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Since I think the score will play a very important, integral role in shaping the style of the show, I’m curious about what kind of music do you imagine for the show? I, for one, would vote for something different than the usual grandiose, big orchestral and choral fantasy OSTs like Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings score (and basically every fantasy/epic flick since) – not because I don’t like them, but I would rather have a more unique, definitive, original "trade-mark" music for the series and Westeros, and one which doesn't distract us or draws our attention from the story too much.

As for actual composers, I would love to have Bear McCreary from BSG on board. His work is exceptional, innovative and truly breathtaking, with many different layers and styles blending together and creating an organic musical landscape, and I believe he could bring something totally new to the "fantasy score genre", as he did with sf. He has a talent of composing dark, quiet melodies, eerie themes, fierce battle pieces and huge emotional peaks equally. (And what a dramatic climax would be the Red Wedding with some heavy, unbearable taiko drum beats!:)) Another pick of mine would be Jeff Beal for his creepy, dark, depressive work on Carnivale (and, to a lesser extent, Rome).

How about you?
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Italian or Italian-American composers have a great tradition concerning scores for films or series. Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota (The Godfather) Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks), Henry Mancini (Pink Panther),...
Their music always seem to lift movies to a higher level.

I don't know if anyone heard of Michael Galasso? [url="http://www.michaelgalasso.com/#listen"]http://www.michaelgalasso.com/#listen[/url]
"Le chene est le roseau" Should fit perfectly. That's what I hear, just before the battle at whispering wood breaks loose, for example.
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Lisa Gerrard [url="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0314713/"]http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0314713/[/url]
is a pretty obvious choice, but I don't think that she has scored series TV.

Here's an example: [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Do5vj3D-OD4"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Do5vj3D-OD4[/url]

John Debney [url="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002201/"]http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002201/[/url] did good period-style work on The Passion of the Christ

Harry Gregson-Williams [url="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004581/"]http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004581/[/url] did period work for Kingdom of Heaven and the Narnia movies.
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I would like to hear some modern influence injected judiciously in the music.
This would have to be carefully done, but I think it could be used to great effect.

One of the stylistic aspects of the novels is that even though they take place in a medieval setting, they have a very modern perspective and narrative that focuses on political scandal, stark differences in social classes, and moral individualism vs. collectivism. It provides a very modern narrative for a very medieval story.

I think this same sort of stylistic convention can be mimicked by injecting modern musical elements -- sparingly -- for dramatic effect.

Examples might be electric guitar riffs cunningly injected into symphonic crescendos (violent scenes), urban drumbeats or jazzy bass lines to back up tense suspenseful musical scenes (espionage or illegal activity), etc.

On the whole, I think the music should evoke a sense of medieval romance from the perspective of a modern audience. I don't think that religious adherence to medieval musical practices is necessary if it restricts the quality of the music, but is laudable when it can be done to good effect.
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I second the use of folk-sounding, medieval like music, perhaps in addition to an orchestral score rather than instead of it. Stuff like [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t1d2EIJI3U"]Stille Volk[/url], or [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWefBTrwgTs&feature=related"]perhaps[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4Nr3ZAhrsU&feature=related"]Omnia[/url] (maybe not by the bands themselves, that's a long shot :P but something in that vein).

If they want to go the LotR route and have some theme song with female vocals (like the Enya song), I suggest [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt2r2rUHc7Q"]Loreena[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMVcLBUGDDw&feature=related"]McKennitt[/url] ([url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvPu2PGzcSg&feature=related"]that kind[/url] of song sounds nice for the Free Cities or the East).
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[quote name='Frank Stark' post='1589133' date='Nov 14 2008, 17.08']I'll put in a vote for more simplistic folk style, maybe echoing the vote above for "medieval" over booming orchestral.

Oh Brother, Where art Thou, or Gangs of New York.[/quote]

I was thinking some stuff like this:
[url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1IzlO16dLUM&feature=related"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1IzlO16dLUM&...feature=related[/url]

Basically anything with a skirling melody and a stomping beat for many of the military scenes.

Continuing a theme of minimal instrumentation - I always imagined this tune for the fight between the Viper and the Mountain:
[url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MPhVpIlc1vs&feature=related"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MPhVpIlc1vs&...feature=related[/url]

Skip to 1 minute to avoid the lame Letterman intro. I guess it's a bit upbeat, but I think it captures the Viper's virtuousic skill.

Maybe some stuff like this for the court scenes:
[url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LB4CehJEK8A"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LB4CehJEK8A[/url]

And I'd die happy if they somehow managed to employ Joanna Newsom in a cameo role as a Wildling minstrel!:
[url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZvLwMWh3Y0"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZvLwMWh3Y0[/url]
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[quote]Epic Viking Metal.[/quote]
:agree:

A Song of Ice and Fire needs music that "blends the sweeping epic with the intensely personal", that hits like a morningstar on a battered halfhelm one moment, yet resonates with such beauty as to take your breath away the next. Something that is at once timeless, and yet modern enough to remind you that you're not in Merry Olde Englande anymore. Ladies and Gentleman, I give you...

Opeth. Acoustic Opeth. With some lean and muscular string work by, say, Apocolyptica added to taste. Send both bands to Qyburn, have him cobble something together, and you've got your soundtrack.


Also, Mikael Akerfeldt must have a cameo as the singer at Joffrey's wedding who sings the 77 verse song :P (the dude does have a voice like honey poured over thunder)

""It is the song of the Blackwater, and how a realm was saved." The drummer began a slow ominous beat. "The dark lord brooded high in his tower," Galyeon began, "in a castle as black as the night." "Black was his hair and black was his soul," the musicians chanted in unison. A flute came in. "He feasted on bloodlust and envy, and filled his cup full up with spite," sang Galyeon. "My brother once ruled seven kingdoms, he said to his harridan wife. I'll take what was his and make it all mine. Let his son feel the point of my knife." (uuuurrrrraaaauuuugghghhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaa)

Totally Metal. :devil:

ps... and someone needs to put a Jaime/Cersei video up on youtube with "Coil" like yesterday.
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[quote name='Black Wizard' post='1589218' date='Nov 14 2008, 11.10']This is perfect: [url="http://www.last.fm/music/Corner+Stone+Cues/Eton+Path/Madokara+Mieru"]http://www.last.fm/music/Corner+Stone+Cues.../Madokara+Mieru[/url][/quote]


No shit shaft.......i can visualize some killer scenes to that ear candy....
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Hey, it's a long series. There's room for that "I'm a (30 stone) bellydancing faerie princess" hurdy-gurdy and lute reniassance fair sh...stuff too.

Seriously tho.... the members of Opeth have mad talent. I'm not suggesting the doom-growls make an appearance or anything like that.


In the interest of finding common ground, how about [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2kzBRksgmI"]this?[/url]
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Rock music worked really well in [i]Kull the Conquerer[/i], and I think if ASoIaF hopes to achieve that level of quality, they should have a hard rock score to enhance the action. Maybe [i]Let the Bodies Hit the Floor[/i] during the fight scenes!

Speaking of which, can we get a part for Kevin Sorbo, he needs work.
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I actually like the idea of not having any other soundtrack or music except from the one which is actually played "live" in the books/series. Lot's of jesters and fiddlers and bards, but no themes specific to characters or places.

For battlescenes, I think the grittyness will be better conveyed through dulled sword clashes and screams rather than through "moodenhancing" music, the same with speeches.

(OT - Opeth is beautiful and fantasmogoric)
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