Music of Battlestar Galactica (reimagining)

The music of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica is a body of work largely credited to the composers Bear McCreary

Bear McCreary

Bear McCreary is an American composer and musician living in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his work on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Biography:...

and Richard Gibbs

Richard Gibbs

Richard “Ribbs” Gibbs is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include the films Sweet Hearts Dance, Dr...

. The music of Battlestar Galactica displays a variety of ethnic influences and generally does not to conform to the "orchestral" style of many science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

scores.

The music of Battlestar Galactica makes use of the technique called "leitmotif

Leitmotif

A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...

". 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

Bear McCreary

Bear McCreary is an American composer and musician living in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his work on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Biography:...

) original plan:

"For a show that set out to avoid 'themes,' Battlestar Galactica has certainly ended up with quite a few."

— Bear McCreary http://www.bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blog016.htm

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. To save on expenses McCreary typically works with 9-10 musicians. 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."

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."

McCreary was interested in producing an organic sound using real instruments.

“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
Duduk
The duduk , traditionally known since antiquity as a Ծիրանափող is a traditional woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. Variations of it are popular in the Middle East and Central Asia...

! 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.”

Soundtrack releases

To date, six CDs

Compact Disc

The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

of soundtrack music from Battlestar Galactica have been released for sale. All six albums have been released on the La-La Land Records

La-La Land Records

La-La Land Records is an American record company based in Burbank, California . The company specializes in film and television soundtracks. The label is run by Michael V...

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.

Miniseries soundtrack

The soundtrack for the 2003 Battlestar Galactica Miniseries

Battlestar Galactica (TV miniseries)

Battlestar Galactica is a three-hour miniseries written and produced by Ronald D. Moore and directed by Michael Rymer. It was the first part of the Battlestar Galactica reimagining based on the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series, and served as a backdoor pilot for the 2004 television series...

was largely scored by Richard Gibbs. The total running time of the album is 1:08:16.

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 Caprica in "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down

Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down (Battlestar Galactica)

"Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down" is the ninth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Its script was originally titled "Secrets and Lies".Actor Edward James Olmos, who portrays Commander Adama on the show directed this episode....

"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

33 (Battlestar Galactica)

"33" is the first episode of the reimagined military science fiction television program Battlestar Galactica, immediately following the events of the 2003 miniseries. It was written by series creator Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Michael Rymer...

" (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

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

singer Lilis Ó Laoire sings in Gaelic 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
33 (Battlestar Galactica)
"33" is the first episode of the reimagined military science fiction television program Battlestar Galactica, immediately following the events of the 2003 miniseries. It was written by series creator Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Michael Rymer...

") [1:31]
"The Olympic Carrier" (from "33") [5:48]
"Helo Rescued" [1:02] (from "33")
"A Good Lighter" (from "The Hand of God
The Hand of God (2004 Battlestar Galactica)
"The Hand of God" is the tenth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It shares its title with the last episode of the original series....

") [1:56]
"The Thousandth Landing" (from "Act of Contrition
Act of Contrition (Battlestar Galactica)
"Act of Contrition" is the fourth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Plot:After a fatal accident on the hangar deck in which thirteen pilots are killed by an accidentally launched recon drone, Starbuck is assigned to quickly train replacements...

") [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
You Can't Go Home Again (Battlestar Galactica)
"You Can't Go Home Again" is the fifth episode of the first season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Plot:Starbuck is forced to bail out over an inhospitable planet after her Viper was badly damaged during a dog fight with a Cylon Raider. On Galactica, one of the pilots...

") [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
Litmus (Battlestar Galactica)
"Litmus" is the sixth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. In the episode, after a Cylon suicide bomber gains access to Galactica, an independent tribunal is appointed to investigate. The inquiry comes to focus on the relationship between Chief Galen Tyrol and the...

") [2:02]
"Baltar Speaks With Adama" (from "Six Degrees of Separation
Six Degrees of Separation (Battlestar Galactica)
"Six Degrees of Separation" is the seventh episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Plot:Dr. Baltar and his vision of Number Six have a heated argument about religion. After he mocks Number Six's concept of a single God, she promptly vanishes from his head...

") [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
Flesh and Bone (Battlestar Galactica)
"Flesh and Bone" is the eighth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Plot:President Roslin sees a copy of Leoben Conoy, a duplicate of the Cylon that Commander Adama encountered on Ragnar Anchorage, in a dream. Soon afterwards, a copy of this Cylon is caught aboard the...

") [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 I") [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

Stu Phillips

Stu Phillips is an American composer of film scores and television-series theme music, conductor and record producer.-Career:...

and Glen A. Larson

Glen A. Larson

Glen Albert Larson is an American television producer and writer best known as the creator of Battlestar Galactica, The Fall Guy, Magnum, P.I. and Knight Rider.-Career:...

's original theme for Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)

Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...

to become the "Colonial Anthem" as it appears in "Final Cut

Final Cut (Battlestar Galactica)

"Final Cut" is the eighth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on September 9, 2005....

"; 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
Final Cut (Battlestar Galactica)
"Final Cut" is the eighth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on September 9, 2005....

") [4:02]
"Baltar's Dream" (from "Valley of Darkness
Valley of Darkness (Battlestar Galactica)
"Valley of Darkness" is the second episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 22, 2005....

") [2:45]
"Escape from the Farm" (from "The Farm
The Farm (Battlestar Galactica)
"The Farm" is the fifth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on August 12, 2005...

") [3:09]
"A Promise to Return" (from "The Farm") [3:03], performed by the Supernova String Quartet
"Allegro" (from "Home, Part 1
Home (Battlestar Galactica)
"Home" is a two-part episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on August 19, 2005, and Part 2 aired on August 26, 2005....

") [4:59]
"Martial Law" (from "Fragged
Fragged (Battlestar Galactica)
"Fragged" is the third episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 29, 2005. It is the first episode in which Starbuck does not appear....

") [1:51]
"Standing in the Mud" (from "Black Market
Black Market (Battlestar Galactica)
"Black Market" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on January 27, 2006. In the episode, Apollo's investigation of the fleet's black market becomes intertwined with his involvement with a...

