An exploration of John Williams' iconic score for Harry Potter
Who else could have thought up a melody so haunting and jolly in equal parts?
No matter your age or fictional story preferences, it's likely that you'll have seen at least one Harry Potter film in your life. And even if you don't care for the films themselves, we can all surely agree that John Williams wrote one of the most magnificent scores for the film franchise.
As is the case for a select few film composers, Williams' scores have enhanced their movies beyond measure. The music behind the heartfelt moments on-screen are often what elevate them to icon status, cementing them in the memories of those who watch and then later reflect with wistful nostalgia. That certainly applies here.
Beginning all the way back in 2001 with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Harry Potter theme we all know and love is entitled 'Hedwig's theme', named for Harry's pet snowy owl who accompanies him throughout his life until the very end (no spoilers here). That's why the theme is a part of every single Harry Potter score through to the Deathly Hallows Part II, released in 2011.
Williams' ability to create something so spine-tinglingly haunting yet simultaneously jolly only adds to the wondrous world of Harry Potter. It fits so perfectly that, whether you enjoy the films or think they're disloyal to the books, the score transcends opinion.
The 'Prologue' is a very tentative and "stripped back" version of the theme, played on a solo celesta that is a sound so pure, one could imagine it being played on champagne flutes.
Quivering strings join for the second round of the theme, creating a delicious air of suspense, before the woodwind join with blissfully-wild chromatic scales. From this moment on there is no doubt: this film is about magic.
As industrious strings continue with their chaotic journeys, a horn takes control of the situation, striding through the orchestra with the theme that remind us what's most important. Playing for the fourth time, there's an added urgency brought by the addition of more instruments - and if you're not excited by now, you must be made of stone like Hogwarts itself. Everything is suddenly wrapped up by the strings, as if a spell has been cast...
A new theme enters, once again introduced by the celesta, and although it's not long before the strings are waspishly taking over as before, the celesta holds its own with an incredibly impressive variation on the new theme that could, quite frankly, leave heads spinning - and there concludes the Prologue.
Listen: John Williams, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - 'Prologue' / 'Hedwig's Theme'
'Harry's Wondrous World' is a loud and proud variation on the theme, and quickly introduces a new motif often associated with Harry's life at Hogwarts as it's so warm and welcoming - there are definitely traits of classic Williams scores like E.T. and Star Wars echoing throughout, with swelling strings working in tandem alongside a quick and staccato moment to show the duality of Harry's life.
It's pure jubilation, especially with that key change where the brass take over the melody. Another theme enters - and although is played with vim and vigour here, it's repeated much slower and more forlornly at the end of the film, as Harry says a temporary goodbye to his new life at the end of his school year.
Everything happens so quickly in this track that it's hard to keep up. In one moment, there's a nod to Holst's Jupiter; another is straight out of Williams' score for Hook; it's almost as if we can see Harry having a food fight with Rufio and the other Lost Boys.
The crescendo builds to an obvious final moment, but Williams gets those strings buzzing away to excite us again before the harp closes it down and sends us to sleep - much like Fluffy the three-headed dog.
Listen: John Williams, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - 'Harry's Wondrous World'
Another joyous moment from Williams' score for the film comes in the form of the Christmas theme - 'Christmas at Hogwarts'. Of course, the story goes that Harry had most likely never experienced a genuinely merry Christmas prior to attending Hogwarts, having spent most of his life in the cupboard under the stairs at the home of his less-than affectionate Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.
The film score for the moment Harry finally experiences true Christmas joy is really wonderful. Ascending sequences add to what is surely Harry's elation over finally being accepted into a family, thanks to the Weasleys. Although there's a creepy section with whispery vocals, it quickly returns to festive cheer.
Listen: John Williams, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - 'Christmas at Hogwarts'
John Williams scored the first three Harry Potter films
Williams returned for the second (Chamber of Secrets) and third (Prisoner of Azkaban) instalments in the franchise, but was unable to return for the subsequent five films. Although it's not official as to why, it's thought that scheduling conflicts did not allow him to work on the franchise further - but the themes remained, thanks to latter composers Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper and Alexandre Desplat.
Which other films has John Williams composed music for?
Being one of the most prolific film composers of all time, there's a plenty lengthy list - but here are a few you might have heard of: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Superman, E.T., Home Alone, Hook, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan among many more.
Now take a look through fellow composer Hans Zimmer's biggest modern soundtracks:
Gladiator (2000)
Apparently, 2000 isn't actually part of the 21st century… But we thought we'd throw it in anyway. Sorry nitpickers.
