So basically, no one can deny that John Williams' music has a very distinct "sound" to it--it's what makes it possible for you to hear his scores and know that it's him. I think a lot of that has to do with his orchestration, or choice of instrumentation. For example, he treats brass instruments (specifically the horn) in ways that other composers don't, often times by giving them, rather than strings, the most important part or melody. He likes to double certain instruments, especially in the woodwinds. For example, he'll often add flute to an important melody in horns or trumpet to give them a slightly different color. All of these details really contribute to the style and sound we have come to love and I'm wondering if anybody else has observations about his orchestration to share. What have you noticed, from studying his scores and/or listening to recordings, about the way he orchestrates and how this has made his music unique and distinct?
Songs: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, Score: Christophe Beck.
This Disney animated film surprisingly has a musical score (not just the songs) worth analyzing cue by cue.
In addition, there are a series of leitmotifs Christophe Beck incorporated into the score in order to being “a cohesive musical journey from beginning to end”.
1m1a Opening (Vuelie) 1m1b Frozen Heart (Song) 1m1c Frozen Heart Outro 1m2 Elsa's Powers 1m3 The Trülls 1m4 Wanna Build A Snowman (Song) 1m5 Three Years Later 1m6 For The First Time In Forever (Song)
2m7 Meet Hans 2m8 Coronation Choir 2m9 Queen Of Arendelle 2m10 Party Source #1 2m11 Fanfare 2m12 Party Source #2 2m13 Party Source #3 2m14 It Just Can't 2m15 Anna Dances With Hans 2m16 Love Is An Open Door (Song) 2m18 Party Source #4 2m20 Elsa Flees 2m21 Anna Pursues 2m22 Let It Go (Song) 2m23 Anna Travels
3m24 Oaken's Sauna 3m25 Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People (Song) 3m26 We Leave Now 3m28 Wolves 3m29 This Way To The North Mountain 3m31 Meet Olaf 3m32 In Summer (Song) 3m33 Arendelle Is Frozen 3m34 Hans Needs Volunteers 3m35 Climbing The Mountain 3m36 Elsa's Palace 3m37 Sister Talk 3m38 For The First Time In Forever (Reprise) 3m39 Marshmallow Rises
4m40 Marshmallow Chase 4m41 Don't Come Back 4m42 Anna's Hair 4m44 Meet the Experts 4m45 Kristoff's Home
4m46 Fixer Upper (Song) 4m47 Ice In Anna's Heart 4m48 Hans Captures Elsa 4m49 Elsa Imprisoned 4m50 Return To Arendelle 4m52 Hans' Plan 4m53 Elsa Charged With Treason
5m55 Anna and Olaf 5m56 Snowstorm 5m57 Anna Saves Elsa 5m58 The Great Thaw 5m59 Happily Ever After 5m60 Ending
You will be seeing a full analysis with time stamps from the movie indicating which music cue plays.
The motifs you hear in the movie are fragments of Kristy and Bobby's songs, Elsa's Theme, Anna's (Pursuit) Theme, Hans' Theme, Kristoff's Theme, The Trolls Theme, Marshmallow's Theme, Kristoff and Anna's Theme (not sure), and a there's a theme associated with a sense of urgent heard in the cues "Return to Arendelle", "Elsa Charged with Treason" and "Anna and Olaf", I'll just call it the urgent theme.
musictheorist got a reaction from The Illustrious Jerry in Analysis of Frozen (2013) Christophe Beck, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and Robert Lopez