Music of Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
The music of the 2004 TV series Battlestar Galactica is a body of work largely credited to the composers Bear McCreary and Richard Gibbs. The music of Battlestar Galactica displays a variety of ethnic influences and generally does not conform to the "orchestral" style of many science fiction scores.
The music of Battlestar Galactica makes use of the technique called "leitmotif". A leitmotif is a phrase or melodic cell that signifies a character, place, plot element, mood, idea, relationship or other specific part of the story. It is commonly used in modern film scoring as a device to mentally anchor certain parts of a film to the soundtrack. Of chief importance for a leitmotif is that it must be recognizable enough for a listener to latch onto while being flexible enough to undergo variation and development. However, the development of leitmotifs was not part of the composers' (Bear McCreary) original plan:
For a show that set out to avoid 'themes,' Battlestar Galactica has certainly ended up with quite a few.
— Bear McCreary, Bear's Battlestar Galactica Blog.[1]
Background
When he began work on the series, McCreary was asked to produce something completely different from the "gleaming, brassy sound" of the original series.[2] To save on expenses McCreary typically works with 9-10 musicians.[3] For some of the series' more important episodes, he requested a full orchestra: "I don't need to put up a fight for it. The episodes that require an orchestral presence are self-evident, and everybody at Sci Fi and the producers know it's money well-spent."[3]
Orchestral music began to be introduced near the end of the first season. In the beginning, producers preferred other sounds:
They didn't want an orchestral sound. So when I started the series, I had an extremely limited palette – a lot of percussion. I only had a handful of instruments that could play anything melodic. As the show went on I started developing motific ideas that started coming into the texture that represented certain characters. Towards the end of the first season one of the producers turned to me during one of the playbacks and said, "Can we get some of that Boomer theme right there? I want to hear the Boomer theme!" I thought to myself: we’d never had a discussion that said it was okay for me to start writing a Boomer Theme, but I happened to have done it, and they noticed it, and from that point on I started exploring other possibilities once I realized that this show could develop.
— Bear McCreary, The Score: Bear McCreary – From "Battlestar Galactica" to "Terminator", Cinefantatique Online[2]
McCreary was interested in producing an organic sound using real instruments.[2]
This sort of opened up the floodgates for anything non-orchestral that I could find, and LA is a great town to find musicians who play unusual instruments. So it ultimately benefited the show, because I started writing for non-traditional instruments and I still had to find ways for those instruments to speak musically the same way that an orchestral score would – meaning that the drama still had to be there; I just couldn’t use twenty-four horns and sixty strings – I had a couple of frame drums and a duduk! The irony is that by the end of the first season they were asking for some orchestra, and we were putting some orchestral strings back into the mix, but it was in a very different context. The strings, when they come up, suddenly sound special and unique, and when those episodes come up, I think viewers are subconsciously drawn to them because it sounds bigger, whereas if we plastered every episode with strings that effect would be lost.
— Bear McCreary, The Score: Bear McCreary – From "Battlestar Galactica" to "Terminator", Cinefantatique Online[2]
Soundtrack releases
To date, seven CDs of soundtrack music from Battlestar Galactica have been released for sale. All seven albums have been released on the La-La Land Records label.
