Was it anything like Deadwood makes it out to be?
A previous poster got at least part of it right.
There are two classes of western music. One class is basically military music. Close your eyes and listen, and it could just as easily be for “A bridge too Far” as it could be for “Big Country” Cases of military marches in western movies: “How the west was won”, "A Distant Trumpet:
In addition there is frequently some non-western tunes on many western sound tracks. E.g. the Waltz from Big Country.
In listening to various westerns there are a bunch of things that say ‘western’ to me.
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The use of a repetative syncopated beat. Jazz also uses syncopation, but it’s often on a more irregular basis. The beat evokes the rhythm of horses.
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Heavy on the brass, particularly french horns.
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Broken chordal ‘skirling’ violins.
In thinking about this, I realized that it’s not as cut and dried as I thought. The spaghetti westerns often don’t have ‘western’ sound tracks. Still cool music.
The first time I heard Handel’s “Entrance of the Queen of Sheba” I was taken aback. It was just another baroque piece of music. In thinking about what made me expect anything else, I realized that I’d been thinking “Roman Spectacle” movies such as Ben Hur. I expected a fanfare with a simple melodic structure, probably done in parallel 4ths or 5ths.
Watch an old movie that doesn’t have a constant music soundtrack when people aren’t talking. It’s harder to follow. The music gives you clues about what to expect. Think of the spooky music “don’t go there!” used at critical moments in creature features.
Pizzicato violins that denote a humourous moment. Simple wandering upper register piano music for love/tragedy. Strident cello music with a strong beat for chase or urgent ‘against the clock’ situations.
All of these would have to be the tools of a good composer. But where do they go to get training in this sort of stuff. Where is the book (website) of music architypes.