Film music vs. Classical music

Well it’s been a little while since my last post. We’ve moved from April to August; I could say life has been busy, but to be honest I simply haven’t had anything worthy to write about. Sometimes I forget about BtNG. Then someone leaves a comment and reminds me that it still exists.

This here post is one I’ve been brewing on for a while. It’s nothing original. Many people have remarked in the past about how some themes from movie scores sound very similar to others from older classical pieces.

1) The first example is of course the most notorious:

JAWS theme, by John Williams

Now compare to the opening of the fourth movement of Dvorak’s New World Symphony

2) How about the Charging of Fort Wagner from Glory, by James Horner?

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, O Fortuna

These two are perhaps slightly less alike; though the change to a triumphant major chord (at 2:30 and 2:17 respectively) are similar.

3) And now the battle scene from Gladiator, by Hans Zimmer

Yes, I realize those clips are from the movie Troy. However, it was the best single chunk of Zimmer’s battle music from Gladiator that I could find. I know many people already realize it bears a strong resemblance to Gustav Holst’s Mars, the Bringer of War from The Planets. Both deal with war and the Romans, so it seems fitting that one draws from the other.

4) Speaking of Holst’s Planets, have you listened to the Jupiter movement? The passage we’re looking for begins at the 3:02 mark.

This sounds a lot like the opening phrase of one of the main themes from James Horner’s Braveheart score.

5) Speaking of Horner, there is another more obscure find in his Troy soundtrack. I am thinking of the Trojans’ theme, which features a distinctive F-horn run that sounds very similar to a motif in the “Hosanna!” portion of the Sanctus movement from Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem.

The Britten is first. Just for laughs, watch at the 1:57 mark in this video when ol’ boy makes a mistake and then smiles sheepishly. Hehehe. Now listen at 2:30 when the brass fanfare begins.

Now listen to the 44-second mark of this video.

What do you think?

6) Finally, one of my favorites comes from Howard Shore’s Ring Theme. Listen to those dark string chords at 29 seconds.

Ohoho! I want to watch Fellowship of the Ring. Now.

Okay. Compare what you’ve just heard–the first two notes of the Ring Theme (which appear all over the trilogy, by the way)– with this next piece. It is a movement from Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem entitled Reconciliation . It occurs in the middle section while the baritione soloist is singing about a dead soldier’s white face in the coffin. Listen at 3:03, 3:14 and 3:27. . .

‘ >Reconciliation-Dona_Nobis_Pacem.mp3]

There are many other musical examples out there. I am not in any way trying to accuse anyone of plagiarism. Far be it from me to do so. Rather, I think it notable that many contemporary composers are still drawing from the past, taking inspiration from their elders. Do you think it has always been this way?

Stay tuned for the next blog post in four months.