I bet people probably guessed this just from my description, because it is so overused and famous. It’s in umpteen movie trailers and sometimes used in reality TV shows (in addition to the one I’m about to show you, I know I’ve heard it in one of the Gordon Ramsey “Great Restaurant” episodes).
For those who want to guess without listening, I’ll describe it further: it’s very sparse, just a xylophone or a marimba playing a few notes at intervals of thirds. (But not the tonic + its third; the key is definitely minor, and the notes are the third and fifth of the key. In other words, if the tune were in C minor, the notes would be would be E flat and G.) For some reason, I get a Thomas Newman vibe out of it–American Beauty or Six Feet Under. Wouldn’t surprise me if it were used in the trailer for AB, actually. It sounds quirky, and almost-but-not-quite-dark. I can imagine it being used in trailers about a formerly anonymous man stuck in a dull job whose life suddenly changes in some way. (You know, like every movie from the 1990s.)
Anyway, it’s at the 5:31 mark in this video, an episode of “Extraordinary People” about a guy who’s some sort of savant. I bet the instant you hear it, you’ll recognize it, unless you’ve never seen a film trailer before.
Woohoo, eight minutes! Well done, thank you, Achren! Did you figure it out from the description or the listening?
Well at least my instincts were good. I did listen to the American Beauty theme first and when that wasn’t a match (although very familiar too), I didn’t listen to further tracks. Stupid of me. Also I admit I was curious to see how quickly/easily others would figure this one out.
Gotta say I really dig Thomas Newman. And looking at his Wikipedia entry I see he did the Little Women score too. Wow, I could’ve sworn that was one of my other go-to composers, Rachel Portman or Patrick Doyle.
Anyway thanks again! That’s been driving me crazy. Definitely should have done deeper research into American Beauty, because that really was what my heart kept telling me.
With apologies to Choie, and seeing as you’ve had you r question answered quickly, can I be so bold as to ask my own musical I.D. question to the dopers at large?
Imagine a load of orchestral strings playing a simple up and down diddly-diddly-diddly-diddly-diddly-diddly-diddly-diddly…then comes in three descending notes of crashing tubular bells (I think), in a repeating pattern. glang!..glang!..glang!..glang!..glang… glang!..glang!..glang!..glang!..glang!
That’s the best I can do. I don’t have a piano next to me so can’t pick out the notes.
It’s a big thematic piece with more than a hint of gothic about it. Think walking in to a huge cathedral and the camera panning round at the immense majesty of it all…that sort of thing.
Probably been in multiple movies and I think “Edward Scissorhands” but it isn’t on the soundtrack that I can find.
See, my to-go/favorite movie composer is Thomas Newman. So when I first heard Rachel Portman, and also Jeff Beal, they reminded me of him.
Definitely check out more of his stuff! Most of it will either be pretty orchestral stuff (like Little Women, Fried Green Tomatoes, Shawshank Redemption, Angels in America, or Up Close & Personal) or interesting electronic, like this. I hope you find more scores you like!
I don’t think I’ve heard of Steve Reich before, but listening to the above, I was reminded of Apparat’s Like Porcelain and in the comments for that video, someone recommends checking out Steve Reich. I believe I will. Thanks for the links.
(There’s something I’m even more reminded of, but I can’t place it yet. Come on brain!)
Ha! Yes, I get more of an Americana vibe from Beal and those Appaloosa tracks, but it’s the same somewhat elegiac, bittersweet beauty. I forgot freakin’ Michael Kamen as well–Band of Brothers and From the Earth to the Moon get me every single time. Even for crap movies like Shining Through, he delivered.
I like a lot of Alan Silvestri too, and James Horner when he’s not too New Agey. And obviously Howard Shore.
For a while I was watching TV shows and films and every time I heard a beautiful theme it was Rachel Portman. It got to be a game.
Can’t stop listening to that American Beauty theme (the actual theme, not the track I was asking about). So haunting. Although very similar indeed to his “Brooks Was Here” theme from Shawshank. And Revolution Road ganks from both of 'em. But that’s okay, they’re different enough and hey, they’re all beautiful.
Oh dear I think we’re about to part company. I listened to parts of “Coraline” and several tracks of “Secret of the Kells” and “Himalaya” and erm something I believe was called “Le Chanson de la Mer.” To me it sounded like Danny Elfman Meets Enya. (Don’t hate me!) I’m probably unsophisticated in that I’m most affected by melodies rather than atmospheric/ambient music, which seems to be what (at least what I heard of) Coulais specializes in. It was perhaps unfortunate that I heard the “Coraline” end song right before the “Aisling’s song” from “Secret of the Kells,” and the similar “little kid and thus unable to sing very well” vocals kinda made me want to claw my ears out. It was trying too hard to be childlike and amateurish.
BUT, that said, if you can direct me to better pieces that aren’t Danny Elfmanesque, or that don’t feature either whale songs or throat singing (and thus don’t really work outside of context), I’m absolutely willing to give a listen. Your taste is obviously too good to dismiss a recommendation out of hand.
It’s not that I’m unable to tolerate non-melodic pieces. Probably the most ambient/not-particularly-melodic music that affects me is Arvo Part’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, which I’m counting as a film track because I first it during Farenheit 9/11’s Twin Tower disaster scene and it broke me. Admittedly it was likely a combo of the gorgeous music and the painful visual reminder of that day, but even by itself it’s on a close par with the Adagietto of Mahler’s 5th Symphony and Barber’s Adagio as far as music I can’t hear without crying.
So… am I a Philistine? As recompense I’ll link you to some Portman you probably haven’t heard unless you’re a true completist: Theme from “A Little Princess” (from the 1986 miniseries, which is where I first heard her music).
