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Who Wrote The Harry Potter Theme Song

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Harry Potter Soundtrack: Hedwigs Theme And Everything To Know About The Film Franchises Magical Score

Harry Potter theme song

8 September 2020, 17:23

The wonder and adventures of J.K. Rowlings boy wizard are perfectly captured in the music for the Harry Potter films. But who wrote the magical score, and whats the story behind Hedwigs Theme?

A truly great film score can do one of two things: blend into the background and serve simply to strengthen the narrative or jump out of the silver screen and take on a life of its own.

Its easy to see which camp theHarry Pottersoundtrack falls into. As soon as we hear those opening notes of Hedwigs Theme in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone or the Sorcerers Stone, as its known in the US we are immediately whisked away into Harrys wizarding world through a flurry of strings and that haunting, solo celesta.

Over the course of the franchise, the Harry Potter phenomenon saw a number of composers working on it besides John Williams. But lets start where it all began

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix In Concert

1. How many Harry Potter films did composer Nicholas Hooper Score?

Answer: Two

2. On what instrument is Nicholas Hooper classically trained?

Answer: Guitar

3. The track Possession is played in what key?

Answer: F Minor

4. Which previous composer in the Harry Potter Film Series inspired Nicholas Hoopers Score?

Answer: John Williams

5. Nichole Hooper composed which characters theme to be irritating?

Answer: Professor Umbridge

The Fantastic Beasts Theme Song Has A Magical Harry Potter Easter Egg

The wizarding world of Harry Potter is alive and well in the new theme from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

A preview of the prequel’s opening songs includes a neat nod to the franchise’s overall mythology, as it starts off with a snippet of ‘Hedwig’s Theme’ from the original Harry Potter film series.

Fantastic Beasts composer James Newton Howard’s reference to Harry’s pet owl doubles as his tribute to the five-time Academy Award-winning Potter composer John Williams.

In an interview with Pottermore, Newton Howard revealed that it took him seven long months to compose the majestic Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them soundtrack.

“You hear the main theme song of the movie play when the main crew arrive at the MACUSA the first time and various other times,” he said.

“You hear this haunting kind of theme. If you had to say what is the theme for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for now and in the future, it would be that theme. I wrote it on my piano because I believe that if that kind of thing is going to be good, it should be done that simply.”

You can learn more about the Magical Congress of the USA in JK Rowling’s latest standalone story on Pottermore.

While Fantastic Beasts definitely references the larger Harry Potter mythology, its characters – especially Katherine Waterston’s Tina Goldstein – aren’t just stand-ins for the Boy Who Lived and his pals.

You can pre-order the Fantastic Beasts soundtrack now on and iTunes.

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And Patrick Doyle Took Over

Scottish film composer Patrick Doyle took the musical reins for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, composing the particularly memorable Potter Waltz the delightful piece you hear in the Yule Ball scene and Harry in Winter, both of which retain the magical, ballet-like quality of Williams original work.

The fifth and sixth films were scored by Nicholas Hooper , while Alexandre Desplat scored the final two .

Together, Williams, Doyle, Hooper and Desplat composed nearly ten hours of Harry Potter music.

The Music Of Harry Potter: A Glockenspiel And E Minor Make For An Iconic Theme Song

Harry Potter Theme Song Piano Sheet Music Printable ...

First composed by John Williams, Hedwigs Theme is the music associated with Harry Potter. Just like the Harry Potter franchise itself, Hedwigs Theme will probably be one of those immortal pieces off a movie magic in the twenty-first century.

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Thursday night, or, technically, Friday morning, I felt like my childhood was over. Melodramatically, of course. No, I didnt turn 18 or go through some Salinger-esque loss of innocence. I saw the last Harry Potter movie.

I may not be a die-hard, spell-casting Potter fan, but I did feel a large era of my life come to a close when that movie ended. I used to play Harry Potter on the playground in kindergarten. The Chamber of Secrets was my first midnight premiere of a movie. The Prisoner of Azkaban was the first book I read in a day. Due to these deeply planted roots, these following words could easily spin out of control into a phonetic scrapbook that 99% of the world most likely doesnt want to hear.

So Ive decided to focus on something that is probably a major reason we all love those movies, and it goes like this:

After the last shot of Daniel Radcliffes face faded off the screen, I just knew that I was surrounded by crying audience members. Yes, they will miss Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They will miss the rush of going to the next premiere. But they will definitely miss hearing that familiar B E, G G flat E, B A, G flat in a new setting for the first time. They just might not know it.

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John Williams: Hedwigs Theme

Context

By the year 2001, John Williams was already one of the most sought after film composers in the world. With a wealth of awards and nominations behind him, he had already composed the iconic music to films like Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and Jaws. While they were trying to find the right composer for the Harry Potter franchise, Warner Bros and Director Christopher Columbus tested composers before hiring someone. This also applied to Williams, who was asked to write some promotional material for the film.

Williams presented the first drafts of what we now know as the iconic Hedwigs Theme. This leitmotif is now perhaps the most recognisable theme to ever come from the Harry Potter films. The theme is used in all eight films, plus spinoff production Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Director Christopher Columbus commented on the first time he heard Hedwigs Theme: I remember first hearing Hedwigs Theme, it was so clear that this was it. It felt so appropriate, sufficiently majestic and magical.

