A lot of contemporary scholarship into film history creates debates as to where the first "music video" came from. These would be considered separate from musicals in that it exists to create imagery for the music, while musicals use the music to create drama or spectacle for imagery. Possibly we could then argue that Eisenstein's and Alexandrov's "Romance Sentimentale", an attempt to create a narrative for an Opera that they call "that old Russian song", is one of the first music videos? Eisenstein in particular is good for this approach because one thing that ties music and imagery together well is rhythmic editing, something he is famous for in the first place and also something that he had previously successfully used to create sound-like impressions in completely silent films (like, for instance, quick cutting between a machine gun and its firer to represent the sound of the machine gun unloading).
This movie also ties in the similarities between music and statue (some theorists consider music "sound sculpture"), nature, domestic life, art, and emotions, which of course all all present in this film. In fact, the use of Rodin's pieces with fire-works is down right epic and I would hedge a fare money-sum was the inspiration behind some of the images in Disney's later "Fantasia," especially the animation with Mickey Mouse.
There are some experiments into the sound itself, like for instance during the beginning when the sound of the musical instruments tuning is intercut with sounds of nature to play with the idea of the potential rhythmic qualities inherent in nature.
--PolarisDiB
This movie also ties in the similarities between music and statue (some theorists consider music "sound sculpture"), nature, domestic life, art, and emotions, which of course all all present in this film. In fact, the use of Rodin's pieces with fire-works is down right epic and I would hedge a fare money-sum was the inspiration behind some of the images in Disney's later "Fantasia," especially the animation with Mickey Mouse.
There are some experiments into the sound itself, like for instance during the beginning when the sound of the musical instruments tuning is intercut with sounds of nature to play with the idea of the potential rhythmic qualities inherent in nature.
--PolarisDiB