Season 4 is a 2-CD set, with an overview of the season's music cues making up Disc 1, and the score for the Series Finale "Daybreak" (Parts 1, 2 and 3) on Disc 2.[4]
Miniseries soundtrack
The soundtrack for the 2003
Many of the cues from the Miniseries soundtrack have been re-used as incidental or background music in the regular series beginning in 2004. For example, the track "Starbuck's Recon" plays over the final scene on
- "Are You Alive? / Battlestar Galactica Main Title" [5:28]
- "Goodbye, Baby" [2:24]
- "Starbuck Buck Buck" [1:49]
- "To Kiss or Not to Kiss" [2:42]
- "Six Sex" [1:48]
- "Deep Sixed" [1:59]
- "The Day Comes" [1:08]
- "Counterattack" [2:40]
- "Cylons Fire" [1:34]
- "A Call to Arms" [1:03]
- "Apollo to the Rescue" [1:56]
- "Launch Vipers" [4:26]
- "Seal the Bulkheads" [2:10]
- "The Lottery Ticket" [3:06]
- "Eighty-Five Dead" [1:23]
- "Inbound" [1:23]
- "Apollo Is Gone / Starbuck Returns" [2:19]
- "The Storm and the Dead" [2:40]
- "Thousands Left Behind" [2:09]
- "Silica Pathways" [3:32]
- "Reunited" [1:56]
- "The Sense of Six" [3:01]
- "Starbuck's Recon" [1:11]
- "Battle" [7:40]
- "Good Night" [2:38]
- "By Your Command" [1:56]
Season 1 soundtrack
Gibbs opted not to devote full time to the regular series' production, due to scheduling conflicts: he wished to devote more time to scoring theatrical films. As a result, Bear McCreary scored "33" (which was actually the first episode) and then stayed on as soundtrack composer for all subsequent episodes of the series. McCreary is credited as sole composer for 26 of the 30 tracks on the Season 1 soundtrack. The total running time of the album is 1:18:19. Irish singer Lilis Ó Laoire sings in the Irish language on "Wander My Friends".
Many of the leitmotifs of the show were introduced in this opus, including the Adama family theme, Boomer's theme, the Cylon theme and Starbuck's theme.
- "Prologue" [0:40]
- "Main Title (U.S. Theme)" [1:05]
- "Helo Chase" (from "33") [1:31]
- "The Olympic Carrier" (from "33") [5:48]
- "Helo Rescued" [1:02] (from "33")
- "A Good Lighter" (from "The Hand of God") [1:56]
- "The Thousandth Landing" (from "Act of Contrition") [3:08]
- "Two Funerals" (from "Act of Contrition") [3:26]
- "Starbuck Takes On All Eight" (from "Act of Contrition") [3:46]
- "Forgiven" (from "You Can't Go Home Again") [1:31]
- "The Card Game" (from "Act of Contrition") [3:04]
- "Starbuck On the Red Moon" (from "You Can't Go Home Again") [2:01]
- "Helo In the Warehouse" (from "Litmus") [2:02]
- "Baltar Speaks With Adama" (from "Six Degrees of Separation") [1:55]
- "Two Boomers" (from "Six Degrees of Separation") [1:48]
- "Battlestar Operatica" (from "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down") [2:36]
- "The Dinner Party" (from "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down") [3:14]
- "Battlestar Muzaktica" (from "Colonial Day") [1:43]
- "Baltar Panics" (from "Six Degrees of Separation") [1:46]
- "Boomer Flees" (from "Flesh and Bone") [1:17]
- "Flesh and Bone" (from "Flesh and Bone") [4:06]
- "Battle On the Asteroid" (from "The Hand of God") [6:53]
- "Wander My Friends" (from "The Hand of God") [2:58]
- "Passacaglia" (from "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I") [5:16]
- "Kobol's Last Gleaming" (from "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Parts I and II") [2:49]
- "Destiny" (from "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II") [4:44]
- "The Shape of Things to Come" (from "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II") [2:56]
- "Bloodshed" (from "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II") [1:51]
- "Re-Cap" [0:37]
- "Main Title (U.K. Theme)" [1:05]
Season 2 soundtrack
McCreary is again credited as the primary composer for the Season 2 soundtrack; Gibbs retains his credit for the series' main title music. The total running time of the album is 1:18:53.
In his sleeve notes for the album, McCreary singles out two pieces for particular attention: the re-arrangement of Stu Phillips and Glen A. Larson's original theme for Battlestar Galactica to become the "Colonial Anthem" as it appears in "Final Cut"; and the string quartet "A Promise to Return", dedicated to the recovery of the lead violinist, Ludvig Girdland, who was severely injured in a car crash a month after the recording.
