Do you think this is some of John Williams' greatest work or do you prefer others of his iconic themes? Also, what are some other long-payoff thematic scores that you think deserve a look as well? LOTR comes to mind immediately, of course. Let me know!
I think Harry Potter is among his best works, I would say for a long-term thematic payoff Star Wars is one of his best as well. For me, LOTR and How to Train Your Dragon have the best theme writing of all time, with the best payoff.
This is and has been my favorite John Williams score ever since I was a child. It’s the work that inspired me to be a filmmaker and musician and to make music for film. I also find it very fitting I got to watch this last scene in a theater again yesterday making relive that same childlike wonder and joy I had all those years ago. Thank you so much for the video!
This is unrelated, but I feel bad for all the kids in the final scene. Imagine being selected to be part of the Harry Potter series finally landing a dream role, then you reach platform 9 3/4 get on the Hogwarts express and...cut, pack up, and end of the series.
I still think John Williams' work for harry Potter is his best. I love all of JW's music, but I think his work for HP is the most original, nothing else sounds like it music. That and the contrast between films 1/2 and 3 is amazing.
In that case, I think there’s a case for Home Alone. Yeah, Harry Potter’s music is probably better, but a lot of the Harry Potter themes seem inspired by his Home Alone soundtrack (which as it happens, is for the same director).
@@Ofjkkto me, lotr's music doesn't feel curious, mischievous or secretive like a lot of JW's Harry Potter scores. Lotr's is more fantastical, moving and in the case of the shire theme, homely. But, I might need to listen to all the soundtrack to refine my opinion.
This theme is played for the same time when he looks at his family in the mirror of Erised (It is called Family Portrait in some editions). To me this Theme is used to convey family. When Harry leaves Hogwarts he recognizes that he is NOT going home, he is leaving his home PLUS Hagrid gives him pictures of his parents ( which he had previously only seen in the mirror). At the end of Deathly Hallows it sounds not as an ending but as a reminder that Harry finally has a family of his own. He is able to take his children to platform 9 3/4, something he never got to do with his parents.
Yes, you nailed it. The diminished passing chord adds both nostalgia and melancholy. Harry doesn't really mourn his parents, he didn't know them, so I think the music just borders on sadness but is ultimately uplifting.
Please go see a doctor, because any pain in your heart/chest can be very serious. Even if it turns out to be nothing, you should never take the risk. People of all ages can die of heart attacks.
Films like Harry Potter, LOTR, and Star Wars are huge examples of why the score is so important in a movie. It adds quite a lot to the enjoyment of the film, and a tune everyone knows helps the movie become more established in the pop culture.
This song was playing on the loud speakers when I arrived at Harry Potter World for the first time. The music was timing was perfect as I saw the Hogwarts castle. The nostalgia just overwhelmed me. Truly the most magical moment in my life!
The studio tour? Yeah, the way they lead you into that room and you see the castle... utterly amazing. Really loved that tour far more than I imagined I would, it was such a tribute to the artists behind the movies that made it all happen.
The Harry Potter studio tours in Watford is bloody brilliant. I'm not even a fan of the films, they're shit, compared to the books, they have no redeeming features and are ruined by the godawful acting of the main 3 actors of the cast. But going through the different sets at the studio, buying a Slitherin keyring, buying a wand, it was so much fun. I was very disappointed by the butterbeer though, it tasted completely wrong. It's supposed to taste like werthers originals, i.e. butterscotch. But it just tasted like dirty dish water. You can make real butterbeer very very easily at home, just mix butterscotch syrup, cream soda, cream, and maybe some melted butter too. But yeah on the whole it's definitely worth going to Watford to see the studios. Just, for any Americans who are flying over to the UK to go there, just be aware, that Watford is not in London. It's never been in London. If you go to Central London with the plan to go to Watford, you're basically hours away, on the train. It's much quicker to go to Luton Airport and travel to Watford from there instead, or something like that. If you go all the way into London you're basically going directly away from Watford, just to go back in the direction you just came in, to get to Watford. I don't know why Americans think Watford is in London but yeah I'm just trying to help you by letting you know that it's not
when those horns hit after the buildup, I always get a shiver down the back of my neck and teary-eyed. It's a feeling of triumph and trepidation with the twinge of melancholy that is goodbye. John Williams is amazing
I think what I love most about this channel is how Charles focuses on geeking out about good music rather than tearing down bad music. Exactly the kind of positivity I like!
One thing being a composer and studying orchestral music has revealed to me is there is no one alive on this earth that can write music at this level other than John Williams. He really is the kind of person that comes along once a century (if we are lucky). We are are blessed to be able to learn from and appreciate such a master.
I think, if he isn't already being taught this way, John Williams will be taught in Music history and music classes in general among the greats such as Bach, Tchaikovsky, Handel, Vivaldi, Holst, etc.
Personally, I prefer the way this theme was used at the end of Chamber of Secrets. I love the way the music swells to punctuate Hermione and Hagrid coming back, and the extra build-up during the final pan out from the Great Hall to show the whole castle is magnificent.
Totally agree, the ending of Chamber has a much more robust instrumentation and really lets the French horns fly a bit more. It's only a few bars longer, but it really has that majesty of a fanfare and send-off going for it.
Yes! I was hoping he’d talk about the Chamber of Secrets version in the video. It is the most complete and exciting version of the theme and is so much more emotionally impactful for me, to the point where the Sorceror’s Stone/Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 endings fall a but flat for me because the music sounds rushed and incomplete in comparison. It feels like going from watching the LOTR extended editions to the theatrical editions haha It was also used in the trailer for Prisoner of Azkaban (20 years ago, oh my god) and its usage there makes me so excited to watch that movie for the hundredth time
It has the added impact at the end because for much of the later films we’ve been hearing darker, more brooding music and variations of the classic themes laden with uncertainty and anxiety, so returning to the childlike wonder we knew before is extra nostalgic and brings a feeling of coming full circle. It’s a perfect resolution musically and thematically.
