Film Music: A truly underrated form of music!

Ok, so you go to the movies and watch a film, you come out and think "wow that movie was amazing!" How many times have you come out and thought "how amazing was the music in it!!" For me, I love the soundtracks to films almost as much as music, especially the ones which are of a more classical orientation.

I wouldn't have got through my Masters without listening to hours upon hours of film soundtracks. That's the great thing about them... they're designed to be amazing pieces of music but to not take your concentration away from your main task whilst conveying the emotions of the scene. So in this post I've decided to list my top 10 pieces of classical film music. Not necessarily the ones I work best to, but ones that I can put on and feel happy and epic!

10: Gabriels Oboe (The Mission, Ennio Moccone)

There's something about this piece of music that just sets me at piece. If I've had a particularly awful day or just need something to really chill me out, it's one of the first piece pieces of music I'll put on. I've never seen the film, but the first time I heard the bit of music I fell instantly in love with it. To me, there's nothing bad at all to say about this piece.

9. Entrance of the Charioteers (Ben Hur, Miklos Rosza)

In stark contrast to Gabriels Oboe. This piece is all about pomp and ceremony. It's a great piece to get me all fired up before something with the domination of the brass and percussion sections. I feel this piece really takes the listener to the grandeur of Rome, at the Circus Maximus, watching the charioteers make their entrance out onto the track. This is certainly not the only visit I'll be making to Rome in this post!

8. Zorba the Greek (Zorba the Greek, Míkis Theodorakis)

Okay, this is definitely not one to get any work done to! This bit is just pure unadulterated fun! I'm struggling to write as I have it playing over spotify right now. All I really want to do is bob around in time to the music. What I really love is that it starts off really really slow, and then just builds up until it's insanely quick! It's just so greek it's unreal! My favourite version of this however is not string based. Last year I was lucky enough to parade on Horseguards Parade in front of HM the Queen, and the Band and Bugles of the Rifles did an amazing version of it. Starting off with a complete piss take of a slow march and virtually ended up running in time whilst playing... sheer genius!

7. The Magnificent Seven Theme (The Magnificent Seven, Elmer Bernstein)

One piece of music I became obsessed with in my final year of uni. Having to do an essay solely based upon watching westerns, my favourite western quickly became the Magnificent Seven (followed by the Good the Bad and the Ugly) probably both because their themes are so great to listen to. In my opinion this one wins out over TGTBATU, for what reasons I'm not too sure. It hits the spot when it comes to rousing me and getting me fired up. The theme from The Good The Bad and The Ugly just seems to me somewhat more sinister!

6.  Take Her To Sea, Mr Murdoch (Titanic, James Horner)

What's the one piece of music associated with Titanic... "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. I first came across this piece in depth when I did my A Level Music. I love how the piece encapsulates the grandeur of the occasion, with the synthesised vocals soaring over the top of a low bass line as the ship slowly makes its way out of port on it's doomed journey. It's full of hope and happiness as the passengers embark on what was a life changing event for all the wrong reasons. I think the music here just speaks for itself.

INTERMISSION

Sorry I couldn't resist!

5.  Old Friends (The Hobbit, Howard Shore)

I'm not a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings movies or the Hobbit movies, in my opinion they drag on far too long! However there's some outstanding music in them. Not least this piece. I was tempted to put "Misty Mountains" in but I want to keep this list purely instrumental (I'm counting humming as an instrument!) This piece just epitomizes hope and friendship in the face of adversity for me. It's chilled and it's relaxing, something great to listen to  to calm down and just relax at the end of a hard day!

4. Hymn to the Fallen (Saving Private Ryan, John Williams)

I've resisted the lure of John Williams so far, however here he comes. There's something about this piece of music that I just love. It's so poignant and emotional. Coming at the end of a film such as Saving Private Ryan, it really hammers home the real impact that the Second World War had on the survivors and emphasises why we must never ever forget what happened. I like the very sombre militaristic themes running through the start, followed by the soaring vocals over the top, bringing hope at a time of sadness.

3. Harry's Wondrous World (Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, John Williams)

Okay so Harry Potter had to sneak in here somewhere. I could have put so many pieces from the films in, however I've settled for this as it encompasses a lot of the main themes from the first film in one. What more can I say about this piece, it's just sheer perfection in my eyes! I'm still waiting for my Hogwarts letter Professor McGonagall!

2. He's A Pirate (Pirates of the Carribean, Hans Zimmer)

What more can I say than... I WANT TO BE A PIRATE! This is one of my all time favourite pieces of music, purely because it's about pirates and is just such an easy piece to listen to. It would've been my top piece had it not have been for Gladiator taking top spot!

1. a. The Battle (Gladiator, Hans Zimmer)

Another trip back to the might of the Roman Empire now, with two offerings from Gladiator. I couldn't pick between the two so have both. The first is from the opening battle, aptly named "The Battle". I personally like this bit on it's own, setting the pace for the battle ahead, it builds the tension up for the battle as the soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder waiting for the enemy to start their Zulu Barbarian chanting and attack. I have to say my favourite part of the entire piece is the opening theme, and I had hoped that that theme would appear as one of the pieces of music in the soundtrack on its own, however it doesn't. It reminds me a lot of Mars the Bringer of War by Holst in a way, one of my favourite pieces of music!

The Second bit goes back on what I said earlier about not having pieces with actual lyrics, however, I can't not have this piece in the music in the top 10.

1. b. Now We Are Free (Gladiator, Hans Zimmer)

Similar to Hymn to the fallen, this piece to me symbolises sacrifice and remembrance. I'm not entirely sure what the lyrics mean, however in this instance I don't think it really matters given the goings on in the film and the title. To me it's about finally setting yourself free from your demons and achieving a goal. Although it starts off quite sombre with the solo voice, the tone quickly becomes really upbeat and almost celebratory, showing that just because something bad has happened (in this case Maximus dying), some good can always come from a tragic situation. A worthy addition to my top 10!


So that rounds out my top 10, I could've put at least 20 more pieces in, so I tried to spread the load around several composers rather than just focussing upon two or three. What would you put in your top 10?

Adam