The Season 2 soundtrack also featured the first statement of Tigh's theme (in track number 6, entitled "Martial Law") and the Roslin and Adama theme (in track number 13, entitled "Roslin and Adama").
- "Colonial Anthem" ("Theme from Battlestar Galactica") (from "Final Cut") [4:02]
- "Baltar's Dream" (from "Valley of Darkness") [2:45]
- "Escape from the Farm" (from "The Farm") [3:09]
- "A Promise to Return" (from "The Farm") [3:03], performed by the Supernova String Quartet
- "Allegro" (from "Home, Part 2") [4:59]
- "Martial Law" (from "Fragged") [1:51]
- "Standing in the Mud" (from "Black Market") [1:45]
- "Pegasus" (from "Pegasus") [2:46]
- "Lords of Kobol" (from "Pegasus") [2:50], featuring Raya Yarbrough, vocals
- "Something Dark is Coming" (from "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 1") [8:51]
- "Scar" (from "Scar") [2:26]
- "Epiphanies" (from "Epiphanies") [2:43]
- "Roslin and Adama" (from "Resurrection Ship, Parts 1 and 2") [2:49]
- "Gina Escapes" (from "Resurrection Ship, Part 2") [2:00]
- "Dark Unions" (from "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2") [2:53]
- "The Cylon Prisoner" (from "Pegasus") [3:51], featuring Bt4, vocals
- "Prelude to War" (from "Pegasus" and "Resurrection Ship, Parts 1 and 2") [8:22]
- "Reuniting the Fleet" (from "Home, Parts 1 and 2") [2:45]
- "Roslin Confesses" (from "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2") [2:09]
- "One Year Later" (from "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2") [1:43]
- "Worthy of Survival" (from "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2" and "Exodus Part 2") [3:35]
- "Battlestar Galactica Main Title" [0:45], music by Richard Gibbs; engineered and mixed by Gordon Fordyce; featuring Michael Now and Caitanya Riggan, vocals
- "Black Market" (from "Black Market") [5:48], featuring Steve Bartek, guitar
Season 3 soundtrack
The official soundtrack for Battlestar Galactica's third season was released October 23, 2007. Several previously established themes are re-visited: for example, the Adama family theme ("Admiral and Commander"), Starbuck's theme (in the cues taken from "
- "A Distant Sadness" (from "Occupation") [2:50], featuring Raya Yarbrough, vocals
- "Precipice" (from "Precipice") [4:52]
- "Admiral and Commander" (from "Exodus, Parts 1 and 2") [3:16]
- "Storming New Caprica" (from "Exodus, Part 2") [7:48]
- "Refugees Return" (from "Exodus, Part 2") [3:43]
- "Wayward Soldier" (from "Hero") [4:17]
- "Violence and Variations" (from "Unfinished Business") [7:42]
- "The Dance" (from "Unfinished Business") [2:33]
- "Adama Falls" (from "Unfinished Business") [1:46]
- "Under the Wing" (from "Maelstrom") [1:11]
- "Battlestar Sonatica" (from "Torn") [4:44], performed by Bear McCreary, piano
- "Fight Night" (from "Unfinished Business") [2:27]
- "Kat's Sacrifice" (from "The Passage") [2:46]
- "Someone to Trust" (from "Taking a Break from All Your Worries") [3:09]
- "The Temple of Five" (from "The Eye of Jupiter") [2:44]
- "Dirty Hands" (from "Dirty Hands") [3:32]
- "Gentle Execution" (from "Exodus, Part 2") [3:28]
- "Mandala in the Clouds" (from "Maelstrom") [4:10]
- "Deathbed and Maelstrom" (from "Maelstrom" and "He That Believeth in Me") [5:53]
- "Heeding the Call" (from "Crossroads, Part 2") [2:11]