Love this theme, definately top 3, but the themes ending star wars revenge of the sith, clone wars season 5 finale, mando season 2 finale, and rogue one are all equally as good.
@@ncard00 The ending of Attack of the Clones is also pretty spectacular. I'd maybe discount the ending theme of Rogue One didn't find it particularly special
John Williams is honestly so good... that it's practically unfair to all the great composers below him. How can a guy ,who was a teenager during WW2, have made the soundtracks for Star wars, Indiana Jones and E.T., then made the iconic soundtracks for Harry Potter and other movies from my childhood (I'm a Millennial). It seems impossibly good.
I totally felt it in the ending of DHp2. The nostalgia and the goosebumps were through the roof. This theme is one of the most incredibly music I ever heard.
I imagine in a couple hundred years' time, John Williams will be remembered and studied for his film music in the same way the great composers of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic period were for their choral, opera, and ballet music. IMO only the medium of popular consumption of entertainment has changed - great music composition will endure.
They should have committed to using the bright and vibrant colors of the first film in the epilogue as well. Desplat understood the assignment for the film ending, but I wish the cinematographer/director had as well.
@@marcellkovacs5452 Right. I'm saying Desplat understood that the films should come full circle, and elected to re-use John Williams' theme. Or if it was the director, then he should have come full circle both audibly and visually.
One thing I think you missed in your breakdown of this leitmotif is the idea of modulating the emotion you feel by the base note. You made great mention of the refusal to resolve to a tonal chord over a 1 and leaving it over a 3, but I wanted to call attention to what's going on when that 3 is in use. In the first film, it's Harry seeing moving photos of his dead parents then acknowledging to his friends that he's NOT going home. He's going some other place because home for him is Hogwarts. The lingering over a 3 makes the music feel bittersweet. And that's perfect for the context in the film.
Honestly, John Williams' score for Sorcerer's Stone may be his finest. It's hard to say, considering his incredible catalogue of work, but I think with this soundtrack we're hearing all of his maturity and experience as a composer come to fruition. The setting of the music is perfect throughout the film. You're hearing an absolute master of his craft.
I studied orchestration with Conrad Pope (who was one of the orchestrators on this film), and he specifically drew attention to that warm Viola line around 0:20 in this video. He wanted us to see how full a sound could be, even in an exposed line such as that. That line could've gone to the Celli, but the Violas' timbre in that register was exactly what was needed. Truly beautiful!
I heard this at a concert of John Williams' music and it took everything in me not to bawl in public. I had so many emotions tied up in this since I was a child, and it was magical then and incredible now.
Wait! Check out how he does it at the very end of the Chamber of Secrets! It's even more beautiful in my opinion. I can't listen to it without tearing up or getting goosebumps.
So much of John Williams' music moves me to tears regardless of context, the theme for ET's another one - the way he builds into orchestral climaxes is just unbeatable. I love your in-depth analyses and being able to see you pick things out on the keyboard is truly a treat.
"E.T. is Alive," the music that plays when Elliott is saying goodbye to "dead" E.T. before he revives just pulls my heart into a million pieces. It doesn't help that that was the first VHS movie we ever bought when I was a child in the early eighties and hearing the music now brings me right back there.
Sadly not everyone experiences goosebumps from listening to music. Just like not everyone has an inner dialogue. Personally I cannot imagine not experiencing either. 😢
@@dennisveazey4469 I do experience goosebumps from some music. This just does nothing for me. I live, eat, breathe, and sleep music. I sing and play multiple instruments.
God, the music from Harry Potter is so beautiful. It always makes me tear up when I hear that score. I'm not even a hardcore fan but it's so emotional for me.
I’ve never heard music speak so clearly. To me it literally puts the words “where is hope?” In my head. It’s a question melancholy yet optimistic. Hoping for hope. Wondering if it lives only from our memories. It fits the theme and plot of the story of course, but it also strikes a chord at adults watching the movies, trying to feel some childhood while they watch. Ugh, so good.
When I saw the last film in the cinema, as soon as I heard them end the film like this it brought back the whole story. I was in tears, and it was down to this piece of music. Absolutely love it and such a beautiful way to end the saga. Still brings back the emotions when I hear it now.
Truly one of his most magical sounding scores, it's iconic in a way that will seldom be matched in my opinion. It's scores like this that make me happy to be alive in the era I am in.
All of Williams’ work is iconic and incredible, but nothing hits me the way HP does. It’s so beautifully magical, emotional, and poignant, this theme particularly is like flipping the switch on my tear ducts, just brings me back to my childhood, it’s so beautiful. His work is just so incredible and will always mean so much to me.
"Leaving Hogwarts" is literally absolute favorite piece of music of all time, and it is so awesome seeing someone else nerd out about it as much as I always do, as a music theory nerd.
I would say it works even better in movie 2, as people are clapping to Hagrid, and the camera goes out of the window and shows the castle at night. I cry every single time I watch it, it's just too powerful. Williams is a master.
I think John Williams is so brilliant of a composer because he understands his music’s role is to service the storytelling of the film. And he isn’t just thinking about servicing the one moment that he’s writing for, but also thinking about its place in the overall wider narrative. It never seems to me like he’s trying to show-off, steal focus, or needlessly be super complex or simple even though at times his music is very simple or complex.
12:58 As a Harry Potter fan who has watched all the movies many times when I was a kid, this scene not only gives me goosebumps but also sends an electric shock throughout my body that makes me feel uneasy. I don't know how to explain it, but nothing has ever made me feel like this before, and of course, the music plays a big part in it. This is just incredible!
I love that the subsequent score writers love Williams as much as we do. They built on his thematic legacy. So there is a completeness to the musical story. And the bit of theme you get right before the end is the Main Harry Potter theme. It starts each movie, transforming to the mood of that particular movie, ie getting darker as the movies get darker.