") [1:45]
"Pegasus" (from "Pegasus
Pegasus (Battlestar Galactica)
"Pegasus" is the tenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on September 23, 2005. Following "Pegasus", the series went on hiatus until January 2006....

") [2:46]
"Lords of Kobol" (from "Pegasus") [2:50], featuring Raya Yarbrough, vocals
"Something Dark is Coming" (from "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 1
Lay Down Your Burdens (Battlestar Galactica)
"Lay Down Your Burdens" is the two-part second season finale of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on March 3, 2006; Part 2 aired on March 10, 2006 as a 90-minute special.- Part 1 :...

") [8:51]
"Scar" (from "Scar
Scar (Battlestar Galactica)
"Scar" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on February 3, 2006....

") [2:26]
"Epiphanies" (from "Epiphanies
Epiphanies (Battlestar Galactica)
"Epiphanies" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on January 20, 2006....

") [2:43]
"Roslin and Adama" (from "Resurrection Ship, Parts 1 and 2
Resurrection Ship (Battlestar Galactica)
"Resurrection Ship" is a two-part episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on January 6, 2006, and Part 2 aired on January 13, 2006...

") [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" and "Exodus, Part 2") [1:43]
"Worthy of Survival" (from "Lay Down Your Burdens, 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 "Maelstrom

Maelstrom (Battlestar Galactica)

"Maelstrom" is the seventeenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica.-Plot:Survivor Count: 41,400...

") and the "Worthy of Survival" theme ("Gentle Execution"). "Wayward Soldier" and "Violence and Variations" develop the second season's use of strings, as exemplified by "Prelude to War". New thematic elements include Kat

Louanne Katraine

Louanne Katraine is a fictional character from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series, portrayed by Luciana Carro.- Character biography :...

's theme ("Kat's Sacrifice") and the Apollo-Starbuck love theme ("Under the Wing").

"A Distant Sadness" (from "Occupation
Occupation (Battlestar Galactica)
"Occupation" is the third season premiere and 34th episode of the re-imagined American science fiction drama television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode was written by re-imagined creator Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. It first aired on October 6, 2006 on the Sci-Fi...

") [2:50], featuring Raya Yarbrough, vocals
"Precipice" (from "Precipice
Precipice (Battlestar Galactica)
"Precipice" is the second part of the third season premiere and 35th episode of the re-imagined American science fiction drama television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode was written by re-imagined creator Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. It first aired on October 6,...

") [4:52]
"Admiral and Commander" (from "Exodus, Parts 1 and 2
Exodus (Battlestar Galactica)
"Exodus" are the third and fourth episodes of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. The episodes originally aired on the Sci Fi Channel on October 16 and 23, 2006....

") [3:16]
"Storming New Caprica" (from "Exodus, Part 2") [7:48]
"Refugees Return" (from "Exodus, Part 2") [3:43]
"Wayward Soldier" (from "Hero
Hero (Battlestar Galactica)
"Hero" is the eighth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. This episode aired on November 17, 2006.-Plot:...

") [4:17]
"Violence and Variations" (from "Unfinished Business
Unfinished Business (Battlestar Galactica)
"Unfinished Business" is the ninth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. It aired on December 1, 2006...

") [7:42]
"The Dance" (from "Unfinished Business") [2:33]
"Adama Falls" (from "Unfinished Business") [1:46]
"Under the Wing" (from "Maelstrom
Maelstrom (Battlestar Galactica)
"Maelstrom" is the seventeenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica.-Plot:Survivor Count: 41,400...

") [1:11]
"Battlestar Sonatica" (from "Torn
Torn (Battlestar Galactica)
"Torn" is the sixth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. This episode introduces the concept of a "hybrid", a semi-organic computer which operates the Basestar and is believed by some Cylon models to "be" the Basestar.-Galactica:After...

") [4:44], performed by Bear McCreary, piano
"Fight Night" (from "Unfinished Business") [2:27]
"Kat's Sacrifice" (from "The Passage
The Passage (Battlestar Galactica)
"The Passage" is the tenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. It aired on December 8, 2006.- Plot :...

") [2:46]
"Someone to Trust" (from "Taking a Break from All Your Worries
Taking a Break from All Your Worries
"Taking a Break From All Your Worries" is the thirteenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. The title is a line from the Cheers theme song, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" "Taking a Break From All Your Worries" is the thirteenth episode...

") [3:09]
"The Temple of Five" (from "The Eye of Jupiter
The Eye of Jupiter (Battlestar Galactica)
"The Eye of Jupiter" is the eleventh episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. It aired on December 15, 2006 and was filmed in Kamloops, B.C.- Plot :Survivor Count: 41,402...

") [2:44]
"Dirty Hands" (from "Dirty Hands
Dirty Hands (Battlestar Galactica)
"Dirty Hands" is the sixteenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica.-Plot:A Raptor piloted by Racetrack experiences engine failure soon after launch and collides with Colonial One, nearly killing President Roslin and her aide Tory Foster...

") [3:32]
"Gentle Execution" (from "Exodus, Part 2") [3:28]
"Mandala in the Clouds" (from "Maelstrom") [5:53]
"Deathbed and Maelstrom" (from "Maelstrom and He Who Belieth In Me") [5:53]
"Heeding the Call" (from "Crossroads, Part 2
Crossroads (Battlestar Galactica)
"Crossroads" are the nineteenth and twentieth episodes of the third season and season finale from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica...

") [2:11]
"All Along the Watchtower
All Along the Watchtower
"All Along the Watchtower" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The song, which has been included on most of Dylan's greatest hits compilations, initially appeared on his 1967 album John Wesley Harding. Over the past 35 years, he has performed it in concert more...

" (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 "Razor" and "Daybreak

Daybreak (Battlestar Galactica)

"Daybreak" is the two-part series finale of the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, and are the 74th and 75th episodes overall. The episodes aired on the U.S. Sci Fi Channel and SPACE in Canada respectively on March 13 and March 20, 2009. The second part is...

"; the second disc comprises almost the full score of "Daybreak", the series finale.