- "All Along the Watchtower" (from "Crossroads, Part 2") [3:33], featuring Bt4, vocals; words and music by Bob Dylan; adapted, arranged, and produced by Bear McCreary
Season 4 soundtrack
The track listing for the fourth season soundtrack was announced by Bear McCreary on his blog on 19 June 2009. The first disc of the two-disc set consists of cues from the main body of season four, excluding "
Disc 1:
- "Gaeta’s Lament" (from "Guess What’s Coming to Dinner?") [4:49], featuring Alessandro Juliani, vocals
- "The Signal" (from "Revelations") [5:09]
- "Resurrection Hub" (from "The Hub") [3:40]
- "The Cult of Baltar" (from "He That Believeth in Me" and "Escape Velocity") [5:42], featuring Raya Yarbrough
- "Farewell Apollo" (from "Six of One") [2:55]
- "Roslin Escapes" (from "Blood on the Scales") [2:55]
- "Among the Ruins" (from "Sometimes a Great Notion") [7:44]
- "Laura Runs" (from "A Disquiet Follows My Soul") [2:21]
- "Cally Descends" (from "The Ties That Bind") [3:08]
- "Funeral Pyre" (from "Sometimes a Great Notion") [3:57], featuring Kandyse McClure
- "Roslin and Adama Reunited" (from "The Hub") [1:59]
- "Gaeta’s Lament" (Instrumental) (from "Guess What’s Coming to Dinner?") [4:50]
- "Elegy" (from "Someone to Watch Over Me") [2:55]
- "The Alliance" (from "Revelations") [2:30]
- "Blood on the Scales" (from "The Oath" and "Blood on the Scales") [5:19]
- "Grand Old Lady" (from "Islanded in a Stream of Stars")[0:51]
- "Kara Remembers" (from "Someone to Watch Over Me") [3:28]
- "Boomer Takes Hera" (from "Someone to Watch Over Me") [2:39]
- "Dreilide Thrace Sonata No. 1" (from "Someone to Watch Over Me") [5:35]
- "Diaspora Oratorio" (from "Revelations") [4:52]
Disc 2 (all from "Daybreak"):
- "Caprica City, Before the Fall" [4:34]
- "Laura’s Baptism" [2:40]
- "Adama in the Memorial Hallway" [2:11]
- "The Line" [3:57]
- "Assault on the Colony" [15:07]
- "Baltar’s Sermon" [4:25]
- "Kara’s Coordinates" [4:21]
- "Earth" [3:08]
- "Goodbye Sam" [2:11]
- "The Heart of the Sun" [3:20]
- "Starbuck Disappears" [2:09]
- "So Much Life" [5:01]
- "An Easterly View" [4:23]
- "The Passage of Time" [1:18]
Razor/The Plan soundtrack
The next soundtrack, consisting entirely of music from Razor and The Plan, neither of which had previously had music featured on a soundtrack, was released on February 23, 2010. The track list is as follows:
- "Apocalypse" (Theme from "The Plan") [4:06], featuring Vocals by Raya Yarbrough & Guitars by Scott Ian of Heavy Metal band Anthrax
- "Razor Main Title" (from "Razor") [2:13]
- "Arriving at Pegasus" (from "Razor") [2:27]
- "The Plan Main Title" (from "The Plan") [4:33]
- "Attack on the Scorpion Shipyards" (from "Razor") [3:37]
- "Apocalypse, Pt. I" (from "The Plan") [6:36]
- "Apocalypse, Pt. II" (from "The Plan") [2:35]
- "Pegasus Aftermath" (from "Razor") [4:09]
- "Kendra's Memories" (from "Razor") [2:43]
- "Mayhem on the Colonies" (from "The Plan") [3:28]
- "Civilian Standoff on the Scylla" (from "Razor") [2:56]
- "Husker in Combat" (from "Razor") [1:54], contains "Theme from Battlestar Galactica" by Stu Phillips and Glen A. Larson
- "Major Kendra Shaw" (from "Razor") [5:03]
- "Cavil Kills and Cavil Spares" (from "The Plan") [2:12], featuring Raya Yarbrough, vocals
- "The Hybrid Awaits" (from "Razor") [2:43]
