War Horse (soundtrack)

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War Horse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
War Horse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).jpg
Film score by
John Williams
Released21 December 2011 (2011-12-21)
Recorded2011
Genre Soundtrack
Length1:05:25
Label Sony Classical
Producer John Williams
John Williams chronology
The Adventures of Tintin
(2011)		War Horse
(2011)		 Lincoln
(2012)

War Horse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album to the 2011 film of the same name directed by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg's norm collaborator John Williams composed and conducted the score for the film, the second score composed the same year by Williams for Spielberg after The Adventures of Tintin . [1] The score featured a 90-piece orchestra performing the orchestral music and was recorded during March and April 2011. It was released on 21 December 2011 by Sony Classical Records, four days prior to the film's release. The soundtrack was also released in German in February 2012, to accompany with the dubbed release of Gefährten in Germany. [2]

Contents

The soundtrack received positive response from critics, and Williams received nomination for Best Original Score category at the 84th Academy Awards (also for Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin ), but lost to French composer Ludovic Bource for his score for The Artist (2011). It also received nominations for Original Score at Golden Globe, BAFTA and Satellite Award, which was also lost to The Artist.

Development

Williams took inspiration by visiting a horse farm in California and observing horses and their behavior, elaborating that "I got in the habit of watching the horses in the morning, and I began to see how they connect to each other and how they became curious about me. That's when I really began to get the sense that horses are very special creatures. They have been magnificent and trusted friends for such a long time and have done so much for us with such grace." [3]

Williams was also influenced by the geographic scope of the film's story. In regard to that approach, Williams stated:

"This was a very rich opportunity musically because it is both about humans and animals and it takes place in three different countries. It starts out in a more intimate way, on the farm with the bonding of Joey and Albert. Then, the eruption of war changes the scale, and the music does a 180-degree turn. From this bucolic, gentle, even sentimental music, you move into the music of battle surges and gripping struggles. It's a musical journey full of dimension and emotional content, and I tried also to create an atmosphere reflective of that period, which was lyrical, poetic and tragic." [3]

The score was recorded in late March and early April 2011, [4] by a 90-piece orchestra, with Williams comparing the recording sessions more to a concert piece rather than a traditional film score, as it relied more on the individual performance of the musicians. [3] Tuba player Jim Self reported in May 2011, saying that he had recorded the score segment, which involved a "lot of brass—but it was gentle music often." [5] English folk singer John Tams, who wrote the songs for the stage production of War Horse, was approached by Spielberg and Williams about including one of his songs from the stageshow in the film. [6] [7] The score was mixed and designed by Gary Rydstrom. [8]

In the liner notes to the film soundtrack's CD, Spielberg wrote, "I feel that John has made a special gift to me of this music, which was inspired not only by my film but also by many of the picturesque settings of the poet William Wordsworth, whose vivid descriptions of the British landscape inspired much of what you are going to hear." [9] In the premiere of three of the tracks on New York radio station WQXR's "Movies on the Radio", broadcaster David Garland drew parallels with the work of British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. [10] Several unreleased scores were featured in the For Your Consideration album in order to be nominated for major awards season. [11]

Track listing

All music is composed by John Williams

No.TitleLength
1."Dartmoor, 1912"3:35
2."The Auction"3:34
3."To Giant Country"4:42
4."Bringing Joey Home and Bonding"3:20
5."Seeding and Horse vs. Car"3:33
6."Plowing"5:10
7."Ruined Crop and Going to War"3:29
8."The Charge and Capture"3:21
9."The Desertion"2:33
10."Joey's New Friends"3:30
11."Pulling the Cannon"4:11
12."The Death of Topthorn"2:45
13."No Man's Land"4:35
14."The Reunion"3:55
15."Remembering Emilie and Finale"5:07
16."The Homecoming"8:06
Total length:65:26

Reception

Writing for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann said "This is certainly not one of Williams' light adventure scores à la Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark, nor horror music such as Jaws. Rather, it contains both homey and disturbing parts, within the overall context of an old-fashioned orchestral movie soundtrack." [12] Nathan Cone of Texas Public Radio said "The early cues are pastoral, and evocative of the Dartmoor countryside. The music is ripe with Celtic influences, and a friend of mine even picked out a quote from an old Irish sea chantey. There are few big themes established, but the mood is set as a young boy takes in a steed named Joey.  Midway through the album, the mood turns more somber, as Joey is placed into service." [13]

James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "the score on the album plays out along a very well-developed dramatic path – listening to the album really is like hearing a story told through music – is testament to his [Williams'] great gifts". [14] Mfiles-based Sean Wilson wrote "It's the orchestral nuances; it's the memorability of the themes themselves (regardless of whether they get stand-alone arrangements); it's the complex tapestry of emotions that take the listener on an emotional journey. Even in his advancing years, Williams refuses to rest on his laurels, always pushing himself to come up with stunning music that matches Spielberg's vision." [15] Jonathan Broxton wrote "Williams’ work in [War Horse] is to be amongst the best of the year. He provides Joey – who is, obviously, incapable of conveying human emotion – with a voice and a heart, and allows the film to tell the story of his life with scope, grandeur and an epic sweep, but which is also not afraid to convey a sense of intimacy when required. It also shows Williams to be a master dramatist, expertly pushing the audience's buttons in all the right places with a score that is beautiful to the ear, intellectually stimulating to the brain through its thematic complexity and narrative flow, and stirring to the soul." [16]

