Strings

Violins, violoas, cellos- these instruments have defined Western music for centuries. They're beautiful, versatile, and amazingly expressive. These selections showcase the best that these instruments have to offer.

1) I was blessed enough to see this performance live by Juli Choi at a recent music recital by my old high school. Her performance of this piece, Julie-O, was fantastic. It's a fun, lively piece that really utilizes all of the cello's tone possibilities. This link is a performance by Juli (thanks to Gavin Smith for the link). 

Julie-O

2) This piece is just cool. Phillip Glass's String Quartet 5 is such an interesting piece. Glass is a minimalist composer who's heavily influenced and changed modern music. This piece has many parts, and it's easy to hear its wide influence. This is only the first movement as well- there are two other additional movements. 

String Quartet 5

3) Yes, I get this is kind of ridiculous. But I'm posting ALL of Beethoven's String Quartets. All of them. They're so...just listen. 

Beethoven's String Quartets

Zelda

The Legend of Zelda videogame series is scored by Koji Kondo. This series features some of the most famous themes in videogame history, and the music is beautiful.

1) The Water Temple theme is one of the most simple themes in the game Ocarina of Time, and it's also one of the most beautiful. This is an orchestrated version of the theme, and it really accents the piece. 
Water Temple 


2) This theme is unique in its departure from the usual Zelda sound. While the other themes feature standard videogame sounds such as synthesized sounds, the Gerudo Valley theme features guitars and other interesting instruments. The piece does an excellent job of creating a tone that fits a new environment (the desert) without having it sound cheesy or forced. 
Gerudo Valley


3) Zelda's Theme is a theme that, like the water temple theme, is beautiful in its simplicity. There is nothing at all intricate or fancy in this piece. The melody is focused only around a few notes, and the key changes are simple and minimalistic. However, the theme manages to communicate so many emotions and feelings. I believe that the true mark of a composer is the greatness of their most simple works. 
Zelda's Theme

John Williams' Best "B-sides"

Everyone knows who John Williams is. It doesn't take a film music enthusiast to recognize his work. However, much of his best work (in my opinion) is lost under the shadows of Star Wars, E.T., Jaws, and other super famous scores. So here are some of his best "b-sides".


1) Schindler's List is by no means an unknown movie. However, no one says "Hey have you heard the soundtrack to Schindler's List?". It's a score often lost behind the movie. The violin driven theme is simply heartbreaking, and it perfectly fits the theme of the horror that was the Holocaust. 
Schindler's List


2) When people think of the Indiana Jones theme, they always think of the classic 'Indy theme' that started in Raiders of the Lost Ark. They often don't remember the brilliant theme from Last Crusade. This piece is the 'holy grail theme' and plays throughout Jones' chase for the grail. It's a beautiful theme that, like the last piece, is versatile in its performance. 
Last Crusade


3) Like the last piece, Williams' most popular theme from this series overshadows this beautiful work. A Window to the Past is a theme from the third Harry Potter film Prisoner of Azkaban. The haunting flute theme is one of Williams best in my opinion. In fact, it's my favorite John Williams piece. 
Window to the Past

Lord of the Rings

I guess I'll do two entries to make up for yesterday's miss! Part 1 of today's post is all about Howard Shore's magical score for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films. It's one of my favorite scores, and it definitely deserves its own post. I think it's the best score of our generation.


1) You have to start with this piece. Concerning Hobbits is the piece that defines the Hobbits and sets up the structural base for the entire score and film. It's a beautiful piece with great tin whistle and violin solos.
Hobbits


2) It's tough to pick only three songs form this score, but I chose King of the Golden Hall out of the other possibilities because of its fantastic violin solo. This theme is so strong and powerful, and it's versatile in that it can be played in a soft, dignified manner as well as a grandiose manner.
Rohan


3) This last piece brings back many of the themes from the three films and brings them together in such a wonderful way. Apply named Return of the King. In my opinion, it's the best piece in the trilogy. It plays throughout the ending of the third movie and really ends it well.
Return of the King

Enya

If I could only listen to one artist for the rest of my life, I'd pick Enya. Seriously. Her music is so beautiful and so unique. Not much needs to be said about it- it simply needs to be experienced.


