@jasmine_tarkheena Good idea for a discussion — I was just thinking of this topic myself the other day!

Despite the various drawbacks (and occasional sheer laughableness) of the BBC version of Narnia, it was the best adaptation we had at the time and was what I grew up watching, and the theme tune for it — composed by Geoffrey Burgon — is still THE Narnia theme tune to me. I just love the way it opens with a solo horn over shimmering strings — it just feels like something mysterious and timeless and yearning, calling us into a magical world, which for me is just what Narnia should feel like!

Obviously future adaptations can't recycle scores that have been used before (unless they go the route that some films or TV shows do and use classical music that's out of copyright!!), but I'd love it if the next version of Narnia has a signature tune that makes me feel much the same way. Horn calls are always a good option for creating that atmosphere! Another BBC series I loved in the early 1990s, Tom's Midnight Garden, similarly has a theme tune that opens and closes with a solo horn, and while it's a very different story from Narnia, that part of the music also gives it a yearning, haunting quality before the more light-hearted main theme comes in. (The story involves a boy stepping back in time, rather than into another world entirely, so there's still something mysterious and perhaps magical going on, but in a different way from the Narnia stories.)

Actually, talking of recycling older music that's out of copyright, my absolute favourite piece of music is 20th-century English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 5 (you can find it online if you're interested). It also opens with a horn call — repeated throughout the first movement and also right at the end of the symphony — and that also gives it the feeling that we're setting out on some kind of journey, possibly a magical quest, definitely something above and beyond ordinary day-to-day life. While I don't mentally associate that particular symphony with Narnia specifically, there are plenty of parts of it that would suit a fantasy story, and if someone used it in a Narnia adaptation (or wrote original music that sounds similar), I wouldn't object at all!!  

Or, taking a different tack, one of the most successful and memorable fantasy film soundtracks of recent decades was of course Howard Shore's score to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. Again, a rather different atmosphere from Narnia, but that's one particular composer who managed to absolutely "nail it" with the entire film score — it just fits the whole stunningly huge and diverse world of Middle-earth perfectly, from the cheerful themes for the Shire and the Hobbits, through all the varied landscapes and events of the Fellowship's quest. The Elves' lament for Gandalf in Lothlórien still gives me absolute chills! If a composer of similar talent and sensitivity could be found for a new version of Narnia, I'd be very happy.

Posted by: @courtenay

 

Despite the various drawbacks (and occasional sheer laughableness) of the BBC version of Narnia, it was the best adaptation we had at the time and was what I grew up watching, and the theme tune for it — composed by Geoffrey Burgon — is still THE Narnia theme tune to me. I just love the way it opens with a solo horn over shimmering strings — it just feels like something mysterious and timeless and yearning, calling us into a magical world, which for me is just what Narnia should feel like!

Posted by: @icarus

 

Yes. Absolutely. Everything about this. Spot on. 😊 

 

The only song in the Walden score which even comes close to this for me is Mr Tumnus' Lullaby. Maybe because it's the one and only piece of music that is intended to be diagetic (i.e. happening within the context of the world on screen and audible to the characters).

It would be interesting to hear some ethnic or folk influences for the score as well. If they ever do a Faun dance scene, some Celtic or Eastern European music could work really well for that. (Especially Eastern European, given the Greek influences; it also has a really "wild" sound to it, reminiscent of the Romp in PC).

I also agree with Jasmine that angelic choirs would match perfectly with Narnia! One composer who I think does this extremely well is Jeremy Soule, who composed the scores for the Elder Scrolls video games as well as several symphonic "sketches". His music is incredibly haunting and atmospheric, and he has an ability to evoke a feeling of magical stillness that I haven't heard from many others. 

Posted by: @icarus

it's just a shame that all the other non-diagetic music is just generic a fairly orchestral score. It's not terrible by any stretch, it just isn't all that interesting.

That's actually exactly what I think of the BBC score.  