Disc 1:

"Gaeta’s Lament" (from "Guess What’s Coming to Dinner?") [4:49], featuring Alessandro Juliani, vocals
"The Signal" (from "Revelations
Revelations (Battlestar Galactica)
"Revelations" is the tenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It first aired on television in the United States on June 13, 2008. The episode serves as the mid-season finale of the fourth season, with the concluding episodes of the series airing after a hiatus...

") [5:09]
"Resurrection Hub" (from "The Hub
The Hub (Battlestar Galactica)
"The Hub" is the eleventh episode in the fourth season of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. It first aired on television in the United States on June 6, 2008...

") [3:40]
"The Cult of Baltar" (from "He That Believeth in Me" and "Escape Velocity
Escape Velocity (Battlestar Galactica)
"Escape Velocity" is the fourth episode in the fourth season of the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. It first aired on April 25, 2008. The survivor count shown in the title sequence is 39,675.-Plot:...

") [5:42], featuring Raya Yarbrough
"Farewell Apollo" (from "Six of One
Six of One (Battlestar Galactica)
"Six of One" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode first aired on SCI FI and Space in the United States and Canada respectively on April 11, 2008, and aired on Sky1 in the United Kingdom on April 15, along...

") [2:55]
"Roslin Escapes" (from "Blood on the Scales") [2:55]
"Among the Ruins" (from "Sometimes a Great Notion
Sometimes a Great Notion (Battlestar Galactica)
"Sometimes a Great Notion" is the thirteenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It aired on television on SCI FI and Space in the United States and Canada respectively on January 16, 2009 and on Sky One in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2009...

") [7:44]
"Laura Runs" (from "A Disquiet Follows My Soul") [2:21]
"Cally Descends" (from "The Ties That Bind
The Ties That Bind (Battlestar Galactica)
"The Ties That Bind" is the fifth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode originally aired on SCI FI and Space in the United States and Canada respectively on April 18, 2008, and on Sky1 in the United Kingdom on April 22...

") [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
Someone to Watch Over Me (Battlestar Galactica)
"Someone to Watch Over Me" is the seventeenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It aired on television in the United States and Canada on February 27, 2009. The survivor count shown in the title sequence is 39,556....

") [2:55]
"The Alliance" (from "Revelations") [2:30]
"Blood on the Scales" (from "The Oath
The Oath (Battlestar Galactica)
"The Oath" is the fifteenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It aired on television in the United States and Canada on January 30, 2009 and in the UK on Sky One on February 3, 2009....

" 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

A final soundtrack, consisting entirely of music from Razor
Battlestar Galactica: Razor
Battlestar Galactica: Razor is a television film of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It premiered in the United States on Sci Fi Channel, in Canada on the Space channel and in the United Kingdom on Sky One.-Production:...

and The Plan
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is a made for television movie set in the reimagined version of the fictional Battlestar Galactica universe. It consists of newly filmed material as well as a compilation of footage from the TV series and miniseries....

, neither of which had previously had music featured on a soundtrack, was released on February 23, 2010. The tracklist is as follows:

"Apocalypse" (Theme from "The Plan") [4:06], featuring Raya Yarbrough, vocals
"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

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 cue used for Zak Adama

Zak Adama

Zak Adama is a fictional character on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica science fiction series.-Biography:As the younger son of the celebrated Commander William Adama and Caroline, Zak felt pressured to join the Colonial Fleet and prove himself to his father...

's funeral in "Act of Contrition

Act of Contrition (Battlestar Galactica)

"Act of Contrition" is the fourth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Plot:After a fatal accident on the hangar deck in which thirteen pilots are killed by an accidentally launched recon drone, Starbuck is assigned to quickly train replacements...

", followed by a segment played on taiko

Taiko

means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...

drums that played over a montage of scenes from the upcoming episode. The "worldwide" cue followed the same structure, but with the funeral cue replaced by a rendition of the Gayatri Mantra

Gayatri Mantra

The Gāyatrī Mantra is a highly revered mantra, based on a Vedic Sanskrit verse from a hymn of the Rigveda , attributed to the rishi . The mantra is named for its vedic gāyatrī metre. As the verse can be interpreted to invoke the deva Savitr, it is often called Sāvitrī...

Principal themes

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.

"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", "Good Night".

Adama family theme

This theme, usually used for heartfelt moments involving William

William Adama

William "Bill" Adama is a fictional character portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series...

and/or Lee Adama

Lee Adama

Leland Joseph "Lee" Adama is a fictional character in the television series Battlestar Galactica. He is portrayed by actor Jamie Bamber. He is one of the main characters in the series.-Early life:...

, uses an uilleann pipe and Irish flute in a heavily Celtic style, with lyrics in Irish Gaelic. Performances range from a full choral arrangement ("The Hand of God

The Hand of God (2004 Battlestar Galactica)

"The Hand of God" is the tenth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It shares its title with the last episode of the original series....

", "Home, Part 1

Home (Battlestar Galactica)

"Home" is a two-part episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on August 19, 2005, and Part 2 aired on August 26, 2005....

") to a more subtle performance on an Irish whistle ("Resistance

Resistance (Battlestar Galactica)

"Resistance" is the fourth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on August 5, 2005....

"). In season 4 the theme is also played on Scottish smallpipes

Scottish smallpipes

The Scottish smallpipe, in its modern form, is a bellows-blown bagpipe developed by Colin Ross and others, to be playable according to the Great Highland Bagpipe fingering system. There are surviving examples of similar historical instruments such as the mouth-blown Montgomery smallpipes in E,...

Appearances: "The Hand of God", "Home, Part 1", "Exodus, Part 1
Exodus (Battlestar Galactica)
"Exodus" are the third and fourth episodes of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. The episodes originally aired on the Sci Fi Channel on October 16 and 23, 2006....

", "A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life (Battlestar Galactica)
"A Day in the Life" is the fifteenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica.-Plot:Survivor Count: 41,398...

", "Six of One
Six of One (Battlestar Galactica)
"Six of One" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode first aired on SCI FI and Space in the United States and Canada respectively on April 11, 2008, and aired on Sky1 in the United Kingdom on April 15, along...

", "Daybreak, Part II" – A variation of this theme is also played towards the end of the pilot episode of the spin off series Caprica.