- "Kendra and the Hybrid" (from "Razor") [6:06]
- "Princes of the Universe" (from "The Plan") [3:56]
- "Starbuck's Destiny" (from "Razor") [0:39]
- "Apocalypse" (Theme from "The Plan" / bonus Live Version) [6:24], performed by The Battlestar Galactica Orchestra
Blood and Chrome soundtrack
A final soundtrack, consisting entirely of music from
- "Dear Dad" (3:58)
- "The Galactica" (1:37)
- Featuring Raya Yarbrough, vocals
- Contains "Theme from Battlestar Galactica" by Stu Phillips and Glen A. Larson
- "The Mission Begins" (2:00)
- "Becca's Past" (2:42)
- "Archeron" (5:37)
- "The Ghost Fleet" (2:03)
- "Coker and Kirby" (1:48)
- "The Last Battle of the Osiris" (8:39)
- "Emergency Landing" (1:58)
- "The Ice Cave" (5:23)
- "You Will Regret This" (5:38)
- "Coker's Interlude" (2:50)
- Performed by Joohyun Park
- "Ski Lodge Battle" (6:28)
- "Automated Cylon Transmission Relay" (2:58)
- "A Cylon Spy" (4:01)
- "Coker's Photo" (2:32)
- "Husker" (3:12)
- "Apocalypse: Blood & Chrome" (4:53)
- Featuring Raya Yarbrough and Brendan McCreary, vocals
- Lyrics by Raya Yarbrough; Music by Bear McCreary
Main title music
The main titles of Battlestar Galactica have been set to two distinct pieces of music. For the first season, a different cue was used in North America than for broadcasts taking place in other regions. The North American cue was a modification of the instrumental cue used for
- oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ
- tát savitúr váreniyaṃ
- bhárgo devásya dhīmahi
- dhíyo yó naḥ pracodáyāt
A literal translation of the Gayatri verse proper can be given as:
"May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the god:
So may he stimulate our prayers."
- —The Hymns of the Rigveda (1896), Ralph T. H. Griffith[5]
From the second season on, the North American broadcasts used the same Gayatri Mantra title theme as the rest of the world. The North American DVD and Blu-Ray releases have used the theme music that was used for the broadcast of the respective episodes.
Principal themes
This section needs expansion with: details on which soundtrack tracks contain which themes. You can help by adding to it. (September 2010) |
Colonial theme
Usage in "Are You Alive? / Battlestar Galactica Main Title" is related to its frequent interweaving with Number Six's Theme, and Cylon creation by Humans.
- Soundtrack: "Are You Alive? / Battlestar Galactica Main Title", "A Call to Arms", "To Kiss or Not to Kiss", "The Day Comes", "Launch Vipers", "Seal the Bulkheads", "The Lottery Ticket", "Apollo is Gone / Starbuck Returns", "The Storm and the Dead", "Reunited", "Battle" and "Good Night".
Adama family theme
This theme, usually used for heartfelt moments involving
- Episodes: "The Hand of God", "Home, Part 1", "Exodus, Part 1", "A Day in the Life", "Six of One", "Daybreak, Part II" – A variation of this theme is also played towards the end of the pilot episode of the spin-off series Caprica.
- Soundtrack: Season 1- "A Good Lighter," "Wander My Friends"; Season 2- "Reuniting the Fleet"; Season 3- "Admiral and Commander"; Season 4- "Farewell Apollo," "Grand Old Lady"
Apollo's theme
- Episodes: "33", "Act of Contrition", "The Hand of God", "Black Market", "Collaborators", "Taking a Break from All Your Worries".