I suppose I should write something besides that because otherwise it sounds like I'm just being a jerk, dropping bombs on people's favorite music. But honestly, it's hard for me to describe music and what makes it sound good, bad or indifferent to my ears. I just love listening to it. And I'll never understand people who don't particularly like the soundtrack for the Walden Media Narnia movies and then praise the soporific BBC theme. 

Posted by: @jasmine_tarkheena

I would like for Narnia, Archenland, Calormen, and Telmar to each have their own theme score. A pirate score could be used for the Telmarines...

I don't know exactly what you mean by "a pirate score" but I don't think it would fit. While pirates are certainly evil, we associate them with adventure and freedom. The Telmarines are all about boredom and oppression. The kind of musical theme you suggest wouldn't fit with the mood we want to create with them and would be distracting. This might not be so bad with a movie that would just be a couple of hours, but if they want to do a super long miniseries, it'd be a pain having to wait until the end of the final episode for an explanation. Besides,I don't want a lot of foreshadowing as to the Telmarines' origins. (A little would be fine, but not a lot.) Why give away too much too soon? 

Posted by: @the-mad-poet

It would be interesting to hear some ethnic or folk influences for the score as well. If they ever do a Faun dance scene, some Celtic or Eastern European music could work really well for that. (Especially Eastern European, given the Greek influences; it also has a really "wild" sound to it, reminiscent of the Romp in PC).

I haven't thought of that, actually. The Shire theme in Lord of the Rings kind of had a Celtic sound to it. A wild sound is idea, though.

Posted by: @the-mad-poet

I also agree with Jasmine that angelic choirs would match perfectly with Narnia! One composer who I think does this extremely well is Jeremy Soule, who composed the scores for the Elder Scrolls video games as well as several symphonic "sketches". His music is incredibly haunting and atmospheric, and he has an ability to evoke a feeling of magical stillness that I haven't heard from many others. 

Oh yes. A big epic male chorus would not fit (except for maybe The Horse And His Boy and The Last Battle). Big epic music would work better for The Horse And His Boy and The Last Battle then it would for the other stories.

Perhaps even some creepy music with The Dark Island in Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Tash in The Last Battle.

The stars at the creation of Narnia in The Magician's Nephew would sound sound great as a choir. If they have limited budget, they would probably have to go with a small choir. Maybe even a children's choir would sound great.

Posted by: @col-klink

I don't know exactly what you mean by "a pirate score" but I don't think it would fit. While pirates are certainly evil, we associate them with adventure and freedom. The Telmarines are all about boredom and oppression. The kind of musical theme you suggest wouldn't fit with the mood we want to create with them and be distracting. This might not be so bad with a movie that would just be a couple of hours, but if they want to do a super long miniseries, it'd be a pain having to wait until the end of the final episode for an explanation. Besides,I don't want a lot of foreshadowing as to the Telmarines' origins. (A little would be fine, but not a lot.) Why give away too much too soon?

I actually haven't thought of that. It would be hard to think of what could fit with oppression. Though I thought the score that Walden had for the Telmarines kind of fit. It had a darker tone in comparison to the Narnian theme.

On that note, in Prince Caspian, in his coronation, if they could have him sing a vow like Aragorn in his coronation in Return of the King, I'd buy it. Not sure what it would sound like though.

Posted by: @icarus

 

The only song in the Walden score which even comes close to this for me is Mr Tumnus' Lullaby. Maybe because it's the one and only piece of music that is intended to be diagetic (i.e. happening within the context of the world on screen and audible to the characters).

 

They clearly went to a lot of effort with the Lullaby to make it sound and feel like a real piece of music that might exist within the Narnian world, so it's just a shame that all the other non-diagetic music is just generic a fairly orchestral score. It's not terrible by any stretch, it just isn't all that interesting.

True — I found it very un-memorable as well, although I also liked that scene with Mr Tumnus and how the figures appeared in the fire.