The Music

Opening with the magical theme played by a lone celesta, the bell-like effect that comes from this melody shines through. Already a magical atmosphere has been created by Williams, so when a flurry of violins enter with their woodwind counter-parts, the music begins to get ready for lift off.

Final Thoughts

Harry Potter Theme Song With Lyrics

finallyat leastIf youre looking for a hero, you shouldnt look to me. Im just a young kid, the “boy who lived” is just an identity. You see…Just growing up is rough enough, and you want it done too fast And normalcy is not easy, when everyone knows your pastThe wealth that Ive amassed will help me pay for every class.My quidditch broom is unsurpassed, but…If youre looking for a hero, you shouldnt look to me.Before I can be who you for-see, I have to hit puberty.Im pretty sure my bloods not pure, but thats not the mysteryMy mothers son, the Chosen One, its all in the prophecy.If youre looking for a hero, you shouldnt look to me.And nobody knows I never chose to be a celebrity.Everywhere I go they say Hey, theres Harry Potter!””Thats Harry Potter. Look at the Scar!””Hes attending Hogwarts with your son, with your daughter””The Harry Potter, so far.”After just one year he will become your friend Harry,dear old friend Harry, though he could die!He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned and its scary,for little Harry. Poor guy.I can never seem to keep myself out of danger,schools always stranger, starting each fall!With my friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger,we will endanger you all.Your call!

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Best Harry Potter Soundtracks

Whether youre a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff, a Ravenclaw or heaven forfend a Slytherin, the magical world of Harry Potter has a huge fandom. From the books to the films and the spin-off Fantastic Beasts series the Potterverse is full of adventure, thrills, fabulous imagination, intrigue, romance and friendship.

One of the main ingredients that made the films such a stand-out was their terrific soundtracks. Music for film and trailers helps to set the scene, power up your emotions and, of course, add to the magic onscreen. So, how do the Harry Potter soundtracks rank in terms of the best movie soundtracks? Weve picked our Top 10 Harry Potter songs, and done a deep dive on the soundtracks showcasing the composers and what their unique contributions were to the franchise.

Four different composers lent their talents to the Harry Potter soundtracks John Williams, who scored the first three, Patrick Doyle , Nicholas Hooper and Alexandre Desplat, whose work brought to life the final two films .

For great movie music, check out our trailers and film styles playlists.

Harrys Wondrous World John Williams

Harry Potter character theme song ~ part 3

Played by a full orchestra, this is the track that opens Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Magical and majestic, it really sets the tone for the audiences entrance into a world of wonders. It features Hedwigs Theme in the first few bars, before diverging into a new theme created just for Harry. The theme is used in the closing credits of both The Philosophers Stone and The Chamber of Secrets. Its both lyrical and hopeful, and full of excitement, joy and triumph, with a heroic feel.

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The Real Reason Why This Bruce Springsteen Song Couldn’t Be Used In Harry Potter

Who knew The Boss is a secret Harry Potter superfan? Bruce Springsteen, the iconic singer-songwriter known for era-defining hits like “Thunder Road” and “Born in the U.S.A.,” wrote a song inspired by J.K. Rowling’s fantasy book series for the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, but the studio behind the film had to pass on it for a surprising reason, according to The Wrap.

The story of the song, “I’ll Stand by You,” starts in the late ’90s, when Springsteen read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone with his children. The song was written sometime between 1998 and 2000. In a 2016 interview with BBC Radio 2, Springsteen said he wrote the song for his eldest son, Evan. The lyrics are sung from the perspective of a parent reassuring a child crying in the middle of the night that everything is alright. The lyrics are not directly related to Harry Potter in any way, but there is a reference to “ghosts and goblins,” both of which do appear in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

In the BBC interview, Springsteen said the lullaby-like song was “uncharacteristic of something I’d sing myself,” and he always thought it would be a good fit for a children’s movie. And he did try to place it in a children’s movie, offering the recording to director Chris Columbus for use in the first film in the Harry Potter series in 2001.

Music Of The Harry Potter Films

Hedwig’s Theme

The music of the Harry Potter film series was recorded and released in conjunction with the post-production and releases of each of the eight corresponding films. The scores were composed by John Williams, Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper, and Alexandre Desplat. Musicians credited with writing source music include Jarvis Cocker, The Ordinary Boys and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Jeremy Soule and James Hannigan wrote the music for the Harry Potter video games.

Each film’s complete score is currently being performed live to picture by local orchestras in venues throughout the world through The Harry Potter Film Concert Series, produced by CineConcerts in partnership with Warner Brothers. There have been over 1,370 performances in 48 countries, with over 2.6 million fans experiencing the music performed live with the full movie projected on a giant screen.

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Harry Potter: Bruce Springsteen’s Song Explained

Bruce Springsteen nearly had an original song in the Harry Potter movie franchise, but WB was forced to pass on the idea for an interesting reason.

