A recent thread discussion got me thinking about my favorite movie soundtracks from period dramas...which made me realize that most of my favorites are from the 1990s.
The Braveheart soundtrack is gorgeous. I can hear that simple main melody and instantly be transported to the highlands of Scotland during the rebellion. (Historical accuracy does not count in this thread. Yes, I know the movie is abysmally inaccurate.)
The Last of the Mohicans. That violin...oh, that violin. Gets me every time I hear it. I love that entire soundtrack. That movie was shot in the Blueridge Mountains near where I live. I had a geography professor in college who was in the movie. He also served as consultant. Pretty cool hearing his insights. Double D Lewis is also in it. Enough said.
The Lord of the Rings is pretty great. There's a wonderful breakdown on YouTube of how they blended to story with the music seamlessly (I can't find it, or I would post a link for everyone). Gladiator is another really nice score.
The English Patient (1996) is one that always got me. When he walks out of the cave with her lifeless body. Just wonderful music.
Legends of the Fall. If you can make it through without dry eyes you have a stone heart! ;)
I know I'm simply forgetting so many. Movies or TV, what are some of your favorite scores? I'd love to discover something new. Extra points for period dramas. I'm thinking of scores that really elevate the movie or show to another level.
I like all the ones you mentioned. I'd really love to see that video on the LOTR music and how it all happened, if you can ever locate it. It's probably somewhere in the extended DVD set collection I have anyway, but I've never managed to wade through all the hours of footage. What I did see what pretty fascinating though.
A few of my faves that I'll mention now (might add more later if the thread takes off):
Patrick Doyle's soundtrack to Sense and Sesibility from 1995. Just brilliant!
Samuel Sim's soundtrack to Emma from 2009. So good.
The 2015 Disney Cinderalla soundtrack is wonderful as well.
I routinely work with these albums playing.
Quote from: Silence Dogood on August 14, 2026, 02:47:48 PMPatrick Doyle's soundtrack to Sense and Sesibility from 1995. Just brilliant!
Ah, that's a good one I had forgotten about! Nice pull. Patrick Doyle is a titan in composition.
I'll have to check out Emma and Cinderella.
Silence, I believe it was this video, but I'm not certain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLj6zkmwsYU
I don't have time to watch the entire thing at the moment, but what I remember is the music doesn't only build and build (as you would expect), but it is first a quiet and simple melody (a seed) in the beginning of the movie, while Frodo is still in the shire. That melody then takes root and changes/varies ultimately culminating when the fellowship is formed. And the pay off is even better because that earlier variation on the theme is still with us, I thought it was so cool the way the score was written. Written with real purpose. Not unusual from a great score composer, but interesting to see things broken down. Again, I hope that's the right video above.
I love film score music. Many of the great 20th century serious composers wrote for film. And I have a list of favorite composers. A film addict, I'm particularly drawn to composers of the film classic era. And I also like more recent composers like John Barry. For guitarist wanting to look at some arrangements for guitar, I recommend a book by Laurindo Almeida called Contemporary Moods for Classical Guitar. Here is a score by Richard Addinsell called the Warsaw Concerto from a 1941 film called Dangerous Moonlight performed by my favorite pianist Valentina Lisitsa and the BBC orchestra live at the Proms.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob_mJbKAfWA
Quote from: William2 on August 14, 2026, 04:20:27 PMAnd I also like more recent composers like John Barry.
Out of Africa's soundtrack is absolutely brilliant.
Quote from: BlueBowman on August 14, 2026, 01:52:58 PMA recent thread discussion got me thinking about my favorite movie soundtracks from period dramas...which made me realize that most of my favorites are from the 1990s.
The Braveheart soundtrack is gorgeous. I can hear that simple main melody and instantly be transported to the highlands of Scotland during the rebellion. (Historical accuracy does not count in this thread. Yes, I know the movie is abysmally inaccurate.)
The Last of the Mohicans. That violin...oh, that violin. Gets me every time I hear it. I love that entire soundtrack. That movie was shot in the Blueridge Mountains near where I live. I had a geography professor in college who was in the movie. He also served as consultant. Pretty cool hearing his insights. Double D Lewis is also in it. Enough said.
The Lord of the Rings is pretty great. There's a wonderful breakdown on YouTube of how they blended to story with the music seamlessly (I can't find it, or I would post a link for everyone). Gladiator is another really nice score.