Although Hans wasn't initially sold on the idea of a Gladiator story, Ridley Scott was able to get him on board for the Ancient Roman flick once he told him about the deeper aspects of the story – family, loss, betrayal; human traits that appeal to Hans' emotional storytelling side. In turn, Hans reached out to Dead Can Dance vocalist Lisa Gerrard, who signed onto the project, providing her ethereal vocals. In a documentary about the making of the soundtrack, Hans said of her involvement: "I found a musical soulmate suddenly. She's a formidable character insofar that she has an incredible aesthetic sense; she is a real artist. Everybody is called an artist these days, but trust me, there are very few who are the real thing. You put the picture up and you better be in record because amazing things would start happening."
The main song on the soundtrack is 'Now We Are Free', in which Lisa sings in her own language, moving from note to note with sounds that feel right – much like Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. The track plays at the end of the film as Maximus dies, showing him finally being reunited with his wife and son in Elsyium. The depth of feeling in Lisa's vocals combined with the instrumentation is so moving, and the soft percussion underneath almost sounds like a clock ticking – a reminder that life goes on. A more uplifting section kicks in about halfway through the track, still with the ticking percussion, perhaps to celebrate Maximus' reunion with his family and all that he accomplished in his life.
Hans said of the main theme, heard most prominently in the chorus of 'Now We Are Free', in the documentary: "It's a very, very beautiful theme, but I can turn it on its head – before battle, you really hear it down in the bass and it's very threatening. And at the same time, it becomes the kiss, it becomes the figurines, it becomes the thing about family. But it really is about this personal life of this character. And what was fun was to take this very humble theme and turn it into 1,000 different emotions. Where it would be about danger, at the same time, it's about peace."
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Hans worked with director Ron Howard on his 2006 film adaptation of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, following the story of symbology expert Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) who gets drawn into a religious conspiracy while trying to clear his name from a murder investigation. The film was lambasted by the Catholic Church for being blasphemous, but the production crew would have known the movie would stir up criticism, just as the 2003 novel on which it's based did upon its release. He's never said anything of the sort, but it's easy to see how that sort of anti-establishment attitude would appeal to Hans, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his score.
The composer took his role in the film so seriously, that he completely scrapped what he'd written for the film after playing it for Ron Howard the first time, and completely started again. He told GQ in 2018: "I'm pretty obnoxious at not letting anything leave my studio which I think is complete and utter crap. I remember working on The Da Vinci Code. I remember the first time playing it to Ron Howard. Literally from the first moment, I just knew it was wrong. Halfway through the movie, I just stopped and I said, 'Please don't say anything. I'm just going to start over.'"
Like most of Hans' scores – and indeed, most film scores in general – one particular piece is the pinnacle of the soundtrack, and for this film comes in the form of the finale piece 'Chevaliers de Sangreal', played at the very end of the film when everyone has agreed to stop searching for the Holy Grail, and Hanks' character realises where the tomb of Mary Magdalene actually lies: beneath La Pyramide Inversée at the Louvre. Whether you enjoy the film or not, Hans' score to this moment makes it feel so momentous and salient. The overlapping strings, with the ostinato string sequence underneath is driving without being forceful – almost as if it's gently encouraging Langdon and spurring him on to discover the tomb and not give up. The addition of the choral voices at the end adds to the drama as well as a necessary link to religion.
The Dark Knight (2008)
In his first collaboration with Christopher Nolan, Hans joined the Dark Knight trilogy for the first film Batman Begins in 2005. Of the three, sequel The Dark Knight is generally considered the favourite among fans of the franchise. According to Empire Online, Hans invited James Newton Howard into the fold, with the ultimate goal of having a score purposefully sound like two different people: Bruce Wayne and Batman. While Hans focused on the action scenes, James concentrated on the drama – returning for The Dark Knight to compose the Harvey Dent/Two Face theme. However, he chose not to return for The Dark Knight Rises, as he felt he'd gone as far as he could with it.
The main theme in The Dark Knight comes in the form of 'A Dark Knight', played out at the end of the film as Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) explains to his son: "Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight." The main string theme evokes a sense of heroism, and the busy strings underneath remind us that Bruce Wayne can never rest so long as he is Batman. The whole piece swells and ebbs, as if he wants to be better, be more than Batman, but he can never quite make the break… Not in this film, anyway.
Hans, who lost his own father at the age of six, told The Hollywood Reporter in 2014: "I kept throughout all of the whole arc of these three movies, I really tried to write about one thing only, which is arrested development. It's about a boy who sees his parents be killed in front of his own eyes – and blames himself for it. At that moment, a part of him stops growing. He stops becoming an adult."