Bruce Springsteen created an original song for the Harry Potter film franchise, but it was never used in any of the eight installments. The well-known American musician wrote the song titled “I’ll Stand By You Always” before the release of 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Based on the popular book series by J.K. Rowling, the Harry Potter film adaptations debuted over the course of a decade. Though Springsteen’s involvement in the franchise would have been an exciting collaboration, the two worlds never collided.

Springsteen’s career as a musician began in the mid-60s before he rose to worldwide fame with the release of Born to Run in 1975. In the decades that followed, Springsteen continued to cement himself as one of the most successful musical artists in history. Nicknamed “The Boss,” Springsteen had a history of recording songs for several notable movies. Among them was “Streets of Philadelphia,” which won an Oscar for the Best Original Song for Philadelphia in 1994. Two years later, Springsteen was nominated for the same award for his song “Dead Man Walkin’,” heard in the film of the same name. More recently, Springsteen created the title song for 2009’s The Wrestler, which ended up winning a Golden Globe.

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Harry Potter And The Half

36+ Free Sheet Music Hedwigs Theme Images · Free Skin Game

Film: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceDirector: David YatesSoundtrack CD from: and Piano Sheet Music at: SheetMusicPlus.com and MusicRoom.comHedwig’s Theme & Original Quidditch Theme: John Williams

David Yates and Nicholas Hooper returns again for the sixth film, giving continuity in these roles. As before the main theme is used only briefly during the film’s opening. Hooper re-uses some of the themes he introduced in “Order of the Phoenix” such as the Weasley’s Irish theme, expanding and adapting these existing ideas. The composer also introduces new music associated with the character of Dumbledore, along with some choral material, and he seems to quote the song “Comin’ Through the Rye” when Hagrid’s spider dies. However in the “Half-Blood Prince” he seems to take a small step away from a melodic approach towards a more atmospheric method of scoring. Those atmospheres are suitably moody and work perfectly in the film for the teenage romance scenes, Harry’s possession by Voldemort and particularly for the sequences with the Death Eaters. Of the two Nicholas Hooper filmscores we have a slight preference for “Order of the Phoenix” but both seem perfectly suited to the world of Harry Potter.

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Which Other Themes Did John Williams Write

We hear Hedwigs Theme everywhere throughout the score even in moments without the owl himself. But there are a number of other brilliant themes swirling through the franchise that deserve mention.

Leaving Hogwarts is a particularly beautiful motif that frequently appears to remind us of Harrys connection to Hogwarts the home where the young wizard has found he truly belongs .

The third instalment , and the final scored by John Williams, took on a darker feel under new director Alfonso Cuaron.

A Window to the Past is particularly poignant, while Double Trouble, performed at the Hogwarts Welcoming Feast, uses lyrics from Shakespeares Macbeth and sounds straight out of an early Purcell opera.

Instantly, the Juilliard-trained composers themes became radio hits, and the basis for the next six films in the series. But after number three, Williams himself dropped out of overall responsibility for the scores.

Why Is The Song Called Hedwigs Theme

It was most likely originally written as an idea for Hedwig early on, but then Williams expanded upon it and made it the main theme of the first movie. . The imagery of his owl represented Harrys connection to the magical world, and it really was prominent back in the day when the film series first began.

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Harry Potter Kalimba Letter Notes & Chords

E Cº B Eº Cº B E Cº B Eº Fº Cº Eº D Cº Cº Cº Cº E B Eº D Cº Cº Cº Cº Fº Fº Eº D Cº

Kalimba is an exotic plucked instrument from the Mbira family and is quite similar to an idiophone. The Kalimba letters of the Harry Potter theme comprise mainly of E, A, C, B, G. The Kalimba number notes are 3, 6, 1, 7, 2, 5. The Kalimba tabs of Harry Potter are very easy and the beginners can play them effortlessly.

What Is The Texture Of Hedwigs Theme

Harry Potter Theme Song

There are a few celeste solos in this section, and so the texture becomes very thin. After these sections the texture becomes thicker and thicker until it is as dense as it was previously. The overall tone colour is quite thick in Hedwigs theme, but owards the end it grows thinner, but then with an outburst.

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Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Film: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanDirector: Alfonso CuarónOrchestrations: Conrad Pope, Eddie KaramLyrics: “Double Trouble” adapted from Shakespeare’s Macbeth Soundtrack CD from: and Piano Sheet Music at: SheetMusicPlus.com and MusicRoom.comNotes: John Williams was oscar-nominated again

For the third film John Williams was most definitely available. He used some of his existing melodic ideas but there is a wealth of new material with many scenes being scored from scratch, reflecting the story having many new ideas and new characters, plus some dark material for the ghostly Dementors. There is a credit to Simon Etchell for stock music, though it is not clear how much stock music was used in total. Musically the film fits well with the established tone, yet it feels like a completely self-contained score and a natural progression from the earlier movies. All in all this is a great score to listen to, and the track for the end titles alone is a magnificent tour de force from Williams with a myriad of different ideas seemingly spanning from the renaissance period right through to 20th century jazz and including a reprise of the “Double Trouble” choral section heard earlier in the film.

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