The English Patient (1996) is one that always got me. When he walks out of the cave with her lifeless body. Just wonderful music.
Legends of the Fall. If you can make it through without dry eyes you have a stone heart! ;)
I know I'm simply forgetting so many. Movies or TV, what are some of your favorite scores? I'd love to discover something new. Extra points for period dramas. I'm thinking of scores that really elevate the movie or show to another level.
Since the discussion of "castle music" seems to have spurred on the idea of this thread, here is something you might enjoy from CS Lewis's 1945 novel THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH. I was thinking of this yesterday after pondering the thread. Lewis shows himself to be a wordsmith of the first order here:
"And Dimble, who had been sitting with his face drawn, and rather white, between the white faces of the two women, and his eyes on the table, raised his head, and great syllables of words that sounded like castles came out of his mouth. Jane felt her heart leap and quiver at them. Everything else in the room seemed to have been intensely quiet; even the bird, and the bear, and the cat, were still, staring at the speaker. The voice did not sound like Dimble's own: it was as if the words spoke themselves through him from some strong place at a distance—or as if they were not words at all but present operations of God, the planets, and the Pendragon. For this was the language spoken before the Fall and beyond the Moon and the meanings were not given to the syllables by chance, or skill, or long tradition, but truly inherent in them as the shape of the great Sun is inherent in the little waterdrop. This was Language herself, as she first sprang at Maleldil's bidding out of the molten quicksilver of the first star called Mercury on Earth, but Viritrilbia in Deep Heaven."
The soundtrack for "The Outlaw Josey Wales" written by Jerry Fielding was set following the Civil War and directed by and starring Clint Eastwood as well as John Vernon, Sam Bottoms, Chief Dan George and Bill McKinney is right up there. The music and the movie are both timeless.
While many are technically not period pieces, any soundtrack written by John Williams has to be included: Jaws, Star Wars, Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Home Alone and ET to name just a few. Don't forget to include the soundtracks from To Kill a Mockingbird, The Natural, Forrest Gump, October Sky and music selected by John Hughes for his movies.
I'm not sure if Westerns are period dramas but Ennio Morricone is my favorite composer and it's not even close. Though he's most well known for the Clint Eastwood trilogy, I feel one of his best works is the Once Upon a Time in the West soundtrack. It manages to keep your interest throughout an incredibly long and slow moving film, never allowing the viewer to feel impatient. That whole film is a form of art that cannot be made anymore as studios just won't take the risk.
Quote from: B0WIE on August 14, 2026, 08:58:18 PMI'm not sure if Westerns are period dramas but Ennio Morricone is my favorite composer and it's not even close.
How I could I forget Ennio?! One of the absolute greats. I just put on Ecstasy of Gold. Killer.
A little known movie and great soundtrack, The Legend of 1900, is well worth everyone's time. Bowie, you may already know about it, being a fan of Ennio, but it's one of my favorite movies. The score is top notch, and well worth a listen. But the two go so well together. Highly recommended.
Quote from: B0WIE on August 14, 2026, 08:58:18 PMThough he's most well known for the Clint Eastwood trilogy, I feel one of his best works is the Once Upon a Time in the West soundtrack. It manages to keep your interest throughout an incredibly long and slow moving film, never allowing the viewer to feel impatient. That whole film is a form of art that cannot be made anymore as studios just won't take the risk.
I think superhero movies ruined slow pacing for us!
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For some reason, I always get Ennio and Mancini confused, so I'll throw out Henry Mancini has another great. I enjoy playing both the theme from Love Story and Pink Panther on guitar.
Quote from: William2 on August 14, 2026, 04:20:27 PMI love film score music. Many of the great 20th century serious composers wrote for film. And I have a list of favorite composers. A film addict, I'm particularly drawn to composers of the film classic era. And I also like more recent composers like John Barry. For guitarist wanting to look at some arrangements for guitar, I recommend a book by Laurindo Almeida called Contemporary Moods for Classical Guitar. Here is a score by Richard Addinsell called the Warsaw Concerto from a 1941 film called Dangerous Moonlight performed by my favorite pianist Valentina Lisitsa and the BBC orchestra live at the Proms.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob_mJbKAfWA
Thanks, William. I'll check it out!