Songs: 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

Lee "Apollo" Adama

Lee Adama

Leland Joseph "Lee" Adama is a fictional character in the television series Battlestar Galactica. He is portrayed by actor Jamie Bamber. He is one of the main characters in the series.-Early life:...

's theme is a slow, sad piece that is rarely heard on the show: McCreary attributes this to the inflexibility of Apollo's theme, as opposed to Starbuck's, which has spawned many variations. In its melancholy form, Apollo's theme underscored the destruction of the Olympic Carrier passenger liner in "33

33 (Battlestar Galactica)

" and the revelations of Lee Adama's lost love on Caprica in "Black Market

Black Market (Battlestar Galactica)

"Black Market" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on January 27, 2006. In the episode, Apollo's investigation of the fleet's black market becomes intertwined with his involvement with a...

"; in a more positive mode, it plays as Apollo prepares to destroy the Cylon tylium mining facility in "The Hand of God". The theme returns in season three's "Taking a Break from All Your Worries

Taking a Break from All Your Worries

"Taking a Break From All Your Worries" is the thirteenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. The title is a line from the Cheers theme song, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" "Taking a Break From All Your Worries" is the thirteenth episode...

", when it plays as a drunken Lee – torn between his wife Dualla and Starbuck – loses his wedding ring and frantically searches for it in one of Galactica's corridors.

Appearances: "33", "Act of Contrition
Act of Contrition (Battlestar Galactica)
"Act of Contrition" is the fourth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Plot:After a fatal accident on the hangar deck in which thirteen pilots are killed by an accidentally launched recon drone, Starbuck is assigned to quickly train replacements...

", "The Hand of God", "Black Market", "Taking a Break from All Your Worries".
Tracks: Season 1- "The Olympic Carrier," "Battle on the Asteroid." Season 3- "Someone to Trust."

Cylon theme

The Cylon theme was first introduced when Karl "Helo" Agathon

Karl Agathon

Karl C. Agathon is a fictional character on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, portrayed by Tahmoh Penikett.-Background:...

ran from the Cylon centurions in "33", then later throughout the first season as the Cylons pursued Helo and Sharon. Performed on taiko drums

Taiko

means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...

and augmented with metallic sounds (including pots, pans and toasters — "toaster" on the show being an epithet for "Cylon").

The theme became a general theme for the Cylons and Cylon Raider

Cylon Raider

The Cylon Raider is the standard starfighter used by the Cylons, in the various Battlestar Galactica movies and television series. Cylon raiders are used as the main line of defense for Cylon Basestars.- Original series :...

s in particular, a development that is highly prominent in "Scar

Scar (Battlestar Galactica)

"Scar" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on February 3, 2006....

Appearances: "33", "Six Degrees of Separation
Six Degrees of Separation (Battlestar Galactica)
"Six Degrees of Separation" is the seventh episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Plot:Dr. Baltar and his vision of Number Six have a heated argument about religion. After he mocks Number Six's concept of a single God, she promptly vanishes from his head...

", "The Hand of God", "Flight of the Phoenix
Flight of the Phoenix (Battlestar Galactica)
"Flight of the Phoenix" is the ninth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on September 16, 2005....

", "Scar"

Cylon Basestar theme

For the sequence of episodes dealing with Gaius Baltar

Gaius Baltar

Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series Battlestar Galactica played by James Callis, a reimagining of Count Baltar from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...

's experiences on a Cylon Basestar

Cylon Basestar

The Basestar is the capital ship of the Cylons in the 1978 science fiction television series and movie Battlestar Galactica along with its re-imagining in the 2003 miniseries and 2004 television series.- Battlestar Galactica :...

, series creator Ronald D. Moore

Ronald D. Moore

Ronald Dowl Moore is an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his work on Star Trek and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, for which he won a Peabody Award for creative excellence in 2005 and an Emmy Award in 2008.-Early life and...

wished to use "unsettlingly familiar classical piano music": his initial idea was to use Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...

's Piano Sonata No. 14 ("Moonlight" Sonata)

Piano Sonata No. 14 (Beethoven)

The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2, by Ludwig van Beethoven, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata , was completed in 1801...

. Bear McCreary then developed the theme for Baltar's experiences on the Basestar from this starting point, incorporating Baltar's theme into the piano performance.

Appearances: "Torn
Torn (Battlestar Galactica)
"Torn" is the sixth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. This episode introduces the concept of a "hybrid", a semi-organic computer which operates the Basestar and is believed by some Cylon models to "be" the Basestar.-Galactica:After...

", "A Measure of Salvation", "The Passage
The Passage (Battlestar Galactica)
"The Passage" is the tenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. It aired on December 8, 2006.- Plot :...

", "The Eye of Jupiter
The Eye of Jupiter (Battlestar Galactica)
"The Eye of Jupiter" is the eleventh episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. It aired on December 15, 2006 and was filmed in Kamloops, B.C.- Plot :Survivor Count: 41,402...

".

Songs: Season 3- "Battlestar Sonatica"

Laura Roslin's theme

Laura Roslin

Her first actions include organizing all FTL-capable ships together and convincing Commander William Adama to abandon a retaliatory attack on the Cylons. President Roslin and Billy Keikeya, her aide/press secretary/chief of staff, establish a working office space aboard her transport, renamed...

's theme was first introduced in first season finale "Kobol's Last Gleaming

Kobol's Last Gleaming (Battlestar Galactica)

"Kobol's Last Gleaming" is the two-part first season finale of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.In Part 1, the human fleet discovers the abandoned planet Kobol, the birthplace of humanity in the Battlestar Galactica universe...

" to help underscore the spiritual and mysterious discovery of Kobol. This rendition of the theme was accompanied with Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

lyrics sung by a boy soprano

Boy soprano

A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...

; the lyrics are made up of two of the show's recurring verbal motifs, "All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again," and "So say we all."

Roslin's theme was set to lyrics a second time for the third season premiere "Occupation

Occupation (Battlestar Galactica)

"Occupation" is the third season premiere and 34th episode of the re-imagined American science fiction drama television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode was written by re-imagined creator Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. It first aired on October 6, 2006 on the Sci-Fi...