- Soundtrack: Season 1- "The Olympic Carrier," "Battle on the Asteroid." Season 3- "Someone to Trust."
Cylon theme
The Cylon theme was first introduced when
The theme became a general theme for the Cylons and
- Episodes: "33", "Six Degrees of Separation", "The Hand of God", "Flight of the Phoenix", "Scar"
Cylon Basestar theme
For the sequence of episodes dealing with
- Episodes: "A Measure of Salvation", "The Passage", "The Eye of Jupiter".
- Soundtrack: Season 3- "Battlestar Sonatica"
Laura Roslin's theme
Roslin's theme was set to lyrics a second time for the third season premiere "Occupation", this time in Armenian.
- Episodes: "Kobol's Last Gleaming", "Lay Down Your Burdens", "Occupation", "Exodus, Part 1"
Note that there is also the "Roslin and Adama theme", which frequently plays in scenes featuring Laura Roslin.
Lee and Kara's love theme
Introduced in season three's "Unfinished Business", this piece accompanies the tempestuous affair between pilots Lee Adama and Kara Thrace. A tender rendition of it can be heard in "Maelstrom" as Lee offers support to the increasingly unstable Kara and the two reflect sadly on their troubled relationship. In the third season soundtrack, it features in the tracks "Violence and Variations", where it is interwoven with the Opera House (Passacaglia) theme, and "Under the Wing."
- Episodes: "Unfinished Business", "Maelstrom," "Six of One," "Islanded in a Stream of Stars," "Daybreak: Part 2".
Number Six's theme
Also known as the "Cylon overlord theme", this simple 9-note motif was composed by Richard Gibbs for the Miniseries. The 9/8 figure is divided unevenly into a group of 3, followed by 3 groups of 2. It is almost always performed on a gamelan. The theme serves as a general theme for Number Six, in particular the copy that "haunts" Gaius Baltar, and plays over the prologue of each episode.
In "Downloaded", when Caprica-Six is similarly haunted by a vision of Gaius Baltar, Number Six's theme is featured, but it has been digitally reversed, signifying the turning of the tables. The reversed Number Six theme has been used for subsequent appearances of Caprica-Six's internal Baltar. Some of the sections of the theme have connections to the Colonial theme, each being a primary theme in the Miniseries, and some parts are frequently interwoven, stemming from both usage in the first track "Are You Alive? / Battlestar Galactica Main Title."
Theme appears in different variations as "Are You Alive? / Battlestar Galactica Main Title", "Goodbye, Baby", "Six Sex", "Deep Sixed", "The Day Comes", "Counterattack", "A Call to Arms", "Seal the Bulkheads", "The Lottery Ticket", "The Storm and The Dead", "The Sense of Six", "Starbuck's Recon", "Good Night", "By Your Command".
- Episodes: Miniseries, each episode's prologue, numerous scenes featuring Number Six
Roslin and Adama theme
This theme is a simple waltz, inspired by traditional Celtic ballads, and serves as a "love theme" for Laura Roslin and William Adama. Originally composed for the gentle scenes in "
- Episodes: "Resurrection Ship, Parts 1 & 2"; "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2"; "Unfinished Business"; "A Day in the Life"; "Crossroads, Part 2"; "The Hub"; "A Disquiet Follows My Soul"; "Islanded in a Stream of Stars"; "Daybreak, Part 2".
- Soundtrack: "Roslin and Adama"; "Adama Falls"; "Roslin and Adama Reunited"; "Laura Runs"; "So Much Life"
Sharon's theme
Sharon's theme is sombre and introspective, representative of the inner conflict common to both principal copies of Number Eight (Sharon) featured in the series. This theme is occasionally played in ethnic woodwinds or by a string orchestra, but almost always performed by an ensemble of gamelans and bells.