The more you broke down the chord progression and the subtle theme changes I got chills and almost started crying. It's a powerfull soundtrack and I always get emotional listening to it. It's amazing how music can make you feel emotions so strongly, love it
I'm not sure what the theme is called, but I've always thought of this theme as "The longing theme". There's so much sadness in this otherwise major key theme, and it is played whenever harry wishes for something that can't be, at least at the moment. It's also played when he sees his parents in the mirror if I'm not mistaken.
I listen to John Williams's music for at least 2-3 hours a day and I am not ashamed. By now, I can sing almost every one of his scores' melodies and play the score in key in my mind. I can also tell which movie the score goes to. The series a score comes from is easy to tell, but I’m talking about the individual movie. I love it so much. I get that this is not the biggest brag, but it shows how much I love John Williams's music. The theme we see here is incorporated in all the three film scores composed by John. For example, we see a very similar piece in the second film called Fawkes Is Reborn leaving the viewer and Harry in a state of wonder. I love it so much.
3:13 the funny thing is, that besides that the celeste fits the baby-vibe, throughout the movie I think JW uses it almost everytime Harry's parents are seen or mentioned, just as in the picture. It's cool to see these motives, themes and instruments used for certains aspects of movies imo.
The Harry Potter scores are the scores that intially got me into film scoring in second grade :,) Leaving Hogwarts has always been one of my favourite pieces and you said it best, it really is just a gut-punch. Now I'm a sophomore in high school, I plan to pursue film scoring and ahhh. I'm just so happy to see someone talk about how gorgeous this piece is.
Wow! This song has been in my playlist for years - I never expected you to cover it. Thanks for being such an inspiration to UA-camrs like me everywhere! ❤
I saw the thumbnail and heard the piece instantly in my head. Truly a magical score and will love on until the end of time. Beautiful enough to make me miss hogwarts and I never attended lol 9:26 yes that is Hedwig’s theme. The two work so well together! And the bombastic sound is so incredible I have chills and I’m tearing up as I’m rocking my kid to sleep thinking about all of the amazing things that are ahead of him in life. I can’t wait to take him to get his wand on his 11th birthday.
I was just thinking how much I would have loved hearing my music theory teacher geek out over some John Williams themes, but many were written long after my professor’s death. He was already well past retirement age when I had him for theory, but I absolutely loved him and his enthusiasm for good music.
This is perhaps my favorite John Williams theme ever, it makes me cry or get goosebumps every time. When I was seeing the final film in the cinema, and I heard this theme start to play, I knew I'd start crying because this was THE MUSIC THAT WAS IN MY HEAD AS I WAS READING THE LAST CHAPTER OF THE FINAL BOOK 😭 Great analysis as always, Charles!
I saw the thumbnail of this video and this is something that I agree with with all of the fibers of my being. The ending of each of these movies is absolutely heart-wrenching. It was the first time I've ever cried just based off of feel and longing in movies alone. An absolutely true masterpiece. This score is one of the biggest pushes of why I did band for 9 years in elementary, jr. , and high school. My favorite cut of any theme was when they were standing on the bridge after Harry breaks the Elder Wand.... Goosebumps every time.
Longing is the perfect world for it! Their either leaving or going to Hogwarts, but either way they are longing to be back at the place they can all call home. It feels like home to those of us who grew up with it as well, and I can feel the longer too!
CHARLES!!! Possibly one of John Williams most over looked soundtracks would have to be his soundtrack for the only animated movie he's ever done; that is the Adventures of Tintin, 2011. Would love to see a review of that soundtrack on this channel. Keep up the great work Charles, this is honestly an amazing channel in my opinion.
The end of Philosopher's Stone is possibly the greatest film ending of all time, and IMO it is enhanced by the "chuff" of the train. Somehow it syncs with the theme. Amazing!
Chris Columbus and John Williams was a truly magical combination. It was no surprise to me that the series went downhill (in my opinion) when those two were no longer involved. It was certainly an inspired decision using this piece at the ending of Deathly Hallows Part 2 though.
Hey Charles, I think you should definitely consider making a video about Chopin. He deserves a spotlight because he made significant contributions to piano techniques and harmony. While it might not be directly comparable to jazz, his innovations were a major step forward in the world of classical music. As someone who has analyzed a lot of old and classical music, I've concluded that Chopin's work has had an impact, albeit indirectly, on the evolution of jazz (polyrythms, phrasing, structure, harmonies that takes you to nowhere, not so often but still there: large chords, textures and so on). I also want to add that this man heavily influenced other composers such as Debussy. I recommend featuring some of his well-known pieces, such as Ballades (especially 1, 3, or 4), Op. 10 No. 3, Op. 9 No. 2, Op. 48 no. 1, prelude in c minor, his Etudes, and "Winter Wind," among others. Chopin's music offers a rich and intriguing perspective and it would be dope to see you make a video about him.
Something else that's awesome about Chopin is that all of his pieces great to play. They lie in the hands better than almost any other composer. But what's wrong with the second ballade lol?
@@KingstonCzajkowski While the composition is decent, it lacks the distinctiveness seen in other ballads. In my opinion, it falls short in its development and lacks a truly memorable melody, with only the coda and a few passages leaving a lasting impression.
@@jonathan130 I get the distinctiveness part, but there are at least two incredible melodies in the piece, at least to me, namely the first one and the big one in the left hand during the A minor section. I would argue that the third ballade has less distinctive melodies.
The soundtrack is so good I can't watch the last movie! Same with Silvistri "The Real Hero" knowing it's over is too emotional. Same with ET at the end. Brilliant!
I specifically needed a musical analysis of this because it’s been in my head all month. I think it’s the underrated theme of the whole series, hits that specific feeling of moving on, without being cheesy or getting old.
I just saw Keith Lockhart conducting the Boston Pops a few weeks ago for a performance of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone live, It was incredible.