", this time in Armenian

Armenian language

The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...

Appearances: "Kobol's Last Gleaming", "Fragged
Fragged (Battlestar Galactica)
"Fragged" is the third episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 29, 2005. It is the first episode in which Starbuck does not appear....

", "Epiphanies
Epiphanies (Battlestar Galactica)
"Epiphanies" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on January 20, 2006....

", "Lay Down Your Burdens
Lay Down Your Burdens (Battlestar Galactica)
"Lay Down Your Burdens" is the two-part second season finale of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on March 3, 2006; Part 2 aired on March 10, 2006 as a 90-minute special.- Part 1 :...

", "Occupation", "Exodus, Part 1"

Lee and Kara's love theme

Introduced in season three's "Unfinished Business

Unfinished Business (Battlestar Galactica)

"Unfinished Business" is the ninth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. It aired on December 1, 2006...

", this piece accompanies the tempestuous affair between pilots Lee Adama and Kara Thrace. A tender rendition of it can be heard in "Maelstrom

Maelstrom (Battlestar Galactica)

"Maelstrom" is the seventeenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica.-Plot:Survivor Count: 41,400...

" 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."

Appearances: "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

Gamelan

A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....

. The theme serves as a general theme for Number Six

Number Six (Battlestar Galactica)

Number Six is a family of fictional characters from the reimagined science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. She is portrayed by Canadian actress and model Tricia Helfer. Of the twelve known Cylon models, she is the sixth of the "Significant Seven"...

, in particular the copy that "haunts" Gaius Baltar

Gaius Baltar

Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series Battlestar Galactica played by James Callis, a reimagining of Count Baltar from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...

, and plays over the prologue of each episode.

In "Downloaded

Downloaded (Battlestar Galactica)

"Downloaded" is the eighteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on February 24, 2006....

", when Caprica-Six

Number Six (Battlestar Galactica)

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".

Appearances: 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 "Resurrection Ship, Parts 1 & 2

Resurrection Ship (Battlestar Galactica)

"Resurrection Ship" is a two-part episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on January 6, 2006, and Part 2 aired on January 13, 2006...

", in which William Adama's caring for the dying President Roslin is most apparent, this theme becomes an obvious thematic marker for their subtle relationship. It plays again as Roslin decides to concede the presidential election to Doctor Gaius Baltar

Gaius Baltar

Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series Battlestar Galactica played by James Callis, a reimagining of Count Baltar from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...

in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2

Lay Down Your Burdens (Battlestar Galactica)

"Lay Down Your Burdens" is the two-part second season finale of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on March 3, 2006; Part 2 aired on March 10, 2006 as a 90-minute special.- Part 1 :...

Appearances: "Resurrection Ship, Parts 1 & 2"; "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2"; "Unfinished Business
Unfinished Business (Battlestar Galactica)
"Unfinished Business" is the ninth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. It aired on December 1, 2006...

"; "A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life (Battlestar Galactica)
"A Day in the Life" is the fifteenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica.-Plot:Survivor Count: 41,398...

"; "Crossroads, Part 2
Crossroads (Battlestar Galactica)
"Crossroads" are the nineteenth and twentieth episodes of the third season and season finale from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica...

"; "Daybreak, Part 2".

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.

Appearances: numerous scenes featuring Number Eight

The Shape of Things to Come theme

This theme, also referred to as the "Passacaglia

Passacaglia

The passacaglia is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used by contemporary composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often, but not always, based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple metre....

", "Allegro", or "Opera House theme", is one of the few recurring motifs in Battlestar Galactica — along with "Worthy of Survival" — not associated with a particular character or group of characters. Appearing in the first season soundtrack as "Passacaglia

Passacaglia

" after the Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

and Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

musical form that it follows, the theme was first introduced over the opening montage of episode "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1

Kobol's Last Gleaming (Battlestar Galactica)

". In "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 2", it plays as Baltar has a vision amid the ruins of the Opera House on Kobol of that structure as it was during Kobol's glory days. He is informed by his internal Number Six that the mysterious infant he sees within — apparently Hera Agathon — is "the first of a new generation of God's children" and "the face of the shape of things to come." The theme also accompanies Number Three's visions of the Final Five set in the Opera House in "Hero

Hero (Battlestar Galactica)

"Hero" is the eighth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. This episode aired on November 17, 2006.-Plot:...

", but its usage is not limited to the Opera House setting: in "Home, Part 2

Home (Battlestar Galactica)

"Home" is a two-part episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on August 19, 2005, and Part 2 aired on August 26, 2005....

", "Pegasus", and "Unfinished Business

Unfinished Business (Battlestar Galactica)

"Unfinished Business" is the ninth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. It aired on December 1, 2006...

" it accompanies emotionally resonant scenes that concern the fate of characters or their relationships. In the third season soundtrack, it features in the track "Violence and Variations", where it is interwoven with Lee and Kara's love theme, and "Under the Wing." The final version serves as the outro to "An Easterly View", which plays as Admiral Adama sits next to Laura Roslin's grave in the series finale.

Each major variation of this theme is in a different meter

Meter (music)

Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...

: "Passacaglia" is in 3/4, "The Shape of Things to Come" is in 6/8 and "Allegro" is in 4/4.

Appearances: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Parts 1 and 2", "Scattered
Scattered (Battlestar Galactica)
"Scattered" is the first episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 15, 2005....

", "Home, Part 2", "Hero", "Unfinished Business", "Crossroads, Part 2," "Daybreak, Part 2."
Songs: Season 1- "Passacaglia", "The Shape of Things to Come"

Starbuck's themes

The character of Lieutenant Kara "Starbuck" Thrace

Kara Thrace

Kara Thrace is a fictional character in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica franchise. Played by Katee Sackhoff, she is a revised version of Lieutenant Starbuck from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...

has acquired two distinct themes over the course of the series. The first theme was originally composed for "You Can't Go Home Again

You Can't Go Home Again (Battlestar Galactica)

"You Can't Go Home Again" is the fifth episode of the first season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Plot:Starbuck is forced to bail out over an inhospitable planet after her Viper was badly damaged during a dog fight with a Cylon Raider. On Galactica, one of the pilots...

