Following my previous article about movie scores that I listen to, I realised that there were so many brilliant scores from the Harry Potter movies (based on my favourite book series of all time) that to mention them briefly would be an injustice. Therefore, in this post, I’m going to go through each of the eight films and talk about some of the scores that I listen to from their soundtracks.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone- John Williams
John Williams provided a brilliant beginning to the music in Harry Potter. Without him, the series would have never had such an iconic theme (Hedwig’s Theme) and he also set the bar for the other composers who joined the franchise later on. Williams is no amateur at creating iconic music, having composed the themes for the likes of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and Jaws (I bet you can hum the themes to all of them). Once again he knocks it out of the park with the scores for this first, pivotal movie encompassing the wonder and charm that the Potter franchise is now well known for.
'Arrival Of Baby Harry' was a tremendous opening score to the movie, blending the wonder and danger of the magic world perfectly, as baby Harry's journey begins. 'Leaving Hogwarts' is another fantastic score that ends this movie as well as the entire franchise (see Deathly Hallows: Part 2) and never fails to make me feel nostalgic.
Favourite Titles from Soundtrack: Prologue, Harry’s Wonderous World, Arrival Of Baby Harry, Leaving Hogwarts, Hedwig’s Theme
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- John Williams
Once again, Williams returned to score the second installment in the franchise. Overall, I feel that the music isn’t too different to the first film, treading the same ground. However, there are some great new additions to the score including 'Gilderoy Lockhart' which never fails to make me feel slightly irritated (in a good way) with the music accentuating the arrogance of the character, played brilliantly by Kenneth Branagh (who incidentally directed Thor). Throughout the series, the music is fantastic at enhancing the comedic timing of all the actors and helps to give the series a unique sense of humour that sets it apart from other big franchises.
Though 'Gilderoy Lockhart' is more on the comedic side, the movie is darker than the first and naturally the score reflects this. 'The Chamber of Secrets' is a score that highlights the dark dangers that Harry must face and is a good accompaniment to the mystery set up in the movie. Other scores that stand out for me include 'Fawkes Is Reborn' which is a truly magical and uplifting score and 'The Spiders' which is an immensely creepy score that plays as we see the spiders travelling towards Aragog *shudders*.
Other than these, the music is more or less the same as the first in terms of it's tone.
Favourite Titles from Soundtrack: Prologue: Book II And The Escape From The Dursleys, The Chamber of Secrets, Gilderoy Lockhart, The Spiders, Fawkes Is Reborn,
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- John Williams
This is the last film in the franchise that Williams worked on before handing the baton (or wand) to Patrick Doyle. This movie is one of my favourites of the series due to Alfonso Cuaron’s whimsical direction and the scores really fit well with the style. There are a lot of humorous scores for example 'The Knight Bus' and 'Aunt Marge’s Waltz' that really make these comedic scenes all the funnier, but still retaining a sense of whimsy and charm.
There are a couple of titles that really stand out as excellent to me, apart from good old 'Hedwig’s Theme'. One is 'Buckbeak’s Flight' which is one of my favourite scores of all time. In my last article, I wrote about my love for the How to Train Your Dragon scores and 'Buckbeaks Flight' captures the same exhilaration of flight that 'Test Drive' did from that movie. The pure elation and magic that the music brings to the already beautiful scene in the movie makes it an excellent score and never fails to remind me of the reason why I love Harry Potter so much.
Another great score from this movie is 'Forward To Time Past', which plays during Harry and Hermione's journey to the recent past. I love how, as their surroundings rewind, the ticking sound effect gradually builds into the music. In addition, 'The Patronus Light' is a sound effect/score that enhances the brilliant scene where Harry produces a powerful patronus in order to save his past self and his godfather. The choral sound effect emphasises the power of the spell as well as the triumphant moment where Harry manages to produce it.
P.S 'Mischief Managed' is a good mix of a lot of the scores if you want to listen to a bit of everything.