This is so awesome. I would love a video on “Into The Unknown” from Frozen II. there are some really cool things in that piece, especially the moving horn line in the chorus. Pure genius
There's another great part of this theme, for example in The Cloak and the Library Scene (the one where he sees his parents in the mirror), where it's much more fragile and less triumphant, and you get some really weird chords too. In A major, you get G# moving to D, chords a tritone apart, and the melody also does a tritone at that moment. Just insane, weird harmony.
Every year or so the New York Philharmonic puts on simultaneous concert and movie viewings. That is, there's a movie playing on a screen while a live orchestra plays the background music alongside the movie. Years ago I attended their viewing for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and hearing this theme up close and in person was nothing short of magical.
I can't hear this one without tearing up... Jeez, first time I watched the last movie and this song came up at the end, the nostalgia took over and the tears came down. What a bittersweet feeling! My heart aches just by thinking about it lol
The soundtrack to “Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone” is really my favorite. The theme for this scene is truly impactful, especially the version from the scene where Harry finds the mirror really tugs on the heart strings. What a great film series, such an important part of my childhood.
2:20 In full-diminished chords, maj7 is considered an available tension if it's diatonic to the key, so I think you're right to say the F# is implied within the chord. Analysis is spot-on.
This is my favorite ending theme of all time, especially when it calls back to the main theme. Williams is a genius for doing those callbacks. Listen to the end theme of Force Awakens. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the movie, THAT theme is amazing, too.
Idk if you already have done it before but Charles Cornell movie score when? With your understanding of music theory and all the original content I've seen over the years I think that would be an amazing experience for all ❤
I love the return of Hedwig’s theme at the end, this time moved up to the third, sharp fourth, and fifth scale degrees of the major I, rather than the first, second, and minor third scale degrees of the minor I. It keeps the intervals between the notes, however, so it becomes lydian rather than minor. It always sounds so hopeful! This also happened at the end of “Show Yourself” from Frozen 2, when the little dies irae theme that the spirit voice was modulated up into the major key and ended up being in lydian as well :)
The musical ending always leaves my emotions bare and vulnerable as the circle of life repeats itself. Existence is just one endless cycles of life, after life, after life. Is it not. We are the music.
I remember hearing that the scene leaving Hogwarts in year one was the very first thing they shot for the franchise. So it was probably very sentimental for all of the people involved in making the films too for it to end musically with the music used for the very first scene that they filmed.
Do you think this is some of John Williams' greatest work or do you prefer others of his iconic themes? Also, what are some other long-payoff thematic scores that you think deserve a look as well? LOTR comes to mind immediately, of course. Let me know!
I think Harry Potter is among his best works, I would say for a long-term thematic payoff Star Wars is one of his best as well. For me, LOTR and How to Train Your Dragon have the best theme writing of all time, with the best payoff.
You should review the Oppenheimer soundtrack. Absolutely brilliant work from one of my favorite composers in the music scene
Definitely some of the best emotion invoking music John Williams has ever written.
The man is an alchemist. Everything he touches turns to gold.
This is and has been my favorite John Williams score ever since I was a child. It’s the work that inspired me to be a filmmaker and musician and to make music for film. I also find it very fitting I got to watch this last scene in a theater again yesterday making relive that same childlike wonder and joy I had all those years ago. Thank you so much for the video!
15 minutes of Charles fanboying all over one theme. His enthusiasm is so contagious, i love it
It is an incredible piece to be fair 😅
I love it too. I don’t understand most of the music theory, but I do love music appreciation and how it can steer your emotions.
So sexy when he talks so passionate about it 🤤 😂
Autism*
This is unrelated, but I feel bad for all the kids in the final scene. Imagine being selected to be part of the Harry Potter series finally landing a dream role, then you reach platform 9 3/4 get on the Hogwarts express and...cut, pack up, and end of the series.
'I'm not going home, not really.' - It has been 22 years and it still gets me every time.
I still think John Williams' work for harry Potter is his best. I love all of JW's music, but I think his work for HP is the most original, nothing else sounds like it music. That and the contrast between films 1/2 and 3 is amazing.
>nothing else sounds like it music
dunno, i find it easy to jump from hedwig's theme into lotr's shire theme and vice versa
In that case, I think there’s a case for Home Alone. Yeah, Harry Potter’s music is probably better, but a lot of the Harry Potter themes seem inspired by his Home Alone soundtrack (which as it happens, is for the same director).
@@Ofjkkto me, lotr's music doesn't feel curious, mischievous or secretive like a lot of JW's Harry Potter scores. Lotr's is more fantastical, moving and in the case of the shire theme, homely. But, I might need to listen to all the soundtrack to refine my opinion.
I fantasize about what movies 3+ would be like if Chris Columbus kept directing them. 1 and 2 were hands down the best and most magical.
@@StefTedder i love Alfonso Cuaron's take on the third book, but the first 2 really capture the spirit of the books
This theme is played for the same time when he looks at his family in the mirror of Erised (It is called Family Portrait in some editions). To me this Theme is used to convey family. When Harry leaves Hogwarts he recognizes that he is NOT going home, he is leaving his home PLUS Hagrid gives him pictures of his parents ( which he had previously only seen in the mirror).
At the end of Deathly Hallows it sounds not as an ending but as a reminder that Harry finally has a family of his own. He is able to take his children to platform 9 3/4, something he never got to do with his parents.
Yes, you nailed it.
The diminished passing chord adds both nostalgia and melancholy. Harry doesn't really mourn his parents, he didn't know them, so I think the music just borders on sadness but is ultimately uplifting.
THIS CONNECTION IS AWESOME
What a beautiful interpretation. This is what music is all about.
People usually refer to it as the “friendship theme”, but I guess family is also fitting
This melody literally hurts my heart so much. Just stunning
Hurts even more since Robbie Coltrane passed.
