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Byers 1 Karolyn Byers Professor Fülöp History of Film Music 21 December 2012 John Williams v. Alexandre Desplat: Approaches to Film Scoring for the Harry Potter Series I. Introduction The eight­film series based on the Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling includes compositions by four different composers. Beginning with John Williams in 2001, the Harry Potter films over the years have also been scored by composers Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper and Alexandre Desplat.1 The composers use different approaches to the film score and seek different levels of interaction between the music and film. In order to understand how Desplat and Williams each contribute something unique for their respective films, this paper will primarily focus on the music from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and the differing approaches and styles undertaken by composers Williams and Desplat. The techniques of the two composers vary immensely. John Williams is widely recognized as one of the greatest film composers in the last forty years; his music has gained him international fame and he greatly increased the popularity of film music with his strikingly memorable themes.2 His compositional style primarily reinforces ideas that are seen on screen, while Alexandre Desplat is a bit more subtle with his scoring. Rather than doubling the action on screen, Desplat displays emotions or actions that are not necessarily portrayed by anything visually. However, since Williams composed music for the first three films, he established certain motives and themes that 1 John Williams composed the music for the first three films. The score to the fourth film was composed by Patrick Doyle. The fifth and sixth film scores were composed by Nicholas Hooper, and Alexandre Desplat composed the music for the final two films. 2 Jon Burlingame, Sound and Vision: 60 years of Motion Picture Soundtracks, (New York: Billboard Books, 2000), 186. Byers 2 Desplat uses, if infrequently. Although asserting some continuity with themes that Williams established, Desplat creates an atmosphere that enhances the film viewing experience, but in a much more subtle and nuanced fashion than Williams; he accomplishes this primarily through reliance on rhythmic drive, romanticism, and special effects.3 In contrast, Williams uses illustrative music and composes the most memorable themes of Harry Potter that are widely recognized as the iconic soundtrack of the Harry Potter enterprise. II. John Williams, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Williams’s leitmotifs in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone are memorable, melodic and able to be sung easily. The most important leitmotifs in the first film include Hedwig’s theme, Harry’s theme, the Voldemort motif, and the friendship motif. However, Hedwig’s theme and Harry’s theme are the only motifs that are recalled frequently in future films. Harry’s theme is derived from Hedwig’s theme, and although no research has suggested that there is a distinction between the two, in my own analysis, I have separated the two themes. Hedwig’s Theme 3 Here, romanticism refers to the dynamic colors and richness created through beautifully dissonant chords exaggerated gestures and enhanced instrumentation. Special effects is used to indicate a number of elements including electronic manipulations, minimalism, and other non­traditional Western sounds: mostly focused on how certain instruments are used, and the various noises they can create. Byers 3 Harry’s Theme Although I find them to be closely related, I more often find one theme specifically associated with Hedwig and flying, and the other theme closely affiliated with Harry. For example, Harry’s theme occurs in the films when Harry makes grand entrances, particularly to emphasize a heroic measure or indicate Harry’s bravery; this is a common idea that recurs throughout all eight films, and thus I have designated this portion as Harry’s theme. Hedwig’s theme, on the other hand, is closely affiliated with owls, flying and the magical presence within Hogwarts. Through the recognition and familiarity of these motifs, Williams creates an experience for the film viewers to connect and engage with the film. Sometimes, the motives provide a clarity or suggest an idea that foreshadows the narrative on screen. For example, the first time the Voldemort motif enters is when Harry buys his wand. The wandmaker, Mr. Ollivander, seems perturbed by the particular wand that has “chosen” Harry, eventually revealing to Harry that a related wand was responsible for the death of Harry’s parents. When Harry inquires about the other wand owner, Ollivander refuses to speak his name, but the theme immediately returns a whole step higher when Ollivander says “he­who­must­not­be­named” slightly later in their conversation. The Voldemort motif: The transposition is significant because the whole­step increases the tension in the music, and also puts it in a higher register with more flats in the key signature. The audience