Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (soundtrack)
Encyclopedia
The Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
original motion picture soundtrack was released on 25 May 2004. The film's score was composed and conducted by John Williams
. It introduced two major themes: "Window to the Past" and "Double Trouble", although neither were featured in the series' other films. Two other notable themes were used to represent the Time-Turner and Sirius Black's hunt for Harry. The soundtrack was performed at Abbey Road Studios in London. It charted at 68 on the Billboard 200
and also charted at three on the Top Soundtracks Chart.
The album was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
, the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
and the World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Soundtrack
.
Double Trouble was composed by John Williams
during the production of the film as he felt to be a warm welcome back to Hogwarts. The song was sung by the London Oratory School Schola
. The lyrics to this song are taken directly from Shakespeare's Macbeth
.
Forward to Time Past
The track is heard when Hermione and Harry use the time turner to go back in time. During the whole piece a ticking sound is heard, indicating that time is running out. Loads of flourishing strings over-lap the four note motif that the brass repeat rhythmically, and lastly the little bursts of woodwind throughout enforce the sensation of movement.
The Dementors Converge
This music is heard when Harry
is attempting to save Sirius Black
from the Dementors. The piece mainly consists of discordant wavering strings at the beginning, but as it progresses, Williams
weaves punctuating piccolo
s and long notes of brass that gradually build up the menacing tension. This rises to a climax where thunderous clusters of timpani
and hair-raising choir are introduced only to die back down, followed by an atmospheric flutter from the harp. The strings then lead into another extremity which uses bits and pieces from John Williams
's "The Patronus Light", interjected by harsh grating brass. The music appears to die off again instantly; however, the familiar sound of lush strings and celesta
(so prominent in John Williams
's earlier scores for these films) subdue the tension afore.
Finale
This is probably best known for appearing in the Goblet of Fire film trailer.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a 2004 fantasy film directed by Alfonso Cuarón and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the third instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by Chris Columbus, David Heyman and Mark Radcliffe...
original motion picture soundtrack was released on 25 May 2004. The film's score was composed and conducted by John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
. It introduced two major themes: "Window to the Past" and "Double Trouble", although neither were featured in the series' other films. Two other notable themes were used to represent the Time-Turner and Sirius Black's hunt for Harry. The soundtrack was performed at Abbey Road Studios in London. It charted at 68 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and also charted at three on the Top Soundtracks Chart.
The album was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Academy Award for Best Original Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
, the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
and the World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Soundtrack
World Soundtrack Academy
The World Soundtrack Academy , launched in 2001 by the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent, is aimed at organizing and overseeing the educational, cultural and professional aspects of the art of film music, including the preservation of the history of the soundtrack and its worldwide promotion...
.
Track listing
- "Lumos! (Hedwig's Theme)" - 1:38
- "Aunt Marge's Waltz" - 2:15
- "The Knight Bus" - 2:52
- "Apparition on the Train" - 2:15
- "Double Trouble" - 1:37
- "Buckbeak's Flight" - 2:08
- "A Window to the Past" - 3:54
- "The Whomping Willow and the Snowball Fight" - 2:22
- "Secrets of the Castle" - 2:32
- "The Portrait Gallery" - 2:05
- "Hagrid the Professor" - 1:59
- "Monster Books and Boggarts!" - 2:26
- "Quidditch, Third Year" - 3:47
- "Lupin's Transformation and Chasing Scabbers" - 3:01
- "The Patronus Light" - 1:12
- "The Werewolf Scene" - 4:25
- "Saving Buckbeak" - 6:39
- "Forward to Time Past" - 2:33
- "The Dementors Converge" - 3:12
- "Finale" - 3:24
- "Mischief Managed!" - 12:10
Track details
Double TroubleDouble Trouble was composed by John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
during the production of the film as he felt to be a warm welcome back to Hogwarts. The song was sung by the London Oratory School Schola
London Oratory School Schola
The London Oratory School Schola was established in 1996 and is a choir for Catholic boys. The current director of the Schola is Lee Ward. The choir's patrons are Princess Michael of Kent, the barrister Cherie Booth, the actor Simon Callow and the composer James MacMillan .-Directors of the...
. The lyrics to this song are taken directly from Shakespeare's Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
.
Forward to Time Past
The track is heard when Hermione and Harry use the time turner to go back in time. During the whole piece a ticking sound is heard, indicating that time is running out. Loads of flourishing strings over-lap the four note motif that the brass repeat rhythmically, and lastly the little bursts of woodwind throughout enforce the sensation of movement.
The Dementors Converge
This music is heard when Harry
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
is attempting to save Sirius Black
Sirius Black
Sirius Black is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Sirius was first mentioned briefly in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as a wizard who lent Rubeus Hagrid a flying motorbike shortly after Lord Voldemort killed James and Lily Potter...
from the Dementors. The piece mainly consists of discordant wavering strings at the beginning, but as it progresses, Williams
Williams
-People:* Williams , a surname English in origin, but popular in Wales, 3rd most common in the United Kingdom* "Williams", the pseudonym of racing driver and SOE agent William Grover-Williams-United States:Communities*Williams, Arizona...
weaves punctuating piccolo
Piccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
s and long notes of brass that gradually build up the menacing tension. This rises to a climax where thunderous clusters of timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
and hair-raising choir are introduced only to die back down, followed by an atmospheric flutter from the harp. The strings then lead into another extremity which uses bits and pieces from John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
's "The Patronus Light", interjected by harsh grating brass. The music appears to die off again instantly; however, the familiar sound of lush strings and celesta
Celesta
The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
(so prominent in John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
's earlier scores for these films) subdue the tension afore.
Finale
This is probably best known for appearing in the Goblet of Fire film trailer.