The cinema’s use of music has its origins in theatrical traditions such as the Greek chorus and eighteenth-century melodrama (literally meaning “music drama”), which originally designated a theatrical genre that combined spoken text with music. The development of film sound was also dependent upon technological inventions such as the phonograph (“sound writing”) introduced by Thomas Edison in 1877.

Since the very beginning of filmmaking, filmmakers and inventors sought to combine visual images with sound. Early “silent” films were often shown in music halls and vaudeville theaters with musical accompaniment and sometimes with narration, sound effects, and even actors reciting dialogue.

The Hollywood film industry rapidly converted to synchronized sound in the late 1920s, requiring new sound equipment to be installed in movie theaters. Two different sound technologies were introduced during this time. Warner Brothers’ Vita phone used a sound-on-disk system, while Fox’s Movie tone used optical sound recorded directly onto the film stock. The success of Warner Brothers’ The Jazz Singer in 1927 helped convince studios, exhibitors, and the public that synchronized sound films were here to stay.

While the transition to sound was fairly rapid and successful, it was not without difficulties. In addition to the expensive sound equipment required for theatrical exhibition, cumbersome sound cameras and recording equipment initially proved a challenge for film production as well. Sound film with spoken dialogue could not easily cross linguistic borders, as dubbing technology was still being developed. One solution was to film a movie in multiple languages simultaneously on the same sets.

Technological innovations in the 1950s (stereophonic sound), the 1970s (Dolby and surround sound), and the 1990s (digital sound) reflected both an attempt to improve sound fidelity and a reaction to other competitive entertainment media including television, home video, and video games.