Potter fans on John Williams/GOF score

[Sandor 799]

This is a list of quotations from various Harry Potter messageboards. It's not my intention to bash these remarks, but this gives you an indication on how people are reacting outside the Williams camp. Ofcourse I selected the most controversial ones, but just visit some Potter sites and you'll see that the general consensus seems to be: "Doyle's score is the best Potter score yet" or "Doyle has provided the music Williams couldn't".

This soundtrack is beautiful! I've never cared much for the other ones (though they weren't too bad) but I've always thought John Williams' HP theme was too kiddie-like. It's so much more interesting now!

I am a huge fan of John Williams, but this is different in a good way. I was getting a little sick of the same themes with just a little tweaking here and there. Stone and Chamber were almost the same soundtrack, Azkaban was better, but still lots of the same. But this...(sigh)this is incredible....

John Williams brings in the sights and the sounds, but Doyle finally brought in the EMOTION. A much more mature, and frankly, better constructed score than the last installments. Fresh blood is just what the musical composition needed, and Doyle comes in on his very best game.

The 'Voldemort' track is absolutely brilliant, my favourite. Sooooo much better than the 'Voldemort's Face' of the PS/SS album.

THIS is the kind of work I've been looking forward to since they started making these movies.

This rocks and I would like to see them keep Doyle on as the composer.

I am falling in love with Doyle's score...!! I think I found the word that describes it best - it's **GRAND**....there'e something so grand...majestic about it....and that's a very different feel from the previous 3 films.

AWESOME! John Williams is good but I don't tihnk he could have composed such dark music.

I think Doyle's score kicks William's off a cliff! Awesome! So pretty.  

Wow such a powerful score. Thats the one thing Williams was lacking. Some of the scores felt weak.

It's a lot more sophisticated.

[Incanus 5,736]

As usual they love it. I think they loved Williams' previous scores to bits when they came out. To me Doyle's music did not bring emotion to the scores. Nope. Potter fans. What do they know? Besides I know what I like and what I don't.

All sing with me. You know the tune:

"I say no, nay, never, no, nay, never, no more will I play the GOF, no never, no more!"

[robthehand 3]

If Doyle's score is that good compared to the Williams ones, it'll be nothing short of amazing.

But these Harry Potter disciples are probably crazy. And wrong.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Yes, point and laugh, children. :roll:

- Marc, who'll make up his own mind and doesn't care abou what the other crowd thinks, thank you very much.

[robthehand 3]

From what I've heard of the score (and that's not too much) it sounds incredibly boring - not bad, but not good either - pretty normal. However I'll wait and see. They might have a point about the "darkness" of the score though - none of Williams music for the Harry Potter films was as creepy as it might have been.

[Hlao-roo 389]

But these Harry Potter disciples are probably crazy. And wrong.

Yeah, don't you just hate those people with wrong opinions?

[Romão 2,276]

I assure you, if this was the score for another movie than Potter, nobody would give a damn about it.

[Lurker 5]

I assure you, if this was the score for another movie than Potter, people would give it a chance.

Neil

[Trent B 337]

I don't plan on checking out the score. However based on what I've read. It seems like this score might fit well with the movie but might not be so great on a stand-alone. At least not for the ones who are not Doyle fans. In my opinion.

[Luke Skywalker 1,813]

I assure you, if this was the score for another movie than Potter, people would give it a chance.

Neil

I dont understand you.

This is not a prequel.

With your remark you are almost implying that GOF is better than SS. I think you said the latter was a masterpiece of Williams. (an uber masterpiece, it means)

[Romão 2,276]

I'm dissapointed with this score more as a Doyle fan than as Potter fan.

[Sandor 799]

Don't get me wrong: I like some tracks very much. Especially Harry Potter's Love, Harry Potter Waltz, Neville's Waltz, Cedric, Hogwarts' Hymn, The Story Continues and parts of Voldermort, BUT I agree with Merkel; if this was the score to some Jane Austin film I would (first) believe it and (second) listen to it once and think: "Henry V and Frankenstein were much better". I wouldn't even care for it much. I'm not saying it's a bad score, but it's nothing special. I'm realizing more and more that Williams DID give Potter a unique, easily identifiable musical landscape and to be honest; a franchise like Harry Potter deserves that.

But I do understand why this score may appeal to a wider audience than Williams' scores did. It has the songs (and Magic Works whether you like it or not WILL hit high notes among many teenagers) and the music is often so light that even those who are "repulsed" by orchestral music will like it.

In the film Doyle's score will do wonders; I'll give him that.

The audience that turned Titanic and Gladiator into multi-million selling soundtracks will do the same for this score.

