it doesn’t originate within the film’s world, thus being non-diegetic music.
Interstellar
In this scene from the film “Interstellar”, Hans Zimmer’s wonderful composition accompanies the images to create sensations in the viewer. This is another clear example of non-diegetic music.
Gladiator
Another composition by Hans Zimmer, one of the most memorable, is this final scene from the film “Gladiator”. This is also non-diegetic music, in which the composer enhances the images of a wonderful scene.