1) Watermark is an amazing album. It's full of so many Enya classics, and it's title track is a gorgeous piano piece. It's put together so simply yet so beautifully. Every note is perfection.
Watermark


2) What makes Enya so unique is that it's New Age music that is at once peaceful but also full of life and movement. The Memory of Trees is the title track of the album of the same name, and it's a great piece that seems to move and breathe.
The Memory of Trees


3) Shepard Moons is yet another great album with a beautiful title track. This song holds a special place in my heart; as a kid, this track would always soothe me to sleep in the long car rides to and from our beach cabin. The piece instantly brings back memories of the misty forest roads and the fun memories had at the beach. Every now and then, I'll listen to it once again to drift off to sleep. It's those moments when memories and music intertwine that I live for.
Shepard Moons

Foreign Sounds in Popular Media

Hearing different culture's music is always really interesting! They have different forms, instruments, tones- everything. While some of these selections aren't exactly foreign, it's also interesting to hear what composers think of different cultures. 

1) Michael Giacchino is an American composer who has worked extensively with both J.J. Abrams and Pixar. His score for Ratatouille captures the feeling of Paris, even featuring a musette accordion.  While still sounding a little American, it's a breezy and passionate theme that accents Ratatouille's foreign feel. 
Ratatouille


2) This is the one truly foreign selection! Nobuo Uematsu is a Japanese composer who writes music for the video game company Square Enix. His theme for Final Fantasy X is a gorgeous piano piece with a very distinguishable Japanese sound. This is one of my favorite video games, and this theme really brings the game to life.
Final Fantasy X


3) I tried. I really tried. But Hans Zimmer keeps getting on this blog! Disney made an interesting choice having a German composer write African music for The Lion King. While many people miscredit Elton John with the score, it was Zimmer who wrote the majority of the score (with John's part obviously being the 'Disney songs'). This song has 2 parts- the first part is when Simba is talking to his deceased father Mufasa in the clouds. It's a passionate piece dually full of heartbreak and hope. The second part is a fast, percussion-heavy African-influenced part as Simba runs to follow Rafiki. This is the part that really comes to life. I remember as a kid watching this part and loving every moment of it. It's a section teeming with life and it feels as if it's being played live. The improv solo is fantastic, and everything is put together incredibly well.
The Lion King

Heroes

Wow barely snuck this one in on time! So today's is about, you guessed it, heroes. Superheroes are extremely popular in today's culture, and all the films and shows created about them have produced some great scores as well.

1) While Man of Steel wasn't quite the Superman film we were all hoping for, Hans Zimmer did a great job as always on the Superman score. The score manages to capture the innocence of Superman while also capturing his heroism. The percussion is especially spectacular here. It honestly saves the movie.
Superman


2) Spiderman was really the first superhero film that started the last decade's obsession with superheroes. Without it, I doubt we'd have as many blockbuster heroes as we do today. While people sometimes bash on these films when comparing them to the newest Spiderman incarnation, I really believe that Spiderman and Spiderman 2 are some of the best superhero movies out there (sorry Spiderman 3). It helps that the Spiderman score was done by Danny Elfman. Elfman was an interesting choice as a composer for this film. Scoring primarily for Tim Burton, his scores are often dark, mysterious, and full of wonder- not exactly what you think of when you think of your friendly neighborhood Spiderman. However, the score is amazing and the theme perfectly fit with Raimi's movies. It really set the standard for what future superhero scores would have to accomplish.
Spiderman


3) Surprise surprise, back to Hans Zimmer. His score to The Dark Knight is just plain cool. An interesting mix of synthesizer sounds, traditional orchestra, and crazy percussion blend into the perfect theme. Christopher Nolan's Batman could not have had a better score. The fact that Zimmer can write music that at once is so simple in its effect and so complicated in its feeling is a true measure of his skill as a composer.
The Dark Knight