", as a triumphant cue for when Starbuck escapes from the red moon on which she was stranded, flying a captured Cylon Raider

Cylon Raider

. It also scored the heart-felt finale when William Adama forgives her for the death of his younger son, Zak Adama

Zak Adama

"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 "Flesh and Bone
Flesh and Bone (Battlestar Galactica)
"Flesh and Bone" is the eighth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Plot:President Roslin sees a copy of Leoben Conoy, a duplicate of the Cylon that Commander Adama encountered on Ragnar Anchorage, in a dream. Soon afterwards, a copy of this Cylon is caught aboard the...

", this theme was given a dark variation as Starbuck mercilessly tortured Leoben
Leoben Conoy
Leoben Conoy is a fictional character portrayed by Callum Keith Rennie appearing in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series....

and her motives for doing so became questionable."
— Bear McCreary

Appearances: "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 love-hate relationship

Love-hate relationship

A love–hate relationship is an interpersonal relationship involving simultaneous or alternating emotions of love and hate. This relationship does not have to be of a romantic nature, and may be instead of a sibling one...

between Leoben and Starbuck. The theme was further developed as a "destiny

Destiny

Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...

" cue in "Maelstrom

Maelstrom (Battlestar Galactica)

"Maelstrom" is the seventeenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica.-Plot:Survivor Count: 41,400...

", in which Starbuck, before her own apparent demise, appears to commune with Leoben and her deceased mother.

The cue is always performed on a Chinese erhu

Erhu

The erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a "southern fiddle", and sometimes known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin" or a "Chinese two-stringed fiddle". It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles...

or zhonghu

Zhonghu

The zhonghu is a low-pitched Chinese bowed string instrument. Together with the erhu and gaohu, it is a member of the huqin family, and was developed in the 20th century as the alto member of the huqin family .The zhonghu is analogous with the erhu, but is slightly larger and...

, a two-stringed instrument similar to a violin in timbre

Timbre

In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...

Appearances: "Occupation
Occupation (Battlestar Galactica)
"Occupation" is the third season premiere and 34th episode of the re-imagined American science fiction drama television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode was written by re-imagined creator Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. It first aired on October 6, 2006 on the Sci-Fi...

", "Precipice
Precipice (Battlestar Galactica)
"Precipice" is the second part of the third season premiere and 35th episode of the re-imagined American science fiction drama television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode was written by re-imagined creator Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. It first aired on October 6,...

", "Exodus, Parts 1 and 2
Exodus (Battlestar Galactica)
"Exodus" are the third and fourth episodes of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. The episodes originally aired on the Sci Fi Channel on October 16 and 23, 2006....

", "Maelstrom", "Razor
Battlestar Galactica: Razor
Battlestar Galactica: Razor is a television film of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It premiered in the United States on Sci Fi Channel, in Canada on the Space channel and in the United Kingdom on Sky One.-Production:...

", "Sometimes A Great Notion
Sometimes a Great Notion (Battlestar Galactica)
"Sometimes a Great Notion" is the thirteenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It aired on television on SCI FI and Space in the United States and Canada respectively on January 16, 2009 and on Sky One in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2009...

".

Tigh's theme

Tigh's theme is inspired by present-day military hymns, and, along with Kat's theme from "The Passage

The Passage (Battlestar Galactica)

"The Passage" is the tenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. It aired on December 8, 2006.- Plot :...

", represents almost the only use of orchestral brass in the entire score. McCreary "wanted to create a musical idea that would represent both [Tigh's] strength and loyalty, as well as his unpredictable and dangerous nature." Tigh's theme is first stated during Colonel Tigh's

Saul Tigh

Saul Tigh is a fictional character on Battlestar Galactica played by Michael Hogan. The character was named Paul Tigh in early scripts, and was renamed due to legal issues, according to producer Ronald D. Moore. He is one of the main characters of the show.-Overview and personality:Saul Tigh is a...

declaration of martial law

Martial law

Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...

in "Fragged

Fragged (Battlestar Galactica)

"Fragged" is the third episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 29, 2005. It is the first episode in which Starbuck does not appear....

"; it returns during the third season, playing as Tigh is released from prison and over other key character moments for Tigh.

Appearances: "Fragged", "Final Cut", "Occupation
Occupation (Battlestar Galactica)
"Occupation" is the third season premiere and 34th episode of the re-imagined American science fiction drama television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode was written by re-imagined creator Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. It first aired on October 6, 2006 on the Sci-Fi...

", "Precipice
Precipice (Battlestar Galactica)
"Precipice" is the second part of the third season premiere and 35th episode of the re-imagined American science fiction drama television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode was written by re-imagined creator Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. It first aired on October 6,...

", "Hero
Hero (Battlestar Galactica)
"Hero" is the eighth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. This episode aired on November 17, 2006.-Plot:...

", "Crossroads, Parts 1 and 2
Crossroads (Battlestar Galactica)
"Crossroads" are the nineteenth and twentieth episodes of the third season and season finale from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica...

", "Razor
Battlestar Galactica: Razor
Battlestar Galactica: Razor is a television film of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It premiered in the United States on Sci Fi Channel, in Canada on the Space channel and in the United Kingdom on Sky One.-Production:...

", "Sometimes a Great Notion
Sometimes a Great Notion (Battlestar Galactica)
"Sometimes a Great Notion" is the thirteenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It aired on television on SCI FI and Space in the United States and Canada respectively on January 16, 2009 and on Sky One in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2009...

".

Tyrol's theme

Tyrol's

Galen Tyrol

Galen Tyrol is a character on the television series Battlestar Galactica. Tyrol is responsible for the maintenance of the Vipers and Raptors aboard Battlestar Galactica...

theme was first devised as a love theme for Tyrol and Sharon "Boomer" Valerii

Sharon Valerii

Number Eight is a female humanoid Cylon model on the television series Battlestar Galactica, a reimagining of the classic show of the same name. She is portrayed by Grace Park...

