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. . .

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.

“Let us charge into the good fight with joy and love without being afraid of our enemies. Though unseen themselves, they can look at the face of our soul, and if they see it altered by fear, they take up arms against us all the more fiercely. For the cunning creatures have observed that we are scared. So let us take up arms against them courageously. No one will fight with a resolute fighter.”

–St. John Climacus

I’ve noticed something peculiar lately. I find myself highly interested in the outcome of Pacers games. This has not been the case for several years . . . not since the fatal night of that ignoble brawl. Any Pacers fan will agree that the team began its long downward spiral at that moment. Reggie Miller retired the next year, and they’ve never been the same.

But things are starting to change. Slowly and steadily, I can see them clawing back. It may not show in the record (currently 21-32), but there is a different feel about this team. I think it boils down to desire. This team wants to win. Badly. And that’s something any fan should feel good about.

The Pacers have beaten very good teams this year — Boston, Phoenix (on the road), Orlando, Detroit (in overtime), Houston (twice) and came two points shy of sweeping the Lakers in the regular season for the first time in over a decade. Yet they are also losing some games to very poor teams by slim margins. It is rather puzzling; but despite the inconsistency, I think we are moving in the right direction.

Last night’s game was a good indication of that. The Pacers beat the mighty Cavs 96-95 at home. There were a couple of controversial calls at the end of the game — a foul on Danny Granger blocking an alley-oop to Lebron, and on the next play a foul on Lebron James blocking an alley-oop to Granger. Wow. Both star players get called for fouls on the exact same play. Granger sank the first free-throw and purposefully missed the second to run out the clock.

Brilliant.

Now watching the video I would say that neither play should have been a foul. It was great defense on both ends. But that is beside the point. The Pacers are starting to play well again, and they are building a chemistry that local fans can appreciate. I hope the management doesn’t broker any more trades; and we’d better keep the coach we’ve got. How can you build a team when the structure is always changing?

The Pacers are at a point where they can build on the talent they have. It may take a while, but in a few years time we could be making deep runs into the playoffs again.