Please go see a doctor, because any pain in your heart/chest can be very serious. Even if it turns out to be nothing, you should never take the risk. People of all ages can die of heart attacks.
@@duffman18 r/wooosh
Not “literally”
@@DrakDoesClipsdude considering your pfp is Minecraft r/whoosh just be applied to you
Films like Harry Potter, LOTR, and Star Wars are huge examples of why the score is so important in a movie. It adds quite a lot to the enjoyment of the film, and a tune everyone knows helps the movie become more established in the pop culture.
This song was playing on the loud speakers when I arrived at Harry Potter World for the first time. The music was timing was perfect as I saw the Hogwarts castle. The nostalgia just overwhelmed me. Truly the most magical moment in my life!
The studio tour? Yeah, the way they lead you into that room and you see the castle... utterly amazing. Really loved that tour far more than I imagined I would, it was such a tribute to the artists behind the movies that made it all happen.
When I went for the first time to Universal Studios in Orlando, and saw Harry Potter world, the swell hit, and I got goosebumps. It was so powerful.
@@averyhamilton4945seeing everything and then hearing the music really make you feel like you’re really there. That really means they did their job.
The Harry Potter studio tours in Watford is bloody brilliant. I'm not even a fan of the films, they're shit, compared to the books, they have no redeeming features and are ruined by the godawful acting of the main 3 actors of the cast. But going through the different sets at the studio, buying a Slitherin keyring, buying a wand, it was so much fun. I was very disappointed by the butterbeer though, it tasted completely wrong. It's supposed to taste like werthers originals, i.e. butterscotch. But it just tasted like dirty dish water. You can make real butterbeer very very easily at home, just mix butterscotch syrup, cream soda, cream, and maybe some melted butter too.
But yeah on the whole it's definitely worth going to Watford to see the studios. Just, for any Americans who are flying over to the UK to go there, just be aware, that Watford is not in London. It's never been in London. If you go to Central London with the plan to go to Watford, you're basically hours away, on the train. It's much quicker to go to Luton Airport and travel to Watford from there instead, or something like that. If you go all the way into London you're basically going directly away from Watford, just to go back in the direction you just came in, to get to Watford. I don't know why Americans think Watford is in London but yeah I'm just trying to help you by letting you know that it's not
@@averyhamilton4945amazing experience
Every time i rewatch the movies, i'm on the edge of tearing up hearing that theme. Phenomenal writing
when those horns hit after the buildup, I always get a shiver down the back of my neck and teary-eyed. It's a feeling of triumph and trepidation with the twinge of melancholy that is goodbye. John Williams is amazing
Same I always get goosebumps.
Yes! It is the mixture of triumph with a touch of melancholy that makes me tear up every time!
John Williams was a master of using the right instruments For the right phrase. I absolutely love how he highlights horns.
Literally this! You described how exactly I feel everytime, it's just magical.
I think what I love most about this channel is how Charles focuses on geeking out about good music rather than tearing down bad music. Exactly the kind of positivity I like!
THIS! So much THIS! 😁
Quite
One thing being a composer and studying orchestral music has revealed to me is there is no one alive on this earth that can write music at this level other than John Williams. He really is the kind of person that comes along once a century (if we are lucky). We are are blessed to be able to learn from and appreciate such a master.
I think, if he isn't already being taught this way, John Williams will be taught in Music history and music classes in general among the greats such as Bach, Tchaikovsky, Handel, Vivaldi, Holst, etc.
The doors need to be reopened because there's John Williams out there knocking
Personally, I prefer the way this theme was used at the end of Chamber of Secrets. I love the way the music swells to punctuate Hermione and Hagrid coming back, and the extra build-up during the final pan out from the Great Hall to show the whole castle is magnificent.
Yeah, I prefer the version in Chambers. It feels more complete
And then it sounds like it's gonna be the big resolution, but he squeezes Hedwig's theme in under the last chord. Soooo beautiful
The ending of Chamber of Secrets is my favourite part of any of the films.
Totally agree, the ending of Chamber has a much more robust instrumentation and really lets the French horns fly a bit more. It's only a few bars longer, but it really has that majesty of a fanfare and send-off going for it.
Yes! I was hoping he’d talk about the Chamber of Secrets version in the video. It is the most complete and exciting version of the theme and is so much more emotionally impactful for me, to the point where the Sorceror’s Stone/Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 endings fall a but flat for me because the music sounds rushed and incomplete in comparison. It feels like going from watching the LOTR extended editions to the theatrical editions haha
It was also used in the trailer for Prisoner of Azkaban (20 years ago, oh my god) and its usage there makes me so excited to watch that movie for the hundredth time
It has the added impact at the end because for much of the later films we’ve been hearing darker, more brooding music and variations of the classic themes laden with uncertainty and anxiety, so returning to the childlike wonder we knew before is extra nostalgic and brings a feeling of coming full circle. It’s a perfect resolution musically and thematically.
I’d say the ending themes from star wars of Rogue one and revenge of the sith are up there with this one.
John Williams knows how to write whimsy and wonder. That will never go out of style.
Love this theme, definately top 3, but the themes ending star wars revenge of the sith, clone wars season 5 finale, mando season 2 finale, and rogue one are all equally as good.
@@ncard00 The ending of Attack of the Clones is also pretty spectacular. I'd maybe discount the ending theme of Rogue One didn't find it particularly special
John Williams is honestly so good... that it's practically unfair to all the great composers below him. How can a guy ,who was a teenager during WW2, have made the soundtracks for Star wars, Indiana Jones and E.T., then made the iconic soundtracks for Harry Potter and other movies from my childhood (I'm a Millennial). It seems impossibly good.
Don't forget Superman The Movie (1978), Jaws, Hook, and Jurassic Park.
I totally felt it in the ending of DHp2. The nostalgia and the goosebumps were through the roof. This theme is one of the most incredibly music I ever heard.