, but was shelved after its first use because the two characters ended their relationship immediately thereafter. It returned at the end of the second season as a love theme for Tyrol and Cally, and served in that role for the rest of the series. The tune is written in Lydian mode

Lydian mode

The Lydian musical scale is a rising pattern of pitches comprising three whole tones, a semitone, two more whole tones, and a final semitone. This sequence of pitches roughly describes the fifth of the eight Gregorian modes, known as Mode V or the authentic mode on F, theoretically using B but in...

and performed using the bottom register

In music, a register is the relative "height" or range of a note, set of pitches or pitch classes, melody, part, instrument or group of instruments...

of an alto flute

Alto flute

The alto flute is a type of Western concert flute, a musical instrument in the woodwind family. It is the next extension downward of the C flute after the flûte d'amour. It is characterized by its distinct, mellow tone in the lower portion of its range...

Appearances: "Litmus
Litmus (Battlestar Galactica)
"Litmus" is the sixth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. In the episode, after a Cylon suicide bomber gains access to Galactica, an independent tribunal is appointed to investigate. The inquiry comes to focus on the relationship between Chief Galen Tyrol and the...

", "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2
Lay Down Your Burdens (Battlestar Galactica)
"Lay Down Your Burdens" is the two-part second season finale of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on March 3, 2006; Part 2 aired on March 10, 2006 as a 90-minute special.- Part 1 :...

", "Occupation
Occupation (Battlestar Galactica)
"Occupation" is the third season premiere and 34th episode of the re-imagined American science fiction drama television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode was written by re-imagined creator Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. It first aired on October 6, 2006 on the Sci-Fi...

", "A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life (Battlestar Galactica)
"A Day in the Life" is the fifteenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica.-Plot:Survivor Count: 41,398...

".

Worthy of Survival

The "Worthy of Survival" theme was developed as a melancholy variation of the "Prelude to War" cue used to score the combat scenes in "Pegasus

Pegasus (Battlestar Galactica)

"Pegasus" is the tenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on September 23, 2005. Following "Pegasus", the series went on hiatus until January 2006....

" and "Resurrection Ship, Parts 1 and 2

Resurrection Ship (Battlestar Galactica)

"While the accompanimental [sic] figures come from Prelude, the melody is wholly original to this theme. First stated on a lonely duduk
Duduk
The duduk , traditionally known since antiquity as a Ծիրանափող is a traditional woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. Variations of it are popular in the Middle East and Central Asia...

, and then in octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...

s by the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

s and viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...

s, 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

Helena Cain

Admiral Helena Cain is a fictional character in the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by Michelle Forbes.-Youth:...

, but only a small fragment was used in the final cut of the episode. McCreary re-worked the theme for the second season finale, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2

Lay Down Your Burdens (Battlestar Galactica)

", and a bolder statement of the theme played over the Cylons' occupation of New Caprica. "Worthy of Survival" returned in its most tragic and melancholy statement as the cue playing over Saul Tigh's uxoricide

Uxoricide

Uxoricide is murder of one's wife. It can refer to the act itself or the man who carries it out.- Known or suspected uxoricides:...

of Ellen Tigh

Ellen Tigh

After she is killed for treason against the resistance on New Caprica, Ellen resurrects aboard a Cylon ship, where John Cavil holds her prisoner. However, by downloading into a new body, she regains the memories that Cavil had blocked decades earlier...

Appearances: "Resurrection Ship, Part 2", "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2", "Exodus, Part 2
Exodus (Battlestar Galactica)
"Exodus" are the third and fourth episodes of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. The episodes originally aired on the Sci Fi Channel on October 16 and 23, 2006....

", "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 original Battlestar Galactica series

Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)

, originally composed by Stu Phillips. The anthem is heard again as background music in D'Anna Biers' documentary in the episode "Final Cut

Final Cut (Battlestar Galactica)

"Final Cut" is the eighth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on September 9, 2005....

." The theme was used again in "Razor

Battlestar Galactica: Razor

Battlestar Galactica: Razor is a television film of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It premiered in the United States on Sci Fi Channel, in Canada on the Space channel and in the United Kingdom on Sky One.-Production:...

", in the flashback in which the young William Adama is fighting over the Cylon planet, although it is not the same rhythmic meter. The theme is again used in "Daybreak, Part II", heard at several junctions in the show, including when Adama flies the last Viper off the Galactica and when Anders flies the fleet into the sun.

In the episode "Someone to Watch Over Me

Someone to Watch Over Me (Battlestar Galactica)

"Someone to Watch Over Me" is the seventeenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It aired on television in the United States and Canada on February 27, 2009. The survivor count shown in the title sequence is 39,556....

", 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.

In the prequel

Prequel

A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...

show Caprica the original theme is heard relatively unaltered before the beginning of a professional Pyramid game, giving the impression that it is the National Anthem

National anthem

A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...

of either the Colony of Caprica or, given that Caprica is the capital of the Colonies, the Twelve Colonies

Twelve Colonies

The Twelve Colonies of Man are fictional locations that constitute the principal human civilization in the original Battlestar Galactica television series, the "reimagined" series of the same name in 2004, and in the prequel series, Caprica...

as a whole.

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

Stanley Myers

Stanley Myers , was a prolific British film composer who scored over sixty films. Born in Birmingham, as a teenager Myers went to King Edward's School in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham...

' classical guitar

Classical guitar

The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...

piece "Cavatina

Cavatina (song)

"Cavatina" is a classical guitar piece by Stanley Myers and the theme from The Deer Hunter.The piece had been recorded by classical guitarist John Williams, long before the film that made it famous. It had originally been written for piano but at Williams' invitation, Myers re-wrote it for guitar...

", most famous as the theme

Theme music

Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...

from the 1978 film The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter is a 1978 drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino about a trio of Russian American steel worker friends and their infantry service in the Vietnam War. The film stars Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Savage, John Cazale, and George Dzundza...

.

Metamorphosis

The second-season episode "Valley of Darkness

Valley of Darkness (Battlestar Galactica)

"Valley of Darkness" is the second episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 22, 2005....

" features "Metamorphosis One" by Philip Glass

Philip Glass

Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...