Quote from: teh on August 14, 2026, 07:36:18 PMWhile many are technically not period pieces, any soundtrack written by John Williams has to be included: Jaws, Star Wars, Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Home Alone and ET to name just a few. Don't forget to include the soundtracks from To Kill a Mockingbird, The Natural, Forrest Gump, October Sky and music selected by John Hughes for his movies.
Good stuff here. The music for Schindler's List fit the movie so well. Itzhak Perlman FTW. The main Jaws theme might be the most pitch perfect composition ever. How do you decide what to write for a giant shark attacking humans? Brilliant.
These great composers working on movies, it makes me wonder what Mozart and some of the other legends of classical would be doing if they were alive today. Broadway? Movies?
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One of my favorite composers is Chopin. It's probably obvious from most of my suggestions that I love sad music. Two great uses of Chopin in movies: the nocturnes in The Pianist and The Deer Hunter.
The nocturne in The Deer Hunter is being played by the actual actor in the scene, just before they go off to war (foreshadowing). A powerful scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRYjGSwdWws
Quote from: BlueBowman on August 14, 2026, 03:41:13 PMSilence, I believe it was this video, but I'm not certain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLj6zkmwsYU
I don't have time to watch the entire thing at the moment, but what I remember is the music doesn't only build and build (as you would expect), but it is first a quiet and simple melody (a seed) in the beginning of the movie, while Frodo is still in the shire. That melody then takes root and changes/varies ultimately culminating when the fellowship is formed. And the pay off is even better because that earlier variation on the theme is still with us, I thought it was so cool the way the score was written. Written with real purpose. Not unusual from a great score composer, but interesting to see things broken down. Again, I hope that's the right video above.
That's pretty awesome how the guy breaks it all down. I'd never seen that before. (I only wish I understand music half as much as that guy does.)
I find it fascinating how these modern composers match the music to certain scenes in films and how they weave the "main theme" of the score throughout. Sometimes the main theme is so beautiful, and it can often be something short but very memorable.
An example that comes to mind is the main theme from the film Super 8. A truly beautiful piece that tugs at the heart every time I hear it.
I have no idea how people "write" music like this--how they just invent it like someone does a story or a drawing. Music has never worked that way in my life. Sometimes a melody will jump out at me and land on the fretboard, but never could I sit down and intentionally "write" music like that. This is mostly due to the fact that I never learned how to read music, know nothing of theory, etc. I just play guitar and mandolin. My grandmother was a classically-trained pianist. When she would see me sit down and "just play" guitar, she could never understand how I did it. Her teachers never let her make stuff up, etc. She had to "play the Masters." She honestly could not understand someone not knowing music but being able to play it.
Quote from: Silence Dogood on August 16, 2026, 11:06:52 AMI have no idea how people "write" music like this--how they just invent it like someone does a story or a drawing. Music has never worked that way in my life. Sometimes a melody will jump out at me and land on the fretboard, but never could I sit down and intentionally "write" music like that. This is mostly due to the fact that I never learned how to read music, know nothing of theory, etc. I just play guitar and mandolin. My grandmother was a classically-trained pianist. When she would see me sit down and "just play" guitar, she could never understand how I did it. Her teachers never let her make stuff up, etc. She had to "play the Masters." She honestly could not understand someone not knowing music but being able to play it.
I've wondered the same thing. Do they have a huge backlog of various musical ideas composed prior to the film, then search through the catalog looking for things to fit? Or, do they compose in the moment with the intent of the music being used for a X film? It's probably the latter mostly. I've seen composers watching edited clips of the movie to get ideas for the writing. It's an impressive skill!
Much less impressive from my own life: when I lived in Nashville a decade or so ago, I was asked to write the music for an indie film project. The project never went anywhere, but I'll tell you the only direction I got: "write music for these five emotions." That was all I was told!
This will almost qualify, but when has that ever stopped me. My favorite period dramas are the 1930s era of gritty film noir stuff. Two not so recent series that had some fine background music was HBO's 2020 "Perry Mason (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2077823/)". Here's a public link to my Proton cloud drive that has about 23 minutes of mournful trumpet 30's jazz I "borrowed" off on Spotify at the time. (Start around minute 9:30 or so)
https://drive.proton.me/urls/NP132ZZ3P0#6RSAYnBd9j4Q
The second was the theme music from "Monsieur Spade (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14203572/)", an AMC series where Sam Spade retires to France and marries a rich widow then tries to keep out of trouble. More beautiful trumpet noir if you're into that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teas1byt09U
Quote from: BlueBowman on August 16, 2026, 01:49:17 PMI've wondered the same thing. Do they have a huge backlog of various musical ideas composed prior to the film, then search through the catalog looking for things to fit? Or, do they compose in the moment with the intent of the music being used for a X film? It's probably the latter mostly. I've seen composers watching edited clips of the movie to get ideas for the writing. It's an impressive skill!