- Episodes: numerous scenes featuring Number Eight
The Shape of Things to Come theme
This theme, also referred to as the "
Each major variation of this theme is in a different
- Episodes: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Parts 1 and 2", "Scattered", "Home, Part 2", "Hero", "Unfinished Business", "Crossroads, Part 2," "Daybreak, Part 2."
- Soundtrack: Season 1- "Passacaglia", "The Shape of Things to Come"
Starbuck's themes
The character of
"I never intended this simple theme to become a signature for Starbuck, but since it played both warm/bitter-sweet and triumphant/exciting in one episode it obviously had potential as a malleable thematic idea. In fact, in "
Leobenand her motives for doing so became questionable." — Bear McCreary
- Episodes: "You Can't Go Home Again", "Flesh and Bone", numerous scenes featuring Kara Thrace
A second theme was introduced in the opening episodes of the third season to accompany the
The cue is always performed on a Chinese erhu or zhonghu, a two-stringed instrument similar to a violin in timbre.
- Episodes: "Occupation", "Precipice", "Exodus, Parts 1 and 2", "Maelstrom", "Razor", "Sometimes A Great Notion".
Tigh's theme
Tigh's theme is inspired by present-day military hymns, and, along with Kat's theme from "
- Episodes: "Fragged", "Final Cut", "Sacrifice", "Occupation", "Precipice", "Torn", "Hero", "Crossroads, Parts 1 and 2", "Razor", "Escape Velocity", "Sometimes a Great Notion".
Tyrol's theme
- Episodes: "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2", "Occupation", "A Day in the Life".
Worthy of Survival
The "Worthy of Survival" theme was developed as a
"While the accompanimental figures come from Prelude, the melody is wholly original to this theme. First stated on a lonely duduk, and then in octaves by the violins and violas, it is a melancholy and contemplative tune." — Bear McCreary
Taking its title from a line of dialogue in "Resurrection Ship, Part 2", the theme was intended to play as Starbuck prepares to assassinate Admiral Helena Cain, but only a small fragment was used in the final cut of the episode. McCreary re-worked the theme for the second season finale, "
- Episodes: "Resurrection Ship, Part 2", "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2", "Exodus, Part 2", "Daybreak, Part 2".
Original series homage
During Baltar's television introduction and the museum dedication scene in the miniseries, the "Colonial Anthem" is played in the background. The anthem is actually the main theme music of the
In the episode "Someone to Watch Over Me", the piano player riffs on a theme which Starbuck identifies as the second movement of Nomian's 3rd Sonata; the theme is Stu Phillips' "Exploration", the trumpet fanfare from the prelude to the original theme.[7] The prelude fanfare is also heard during the ceremonial squadron flyby in the first part of the miniseries.
In the
Music not original to Battlestar Galactica
On occasion, Battlestar Galactica features music that was not composed specifically for the series.
Cavatina
The second-season episode "Scar" closes with Stanley Myers' classical guitar piece "Cavatina", most famous as the theme from the 1978 film The Deer Hunter.
Metamorphosis
The second-season episode "
All Along the Watchtower
An arrangement of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" features prominently in the third season track "A Distant Sadness", and specially the season finale episodes "Crossroads, Parts 1 and 2", in the tracks "Heeding the Call", and the penultimate "All Along the Watchtower". McCreary's arrangement utilizes the electric sitar, harmonium, duduk, fretless bass, yaylı tambur, electric violin and zurna, and features McCreary's brother Brendan "Bt4" McCreary and former Oingo Boingo guitarist Steve Bartek.
The song haunts the characters
Variations of the theme can also be heard by Saul Tigh in "
Incidentally, in season 4 episode 18, Baltar proclaims "death is not the end" at the funeral. This is also a Dylan song with lyrics that are thematic to the storyline.
Reception
Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger states that Bear McCreary on Battlestar Galactica as well as Lost's Michael Giacchino do "transcendent work in an area [composing for television] that's too often underappreciated."[3] The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan praises McCreary's work on the series as "sensational" and "innovative."[10] Cinefantastique finds it "richly textural" and "drawing deeply from ethnic and world beat music."[2]
Joanna Weiss of
On the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards Battlestar Galactica's "Prelude to War" was used in a segment showcasing "the Year in Drama".