automatically hears this as more sinister than its initial appearance, and this exploited darkness emphasizes the power of the evil wizard. This idea of clarity is present later in the film, as well. At Hogwarts, Harry Byers 4 ventures into the Forbidden Forest and encounters a mysterious hooded figure. Without the music, the audience may not associate the figure with Voldemort, but as soon as Harry sees the figure, the Voldemort motif enters. Although Harry does not realize whom he sees, the motif indicates the unknown figure is Voldemort. In addition to the leitmotific nature of the themes, Williams seamlessly transitions through his themes to make broader connections between characters or ideas that have motifs. While eating in a London pub, The Leaky Cauldron, Harry asks Hagrid for more information about his parents, when Harry utters “you­know­who,” the Voldemort motif plays immediately; the theme repeats three times with harmonic manipulations and ascending sequences with each rotation. As Hagrid begins talking less about Voldemort and more about Harry, the celeste gradually enters and eventually plays Harry’s theme when Hagrid says, “you’re the boy who lived.” This scene is significant because it underscores Williams’s ability to connect themes, and transform smoothly to make wider associations. From the thematic transition in this example, we can gather the underlying link between Harry and Voldemort, even though neither of them realize the full extent of their connection yet. Williams composes with techniques such as mickey mousing and illustrative music.4 Specifically, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Williams also uses music as an indicator of magical presence.5 At the beginning of the film, Williams uses illustrative music to illuminate the magical surroundings. On screen, we see a shadow of a cat morphing into a witch. As the shadow of the cat gets taller and transforms, the music rises in pitch and repetition with an underlying crescendo until the transformation is complete. During this shot, the ascending register in the music directly corresponds to the visual on the screen, and enhances the viewing. Similarly, at the 4 Brazelon, 196. 5 Jamie Webster "The Music of Harry Potter: Change and Continuity in the First Five Films" (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Oregon, 2009), 2­5. Byers 5 beginning of the film, the presence of music indicates the presence of magic. When the film begins, the celeste has the melody, and on screen, an owl sits on top of a sign reading Privet Drive; out of nowhere, a strange looking wizard (that we later learn is Professor Dumbledore) appears, and as he performs magic, the music mickey mouses to imitate him. The music swells each time Dumbledore turns off a street lamp with his deluminator, a magical device that can capture and release surrounding light. At this point, the instrumentation is mystical sounding, including a harp, celeste, wind chimes, and other various percussion. Williams uses illustrative music and mickey mousing to reinforce the visual image. In his themes, Williams also reinforces mood of the scene. With the Friendship/love motif, Harry reminisces about his friends, parents, or Hogwarts. During Harry’s first night at Hogwarts, the friendship/love motif plays at a piano dynamic as Harry sits in his windowsill with Hedwig, staring outside at the grandness that encompasses the Hogwarts grounds. The music in this scene when combined with Harry’s contemplative face represents Harry’s thoughts and feelings about his new surroundings. Friendship/love motif The friendship/love motif’s diatonicism contrasts significantly with the chromatic alterations of Hedwig’s theme. The diatonicism is reminiscent and reflective of Harry’s longing to find a place that feels like a proper home, whereas the chromaticism and “wrong note” feeling in Hedwig’s theme represents the unknown mysteries and grandeur of the wizarding world. The friendship/love motif is more stable due to its diatonicism, whereas Hedwig’s theme is less predictable, which also mirroring the spontaneity of the magical world. Later in the film, the friendship/love motif appears Byers 6 when Harry sees his deceased parents in an enchanted mirror: the theme plays as he is reminded of the life he could have had if it Voldemort never killed his parents. Again, the theme reflects this reminiscing moment due to its lyricism and simple melody; in combination with the puzzled, yet mesmerized, look on Harry’s face, the music exploits the idea of something Harry never experienced growing up: love. Lastly, at the end of the film the theme is played in brass instruments as Harry, Ron and Hermione, board the Hogwarts Express, and Harry says, “I’m not going home, not really,” meaning that he considers Hogwarts to be his home now. The grandiose instrumentation exemplifies the changes the year has brought, and rather than this motif being used in a reflective manner, its exploitation refers to Harry’s changes and symbolizes the grandeur he can expect at Hogwarts.6 III.

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