Favourite Titles from Soundtrack: Lumos! (Hedwigs Theme), Aunt Marge’s Waltz, The Knight Bus, Apparition On The Train, Double Trouble, Buckbeak’s Flight, A Window To The Past, The Whomping Willow And The Snowball Fight, The Patronus Light, Forward To Time Past, Finale, Mischief Managed!
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- Patrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle had a lot to live up to when he took up the task to score the Goblet of Fire. Whilst not a terrible score by any means, his music for this movie is my least favourite of the entire franchise. This is possibly because it lacks the magic and wonder that Williams brought but also the subtlety of the scores from the later movies.
Though one of my favourite books of the series due to the mystery and dark tone, I felt that the movie focused on the wrong aspect of the book, cutting out the red herrings and building mystery but focusing instead on the falling out between Ron and Harry and the teen angst of the Yule Ball. But that’s beside the point: we’re here to talk about the music. Scores such as ‘Rita Skeeter’ and ‘Neville’s Waltz’ perfectly capture the awkwardness of the scenes in question ("my eyes aren't glittering with the ghosts of my past!"), but aren't ones that I like to listen to particularly.
The ‘Hogwarts March’, on the other hand, is memorable and I love the use of it in the scene where Harry brings back Cedric’s body. The contrast between the upbeat tune of the song and the dark reappearance of Lord Voldemort is very effective and makes the scene even more harrowing as slowly people begin to realise what has happened.
I also have to mention the fake ‘magic rock band’ songs performed (by the Weird Sisters?) during the Yule Ball- 'Do The Hippogriff', 'This Is The Night' and 'Magic Works'. The inclusion of these songs makes the magic world seem more real and is a quirky addition to the soundtrack.
Favourite Titles from Soundtrack: The Story Continues, The Quidditch World Cup, Rita Skeeter, Neville’s Waltz, Potter Waltz, Hogwart’s March, Another Year Ends,
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- Nicholas Hooper
As we move into Order of the Phoenix, we are treated to another talented composer, Nicholas Hooper. This is another one of my favourite soundtracks of the series, which includes a wide variety of scores, with tones ranging from thrilling to heart breaking.
One of the best scores from the movie is ‘Professor Umbridge’, which, if you’ve read the books, perfectly encompasses the controlling and irritating presence that Umbridge brings to the school. Additionally, the music highlights the brilliant comedy of the montage showing her interfering in Hogwart's life ("...Obviously").
A great part of the book is where both the students and teachers band together in their hatred for this woman and try to subtly (and not so subtly) defy her. In the case of the main trio, this comes in the form of creating a secret organisation and the score ‘The Room Of Requirements’ is the music accompanying a brilliant montage where the DA are sneaking into the room of requirements with Filch trying to find them.
Another legendary part of the book, and film, comes when the Weasley twins decide they’ve had enough of education and set off magic fireworks in the middle of an exam. The music during the scene captures the elation of the students at the comeuppance of Umbridge, as she is swallowed up by a massive dragon firework.
On the other hand, this movie is considerable darker than the previous installments and a score that reflects this is ‘Death of Sirius’ which is the first truly heart-breaking piece of music in the franchise. It starts off quietly and builds until it suddenly becomes fast paced (‘get away from my godson!’) to accompany a truly amazing fight sequence. This is the first time in the franchise that you properly see a wizard battle and it is amazing- the cinematography and special effects are only enhanced by the music which instills a sense of thrill and tension...
Until we arrive at possibly one of the saddest lines of the entire franchise- “nice one, James!”. This line breaks my heart, especially because of the pause in the music when Sirius is killed by Bellatrix. The silence as Harry watches this makes for a shocking scene in the middle of a thrilling battle. The score becomes quite soft after this, allowing the feelings of injustice, anger, heart break and grief wash over you like a - Sorry, I haven’t quite gotten over Sirius’ death. *sniff*
Following this, one of the most beautiful and bitter sweet scores in the entire franchise comes in the form of ‘Possession’ which plays during the scene where Harry is possessed by Lord Voldemort right after Sirius’ death. The first time I watched this scene, I liked it but it didn’t make me feel much in the way of emotion (it takes a lot to move me!). However, after re-reading the book for the third time, I was reminded of what Harry was going through in the scene and this made the scene and the music VERY powerful. The music starts of extremely sadly as Harry has to witness all the bad things in his life- Cedric’s and Sirius' death for example. This is tragic enough as it is because Harry has had such a traumatic childhood, but it’s the following thing that makes the scene so powerful and encompasses one of the main messages of Harry Potter. In the book, as soon as Harry thinks of Sirius and experiences a flood of emotion, Voldemort recoils. In the film, Harry sees Ron and Hermione and instantly thinks of all the happy memories in his life and the music immediately changes to reflect this.
