movies/tv

Between Drama and Fantasy: Four Most Versatile Film Scores of Howard Shore

Musicnotes

Nov 6, 2023 • 4 min read

After studying at Berklee College of Music, Canadian composer Howard Shore launched his storied career as the music director for Saturday Night Live in 1975. This experience introduced him to many of the artistic luminaries in New York City at that time and opened doors for future collaborations.

His first film score was for the low-budget thriller I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses. Fortunately for Shore, despite the film's poor performance upon release, his talent as a composer was immediately recognized. Many long and successful collaborations with important directors soon followed.

The Versatility of Howard Shore

Howard Shore movies run the gamut from art-house horror flicks to major blockbusters. His ability to create the mood and enhance the scene regardless of genre is key to his success and keeps him in demand in the film industry. Here are some of his most interesting, diverse, and successful soundtracks to date.

1. The Fly (1986)

Shore's first film with director David Cronenberg was The Brood from 1979. Cronenberg loved Shore's work and used him for 15 of his films. The Fly is Cronenberg's greatest commercial success and therefore was the vehicle to launch Shore into the mainstream.

The film is scored for a full orchestra with dark themes and jazz elements. Despite being a horror film, Shore utilizes sensitive and emotional motifs that are developed throughout the film. He also uses dissonant avant-garde techniques for the more horrific scenes of the movie, such as the transformation into a fly.

Howard Shore compositions also extend to concert halls, and one of the most interesting examples of his concert music is his 2008 opera, The Fly. Based upon the musical ideas and motifs from his score, this opera was well-received and had a successful run in Germany.

2. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

While Howard continued to work with David Cronenberg, he began to write for more mainstream directors and films. His ability to create dark and sinister atmospheres musically caught the notice of Jonathan Demme, who needed just that sound for his groundbreaking film, The Silence of the Lambs.

This score is notable for its orchestrations. Shore uses the instruments at extreme ranges to portray tension and fear. Listen for the following:

Very low and muted strings
Flutes in their lowest range and clarinets in the chalumeau register
Harp, bells, and Celeste in higher octaves
Pulsating low brass ostinatos
Bassoon pedal points
Melancholic English horn solos

His skillful use of these musical elements is a large part of the success of the film. From the title to the closing credits, Shore maintains an undercurrent of apprehension and fear.

3. A Dangerous Method (2011)

For A Dangerous Method, Shore resumes his collaboration with the filmmaker David Cronenberg. This movie centers upon the world of psychoanalysis in the early 20th century and the people who inhabit that world. This is mainly Carl Jung, Sabina Spielrein, and Sigmund Freud. As is perfectly appropriate, Shore takes inspiration from the music of Richard Wagner for this film score.

This movie's plot revolves around two characters' obsession with Richard Wagner's "Ring Cycle" operas. Shore uses musical material from the third opera in the cycle, "Siegfried," as building blocks for the soundtrack. A separate orchestra work by Wagner, "Siegfried Idyll," arranged by Shore for piano solo, plays a prominent role in the score.

Overall, this movie was a wonderful opportunity for Howard Shore to break with the horror scores and their gloomy soundscapes to create something that is clearly European and Classically influenced. It was possible for him to delve into form, symbolism, and leitmotifs, traditional techniques used by concert composers since the mid-1800s.

4. The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy was an audacious undertaking in scope and size. Never before and never again has any filmmaker attempted to simultaneously produce three major motion pictures. There was a bit of an uproar when he hired Howard Shore for the project. Many critics assumed that Shore was not capable of the style of music this project would demand. Shore quickly proved them wrong.

He composed over one hundred motifs and themes to portray different characters, lands, and cultures. One of the most popular of which proved to be the Hobbit theme. Bucolic and cheerful, this melody proved to be a much-needed bright spot in a dramatic and often dark epic.

In addition to the happy hobbits' music, Shore wrote the powerful Fellowship theme featuring a massive brass section, battle music, folk songs sung in homes and halls, and underscoring for stunning panoramic shots of New Zealand's best scenery. All of this music demanded distinct characters and styles.

Shore pushed the envelope of what instruments were included in the orchestra. To help portray the folk music of elves, dwarves, and men, Shore brought in a variety of unusual instruments, including:

Hungarian cimbalom
Norwegian Hardanger fiddle
Mandolin
Musette
Celtic harp
Bodhrán
Log drums
Japanese Taiko drums

As if that weren't enough, he also expanded the use of choirs and solo voices. It's not unusual to have a choir in a film soundtrack, but it's a bit extreme to have five or six choirs for over 330 musicians in total. In short, the trilogy demanded all hands on deck and Howard Shore delivered with the largest forces ever assembled for a film score.

To top it all off, he also did all his own orchestrations. Film composers typically compose their scores at the piano, notating it for just the two hands. Staff orchestrators then arrange the pieces for the orchestra that will be recording the tracks. Shore took on that formidable job himself, wishing to preserve the clarity of his 100-plus themes.

Howard Shore's Music Today

Howard Shore won three Oscars, three Grammys, and a Golden Globe for his work on The Lord of the Rings. It put him at the top of the film scoring profession and served as a notice to all in the industry that he has the talent and skills for any project. Since the trilogy, he has scored dozens more films, including The Aviator, Hugo, and Spotlight. He continues to be one of the most sought-after film composers.

Sources

https://moviemusicuk.us/2016/08/11/the-fly-howard-shore/
https://howardshore.com/biography/
https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/culture-monster-blog/story/2011-11-25/a-dangerous-method-melancholia-take-cues-from-richard-wagner