The Guardian 's Andrew Puliver and The Prague Reporter's Jason Pirodsky called the score as "persistently soaring" and "swells up on the soundtrack". [17] [18] Classic FM wrote "War Horse is a mix of pastoral folky numbers and full-on orchestral blow-outs as the films moves from the English countryside to wartime France." [19] Filmtracks.com wrote "being a Williams score, this music relies on the intelligence of its constructs to succeed, and in that regard, the composer continues to prove that he is at the top of his game. Rather than worry about the difficultly he faced when being forced to abandon all of his many themes halfway through the picture, enjoy each portion of War Horse for its inherent saturation with Williams' trademark sensibilities." [20]

Accolades

AwardsCategoryNameResultRef.
Academy Awards Best Original Score John Williams Nominated [21]
Best Sound Editing Richard Hymns
Gary Rydstrom 		Nominated
Best Sound Mixing Gary Rydstrom
Andy Nelson
Tom Johnson
Stuart Wilson 		Nominated
British Academy Film Awards Best Film Music John WilliamsNominated [22]
Best Sound Stuart Wilson
Gary Rydstrom
Andy Nelson
Tom Johnson
Richard Hymns		Nominated
BMI Film & TV Awards Film Music AwardJohn WilliamsWon [23]
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best SoundWar HorseNominated [24]
Best ScoreJohn WilliamsNominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Original Score John WilliamsNominated [25]
Houston Film Critics Society Awards Best ScoreJohn WilliamsNominated [26]
[27]
Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature FilmWar HorseWon [28]
Best Sound Editing: Dialogue and ADR in a Feature FilmWar HorseNominated
Satellite Awards Best Original Score John WilliamsNominated [29]
Best Sound (Editing & Mixing) Andy Nelson
Gary Rydstrom
Richard Hymns
Stuart Wilson
Tom Johnson		Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Score John WilliamsNominated [30]

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References

  1. ↑ "John Williams: The Last Movie Maestro". The Wall Street Journal. 17 December 2011. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  2. ↑ Gefährten (Soundtrack Album), 17 February 2012, retrieved 2 June 2022
  3. 1 2 3 "War Horse: Production Notes" (PDF). DreamWorks Pictures. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  4. ↑ Poland, David (16 February 2011). "DP/30 Industry Legends: editor Michael Kahn". Movie City News. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  5. ↑ Sousa, B. R. (4 May 2011). "Interview: Jim Self". Sousa Central. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  6. ↑ Powlson, Nigel (8 October 2010). "From West End to Hollywood as John's songs woo Spielberg". Derby Telegraph . Derby. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  7. ↑ Hartley, Emma (12 August 2011). "John Tams at Cropredy on Steven Spielberg and Richard Curtis". Emma Hartley's Glamour Cave. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  8. ↑ "The Sound and Music of 'War Horse'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "War Horse (2011)". JWfan.com. 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  10. ↑ "John Williams's War Horse Premiere". WQXR’s "Movies on the Radio. 22 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  11. ↑ "War Horse - John Williams - FYC SEALED RARE DVD". eBay. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  12. ↑ John Williams War Horse [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic , retrieved 2 June 2022
  13. ↑ "Soundtrack Reviews: 'War Horse' And 'Tintin'". TPR. 22 December 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  14. ↑ "War Horse soundtrack review | John Williams | movie-wave.net". 22 January 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  15. ↑ "John Williams - War Horse: A review of the film score soundtrack from mfiles". www.mfiles.co.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  16. ↑ "WAR HORSE – John Williams". MOVIE MUSIC UK. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  17. ↑ "'War Horse' movie review: Steven Spielberg's WWI epic through the eyes of a horse". The Prague Reporter. 22 February 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  18. ↑ "War Horse – review". The Guardian. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  19. ↑ "John Williams: War Horse". Classic FM. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  20. ↑ "Filmtracks: War Horse (John Williams)". www.filmtracks.com. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  21. ↑ "84th Academy Awards Nominations List". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. 24 January 2012. Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  22. ↑ "BAFTA Film Awards Nominations in 2012". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 17 January 2012. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  23. ↑ Gallo, Phil (17 May 2012). "Backbeat: Rolfe Kent Receives Career Achievement Honor at BMI Film and TV Awards". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 19 May 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  24. ↑ "Hugo and The Artist Lead BFCA Nominees". Awards Daily.com. 13 December 2011. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  25. ↑ "The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards NOMINATIONS". Golden Globe Award. 15 December 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  26. ↑ "Home". Houston Film Critics Society. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  27. ↑ "Houston Film Critics Society Nominees". Awards Daily.com. 10 December 2011. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  28. ↑ "2012 Golden Reel Award Nominees: Feature Films". Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  29. ↑ "2011 International Press Academy Satellite Award Nominees". Satellite Awards. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  30. ↑ "The 2011 WAFCA Awards". Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
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