This is an extremely powerful scene as it shows that Harry has to focus on the good in his life; it is this that defeats Voldemort and is a recurring theme throughout the series. I could write an essay on the themes in Harry Potter, but I feel that the music in this scene inspires a sense of positivity and emphasises the importance of love and friendship- a message that is evident in the books. To summarise, JK Rowling is a genius.
Favourite Titles from Soundtrack: Fireworks, Professor Umbridge, Dumbledore’s Army, The Hall Of Prophecies, Possession, The Room Of Requirements, The Kiss, A Journey To Hogwarts, Death Of Sirius, Umbridge Spoils A Beautiful Morning, Darkness Takes Over, The Ministry Of Magic, Flight Of The Order Of The Phoenix, Loved Ones And Leaving
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince- Nicholas Hooper
Yet another great score from Nicholas Hooper here and another one of my favourites (I feel as though I’ve said that a lot!). There are a number of stand outs in this soundtrack, including ‘Snape and the Unbreakable Vow’ and ‘Malfoy’s Mission’, both very dark and foreboding. The latter of the two portrays the conflict and struggle going through Malfoy’s mind and even makes you feel a bit sorry for the character.
Apart from these dark scores, the film also features some excellent, touching music. My favourite of these is ‘Harry and Hermione’, which is also one of my best loved scores of all time. As I mentioned for Goblet of Fire, the reason why I didn’t enjoy that score is because it lacked subtly and charm (no pun intended), but the music here oozes it. It is one of the most beautiful scores I’ve ever heard and accompanies a scene with fantastic cinematography, as the camera follows characters around Hogwarts.
'Slughorn’s Confession' is a beautiful, heart breaking score as Harry tries to convince the potions professor to give him a memory by reminding Slughorn of his favourite student, Lily Evans. It perfectly compliments Jim Broadbent's portrayal of the character's shame and cowardice as well as a beautiful story about a lily turning into a tiny fish.
Half Blood Prince is quite a mixed film tonally and the music in the film reflects this. 'Wizard Wheezes' is a wonderfully fun score which plays during the scene in Fred and George’s amazing shop. ‘Living Death’ is another great score which plays during the montage of Harry trying to make a potion and strengthens the comedy of the scene, as we see all the students failing to make the potion.
One of the most awkward (but in a good way) pieces of music that you can listen to from Harry Potter is ‘The Slug Party’ as Hermione describes her dentist parents and Harry stands up when Ginny walks into the room (urgh second hand embarrassment). The beats and pauses in the music compliment the actors' comedic timing, and goes back to my point of the music improving the comedy in the movies.
Overall, despite Half Blood Prince being one of my least favourite movies in the series (in comparison to the book), it has one of the best soundtracks of the franchise.
Favourite Titles from Soundtrack: Ginny, Snape And The Unbreakable Vow, Wizard Wheezes, Dumbledore’s Speech, Living Death, The Book, Ron’s Victory, Harry And Hermione, Malfoy’s Mission, The Slug Party, Into The Rushes, When Ginny Kissed Harry, Slughorn’s Confession, Dumbledore’s Farewell, The Friends
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1- Alexandre Desplat
As we approach the end of the series, we are treated to another change of composer, which makes for fresh new music. Alexandre Desplat is an extremely talented composer who has composed great music for movies such as Argo and the Grand Budapest Hotel.