This theme has always, always, always given me chills and I've always thought it was just, so heroic, wondrous, and hopeful.
John Williams is truly a genius. Please do more John Williams. Hook, Jurassic Park, A.I., Prisoner of Azkaban so good
Hook’s music is so underrated, I love it
Dont fprget schindlers list and et
A window to the past is one of the best pieces of music ever
I imagine in a couple hundred years' time, John Williams will be remembered and studied for his film music in the same way the great composers of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic period were for their choral, opera, and ballet music. IMO only the medium of popular consumption of entertainment has changed - great music composition will endure.
John Williams' soundtrack for Space Camp is legit, too.
They should have committed to using the bright and vibrant colors of the first film in the epilogue as well. Desplat understood the assignment for the film ending, but I wish the cinematographer/director had as well.
That wasn’t Desplat, it’s the original recording re-edited for the scene. It was most probably the director who decided to end the movie like that.
@@marcellkovacs5452 Right. I'm saying Desplat understood that the films should come full circle, and elected to re-use John Williams' theme. Or if it was the director, then he should have come full circle both audibly and visually.
Yeah… Still gives me chills to this day. That’s my childhood right there
One thing I think you missed in your breakdown of this leitmotif is the idea of modulating the emotion you feel by the base note. You made great mention of the refusal to resolve to a tonal chord over a 1 and leaving it over a 3, but I wanted to call attention to what's going on when that 3 is in use. In the first film, it's Harry seeing moving photos of his dead parents then acknowledging to his friends that he's NOT going home. He's going some other place because home for him is Hogwarts. The lingering over a 3 makes the music feel bittersweet. And that's perfect for the context in the film.
Honestly, John Williams' score for Sorcerer's Stone may be his finest. It's hard to say, considering his incredible catalogue of work, but I think with this soundtrack we're hearing all of his maturity and experience as a composer come to fruition. The setting of the music is perfect throughout the film. You're hearing an absolute master of his craft.
I studied orchestration with Conrad Pope (who was one of the orchestrators on this film), and he specifically drew attention to that warm Viola line around 0:20 in this video. He wanted us to see how full a sound could be, even in an exposed line such as that. That line could've gone to the Celli, but the Violas' timbre in that register was exactly what was needed.
Truly beautiful!
The crescendo with the ending shot as it fades out is CHILLING to me back then, and today. Best Harry Potter theme there is.
I heard this at a concert of John Williams' music and it took everything in me not to bawl in public. I had so many emotions tied up in this since I was a child, and it was magical then and incredible now.
Wait! Check out how he does it at the very end of the Chamber of Secrets! It's even more beautiful in my opinion. I can't listen to it without tearing up or getting goosebumps.
you‘re absolutely right… they should have used the end of COS to finish 7.2… would have been even better…
It‘s perfect.
So much of John Williams' music moves me to tears regardless of context, the theme for ET's another one - the way he builds into orchestral climaxes is just unbeatable. I love your in-depth analyses and being able to see you pick things out on the keyboard is truly a treat.
The E. T. ending credits theme is one of my favorites!
"E.T. is Alive," the music that plays when Elliott is saying goodbye to "dead" E.T. before he revives just pulls my heart into a million pieces. It doesn't help that that was the first VHS movie we ever bought when I was a child in the early eighties and hearing the music now brings me right back there.
"The Fellowship Reunited" from Return of the King is a great example of fantastic composing too!
It’s so good it hurts. I start bawling everytime I hear it.
You're not human if this theme doesn't give you chills; Williams certainly knows how to control your emotions
Guess I’m not human then. This just isn’t memorable
Sadly not everyone experiences goosebumps from listening to music. Just like not everyone has an inner dialogue. Personally I cannot imagine not experiencing either. 😢
@@dennisveazey4469 I do experience goosebumps from some music. This just does nothing for me. I live, eat, breathe, and sleep music. I sing and play multiple instruments.
@@jacobdionne4334 fair 'nuff.
@@jacobdionne4334 Theme-writing like this is an art that should never be seen as just music. It is inseparable from its theatre.
God, the music from Harry Potter is so beautiful. It always makes me tear up when I hear that score. I'm not even a hardcore fan but it's so emotional for me.
I’ve never heard music speak so clearly. To me it literally puts the words “where is hope?” In my head.
It’s a question melancholy yet optimistic. Hoping for hope. Wondering if it lives only from our memories.
It fits the theme and plot of the story of course, but it also strikes a chord at adults watching the movies, trying to feel some childhood while they watch.
Ugh, so good.
When I saw the last film in the cinema, as soon as I heard them end the film like this it brought back the whole story. I was in tears, and it was down to this piece of music. Absolutely love it and such a beautiful way to end the saga. Still brings back the emotions when I hear it now.
The lydian mode has a magical and uplifting sound… Perfect for the Harry Potter series, and especially for this scene.
Truly one of his most magical sounding scores, it's iconic in a way that will seldom be matched in my opinion. It's scores like this that make me happy to be alive in the era I am in.
All of Williams’ work is iconic and incredible, but nothing hits me the way HP does. It’s so beautifully magical, emotional, and poignant, this theme particularly is like flipping the switch on my tear ducts, just brings me back to my childhood, it’s so beautiful. His work is just so incredible and will always mean so much to me.
"Leaving Hogwarts" is literally absolute favorite piece of music of all time, and it is so awesome seeing someone else nerd out about it as much as I always do, as a music theory nerd.
I also love how Williams uses the bass in all of his music. I’m guessing it comes from his jazz background.
I would say it works even better in movie 2, as people are clapping to Hagrid, and the camera goes out of the window and shows the castle at night. I cry every single time I watch it, it's just too powerful. Williams is a master.
I think John Williams is so brilliant of a composer because he understands his music’s role is to service the storytelling of the film. And he isn’t just thinking about servicing the one moment that he’s writing for, but also thinking about its place in the overall wider narrative.