. While the piece cannot be found on the show's second season soundtrack album, the original recording may be found on Glass' 1989 album Solo Piano as part of Glass' Post Minimalism work. The piece is played in Kara Thrace's apartment on Caprica (it is explained that her father is the fictional pianist) and plays over Lee Adama and Saul Tigh's conversation at William Adama's bedside at the end of the episode. It is one of the few pieces of music in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica that is both diegetic

Diegesis

Diegesis is a style of representation in fiction and is:# the world in which the situations and events narrated occur; and# telling, recounting, as opposed to showing, enacting.In diegesis the narrator tells the story...

and extradiegetic.

All Along the Watchtower

A somewhat exotic-themed version of the 1967 Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

song "All Along the Watchtower

All Along the Watchtower

"All Along the Watchtower" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The song, which has been included on most of Dylan's greatest hits compilations, initially appeared on his 1967 album John Wesley Harding. Over the past 35 years, he has performed it in concert more...

" features prominently in the third season track "A Distant Sadness", and specially the season finale episodes "Crossroads, Parts 1 and 2

Crossroads (Battlestar Galactica)

"Crossroads" are the nineteenth and twentieth episodes of the third season and season finale from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica...

", in the tracks "Heeding the Call", and the penultimate "All Along the Watchtower". McCreary's arrangement utilizes the electric sitar

Electric sitar

An electric sitar is a kind of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the traditional Indian instrument, the sitar. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional sitar...

, harmonium

Harmonium

A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...

, duduk

Duduk

The duduk , traditionally known since antiquity as a Ծիրանափող is a traditional woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. Variations of it are popular in the Middle East and Central Asia...

, fretless bass, yayli tanbur

Tanbur

The term tanbūr can refer to various long-necked, fretted lutes originating in the Middle East or Central Asia. According to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "terminology presents a complicated situation. Nowadays the term tanbur is applied to a variety of distinct and related...

, electric violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

and zurna

Zurna

The zurna , is a multinational outdoor wind instrument, usually accompanied by a davul in Anatolian folk music. The name is from Turkish zurna, itself derived from Persian سرنای surnāy, composed of sūr “banquet, feast” and nāy “reed, pipe”...

, and features McCreary's brother Brendan "Bt4" McCreary and former Oingo Boingo

Oingo Boingo

Oingo Boingo was an American new wave band. They are best known for their influence on other musicians, their soundtrack contributions and their high energy Halloween concerts. The band was founded in 1972 as The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, a performance art group...

guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

ist Steve Bartek.

The song haunts the characters Saul Tigh

Saul Tigh

, Galen Tyrol

Galen Tyrol

Galen Tyrol is a character on the television series Battlestar Galactica. Tyrol is responsible for the maintenance of the Vipers and Raptors aboard Battlestar Galactica...

, Samuel Anders

Samuel Anders

Samuel T. Anders is a fictional character from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series, played by Michael Trucco...

, and Tory Foster

Tory Foster

Tory Foster is a fictional character from the 2004 TV series Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by Rekha Sharma.-Character biography:Tory, like the other members of the Final Five, was originally from a planet called Earth...

throughout the two parts of "Crossroads" and plays over the final scenes of "Crossroads, Part 2": like "Metamorphosis One", it is one of the few pieces of music in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica that is both diegetic

Diegesis

and non-diegetic.

Variations of the theme can also be heard by Saul Tigh in "He That Believeth In Me

He That Believeth in Me

"He That Believeth in Me" is the third episode in the fourth season of the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica...

", the four of the final cylons revealed thus far in "Revelations

Revelations (Battlestar Galactica)

"Revelations" is the tenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It first aired on television in the United States on June 13, 2008. The episode serves as the mid-season finale of the fourth season, with the concluding episodes of the series airing after a hiatus...

", and Samuel Anders (who remembers playing the song on guitar) in "Sometimes A Great Notion

Sometimes a Great Notion (Battlestar Galactica)

"Sometimes a Great Notion" is the thirteenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It aired on television on SCI FI and Space in the United States and Canada respectively on January 16, 2009 and on Sky One in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2009...

" . A piano version of the tune entitled "Kara Remembers" can also be heard in the episode "Someone to Watch Over Me

Someone to Watch Over Me (Battlestar Galactica)

". The most famous version of the song, recorded by Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

, plays at the very end of "Daybreak, Part 2", making it the last song played in the series.

Reception

Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...

states that Bear McCreary on Battlestar Galactica as well as Losts Michael Giacchino

Michael Giacchino

Michael Giacchino is an American composer who has composed scores for movies, television series and video games. Some of his most notable works include the scores to television series such as Lost, Alias and Fringe, games such as the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series, and films such as...

do "transcendent work in an area [composing for television] that's too often underappreciated." The Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...

's Maureen Ryan praises McCreary's work on the series as "sensational" and "innovative." Cinefantastique
Cinefantastique
Cinefantastique was a horror, fantasy, and science fiction film magazine originally started as a mimeographed fanzine in 1967, then relaunched as a glossy, offset quarterly in 1970 by publisher/editor Frederick S. Clarke...

finds it "richly textural" and "drawing deeply from ethnic and world beat music."
Joanna Weiss of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...

states that "visionary composer Bear McCreary... did much to create the rich atmosphere of Battlestar." Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...

says: "Galactica offers some of the most innovative music on TV today." SoundtrackNet

SoundtrackNet

- History :Created in 1997 by David A. Koran and Dan Goldwasser at Carnegie Mellon University, the site has grown over the past decade to become one of the leading websites covering the film music industry in Hollywood....

gave the fourth season soundtrack five stars, saying "This album is a must-have for any soundtrack collector."

On the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards Battlestar Galacticas "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 England and Australia. 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

Hagen

Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

with choreography by Ricardo Fernando, and the Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Bernhard Steiner.

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

House of Blues

House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...

in San Diego. Edward James Olmos

Edward James Olmos

Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...

(Admiral Adama) and Grace Park

Grace Park (actress)

Grace Park is an American-born Canadian actress. She gained recognition as Sharon Valerii on Battlestar Galactica, as well as Shannon Ng in the Canadian television series teen soap Edgemont...

(Boomer/Athena) made appearances. According to McCreary's blog, a future international tour and a possible concert CD and DVD is currently in the works.

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

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.