I can think of several other musical soundtracks the demonstrate
graceful divinity themes in their serene execution. Several themes
in Rozsa’s Ben Hur capture the perfect underscore for Christ/
God. His main theme for Christ in King of Kings always for me
has a tear-emerging emotional reaction. I’ll never forget as a
teen watching The Greatest Story Ever Told. When the camera
first shows the face of Max Von Sydow in the river, Alfred Newman’s
theme was knee dropping. The classical Handel’s Messiah with its
Hallelujah Chorus and For Unto Us a Child Is Born is another example
of DIVINE music.

I see several NP’s refer to Jesus by Patrick Williams (?) Haven’t
heard that yet. What are some other musical pieces attributed to the
depiction of God that I’m not remembering or don’t know about?

NP: Masada Jerry

I would also add to Marian's Bruckner idea, that of listening to anything by Arvo Part, the Estonian composer, and John Tavener.
Those guys write some PHEnomenal music.

NP -- Somewhere in Time, re-recording Debney

I think it fascinating that he actually revisited this work in a subtler form a few years before, his "Sonata for Piano and Violin," which is basically a miniature version of the same music. When did he do it? Immediately after a severe health scare in 1984 (that helped keep him from doing GOJIRA '84, aka GODZILLA 1985). I guess the afterlife was much on his mind in the late eighties.

BUDDHA isn't a great movie, but the music is wrenching (although he's right about the mix), and the 1989 live recording is so phenomenal that I rarely listen to it -- it's just too emotionally taxing.

In a similar vein, much of Ifukube's score for the film THE BIRTH OF JAPAN deals with the legendary Shinto gods, but it's a quite different piece of work (and necessarily about three times as long). They have their own Adam and Eve story in Japan, and I believe Ifukube's pupil Toshiro Mayuzumi quoted bits of THE BIRTH OF JAPAN when he scored Adam and Eve for John Huston's film of THE BIBLE. (I almost wrote "John Huston's THE BIBLE," but I figured Christopher would jump on me for mistakenly implying he had written it.)

(a minute later: I just realized I didn't make one thing clear: except for the hard-core Buddhist monks, Japanese tend to be sort of polytheistic: they practice Shinto in daily life, and Buddhist practices for the dead. Hence, Ifukube's association of Buddha with the afterlife.)

[This message has been edited by H Rocco (edited 17 April 2000).]

All week, at any time and on any channel, you can bathe in truly wondrous God music from big-budget Hollywood spectaculars. I love it all, and it really does reach to my soul. I sometimes think that I shouldn't get carried away, because those who have labelled me an atheist in the past see a contradiction, but I can't help it. I love God music!

PeterK

"(I almost wrote "John Huston's THE BIBLE," but I figured Christopher would jump on me for mistakenly implying he had written it.)"

Oh, I don't know, Rocco...Huston was a god (small "g") himself, so I would've easily forgiven such an error.

I also like Poledouris' complex spiritual thesis explored in Conan the Barbarian-- let us grab this world by the throat and make it give us what we desire! The ideals of ancient Greece expounded with the emphasis on deed and strength of character over rationale and poetry. If Crom does not listen, then to HELL with him! See also Lonesome Dove.

Williams' Jurassic Park for it's challenging Olympian overview to action and reaction, a pristinely beautiful paen to the natural world worthy of Takemitsu, Ifukube. Check also (like you don't have it!) The Five Sacred Trees, and the Flute Concerto.

Ifukube's sublime elegy for that natural world in Gojira.

online column (which I already recycled at the FSM board): http://seen.kcisp.net/filmusic.html
http://seen.kcisp.net/contents.html

[This message has been edited by mlw (edited 17 April 2000).]

Oh.... whoops, Joan already mentioned that.

Jeron

That wonderfully alien, yet recognizably religious music Maurice Jarre composed for the final scene (one of my all-time favorites!) in Enemy Mine.

I enjoy this thread because it gives me the chance to ask a question I've been meaning to ask...

A week or so ago I saw a TV advertisement for a video called Charleton Heston Presents The Bible featuring Charleton Heston reading stories from the Bible in the locations where they are thought to have taken place. One of the "call right now" deals was they would include a tape of the program's orchestral score, composed by Leonard Rosenman. They played it during the promotion and it sounded astounding... Golden-Age Rosza-style stuff. Has anyone heard this who can comment on it?

James
NP - watching "Jason and the Argonauts"

Goldsmith's "Second Coming" from "THE FINAL CONFLICT" and "Everywhere" from "POWDER" are great examples of music from God...

Np: GODzilla vs MechaGODzilla II

quote:

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Originally posted by mlw:
It's always interesting to hear how non-religious John Williams actually scores a religion in his Star Wars music.

