# "Inspirational" musical theme in movie trailers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspirational-musical-theme-in-movie-trailers/188708>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 15, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspirational-musical-theme-in-movie-trailers/188708 "2003-07-15T17:53:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspirational-musical-theme-in-movie-trailers/188708/1 "2003-07-15T17:53:35Z")

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Hey there everyone - not sure if this should go in GQ or here, but I figured I’d try here first.

There’s an orchestral theme that is very frequently used in movie trailers (although I don’t think I’ve ever heard it used in an actual movie.) I most recently heard it in a trailer for “Seabiscuit” (I think it was), but it seems to be the de jure choice of background music for trailers and advertisements for one-man/woman’s-inspiring-struggle-against-impossible-odds type movies.

Transposing it into C major (I hope I got these right), the notes of the theme are

E D E G | E D E C | E D E G | C+ B A 😑

where every note is a quarter note (q.n. = about M.M. 160) except for the last one, which is a half note. By C+ I mean the C one octave above the C in the second bar.

I’ve heard this piece enough that it’s started to really bug me. Does anyone know what it’s called and who composed it?

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**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspirational-musical-theme-in-movie-trailers/188708/2 "2003-07-15T18:28:46Z")

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It’s from _Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story_ by Randy Edelman. Click [here](http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=60141762&loc=109) and play Track 9 for a listen.

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**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspirational-musical-theme-in-movie-trailers/188708/3 "2003-07-15T18:50:54Z")

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That’s the one - many thanks. Ain’t the Internet great?

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**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inspirational-musical-theme-in-movie-trailers/188708/4 "2003-07-15T19:33:18Z")

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Yeah, well I have to thank my whistling skills more than the Internet, truth be told. 😉

Welcome to the SDMB, btw. 🙂