It never seems to me like he’s trying to show-off, steal focus, or needlessly be super complex or simple even though at times his music is very simple or complex.
I knew this video was going to wreck me when I started to tear up at the first three notes of the melody. Truly one of William's best themes👌
Respectfully, E.T. is his greatest ending. The entire final 15 minutes are astounding 😮
Totally agree!!!
Charles breaking down John Williams themes makes my week no cap frfr
cap not r
12:58 As a Harry Potter fan who has watched all the movies many times when I was a kid, this scene not only gives me goosebumps but also sends an electric shock throughout my body that makes me feel uneasy. I don't know how to explain it, but nothing has ever made me feel like this before, and of course, the music plays a big part in it. This is just incredible!
It's so great to see someone this passionate about a work of art. Thank you.
I love that the subsequent score writers love Williams as much as we do. They built on his thematic legacy. So there is a completeness to the musical story.
And the bit of theme you get right before the end is the Main Harry Potter theme. It starts each movie, transforming to the mood of that particular movie, ie getting darker as the movies get darker.
The more you broke down the chord progression and the subtle theme changes I got chills and almost started crying. It's a powerfull soundtrack and I always get emotional listening to it. It's amazing how music can make you feel emotions so strongly, love it
I'm not sure what the theme is called, but I've always thought of this theme as "The longing theme". There's so much sadness in this otherwise major key theme, and it is played whenever harry wishes for something that can't be, at least at the moment. It's also played when he sees his parents in the mirror if I'm not mistaken.
I listen to John Williams's music for at least 2-3 hours a day and I am not ashamed. By now, I can sing almost every one of his scores' melodies and play the score in key in my mind. I can also tell which movie the score goes to. The series a score comes from is easy to tell, but I’m talking about the individual movie. I love it so much. I get that this is not the biggest brag, but it shows how much I love John Williams's music. The theme we see here is incorporated in all the three film scores composed by John. For example, we see a very similar piece in the second film called Fawkes Is Reborn leaving the viewer and Harry in a state of wonder. I love it so much.
This always made me tear up. It's incredible. Thanks for making a video about it.
I'm nearly 63 years old, and I just adore these movies - and John Williams' exceptional soundtracks!
3:13 the funny thing is, that besides that the celeste fits the baby-vibe, throughout the movie I think JW uses it almost everytime Harry's parents are seen or mentioned, just as in the picture. It's cool to see these motives, themes and instruments used for certains aspects of movies imo.
The power of music is something else
The Harry Potter scores are the scores that intially got me into film scoring in second grade :,) Leaving Hogwarts has always been one of my favourite pieces and you said it best, it really is just a gut-punch. Now I'm a sophomore in high school, I plan to pursue film scoring and ahhh. I'm just so happy to see someone talk about how gorgeous this piece is.
I wish you all the best. Would love to see you composing great film scores in the future and join the league of legends! :D
Best of luck! Keep on studying ghe classics and never stop writing, especially while you still have plenty of free time :)
Best wishes to you on your endeavors 😊
Amazing!!!
Good luck
Wow! This song has been in my playlist for years - I never expected you to cover it. Thanks for being such an inspiration to UA-camrs like me everywhere! ❤
I saw the thumbnail and heard the piece instantly in my head. Truly a magical score and will love on until the end of time. Beautiful enough to make me miss hogwarts and I never attended lol
9:26 yes that is Hedwig’s theme. The two work so well together! And the bombastic sound is so incredible I have chills and I’m tearing up as I’m rocking my kid to sleep thinking about all of the amazing things that are ahead of him in life. I can’t wait to take him to get his wand on his 11th birthday.
This theme is so fantastic. Tugs at the heartstrings, makes me cry every time.
I’ve always thought it criminal how underutilised John Williams’ theme for Voldemort is. It’s SO good in the first film.
I think this is absolutely top tier John Williams work. I could (and have) just listen to the Prisoner of Azkaban score. Absolutely fantastic
John Williams is a master, and created a magical score for a magical world.
John Williams is on a whole other level. He’ll definitely be the big composer of this era when future music history classes look back.
I was just thinking how much I would have loved hearing my music theory teacher geek out over some John Williams themes, but many were written long after my professor’s death. He was already well past retirement age when I had him for theory, but I absolutely loved him and his enthusiasm for good music.
I've always felt this is my favorite of Williams' work, it's so emotive and powerful and joyous.
This is perhaps my favorite John Williams theme ever, it makes me cry or get goosebumps every time. When I was seeing the final film in the cinema, and I heard this theme start to play, I knew I'd start crying because this was THE MUSIC THAT WAS IN MY HEAD AS I WAS READING THE LAST CHAPTER OF THE FINAL BOOK 😭
Great analysis as always, Charles!
I saw the thumbnail of this video and this is something that I agree with with all of the fibers of my being. The ending of each of these movies is absolutely heart-wrenching. It was the first time I've ever cried just based off of feel and longing in movies alone. An absolutely true masterpiece. This score is one of the biggest pushes of why I did band for 9 years in elementary, jr. , and high school. My favorite cut of any theme was when they were standing on the bridge after Harry breaks the Elder Wand.... Goosebumps every time.
Longing is the perfect world for it! Their either leaving or going to Hogwarts, but either way they are longing to be back at the place they can all call home. It feels like home to those of us who grew up with it as well, and I can feel the longer too!
The end of the Pixar film Luca has a great example of using the core theme building and building to a wonderful conclusion. Tears me up every time.
This has always been one of my favourite melodies in Harry Potter. About time somebody covered it!
CHARLES!!! Possibly one of John Williams most over looked soundtracks would have to be his soundtrack for the only animated movie he's ever done; that is the Adventures of Tintin, 2011. Would love to see a review of that soundtrack on this channel. Keep up the great work Charles, this is honestly an amazing channel in my opinion.
