Foreword
This is a piece of orchestral film music I wrote in 2022 and submitted to a Music Extension class. It is inspired by Hans Zimmer’s music and thus incorporates synthesisers alongside an orchestra for a modern sound. Please see below a description of my intent.
Statement
To write my composition Odyssey in the genre of cinematic soundtrack, I used the interactive model of apprenticeship to identify common elements of the genre through listening to other pieces and applied them to my work. In particular, I chose a combined orchestral and synthesised instrumentation inspired by Hans Zimmer. After using the oral model of apprenticeship to discuss with a mentor, I chose the slow tempo of 40BPM to create an atmospheric feeling.
Odyssey is in ternary form to represent the narrative framework of the hero’s journey: an adventure from the known into the unknown and the return home, or as Tolkien put it, ‘there and back again’. The A section begins in bar 5 (0:24) after the chordal string intro. Here, the main melody is introduced on flute, creating a relaxed feel which is complemented by the flowing water sample which represents the sea – commonly associated with travel. The underlying chord progression used was vimin7, IVmaj7, Imaj7, Vsus4, V – inspired by the common axis progression from pop music but with added extensions to create more tension. This creates a sense of familiarity to the listener, characterising the known world, while also keeping their attention with the extensions.
The B section starts in bar 17 (1:36). It changes to the unconventional chord progression VImaj7, ♭VIImaj7, ♭IImaj7, Imaj7 to create an otherworldly and unfamiliar atmosphere, symbolising the journey into the unknown. The timbre of the vibraphone melody adds to this aura of mystique with its magical sound and juxtaposition with the flute. The new chord progression and rising crescendo synthesiser arpeggios create tension in the piece, reaching a climax in bar 20 (1:54) with the use of the dissonant E7 secondary dominant chord.
This facilitates the modulation from the original G major up a tone to A major (bar 21/2:00), creating a bright release of tension which represents the rebirth and transformation of the hero. This marks the start of the repetition of the A section. The recapitulation of the main theme on triumphant French horn (bar 21/2:00) in a new key represents the hero’s victorious return to the known world. This is complemented by the trumpet flourishes in bars 26 (2:30) and 29 (2:48). After using the cognitive model of apprenticeship to reflect, I doubled the French horn harmonies with choir (bar 21/2:00) to add to the epic feeling, solidifying Odyssey as a piece of film music.