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Hans did something totally different with his soundtrack for Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes in 2009. Hot on the heels of The Dark Knight, he was determined for the new soundtrack to be worlds away from his previous work, and it was refreshing for him to hear that Guy was also keen on the two having very different sounds. He told the LA Times in 2009 that he wanted to "get rid of the pompousness of the large orchestra," and added that he'd been more interested in focusing on individuals and soloists: "We don't have a lot of virtuoso musicians on scores where they can go out and play and play fun. It's usually about being very internal and very insensitive - very grown-up and intellectual. This was basically getting great virtuoso musicians and telling them, 'Put your violin down. Now pick it up again and think it's a fiddle.'"
To reflect Sherlock's character, Hans put the violin at the forefront to remind the audience that Sherlock himself is a violinist, adding to the LA Times: "Our Sherlock Holmes is different, and it was more about playing the chaos, the multitude of ideas, the synapses firing, and strange virtuosity going on in his brain. I'm trying to play what's going on in that man's head." It's definitely something that he got across in film and soundtrack opener 'Discombobulate'; the banjo leads the piece and is chromatic and dissonant but also totally melodic – and SO catchy. The strings and percussion work together underneath to attempt to bring order, and are constantly whirring away – much like Sherlock's mind. But there's something quite cheeky and edgy, reflecting Robert Downey Jr.'s iteration of the detective.
In a making-of documentary, Hans said: "The music is about these two brothers who drive each other crazy, but at the end of the day they watch each other's backs. What we were trying to do with the score is, we were never trying to be bland, we would never try to go to some lowest common denominator - we would always try to reinvent, and I think we found the tone."
Inception (2010)
Having worked on the first two Batman films together, Hans teamed up with Chris Nolan once again for Inception – a film so complex that most people have to watch it a couple of times to fully grasp a sense of the plot. For such a special film, there would have to be a pretty incredible score, and Hans did not disappoint – even creating a unique, terrifying sound that can only be described as a terror-infused, horn 'BWAH', which then went onto inspire pretty much every single action film trailer for the next few years. Hans commented on its surge in popularity to GQ in 2018: "It makes me smile. I don't regret that we did something which was weird and crazy and atonal and actually quite a horrendous, angry sound. Suddenly, everybody jumped on it and started to embrace it."
Arguably the most popular part of the soundtrack is 'Time', the piece played at the end of the movie. Not only is it the most beloved track from Inception, but it's also one of Hans' most popular pieces of all his compositions. And it's easy to see why – just listen to it. It's a perfect example of a continual build - starting small in terms of instrumentation and dynamics, leading up to a huge moment towards the end; something that can often by slightly anti-climatic. But not this time. It soars in the most spine-tinglingly magnificent - and satisfying - way, before dropping back down at the end. The start is simple, piano backed by bass and synths, then the strings take over the main melody and the rest of the orchestra join in, as if a singular stream of water is slowly joining up with others to make a river.
A pulsating beat underneath adds to the drama – and if your arm hairs aren't standing up by now, they soon will be. Before long, Johnny Marr's understated but essential guitar riff adds to the emotion, and although Chris Nolan wasn't keen on it originally, he could see its benefits, and thank goodness he did. The piece is taken up a notch at about 3:00 when the horns start playing a sublime counter-melody. The end is completely stripped back, but there's still a rumble of percussion for a few bars. The best thing to do, really, is sit back, close your eyes and let 'Time' wash over you – much like in the film, when the characters reach the very bottom of the dream layers and wash up on the shore of limbo.
In the film, the team have achieved what they set out to do, meaning that Leo Di Caprio's main character Cobb can finally be reunited with his children. However, the audience are left to surmise for themselves whether he's actually awake or dreaming – something that's never confirmed either way, but is reflected beautifully in the final piano moments. The loss Cobb suffers in the film is palpable, perfectly echoed in this piece of music – but there's personal context to this piece that brings it into focus. He explained to GQ in 2018 that his publicist, Ronni Chasen, became one of his best and closest friends over the years that they worked together. The last piece that she heard him play was 'Time', as she was murdered shortly after: "Life happens while you write music and you cannot... I don't want to distance myself from the life that I live and not put it into the music because otherwise, when I get to the end of my life, none of those experiences will have mattered. Rather than writing words or writing a diary or writing a book or anything like this, I tell you the story of my life through music because for me, music is my language."
12 Years a Slave (2013)
One of the most powerful films ever made, Hans was initially sceptical about joining the project, telling DIY Mag that he thought he "wasn't worthy", but eventually came around once Steve McQueen convinced him it was a "film about humanity", which he certainly knows how to write about. Adding that he considered it to be the sort of film you wish "all your lifetime would come along," he also explained how he found his "place" as a composer.