As a stand-alone work it is vastly inferior to Williams, but I do admire Doyle's almost commercial approach very much.

[Lurker 5]

With your remark you are almost implying that GOF is better than SS. I think you said the latter was a masterpiece of Williams. (an uber masterpiece, it means)

Please point out the exact place where you think I said that.

Neil

[Luke Skywalker 1,813]

If it sells better than the other Scores...

I will think people is out of their minds

[Jeshopk 8]

It is a Doyle score. It is not dissonant enough. It is vanilla. It is...ok.

Remember the comments about the modern synth trailer music? "Finally there will be MAGIC in the score"

Now they hear classical music, even more conservative than Williams, and freak out...

Why??

Anticipation! They are in great anticipation of the movie!

[ChrisAfonso 188]

"AWESOME! John Williams is good but I don't tihnk he could have composed such dark music."

I wonder if that guy listened to War of the Worlds.

[DarkLord89 0]

If people who don't know Williams well say that they the Maestro could "compose such dark music", well, someone should make us sure that one day they will listen to Jaws...

Also, here's what Filmtracks said about "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" in 2004:

...One has to wonder if Williams attempts too hard to create individual motifs and themes for specific scenes while neglecting the direction of all three scores as a whole, and pessimistic sorts could even continue asking questions about where the magic exists in these scores. An obstacle that Williams (or another composer) will face in the future films is the continuation of the innocent wonder that Hogwarts embodies in all of our imaginations while the storyline (especially by the fifth book) turns downright horrific. Will we be hearing The Fury by the time Williams possibly scores Order of the Phoenix?

[SturgisPodmore 0]

I wonder if that guy listened to War of the Worlds.

Or ever heard any JW music . . . ever.

~Sturgis, who had Doyle's Voldemort theme and other parts of "The Story Continues" in his head today, and enjoyed it . . . and btw, I really like Doyle's use of an apparently big suspended cymbal in this score; it's not so much crisp as swirly or . . . mystical; I don't know, I like it

[Lurker 5]

I really like Doyle's use of an apparently big suspended cymbal in this score; it's not so much crisp as swirly or . . . mystical; I don't know, I like it

I think that's an artifact of the low bit rate stream.

Neil

[SturgisPodmore 0]

Is that your answer to everything?

You may be right, but I've heard sus. cymbals that sounded like that before like on normal CDs, and we have one in band at school that's bigger and sounds more like that. I just think it's better than other kinds for this score. But it may be due to the sound.

~Sturgis

[King Mark 3,631]

I'm not reading the thread,The opinion of mugglenet children does not concern me.

K.M.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

There is actually a rather large amount of people unhappy with the new score, and willing to have Williams back. Unfortunately in the meantime they seem to bash Doyle and praise Williams, or praise Doyle adn slam Williams!

Is there no happy medium we can reach?!!?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,266]

"Can't we just all get along?"

[Sandor 799]

I'm not reading the thread,The opinion of mugglenet children does not concern me.

Normally speaking I would agree with you. But did you read the reactions on film music forums like FSM or Filmtracks? There is universal praise of Doyle's score: from Potter fans to die hard film music listeners.

Not that those opinions "concern" me; it's just weird.

[Luke Skywalker 1,813]

With your remark you are almost implying that GOF is better than SS. I think you said the latter was a masterpiece of Williams. (an uber masterpiece, it means)

Please point out the exact place where you think I said that.

Neil

I must have confused you with Joe then...

But i said 'think' becasue i was not sure.

[Mythos 0]

Doyle's music is ... 'nice', but that's all. I think it'll work well with the pictures but Williams 'Azkaban" Score is soooooo much superior!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

2005... the year Potter crashed.

What a crappy score, and I don't say that often. And no, if it had been written for another movie, I still wouldn't have been impressed.

[Sandor 799]

The last one. Promise.

As for the soundtrack itself, I'd have to say it's better than 99 percent of the songs Williams has done in the series. I absolutely loved the music Doyle did for Henry V, so the fact that he does well here is no surprise. It is a lot more mature and emotional overall. What is great is that it finally sounds different. Williams, no matter how great he was, always played in mostly the same key with the same chord progressions and a ridiculously high dependence on brass.

That last remark which I highlighted: classic!

[gkgyver 1,646]

I'd say there was not a single cue which was written in only one key.

And if there's score in the series whose dependence on brass is ridiculous, it's definitely GoF.

[Marian Schedenig 8,261]

That comment may be ridiculous. No more than some of the comments I've been reading here about Doyle over the last weeks though.

Marian -

The Matrix Revolutions (Don Davis)

[Sandor 799]

That comment may be ridiculous. No more than some of the comments I've been reading here about Doyle over the last weeks though.

