Hugo (soundtrack)

Hugo (Original Score)
Film score by Howard Shore
Released	November 15, 2011
Studio	Abbey Road Studios, London
Genre	Contemporary classical orchestral
Length	67:33
Label	Howe Records
Producer	Jonathan Schultz
Howard Shore chronology
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010) Hugo (2011) A Dangerous Method (2012)

The original score to the 2011 Martin Scorsese-directed historical drama film Hugo featured music composed by Scorsese's norm collaborator Howard Shore. It was released by his own label Howe Records on November 15, 2011 under the title Hugo (Original Score) and has 21 tracks from the selections of his score running for nearly an-hour, unlike the initial score which lasted for one-hour and seventeen minutes, being the extensive score he composed for Scorsese's films. The full score would be later unveiled as a part of For Your Consideration for the 2011–2012 film awards season. It also featured an original song "Cœur volant" performed by French singer-songwriter Zaz, that was used in the end credits.

The score used several themes, motifs and variations written in an older style, where much of the score would be available in the first reel of 10 minutes. He used several musical instruments ranging from the 1920s and 1930s, including electronic ones, as well as the symphony orchestra being prominent in the score. The music received critical acclaim and led Shore several nominations for

The film marked the sixth and final collaboration between Howard Shore and Martin Scorsese, following After Hours (1985), Made in Milan (1990), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004) and The Departed (2006). Although they collaborated for The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Shore was not credited for the film's incidental music. Shore wanted to play the music through the perspective of the main character, opining that "For a boy who’s Hugo’s age, everything is seen with wide-eyed wonder. In fact, you often see Hugo’s eyes peering out through the clocks. So it’s like a child’s view of that world, especially in how Hugo is fascinated with how machines work. And just as he studies their movements, I study the character’s actions as I work."^[1] Shore revealed that he used to spend time with his eight-year old grandson that helped his approach to the film. He closely associated with Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker in post-production where much of the score was revealed earlier in the first reel and other themes for Georges Méliès were later introduced.^[2][3]

As with the previous films, he writes the compositions in sketch form, where he could deal with the harmony and counterpoint and begins orchestration afterwards. He used the

Some of the musical references included, in a scene where Méliès goes to a carnival, and into a tent where the Lumière brothers are playing their landmark film L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat (1895) and a live pianist next play the music of French composer Camille Saint-Saëns' music. Shore admitted "When we use the term “traditional” music, I think we’re really referring to the movies that we love from the 1930’s and the 40’s, films whose music derived what those original accompanists were playing during the silent era. They used popular classical music, where it was done on a solo piano, or with an orchestra."^[1]

For the music in concluding moments, that "The conclusion involves both of their music and both of their thematic ideals and pieces. And of course there are certain things they share — the love of fixing things, the love of clocks and trains and mechanical things — so those thematic elements that are in the score work with both characters. The Hugo character is like a young Méliès. I detail each scene to the colors I want to use and the sounds of the small group and the orchestra. It”s kind of an intimate relationship that I try to develop between how I feel as the composer watching the scene and writing something form my heart, and how I feel as the audience watching the scene."^[4] The film also featured an end credit song "Cœur volant" co-written by Shore, Elizabeth Cotnoir and Zaz, who also sang the track. He used melodies within the score to write the track, saying "I love the idea of creating themes that you hear right at the beginning of the film, and carry right through the arch of it, from the mystery of the automaton and to the adventure of these kids and the adventure of the police inspector. So it’s particularly satisfying for me when all of those melodies finally break out into song."^[1] He called Zaz's voice as much as "fantastic resolution to be an instrument" which was a beautiful way to end the film.^[1]

Track listing

Standard release

The original score album was released by Shore's record label Howe Records digitally on November 15, 2011,^[5] which would be followed by a physical release on December 6.^[6][7] In 2022, the album was pressed into a 180-gram double disc vinyl published by Enjoy the Ride Records and Mondo.^[8][9][10]

Complete score

The full score album was released by Paramount Pictures as a part of For Your Consideration marketing campaign for the subsequent award season. It featured 49 score cues, which is 10 minutes longer than the standard release.^[11]

Critical response

James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "Howard Shore’s music inhabits the film in a way which recalls the great magical scores for dreamlike family adventures of the past, and it holds up remarkably well away from it on the lengthy album. It is easily his strongest work this side of