---

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"John Williams - the Medium?"
~A look at the maestro's "religious" sound~

I must admit that I'm not a very religious person. Yes, I'm a christian, but not to the extent that I am a regular sunday church-goer, I'm afraid.

Nevertheless, I've always "been drawn to" (to quote a certain lawyer) the power that is inherent in musical works that describe and evoke a higher being, such as Mozart's "Requiem", Händel's "Messiah"-chorus or Barber's "Adagio for Strings".

So, what do I mean exactly - "religious sound"? Well, I think it's quite self-explanatory. What separates humans from beasts, to quote Descartes, is our ability to think and ponder our own existence. In so doing, many feel a great desire to comfort and assure themselves of their rightful place in the universe. Usually, this is done by BELIEVING in a higher being, a being that is our own creator. After all, if we are able to believe in something higher, someone or something must have put that thought into us initially. We are in constant search for this something or this creator (like V'ger in STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE!), and a way this Being manifests itself in our daily lives is through art - man's ability to utilize God's gift, if you will.

Music is certainly one of these mediums of divine communication. Through history, many composers have tried to nail that particular "voice of God" in their works, some more successfully than others. I've mentioned Mozart and Händel already . John Williams is, although perhaps not as influential, still as capable of speaking and getting in touch with that inner religiousity as the latter two...

Actually, to put it more bluntly, no one has been able to move me "religiously" in a more profound way than my favourite composer - John Williams. And it's quite ironical, seeing as his reputation is usually tied to the grand and epic swashbucklers, the melodic fanfares and marches and not the subdued majesty of his religious compositions.

As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say (and it's my theory) that Williams' trademark sound NOT is the neo-romantic Korngold-approach, but rather his incredible insight into what is universally considered religious; a majestic, haunting, spine-tingling, hair-rising sound that moves people.

There are a lot of examples of this in his prolific career, dating back to the very beginning, especially when he was not in the usual jazz-mode. The sound even features prominently in works such as STAR WARS, although it unfortunately is overshadowed (popular-wise) by the action material.

Let me proceed, then, to provide you with a few examples. See if you can form the pattern yourself:

"Main Titles" from SGT. RYKER (1968)

"Restoration" from JANE EYRE (1970)

"Blood Moon" from IMAGES (1972, this one's arguable, though)

"Appearance of the Visitors" from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS (1977)

"Main Title" from THE FURY (1978)

"The Ark Theme" from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)

"Gloria" from MONSIGNOR (1982)

"The Emperor's Theme" from RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983)

"Cadillac of the Skies" from EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987)

"Only the Penitant Will Pass" from IJ & THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)

"Star of Bethlehem" from HOME ALONE (1990)

"You are the Pan" from HOOK (1991)

"Remembrances" from SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)

"Journey to the Island" from JURASSIC PARK (1993, a majestic variation)

"Meeting With Mao" from NIXON (1995)

"Duel of the Fates" from STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999)

"Angela's Prayer" from ANGELA'S ASHES (1999)

Well, I guess you've got the clue by now. All these excerpts, ranging more than 30 years showcase a style in Williams' music that, in my opinion, is both vastly underrated and neglected. It's why I love him so much, and will continue to, because whenever you think the creative well has gone dry, Williams serves us something from up his magic sleeve that is both captivating and aweinspiring.

But more importantly, it's a sound that INSPIRES - whether you're an artist or not, and that is truly the gift of a man who posesses almost religious powers himself....

----------------

Symphonies 2 ,3 ,5 ,6 ,7, and Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, Oboe Concerto and probably a few I missed?!

All by Ralph Vaughan Williams!!....To see where The Master of Film music (and I believe Williams to be The Best living composer around!) has been influenced, and in a Religious context, Heavily (or should that be Heavenly )

Surely, if any movie Williams ever scored had a "Christ" figure, it was this one. We even had the shot of E.T. emerging from the back of that stolen van -- covered in a robe, arms outstretched, with steam surrounding him...a take on the resurrection if I've ever seen one!

And I second, third or whatever the number is all comments made about Alfred Newman -- this man had a talent for inspirational scoring. One nobody seems to have mentioned is "David and Bathsheba," the end of which features a choral composition set to "The Lord's Prayer." And also "The Egyptian" -- which most certainly deals with the first Pharaoh to recognize "one" god...Aton. The music Newman scored around the text "How Beautiful Art Thou" (Hymn to Aton) is very beautiful. The sequence called "Death of Akhnaton" is one of the finest scored scenes in film -- Sinuhe has administered a lethal poison to pharaoh, who explains his belief and devotion to the one god. As pharaoh dies, he utters, "He forgives everyone; he forgives you." Newman's music for pharaoh and Hymn to Aton is so sensitively scored under this sequence that it's heartbreaking. And the finale is incredible.

Ah, well.