Much less impressive from my own life: when I lived in Nashville a decade or so ago, I was asked to write the music for an indie film project. The project never went anywhere, but I'll tell you the only direction I got: "write music for these five emotions." That was all I was told!
I think of Howard Shore scoring the LOTR trilogy. It's all absolutely brilliant stuff, but the part that impressed me most was the fiddle tune he wrote called "Concerning Hobbits" at the start of the film. I mean, don't just come up with a new tune, but make it sound like it's 1000 years old and as memorable and recognizable as anything you've ever heard. Unreal!
Quote from: jpmist on August 16, 2026, 02:58:21 PMThis will almost qualify, but when has that ever stopped me. My favorite period dramas are the 1930s era of gritty film noir stuff. Two not so recent series that had some fine background music was HBO's 2020 "Perry Mason (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2077823/)". Here's a public link to my Proton cloud drive that has about 23 minutes of mournful trumpet 30's jazz I "borrowed" off on Spotify at the time. (Start around minute 9:30 or so)
https://drive.proton.me/urls/NP132ZZ3P0#6RSAYnBd9j4Q
The second was the theme music from "Monsieur Spade (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14203572/)", an AMC series where Sam Spade retires to France and marries a rich widow then tries to keep out of trouble. More beautiful trumpet noir if you're into that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teas1byt09U
Very cool. Film noir (and the accompanying music) is not really in my wheelhouse. Something new after all, thanks for the links. I'll give them a listen.
Would you recommend the new Perry Mason as a pretty good show? I liked Mathew Rhys in The Americans.
Quote from: BlueBowman on August 17, 2026, 08:17:59 AMWould you recommend the new Perry Mason as a pretty good show? I liked Mathew Rhys in The Americans.
I enjoyed Mathew Rhys in "The Americans" enough to do a rewatch, which I'd recommend. Lucky for me I forget the plotting after 5-6 years so I can go back and enjoy the characters.
HBO's "Perry Mason" has a 7.6 rating which is dead on. It's good enough to watch, but there are issues I picked at as far as too many secondary plots and characters to keep track of. I'm enough of a geek to get off on production quality and this rates higher than 7.6. So long story short, I enjoyed my recent rewatch, but then I knew where to skip forward :whistling:
Quote from: jpmist on August 17, 2026, 11:19:34 AMHBO's "Perry Mason" has a 7.6 rating which is dead on. It's good enough to watch, but there are issues I picked at as far as too many secondary plots and characters to keep track of. I'm enough of a geek to get off on production quality and this rates higher than 7.6. So long story short, I enjoyed my recent rewatch, but then I knew where to skip forward :whistling:
Haha, gotcha.
Speaking of HBO and re-watches, I'm in the middle of a Game of Thrones re-watch. Those early seasons are just incredible, some of the best TV ever made. But after season 4, boy, things kinda drop off for me. I noticed my
skipping forward moments increased with frequency with each passing season thereafter. That last season...a struggle to watch. Reminds me of a few bands and artists I love, the good stuff is in their early work.
Quote from: BlueBowman on August 17, 2026, 04:45:54 PMI'm in the middle of a Game of Thrones re-watch.
Yeah, I can't wait to forget enough to rewatch that series, but unfortunately that one is still too vivid in my head. The last time I tried I faltered after only a few episodes. 🤷🏻�♂️. "The Sopranos" is the same and I'm sure there are others.
I'll throw my hat in the ring with John Williams' score of Dancing With Wolves. Amazing. I had the CD as a teenager.
Not historical, but one of my absolute favorite movies is from 1982 called Local Hero. Mark Knopfler did the score, and it's killer. HIGHLY recommend that movie!
Quote from: StringPicker6 on August 17, 2026, 09:48:41 PMMark Knopfler did the score, and it's killer. HIGHLY recommend that movie!
Big Knopfler fan here, maybe time for a rewatch & listen
Here's the theme song:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3DB-uJ0TxKQ&ra=m
This thread has me wondering about some things, like: how do the modern composers stack up against "the masters," etc? Were the great composers great because they were innovators, or were there just not as many people doing it then? Maybe both are true to a degree?
Something that has occurred to me many times is that I often get bored to death listening to Bach or Mozart, but I can listen to the same movie soundtrack over and over again. Why do I like one more than the other? Is my modern ear more tuned to a movie soundtrack? Or do I find it objectively more appealing and beautiful?
In part, I think I sometimes make things harder than they are. I've been told all the old classical music contains meanings, storylines, etc, but I have never been educated in how to understand or appreciate it. Same with the paintings in a museum.
"Can you see what the artist was trying to say here?..."
Me: "Nope, but I love the painting."
In modern music, I just listen and enjoy it. But with the old music, I often feel like I'm not immersed enough in the history and culture of it all enough to enjoy it fully.
I have a book called "the vintage guide to classical music". I bought it years ago because I have a lot of my deceased Dad's old records of classical music. To date, I have not read the book, and the records are largely unplayed.
The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray...
Quote from: Silence Dogood on August 19, 2026, 12:35:16 PMThis thread has me wondering about some things, like: how do the modern composers stack up against "the masters," etc? Were the great composers great because they were innovators, or were there just not as many people doing it then? Maybe both are true to a degree?
One important thing I heard pointed out recently (might have been Billy Corgan, but I'm not sure) is that we only know about the brilliant composers of the past. There are tens of thousands who are forgotten. I'll bet a lot of them were even great. Think of how many writers and painters who never saw fame in their lifetime, but someone saw their work later on. Classical musicians are unlikely to be remembered that way because rediscovering an opera is quite complicated.
I feel there's also a lot of brilliant modern composers. Problem is, most of them have to make a living so commercial interests affect how expressive they can be. And, a lot of great composers don't write classical music. I think of Frank Zappa as being brilliant as a composer, but he chose to amuse himself and create pieces that were challenging rather than prioritizing what would please the public.
Sorry, been away for a couple days due to life stuff!
Quote from: Silence Dogood on August 19, 2026, 12:35:16 PMSomething that has occurred to me many times is that I often get bored to death listening to Bach or Mozart, but I can listen to the same movie soundtrack over and over again. Why do I like one more than the other? Is my modern ear more tuned to a movie soundtrack? Or do I find it objectively more appealing and beautiful?
Story + music = greater emotional impact. I think that's why the movie and TV soundtracks stick with us more than, say, a random piece of classical music When done well, the two go beautifully together. I've been turned on to lots of classical music via movies and TV, where I'm not so sure I would've had the same reaction had I listened to the music on its own. Interesting to think about. I'm also a fan of many broadway plays, where I many times greatly prefer the music to the plays themselves.
Quote from: Silence Dogood on August 19, 2026, 12:35:16 PMIn part, I think I sometimes make things harder than they are. I've been told all the old classical music contains meanings, storylines, etc, but I have never been educated in how to understand or appreciate it. Same with the paintings in a museum.
I'm not a big symphony guy, but I do love Beethoven's 9th ("Ode to Joy"). That symphony is telling a story, no doubt in my mind. And like a story, perhaps not every single moment is filled with excitement. There are parts of the 1st movement that don't blow me away, but the music is setting us up for what comes next: the beginning of the 2nd movement, which I think is some of the most powerful classical music ever written. Straight up SICK is what I wanted to say. Dude that wrote that felt...deeply.
I'm of the opinion that classical music, especially a piece like the 9th, needs to be listened to on the best sound system one can find, and it needs to be listened to loudly.
Quote from: BlueBowman on August 20, 2026, 07:17:03 PMStory + music = greater emotional impact. I think that's why the movie and TV soundtracks stick with us more than, say, a random piece of classical music When done well, the two go beautifully together. I've been turned on to lots of classical music via movies and TV, where I'm not so sure I would've had the same reaction had I listened to the music on its own.
I think there's truth in what you say, but it's also strange that many of the soundtracks/scores that really blow me away are from movies I've never seen. I tend to get interested in a composer (e.g. John Barry, James Horner, at al) and I'll go down a rabbit hole of their music. I think there must be some kind of modern emotional connection I have with the way they compose music vs how someone did in the 1700s or 1800s. But then again, and along those lines, I tend to love the music of Turlough O'Carolan. His melodies sound fresh to me and he lived in the 1600/1700s.
All said, it's all a bit mysterious to me.