Geoffrey Burgon has also composed a Nunc Dimittis — sung in English, though: "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace" — that I find absolutely spine-tingling. I'm not too interested in planning my own funeral just yet, but if it wouldn't be too presumptuous to ask for that one...!!  

Seriously, while great music can't do much to make a bad film better, it can take a good film to AWESOME. Whoever does the next adaptation of Narnia, I hope they realise that and pay a lot of attention to the soundtrack and get a really top-notch composer to do it. So that like with the LOTR score — when I hear it I think "Wow, this just IS Middle-earth!" — Narnia too could have a soundtrack that just makes us think "Wow, this just IS Narnia!!" Not something that sounds like they've just sampled generic fantasy film background scores from some free online provider...  

Even though I have a lot of respect for Harry Gregson Williams, perhaps they could go with a lesser known composer. Wouldn't that be nice for a change, instead with going with the big names like Hans Zimmerman or John Williams?

Especially if they're going to focus more on the characters, big epic music would not fit. Making it sound magical and the chorus sound like angels would be more fitting.

Some of my favourite musical scores in both film and television have a recurring musical "idea", or motif, which would be the proper musical term.  It can be simple or complicated, long or short, but it will always be the main connecting point of the entire musical score (and there can also be more than one).  

I'd love for the new Narnia soundtrack to have a couple of motifs that can always draw us back to a particular character, place, or emotion (Aslan + Narnia itself especially need one in my opinion).  They can be as simple as a repeating sequence of 5 or so notes...and then an entire piece can be composed around it. 

For example, this is the main theme from the Maze Runner series, which has one of my favourite soundtracks of all time.   Pay attention to the pulsating sequence of notes with the blue keys - that is a motif (and this sequence of notes pops up all over the soundtrack of all three films, at different speeds, and in different keys, but it's still there).  As simple as it is, it can still bind a soundtrack together beautifully.

They all sound like good ideas for the score in Narnia films and series?

For the Creation of Narnia in The Magician's Nephew, would you like the stars to sound like a choir or even a children's choir?

So the stars at the creation of Narnia in The Magician's Nephew, should sound like angels, maybe high soprano singers.

For the most part, the score should sound magical and beautiful.

I don't really want like big male vocals and drums and trumpets. I mean, that could work for The Horse And His Boy and The Last Battle. But not for the other movies, especially if they're going to focus more on the characters.

How about some Italian music? CS Lewis may have got the name "Narnia" from a town called Narni, Italy, and it used to be called "Narnia."

So I wonder if the score for Narnia films or series could have some Italian music- the stars at the Creation of Narnia in MN could sound operatic, with Aslan having the bass melody. Italy is actually best known for opera, and a lot of musical terms are of Italian origin.

Posted by: @the-mad-poet

One composer who I think does this extremely well is Jeremy Soule, who composed the scores for the Elder Scrolls video games as well as several symphonic "sketches". His music is incredibly haunting and atmospheric, and he has an ability to evoke a feeling of magical stillness that I haven't heard from many others. 

I was reminded of this thread tonight because I was watching a documentary called "C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia". I noticed that Jeremy Soule and his brother, Julian, were the composers. (I first found out who Jeremy Soule was from his work on the Guild Wars games - and that music is beautiful - and ever since, I keep seeing his name popping up in older things I had no idea he worked on. )

I thought the music sounded a lot like the music from the Walden LWW (probably intentionally - this documentary came out 2005), and honestly, it was pretty much in the background for most of the documentary. But the end credits theme had some of his trademark "magical stillness" you describe, and I thought it worked very well. 🙂 (The documentary ended on a shot of a lamppost when snow was falling around it.)

Maybe for the scenes with Aslan as a cat and as the smaller lion in HHB, they could have a disguised version of Aslan's score playing with it sounding more mellow for when he's the cat and more intense for when he's a smaller lion.