Live performances
There have been several live concerts featuring the music of both Battlestar Galactica and Caprica. In April 2008, more than 1,000 fans attended two sold-out shows at L.A.'s Roxy on Sunset Boulevard, with some fans flying in from as far as Britain and Australia.[12] A ballet based on McCreary's scores for Galactica premiered on March 7, 2009 for a 13-week run. Entitled "Prelude to War", it was performed by the dancers of the Theaterhagen in Hagen, Germany with choreography by Ricardo Fernando, and the Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bernhard Steiner.[14]
Officially known as The Battlestar Galactica Orchestra and directed by Bear McCreary, the group performed three concerts in late July 2009 at the House of Blues in San Diego. Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama) and Grace Park (Boomer/Athena) made appearances.[15] Earlier in a live performance on June 13, 2009, McCreary was joined onstage at the piano by Katee Sackhoff performing the intro to "All Along the Watchtower" as a reenactment of the scene in "Someone to Watch Over Me". According to McCreary's blog, a future international tour and a possible concert CD and DVD is currently in the works.[16]
See also
- Music of Caprica
- Pavamana Mantra (used in 'To Kiss Or Not To Kiss')
References
- ^ "The Themes of Battlestar Galactica, Part III". Bear's Battlestar Galactica Blog. 8 December 2006. Archived from the original on 26 February 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Larson, Randall (2008-03-09). "The Score: Bear McCreary - From "Battlestar Galactica" to "Terminator"". Cinefantastique. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ a b c Sepinwall, Alan (2008-06-22). "Sepinwall on TV: Michael Giacchino and Bear McCreary, score keepers". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ Bear McCreary (2009-03-27) http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=1819
- ^ Giffith, Ralph T. H. (1890). The Hymns of the Rigveda. E.J. Lazarus. p. 87.
- ^ Bear McCreary, BSG music composer (2009-03-21). "Bear's Battlestar Blog". BearMcCreary.com. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
- ^ McCreary, Bear (2009-02-27). ""Someone to Watch Over Me", Pt 3". Retrieved 2009-03-02.
- ^ "Pyramid (RDM) - Battlestar Wiki". En.battlestarwiki.org. 2011-09-05. Archived from the original on 2012-01-29. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ISBN 9781550227895. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ Ryan, Maureen (2008-06-16). "'Battlestar Galactica' provides some Earth-shattering 'Revelations'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2009-03-29. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ Weiss, Joanna (2009-04-21). "'Battlestar' prequel brings back the doom". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
- ^ a b Burlingame, Jon (2009-03-30). "'Battlestar Galactica' music takes off". Variety. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
- SoundtrackNet. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
- ^ McCreary, Bear (2009-03-12). ""Prelude to War" Ballet Premiere in Germany". BearMcCreary.com. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
- ^ McCreary, Bear (2009-07-09). "The Battlestar Galactica Orchestra". Archived from the original on 2009-07-11. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
- ^ McCreary, Bear (2009-06-21). ""Announcing the "BSG Orchestra" Web Design Contest"". Archived from the original on 2009-07-14. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
External links
- Bear McCreary's website
- Scoring Sessions Photo Gallery at ScoringSessions.com
- Battlestar Galactica: Season 1 soundtrack at Discogs.com.
- Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 soundtrack at Discogs.com.
- Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 soundtrack at Discogs.com.
- Of Duduks and Dylan: Negotiating Music and the Aural Space by Eftychia Papanikolaou; in Cylons in America: Critical Studies of Battlestar Galactica, edited by Tiffany Potter and C. W. Marshall, 224-236. New York and London: Continuum, 2007.
- Interview with Bear McCreary, March 23, 2009