"For 12 Years, everyone on screen has to be in the period," he explained, continuing: "Yet the overall message is that it's about the conversation that needs to happen NOW. So for me, my approach is to be of the now, and bridge the film from that particular period to now. It had to be provocative. I'm not giving myself credit for it but the film has accomplished that. Steve endlessly reminded me that he was writing a story about 'love' and as such it's a humanistic movie, forever trying to show you the dignity of the man. It was strange as you're not dealing with fiction. This is a man who truly lived and if you read the book you can hear that. It was certainly an additional burden to deal with that. I think you have to tell a subliminal message through the music."
Long-time Hans fans will notice that the soundtrack shares similarities with his work on 2010 film, Inception – particularly the track 'Solomon', named for Chiwetel Ejiofor's main character, which is more than a little reminiscent of 'Time'. A lot of the film score is based upon a four-note motif, which is then expanded on dependent on the mood of the scene. 'Solomon' begins with this motif in a very stripped back manner, played on super high strings, and is then echoed with a fuller sound from more instruments as the high strings return with their own four-note motif that leans over the bars in just the most beautiful way. The horns takes over, adding a stunning depth to the piece. It's easy to see the similarities between the tunes of 'Solomon' and 'Time' – but where 'Time' is more of an epic, bombastic finale piece that instils wonder and awe, 'Solomon' conveys much more of a vulnerability, a rawness and a remembrance of what has been that's captured within the film, as Solomon himself attempts to keep hold of who he is as a person, and his eventual freedom.
Interstellar (2014)
Reuniting once again with Christopher Nolan, this time they took on outer space together in the Matthew McConaughey-led sci-fi epic. However, at the root of the film is a love between father and daughter – something we know Hans could relate to – and this is the first bit of information that Christopher gave Hans to go off when writing the score, two years before he actually wrote the film: "He gave me this envelope with a very personal outline about a father/child relationship," he told Collider in 2014. "He knows me well enough to push my buttons and there was enough in it to work with."
Hans is able to capture everything within the score. It's both emotional and scientific; it's vast but also intimate – it's tense in places and consoling in others. It's an ambitious move, to make a sci-fi film about space travel AND familial love in equal parts – and the film wouldn't be what it is without this stunning soundtrack. One piece that particularly evokes this is 'Cornfield Chase'. The use of the organ gives it a mechanical feel to tie into the scientific side, sounding as though it could take off any minute – but there's a blooming harp underneath keeping it grounded. This theme is played throughout the film at poignant moments, and a simpler, stripped back version is used when Cooper returns to the ship to find over 20 years has passed, and watches video messages from his children to see them grow up without him seemingly in an instant. Utterly tragic.
In 'Dust', the chromatic strings give a sense of otherworldliness, and 'Stay' introduces us to a theme that constantly switches between major and minor – showing Cooper's yearning to explore but also his ties to his children who have been left behind. At 5:34, the music suddenly swells as Cooper's spacecraft launches, and we are hit full in the face with the sheer immensity of the music, with chromatic strings in the background to emphasise the danger – and the constant switching between minor and major leaves us feeling uneasy. Did he do the right thing by leaving his children?
Dunkirk (2017)
One of the most intense films of the past few decades, many people came out of the cinema calling Dunkirk "the most enjoyable 100-minute stress headache." But it was a stressful write for Hans Zimmer too, who spent seven months writing the score. In another partnership with Christopher Nolan, Hans' soundtrack for Dunkirk was heavily inspired by the sound of a pocket watch owned by Nolan, who recorded it and sent it to Hans to be synthesised and included in the soundtrack. As the whole film is based on time – a favoured concept of Nolan – it was imperative to reflect this in the score. The ticking of the pocket watch along with the use of Shepard tone in the score only adds to the intensity of the plot, complementing it perfectly. Both of these effects can be heard in 'The Mole'.
In 2018, Hans told GQ: "The thing that I'm proudest about Dunkirk is you can't separate it from the film. Chris and I have now been working together for 16 years and it's always been our ambition, somehow, that the score and the images become one total experience." He visited the beach at Dunkirk, bringing home some sand in a jar to keep him inspired, and set about trying to compose a piece based on a 'mathematical idea' – something he's keen to keep under wraps to avoid viewers and listeners being distracted.