God the last movies ending with that swelling theme gives me chills everytime
The end of Philosopher's Stone is possibly the greatest film ending of all time, and IMO it is enhanced by the "chuff" of the train. Somehow it syncs with the theme. Amazing!
Chris Columbus and John Williams was a truly magical combination. It was no surprise to me that the series went downhill (in my opinion) when those two were no longer involved. It was certainly an inspired decision using this piece at the ending of Deathly Hallows Part 2 though.
Hey Charles, I think you should definitely consider making a video about Chopin. He deserves a spotlight because he made significant contributions to piano techniques and harmony. While it might not be directly comparable to jazz, his innovations were a major step forward in the world of classical music. As someone who has analyzed a lot of old and classical music, I've concluded that Chopin's work has had an impact, albeit indirectly, on the evolution of jazz (polyrythms, phrasing, structure, harmonies that takes you to nowhere, not so often but still there: large chords, textures and so on). I also want to add that this man heavily influenced other composers such as Debussy.
I recommend featuring some of his well-known pieces, such as Ballades (especially 1, 3, or 4), Op. 10 No. 3, Op. 9 No. 2, Op. 48 no. 1, prelude in c minor, his Etudes, and "Winter Wind," among others. Chopin's music offers a rich and intriguing perspective and it would be dope to see you make a video about him.
Something else that's awesome about Chopin is that all of his pieces great to play. They lie in the hands better than almost any other composer.
But what's wrong with the second ballade lol?
@@KingstonCzajkowski While the composition is decent, it lacks the distinctiveness seen in other ballads. In my opinion, it falls short in its development and lacks a truly memorable melody, with only the coda and a few passages leaving a lasting impression.
@@jonathan130 I get the distinctiveness part, but there are at least two incredible melodies in the piece, at least to me, namely the first one and the big one in the left hand during the A minor section. I would argue that the third ballade has less distinctive melodies.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who geeks out like this
Unbelievably evocative work. The score MAKES these movies.
The piece is called "Harry's Wonderfull World" and it is also used in The Camber of Secrets.
The soundtrack is so good I can't watch the last movie! Same with Silvistri "The Real Hero" knowing it's over is too emotional. Same with ET at the end. Brilliant!
Never thought I'd cry watching Charles Cornell... yet here we are...
John Williams is the master. I also love his War Horse theme and ending. Another brilliant score from the maestro.
I specifically needed a musical analysis of this because it’s been in my head all month. I think it’s the underrated theme of the whole series, hits that specific feeling of moving on, without being cheesy or getting old.
OMG. I LOVE this piece. Goosebumps everywhere. John Williams is a genius.
I just saw Keith Lockhart conducting the Boston Pops a few weeks ago for a performance of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone live, It was incredible.
This is so awesome. I would love a video on “Into The Unknown” from Frozen II. there are some really cool things in that piece, especially the moving horn line in the chorus. Pure genius
I second this request/suggestion! Such a beautiful and intriguing song 💕
It's based on an old Icelandic melody
This piece is why I chose to play horn. Glorious.
There's another great part of this theme, for example in The Cloak and the Library Scene (the one where he sees his parents in the mirror), where it's much more fragile and less triumphant, and you get some really weird chords too. In A major, you get G# moving to D, chords a tritone apart, and the melody also does a tritone at that moment. Just insane, weird harmony.
I'm not crying ... ok, I am. The Harry Potter soundtrack always gets me in the feels 😅
Every year or so the New York Philharmonic puts on simultaneous concert and movie viewings. That is, there's a movie playing on a screen while a live orchestra plays the background music alongside the movie. Years ago I attended their viewing for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and hearing this theme up close and in person was nothing short of magical.
I can't hear this one without tearing up... Jeez, first time I watched the last movie and this song came up at the end, the nostalgia took over and the tears came down. What a bittersweet feeling! My heart aches just by thinking about it lol
You know these films hold a place in our hearts if all I have to do is hear this music and my eyes water. So good
I'm beginning to think this John Williams guy knows what he's doing.
And this is one of the many reasons this is my favorite film franchises of all time
I have been saying this exact thing for years now. Most beautiful theme ever.. John Williams is an amazing genius!
The soundtrack to “Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone” is really my favorite. The theme for this scene is truly impactful, especially the version from the scene where Harry finds the mirror really tugs on the heart strings. What a great film series, such an important part of my childhood.
2:20
In full-diminished chords, maj7 is considered an available tension if it's diatonic to the key, so I think you're right to say the F# is implied within the chord. Analysis is spot-on.
This is my favorite ending theme of all time, especially when it calls back to the main theme. Williams is a genius for doing those callbacks. Listen to the end theme of Force Awakens. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the movie, THAT theme is amazing, too.
Idk if you already have done it before but Charles Cornell movie score when? With your understanding of music theory and all the original content I've seen over the years I think that would be an amazing experience for all ❤
John Williams knows how to use horns in a way that just makes you feel like a kid again
Honestly, that second chord alone always makes me tear up right away 😭😅
You're reaction to those first 3 chords is why i like your channel. We share the same passion. I totally know that feeling when I hear them too.
I've always loved this theme. Getting a deep dive on it from Charles is a real treat.
I love the return of Hedwig’s theme at the end, this time moved up to the third, sharp fourth, and fifth scale degrees of the major I, rather than the first, second, and minor third scale degrees of the minor I. It keeps the intervals between the notes, however, so it becomes lydian rather than minor. It always sounds so hopeful! This also happened at the end of “Show Yourself” from Frozen 2, when the little dies irae theme that the spirit voice was modulated up into the major key and ended up being in lydian as well :)
The musical ending always leaves my emotions bare and vulnerable as the circle of life repeats itself. Existence is just one endless cycles of life, after life, after life. Is it not. We are the music.
I remember hearing that the scene leaving Hogwarts in year one was the very first thing they shot for the franchise. So it was probably very sentimental for all of the people involved in making the films too for it to end musically with the music used for the very first scene that they filmed.