Quote one remark from this board that is more ridiculous and I'll send you my original pressed Accidental Tourist and Witches of Eastwick CD's. Promise.

[gkgyver 1,646]

Oh no, I don't want to be responsible for that!

[Marian Schedenig 8,261]

Quote one remark from this board that is more ridiculous and I'll send you my original pressed Accidental Tourist and Witches of Eastwick CD's. Promise.

I don't want to start a flame war.

Marian -

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,266]

Quote one remark from this board that is more ridiculous and I'll send you my original pressed Accidental Tourist and Witches of Eastwick CD's. Promise.

The topic title and first post of this thread.

PM me for my adress.

Stefan.

[Sandor 799]

I want a quotation! Complete threads and topic titles don't count.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,266]

OK.

Am I the only one who wants Doyle's Potter score to suck?

To back up my case I could also dig up a number of comments regarding Spielberg films that were not gonna be scored by a certain composer, but I don't wanna start a flame war.

[Sandor 799]

To back up my case I could also dig up a number of comments regarding Spielberg films that were not gonna be scored by a certain composer.

To quote Marian:

That comment may be ridiculous. No more than some of the comments I've been reading here about Doyle over the last weeks though.

About Doyle; not Spielberg or anything else. And to be honest; that "suck" thing isn't half as ridiculous as refering to Williams themes as "songs" or saying the next: "Williams, no matter how great he was, always played in mostly the same key with the same chord progressions and a ridiculously high dependence on brass."

Matter of opinion? Yeah I guess.

, but I don't wanna start a flame war.

Neither do I man. I hate those even though I always come out victorious. LOL

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,266]

My original quote still stands.

As for a flame war.

BRING IT ON, HIPPIE!

[Sandor 799]

This is the ultimate nerd way of disagreeing you know.

But ok, what the heck.....

HEY MAN STOP IT DUDE OR I'LL PUT A VIRUS ON YOUR PC!! Hehehehehe

(Am I doing this right?)

[Lurker 5]

HEY MAN STOP IT DUDE OR I'LL PUT A VIRUS ON YOUR PC!!

Buy a Mac.

Neil

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,266]

You could not transfer a virus if you sneezed in my face!

[Sandor 799]

Buy a Mac.

What do you mean?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,266]

Macs supposedly do not contract viruses.

[Lurker 5]

I mean there are no reported viruses on Mac OS X.

Neil

[Jeshopk 8]

"Williams, no matter how great he was, always played in mostly the same key with the same chord progressions and a ridiculously high dependence on brass."

Williams is one of the few film composers that actually uses the woodwinds to their full effect. What's funny is, the great majority of the music in Harry Potter is Strings/Woodwind/Synth/Percussion driven, with brass supporting unless an action moment appears. And even then, Williams has more percussion and string dominance in his HP action scores than he did in the SW prequels.

Critical thinking goes out the window when people are anticipating a movie. Just wait until this movie is yesterday's news, then we'll get some sober comparisons.

If these people would just say, "I like variety, and that is why it is refreshing to to hear a new composer's voice for Potter" and not embarrass themselves with incorrect musical analysis, then I'd take that as a valid opinion.

Williams is also one of the few composers that doesn't even bother with key signatures because he changes keys so often. Williams' "chord progressions" are free from theory, ranging from triadic to atonal, depending only on the necessary mood for the movie, and therefore are not tied down to this uneducated characterization.

[Sandor 799]

Well if the Mac is as reliable and userfriendly as iTunes and iPod I'd buy one tommorow.

So is it?

[Lurker 5]

Well if the Mac is as reliable and userfriendly as iTunes and iPod I'd buy one tommorow.  

So is it?

Yes.

Neil

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,266]

Don't believe him...don't trust him!

[David Coscina 4]

"AWESOME! John Williams is good but I don't tihnk he could have composed such dark music."

I wonder if that guy listened to War of the Worlds.

RIGHT ON!!!

Or perhaps this person hasn't heard:

Jaws

Close Encounters

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Empire Strikes Back

many sections from Jurassic Park

Minority Report

Images

and many sections from POA

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

Doesn't really surprise me though. Most people have ears but don't listen.

[David Coscina 4]

Jesse, I'm glad you mention the theory behind Williams' brilliance. As a composer myself, I'm totally awed by his compositional prowess. things that are hard to do like modulating to a totally non-related key, is something Williams does with ease and makes it sound fluid and natural. I also like his use of fractured rhythmic figures, wherein they run against the natural time signature thereby getting away from that metronome effect that plagues most MIDI film composers.

Williams is presently the god of film scoring. Bar none. No competition. Sorry, nothing to see here folks. All that stuff.