Perhaps the pièce de résistance comes right at the end in Zimmer's Variation on Elgar's 'Nimrod'. The piece has long been used in Britain in conjunction with remembrance, and therefore lives subconsciously in our minds as relevant to the World Wars, even if we don't immediately know why. To use it in a film about Dunkirk is a wonderful tribute – and Hans even called it Variation 15, as a nod to the Enigma Variations within which 'Nimrod' sits, made up of 14 pieces. The composer slowed the original piece down to just six beats per minute, adding bass notes in a bid to make it "less sentimental", according to Benjamin Wallfisch who also worked on the piece. Hans told the New York Times in 2017 about the use of 'Nimrod' and its relevance: "It's part of English culture, since it was written. It's quite the opposite to the national anthem — it's more the emotional anthem to a nation. It's a quiet nobility — it doesn't show off, it's not heroic."
Chris Nolan added: "Quite often you're asking music to do something that you weren't able to do with the picture or dialogue. Hans didn't use that crutch. There's only emotion in the music when you just can't not have it. The tension doesn't feel resolved — in a way you want it to be replaced with some kind of earned emotion. And that's where the Elgar theme came in. There's a moment at the end where the music goes back to the most basic form of the ticking, and then it just stops. And there's something about that that I found very energising."
The Lion King (2019)
Having written the score for the original animated film back in 1994, Hans was able to revisit The Lion King for its live-action remake. It's useful to know the context of his involvement in the film, as it adds a whole other emotional layer to the storytelling. In an interview with us in July 2019, Hans revealed that he'd signed up to do the film so that he could finally take his then-six-year-old daughter, Zoe, to one of his premieres as the others had been simply inappropriate for a youngster.
However, once he'd learned of the story's subject matter (based on Shakespeare's Hamlet) his own childhood trauma resurfaced, having lost his father at the age of six - the same age his daughter was at the time: "I very quickly realised it wasn't what I thought it was going to be – it was actually something that touched me deeply. I will tell you one thing about psychologists, they will tell you that children know how to cope with tragedy. Children don't know how to cope with tragedy beyond the simple fact that they go and lock it all away. And when you sit down in front of a movie like this, when you have to tell the story, when you have to get engaged, you have to open up all those boxes and let all that sort of grimness out. So it became a requiem for my dad."
And a requiem it certainly is. One of the most pivotal pieces of the score comes when Simba sees an apparition of his long-dead father, who reminds him to be true to himself ("Remember who you are"). The music at this point is utterly gut-wrenching, and knowing that Hans was channelling his own devastation and loss makes it even more poignant. Skip to 2:35 on 'Reflections of Mufasa' to hear the incredibly moving moment – even without the imagery and the animation, it's easy to get choked up. For those of us who watched the original film as children, it's a mournful listen with added nostalgia – a perfect blend for a tear-jerker.
No Time To Die (2021)
One of Hans' more recent works, No Time To Die is the 25th film in the James Bond franchise. Having been postponed and rescheduled many times over, it was finally released in September 2021 - and what a stunning film it was. Working with Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas, Hans was instrumental in getting her track picked for the film. In an interview with GQ, Hans told how he knew Billie's track was the one as soon as he heard it, describing it as a "small, leanly produced, very personal song." Although the producers weren't sure to begin with, Hans was insistent, and they flew Billie and her brother Finneas over to the UK to watch the film and inform their songwriting so that they could get to work on polishing up the song.
"For me, it was undeniable that that was the right way to go," Hans added to GQ. "It felt hugely personal; it felt really well crafted. We just spent the day adding little orchestral touches." Hans took to the stage with Billie at the BRIT Awards 2020 in a stunningly haunting performance, playing keyboard and simultaneously conducting the orchestra. Billie's brother Finneas played the piano, while Johnny Marr played the guitar for his crucial line.
Naturally, Hans saves the most emotional track for the end - and while we don't want to give anything away for those who are somehow still yet to see No Time To Die, it's safe to say that 'Final Ascent' is perfectly fitting. Much like Inception's 'Time', it's a slow builder; with a duration of nearly seven and a half minutes, it takes its time to bring us to the pinnacle. Interestingly, the piece finishes without a conclusive chord - an imperfect cadence - as if it's been interrupted before it can be satisfyingly rounded off. Could this be to do with what happens to Bond at the end of the film? A suggestion that the inevitable conclusion of the character actually didn't come to be? Now that we know more Bond films are in the works, perhaps it was Zimmer's way of dropping musical hints. It's not over til it's over.
Once again, Hans fully understood the brief - telling The Hindu in October 2021: "Having done the three Batman movies - which are three movies to you, but are 12 years of my life to me - I really understand where Daniel (Craig) was with this; he dedicated 16 years of his life to Bond... I wanted to not only do a good score but dig a little deeper and honour the man, the work and all the people who've been working on this for so long."