One of the first pieces of music that we hear, ‘Obliviate’, makes for an excellent start to the movie as we are shown the three main characters preparing for the dark times ahead. The score is a lot darker and less hopeful than some of the previous music, instantly telling the audience that the characters are in more danger than ever.
However, Harry Potter wouldn’t be Harry Potter without the classic scene near the start of each movie that reminds the viewer why they love magic. In this movie, it comes in the form of the seven Harry's scene and the music, ‘Polyjuice Potion’ accentuates the comedy as well as the wonder of the scene in question, as the camera follows everyone transforming into Harry and dressing in his clothes ("Bill, look away. I'm 'ideous").
The part of the movie where Harry, Ron and Hermione sneak into the Ministry of Magic has a few great scores, for example ‘Ministry Of Magic’ which highlights their unease in a foreign environment as well as the comedy of Ron having to deal with the fact that his 'wife' is being interrogated. Additionally, ‘Detonators’ and ‘The Locket’ are scores that I like a lot as well, especially the latter because I love the fact that Harry (once again) throws the ‘I must not tell lies’ back in old Dolores’s face.
One of my favourite scores of the movie is ‘The Deathly Hallows’ which is a beautifully subtle score that plays as the trio find out what the mysterious Deathly Hallows are. It captures the dark tone of this movie very well, and I love listening to it.
Favourite Titles from Soundtrack: Obliviate, Polyjuice Potion, Snape to Malfoy Manor, Ministry of Magic, Detonators, The Locket, Ron’s Speech, The Deathly Hallows, Farewell to Dobby, (train song)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2- Alexandre Desplat
And lastly, Part 2 of the final movie, once again composed by Desplat, finishes off with some fantastic scores, most of which are either emotional or accompany the action in the film.
Starting off with the music accompanying action, 'Statues' is a brilliant score that plays as Hogwart’s gets ready for battle and brings a sense of dread before the carnage starts, especially for readers who know what deaths are coming. This is one of the stand out scores of the movie and I love how it starts when the stone statues hit the floor when they come to life.
On the more emotional side of the soundtrack, 'Severus and Lily' is one of the best scores in the franchise and plays during the revelation that Snape was in love with Lily for nearly his whole life. This is one of the greatest antagonistic characters ever created and it is fitting that the score that plays during the grand reveal is heart breaking. It starts off subtly as we see the two children meeting and builds as we see the rest of the story unfold. Combine this score with Alan Rickman’s acting during the scene where he visits the destroyed Potter household and this makes for a powerful and emotional scene.
The music from this movie needed a more uplifting addition and this is done through the use of ‘Leaving Hogwarts’. Ingeniously calling back to the end of the first movie, William’s iconic music rightly book ends the entire franchise. Think what you will about the final epilogue scene but if you don’t feel hugely nostalgic as you see the now grown up Harry, Ron and Hermione smiling as their children leave for Hogwarts as they did 25 years previously then I seriously doubt your credentials as a Potter fan.
Favourite Titles from Soundtrack: Lily’s Theme, Dragon Flight, Statues, In The Chamber of Secrets, Battlefield, Courtyard Apocalypse, Severus And Lily, Harry’s Sacrifice, The Resurrection Stone, Harry Surrenders, Voldemort’s End, A New Beginning
Overall, my favourite Potter movies for their music have to be Philosopher’s Stone, Prisoner of Azkaban, Order of the Phoenix and Half Blood Prince. John Williams made a truly iconic main theme that will go down as a great along with the themes for the likes of Star Wars and Jurassic Park. Doyle, Hooper and Desplat all built upon this by composing beautiful, funny and thrilling pieces of music for all the other films. My favourite non-John Williams composer would have to be Nicholas Hooper as I listen to his scores most frequently and I adore the subtlety in his music.
Thank you for reading all about the music from Harry Potter- I could’ve written pages more on the themes, dialogue and story of the series but I tried hard not to digress! Be sure to check out our other blog posts including an article on other movie/tv scores that I listen to and my Harry Potter spotify playlist...
My spotify playlist: