Searching For Bobby Fischer
An In Depth Analysis
by Julie Olson
The most noticeable difference between this score and many others is perhaps its instrumentation. Horner scored this work for a small string orchestra, woodwinds, percussion, French horn, a wide range of synthesizers and solo piano. This intimate setting is one of the keys to the score's success in both the film and on the CD. There is a character that is immediately present, and it shapes the mood of the film before the main title is even given. The first track, "Main Title" opens with flutes and clarinets playing a soft, sustained line (0:01). This motif is followed by a small piano riff (0:06) and a bass note (0:11). The listener has just been introduced to the movie's main character; a small chess prodigy named Josh, without even knowing it. Josh, though he is only seven years old is already a very complex and very intelligent individual. The flutes and clarinets, playing very deliberately, display Josh's passion for the art of chess. The piano riff is played very lightly and is a personification of the innocence that Josh's youthful heart still holds. The bass enters, enveloping the sound in a rich deep tone, showing marvelously how very deep Josh truly is. The next time these three ideas (or rather one complete idea) are heard (0:14), violins play a counterline to the upper woodwinds, making the sound fuller and more complex. It is played a third time, a horn playing sparsely in the counterpoint (0:36). This time around, there is no piano, and the line moves on. Though there is a brief moment of release (0:55), the tension keeps building through the motion of each individual line until the strings' entrance (1:12). The strings and solo horn play a second theme, harmonizing fully with several 4-3 suspensions that do not resolve immediately to the 3rd (most noticed at 1:20 in the horn). This is repeated several times, moving down the range of the instruments and softening until a lush C Major triad is heard in the low voices (1:45). The clarinets then play a third motive (1:46) filled with several harmonic implications (for example, the sixth note - the F - pushes towards a IV chord) but the pedal C Major triad sustains throughout. It isn't until the 16th note of the motive - again the F - where Horner decides to change chords (to the IV at 2:00) and again, more noticeably perhaps, between the C Major and what sounds to me to be a G minor 7 chord (2:04-2:16). The color changes from deep to light as the upper strings enter on a G Major chord. With the new instrumentation and strong cadence that preceded it, sounds like the beginning of a new key (2:20) with a low G being sounded as a pedal point between alternating G Major and F Major chords above (2:20-2:40). A solo voice is heard on a G (2:40), momentarily releasing the tension built up by the two alternating triads. The bass voices enters in playing an F Major, then Eb Major chord (2:42) destroying any rest the solo G created. To increase the tension further, the upper strings enter in on what sounds like a G diminished triad (2:45). The most prominent note in this orchestration of the chord is the C#. A tritone away from the solo G that is still sustaining, the piece is ended perfectly for the beginning of an insightful film. The tension that Dr. Horner builds during this final sequence is never resolved, and as Josh's final words, "He disappeared" are whispered, that unfinished "Main Title" entices the listener and pushes the credits into the commencement of the next scene.
Track Two falls a bit out of place in the chronology of the film, however, I will continue with it. Throughout this track, there is a collage of Josh's first tournaments, all of which, of course, he wins. The track begins slowly with a simple flute solo and in the key of G Major and in triple time. A horn enters (0:33) to state the main motive, and the background begins to build through dynamic crescendos and harmonic movement. There's a mini Horner rush (1:12) where a key change is heard to D Major that changes the mood to a dramatic importance which then dissolves (1:37) into a lyrical string line over a driving piano ostinato. There is also a meter change, here to a quadruple feel, very important in the movement of the track. In fact, throughout this section, the musical elements that move this piece are rhythm (in the piano) and melody (in the violins). This is unusual for Horner, in that he often creates tension and movement through his harmonies. There is a small break (2:10) as the violas begin a pattern to keep the rhythm moving forward and the upper strings' melody turns to a more reflective tone. The key also changes to E Major, though we stay in a 4 pattern rhythmically. A build begins again (2:27) as the flute takes over and leads the strings into another lyric section (2:32) over the, again, driving piano. The key, again, is D Major. This time, the horn is heard an octave below the violins on the melody. It settles down (3:06) as the collage of Josh's tournaments comes to a close in the film. The final chord heard is a D Major triad, and the piece concludes resolved, just as the scene does. This track shows the excitement of a little boy's discovery that he truly has a gift for this art done through the exceptional piano work, and the sincerity and innocence that always leads Josh into his passions through the exquisite violins.
Again, Track Three falls out of place time-wise, and in fact, is housed about 2/3rds the way into the film. In this scene, Bruce, Josh's mentor is instructing him that he must have contempt for his opponents. This does not mix well with Josh's good heart, as heard exceptionally at the commencement of this track. There are several suspensions (0:04 and 0:10 among others) that really tighten the mood on the music and in the simple fact that we are now in a minor key. There is tension created, and although the suspensions are resolved, they are resolved quickly and moved on. There is a small ground of resolution (0:33) on an Ab Major chord. The key moves quickly to F Major (0:49), a modulation that is not heard often in this score. Throughout this section, the two characters in the scene - Josh and Bruce - are personified beautifully. The strings are deep and steadfast and show how stubborn and stern Bruce is. The short oboe cries (1:03) that move in and out of dissonance are Josh's yearning for the game of chess, as he once knew it. The mood turns sad (1:21) as the strings play the progression heard so frequently throughout the score with sprinkles of piano which serve the same purpose as the oboe cries did earlier. The oboe plays one of the main motives (1:47) so mournfully over a keyboard accompaniment, which rhythmically is motionless. The piece fades into its end on a IV chord, unresolved.
"The Castle" starts out wonderfully as Josh sets up his Lego Castle like a chessboard. The main element heard in this track is youth. This child sees familiar, medieval pieces on a chessboard and recreates them in the only manner at his disposal - a Lego Castle. So innocent! Horner really captures a youthful heart in the piano (0:03) as Josh creates what he saw in the park that afternoon. The mood changes (0:24) as Josh becomes more serious with his growing interest in chess. The oboe is heard once again playing one of the main melodies over the same rhythmically stable keyboard accompaniment. The accompaniment changes (0:45) as the string basses are added, and a keyboard joins the melody. There is a wistful quality achieved with the added keyboard that shows further opens Josh's character to the listener. The background stops (1:16) and a solo flute plays the melody in fragments over a sustaining chord in the keyboard and strings. The track fades to end with this D Major chord.
Track Five begins with forte low C octaves on the piano, signaling the beginning of the game between Josh and his dad. The two had just gotten done with a game in which Josh lets his dad beat him, but after further encouragement from his mother, Josh has decided to play a serious game with his dad. These commanding C's heard at the commencement of this piece really symbolizes the intensity, seriousness, and maturity that Josh has about the game of chess. The low C's continue in the synth and serve as a pedal point. The track is dominated by piano pyrotechnics. The melody enters (0:13) with a syncopated feel in a quadruple meter. The rhythm is almost Latin in its feel, though the spices that make up a Latin groove are not present. There is a move from C Major (the original key) to D Major (0:36-0:38) and a synth acoustic guitar enters more predominantly and adds to the driving subdivision under the piano. The meter changes to a triple feel (0:48) for a repeated cadence moving up the range of both instruments. This adds to the humor of the scene - here's this 8-year-old kid beating his dad, who thinks of himself as a very intelligent man, in a game of chess! The meter stays firmly triple until the cadence (0:51). After this point, the meter gets a bit lost in the three rhythms going on (though, if you listen very closely, you'll hear a half-time quadruple feel maintaining the metric structure). First, the synth and a bit in the left hand of the piano are holding notes for long lengths of time, making a downbeat very difficult to determine. Secondly, you have the syncopation heard in the bass and left hand of the piano (first heard at 0:54 and again at 1:00). Lastly, you have this seemingly constant stream of subdivisions in the right hand of the piano (heard throughout between 0:52 and 1:06) that sequence up and down the instrument maintaining the driving pulse. All this tension is released (1:06) as the familiar melody recapitulates in the same quadruple meter in regular tempo, in D Major. Again, there is the thrice-repeated cadence (1:17) that jolts us back into triple meter. Horner is doing to us what Josh is doing to is dad - as soon as we think we have a handle on all that is going on in the music, he changes it and always keeps us guessing! The same piano riffs are present again (1:20), though this time, a solo flute enters on the top and a meter is established - a quadruple feel returns, in the regular tempo. The piano becomes an accompaniment (1:20-1:35) to the syncopated synth guitar and the flute, which is playing a metrically straight lyrical melody. The piano then becomes an equal partner in the call and response (1:35) and cheerfully plays with the other two instruments. Throughout this, one hears simple motives that Dr. Horner has used differently in other scores (heard at 1:51, for example, in the piano). All this dialogue comes to a head as the piano is heard play upward moving scales to end the idea (2:03). The bass note (2:19) symbolizes Dad's defeat as he looks, shocked at his king which as just been mated. This ends the scene in the film, though there is still about a minute left of music. This is reserved for Josh's telling of more Bobby Fischer stories over stills of the chess great. Josh reminisces on Fischer's skill, and the wistful character of his voice is captured in the score. The pedal in the bass mixed with the airy synth on top gives a breathy, foggy feeling to the piece. This is done in G Major, and resolves quietly, but soundly (3:07), on a G Major triad.
Track Six starts out with a woodwind / string intro stating the cadence that should, by this point in the CD, be familiar to listeners. Again, we're in the key of D, moving along at a rubato tempo. A pulse begins (0:33) with the synth playing on beats 1 and 2 without rest. This really exemplifies the determination of any serious chess player. A solo clarinet enters (0:36) and plays the beginning of one of the main themes, however, as the line continues, it is inverted (not a direct inversion) and several non-harmonic tones are used to create and release tension. (These non-harmonic tones leap to a dissonance and steps downward in the same direction to its consonance. These are heard at 0:43-0:47.) Then, as the line progresses, just the opposite is heard. (They step to a dissonance, and resolve by leap in the same direction and are heard at 0:48-0:50.) It's so interesting that Horner chose to do this - he creates a line utilizing tension and release, but does it in two very different ways. The line also fits in with the overall character in that this melody (in D Major, and triple meter, of course) does not have a quickly changing harmonic accompaniment. The restatement of the progression (0:55-0:59) has the clarinet "off" by one beat, cadencing on beat two. In a triple meter, this is not expected, and includes several other non-harmonic tones. Great use of tension and release to manipulate one of the main themes! The horns then join the synth (1:04) in the determination of the accompaniment, and the strings take over the melody. Accented passing tones are heard toward the end of the line. (Passing tones are specific non-harmonic tones that step in and out of dissonance in the same direction. If it is accented, it means that the dissonance occurs on a downbeat, and the resolution on an off-beat. These are heard at 0:13.) The pulse stops momentarily (1:20) before progressing into the IV chord, really adding to the tension of the line. There are some appoggiaturas heard (1:24-1:28) to complete the line. (Appogiaturas are another specific non-harmonic tones that leap to a dissonance and step in the opposite direction to its consonance.) The same progression heard at the beginning of the track is heard again (1:35), only this time in the strings. A solo flute enters (1:50) to play another of the main themes - this one accompanied by a faster-moving harmony as heard in the clarinet. Another clarinet takes over the theme (2:11). The line resolves to octave D's heard in the clarinet and horn (2:14). The synth enters (2:17) and plays the familiar accompaniment as an echo to the line. I think that this cue really symbolizes how different and how similar Josh and Bruce (his mentor) truly are. Simply a wonderfully crafted cue!
"Trip to Chicago" was not originally included in the film. It is reminiscent of track five, though there are some defining differences in the overall mood of the piece. Again, this piece is in D Major, and begins with a loosely established pulse. One feels the excitement of the city and the national chess finals through this lack of metric feel. The synth acoustic guitar plays through and introduction, and the piano enters with the familiar tune from track five (0:20), though the tempo is quicker and the accompanying line the synth guitar is playing is more "pyrotechnic." Again, you have the switch to triple feel (0:29) offsetting the quadruple feel that was established with the main theme of the track. A wonderful passage of dialogue begins (0:33) between the synth guitar and piano that moves back and forth, though this time the synth guitar is the more predominant of the two. There is also a synth bass pounding out bass notes (D's, of course, as heard in 0:59). The piano really is instrumental in providing a forward moving harmonic line. Through the piano and second synth guitar track, one hears a distinctive I-IV-V-I motion (really apparent between 0:43 and 1:11). The second passage begins right after this where pedal D's are heard in the piano (1:16, for example). The synth is brought in later to reinforce the pedal (1:22) and push the line forward. There is a dialogue between the piano and synth guitar that is just beautiful (1:22-1:41), and stops (1:41) short of the cadence before proceeding. This is great - it's like you're running and get to the edge of a cliff and stop with your toes hanging over, thenjump off. The harmony stops on a D Major chord, and the synth guitar moves over this static harmony with constantly moving subdivisions and a line that moves all over the place. The piano goes on top of this and the dialogue becomes more melodically complicated. After a dominant harmony, (1:48) the synth guitar takes over the melody (1:54) and there is a small quasi-cannon that happens between the synth guitar and piano. In much the same fashion as track five, the passage ends with the piano playing an upward-moving scalar line (2:05), though this time, it is taken further in the range. The synth guitar echoes the line (2:18) with a fragment that actually begins the next section (2:22). It becomes the accompaniment to a solo flute and a wide variety of wistful synth effects. Again, I feel that this shows Josh's innocence amidst the hustle and bustle of the final tournament. It could also reflect on his awe at all that is before him in Chicago. The piano enters (2:30) in the high part of its range and assists the synth guitar. There is a great contrast between the repeating accompaniment that is full of life and the calm melody that is so reflective. The solo flute ends on an A, and the piece fades to end, but not until a soft D is heard in the piano (3:12).
Track Eight's mood reminds me of Horner's "Field of Dreams" in that there is a call for hope throughout the piece. It begins with a synth and the violins sustaining a G Major chord and a solo horn on one of the main themes (0:04). The horn's theme is varied in that the fourth (and some other) note(s) are not held but rather passed through in the same subdivision. An oboe enters (0:15) to give weight to the IV chord. The piano plays a short passage (0:33) and suddenly, the piece explodes (0:36) into a powerful D Major. The familiar cadence is heard with interjections from the piano stated (0:46). The piece calms down and an oboe and upper strings begin a new phrase (1:04) where again, the beat is "off" stating dissonances on downbeats and consonances on upbeats. There is also a goregeous display of free counterpoint between the oboe and upper strings and clarinets and lower strings. The piano enters, again (1:31), to give strength to the cadence. The bassoons and solo clarinet, then, take over an echo (1:33) that is strengthened again by the piano (1:43). A suspended cymbal lightly rushes us into the next set of cadences. The orchestration here beyond strings is unclear because of the synth effects, and thusly it sounds like a new instrument itself. It becomes more clear (2:00) after another piano roll that the strings dominate these progressions. The passage comes to rest (2:11) on a sustained D heard in the string basses and synth. A piano and synth acoustic guitar echo into the end. I believe the intent of this piece to be the hypnotic call to Washington Square that Josh felt. This was the place where he always had fun playing chess, and there are several times in the film where he longs to just play in the park rather than compete. "Maybe it's better not to be the best. Then you can lose, and it's okay." - Josh Waitzkin
Track Nine is full of emotion and houses several things that exemplify why I love Horner's music so much. It starts out with a synth sustaining a low D. This continues through for about a minute and a half, disregarding the changes in the harmonies that the melody sets up. This is harsh at times, and can show determination, stubbornness, perhaps both. An oboe / synth combination (this orchestration is fascinating to my ears) begins one of the main themes (0:09). There is an airy quality to the orchestration. The accompanying synth changes chords with the oboe / synth combo, but the bass remains constant. There is a brief synth interlude (0:33) and the oboe / synth combo continues. The same interlude is heard again (1:05) and is joined by a piano (1:15) playing in its upper register. A soft flute chord (1:32) with small amounts of flutter tonguing and overblown harmonics present. A clarinet enters (1:44) and plays the same theme, but this time, there is no relentless bass heard, and the feel is more peaceful. A piano enters (2:15) in its upper range again and echoes to end this passage and begin the next. To me, the next section is one of the most beautiful moments of music that Dr. Horner has ever created. We are now in G Major. There is a beautiful line of counterpoint created between the oboe and solo cello (2:36). The piano echoes in the background. A solo bassoon enters (2:53) with a descending line in its upper register, and the upper stings begin a soft tremolo. Then the whole line just melts (2:56) into a luscious IV chord (C Major) as the synth and lower strings enter. The oboe and bassoon play again (3:03), this time without the cello, but again accompanied with the growingly present tremolo. Another luscious melt to that C Major chord (3:11). The oboe and bassoon continue, and the strings' tremolo is very present. The bassoon's line moves stepwise into the next melt (3:22), this time into an F Major chord. The lower strings remain and accompany the oboe to the resolution (heard at 3:34). A solo horn echoes this cadence, followed by a small piano riff (3:48). The solo oboe enters again and hangs on a high C# (3:52) and crescendos, creating a huge amount of tension, before resolving upwards to the D. What a gorgeous display of musical genius! It not only shows Josh's unchanging innocence and good heart, but also the sadness and longing he feels to please his father and mentor. Absolutely beautiful.
Track Ten is my single favorite track on this CD. It is so intellectual and yet always gets my pulse racing! It begins with a flute solo playing the familiar theme heard throughout the score, only this time, we're in F Major. The clarinet plays a scalar passage to add harmonic elements. There is a brief interjection (0:14) by the piano and lower strings. The theme is stated a second time; this time an oboe joins the flute and a bassoon joins the clarinet. The strings enter to echo this in beautiful contrary motion (0:38) and lead into the next section. Here is where the fun begins! A brush on a suspended cymbal (0:51) leads us into extreme complexity. A solo clarinet enters playing a sequential line. We are in triple meter with duple subdivisions (such as 3/4). Accompanying the clarinet are sting pizzicatos and bongos. The harmonic progression heard is vi-V-IV-V. The tempo is slow. The bassoons enter (1:11) and bring along flutes who play little riffs on top of the clarinet and the lower strings who play the root of each chord. Around 1:20, things start to get cloudy. Throughout this, the tempo is getting a little faster, and the harmonic stability begins to deteriorate. Another brush on the suspended cymbal (1:28) pushes us ahead into the next section. Now we are in a duple meter with a triple subdivision (such as 6/8). The cellos take over the melody and the piano becomes the driving force rhythmically in the accompaniment with the synth acoustic guitar also assisting. Occasional bassoon burst are heard (1:37) amidst the action. The basic harmonic progression is now I-vii-VII-vi-V-I, still in F Major. The tempo continues to increase. Still in the same pulse, we begin to hear duple subdivisions (1:57) in the string bass under the triple subdivisions heard in the piano and synth guitar. This creates a "two-against-three" feel and adds to the growing tension. This multiplies as more instruments change from three to two (2:06). The entire cello and string bass section plays a downward moving chromatic scale in duple subdivision (2:12) as the tempo continues to increase. This leads to another transition, though this one is not as clouded as the first. The tempo keeps getting faster and a roll on a suspended cymbal begins to heighten the tension (2:16). The piano and synth guitar switch from triple to quadruple subdivision (2:18). There is an A Major chord heard, and the piano moves more into the extremes of its range. All is released at 2:22 with a cymbal crash. There is a key change to D Major. The meter changes to triple with a quadruple subdivision. The upper strings and horn enter and play the main theme while the lower strings play accompanying sustains. The woodwinds double all this. The piano goes nuts. In fact, the only instrument that is playing the subdivisions is the piano; all the others are playing the sustaining line. This all ends in two segments: the sustaining line ends (2:46) first, then the piano, which has been audibly joined by the synth guitar (2:50). The piano echoes in its upper register (3:00) twice, the second time softer than the first. It's like you've just gotten done sprinting 400 yards, and you have to walk before you can stop completely. The synth plays the bass notes to reinforce the piano. Now, we can consider what we've just been through. We went from triple to duple to triple meter. We went from duple to triple to quadruple subdivisions. We went from F Major to A Major. All of this happened within two minutes. This piece is playing over Josh's return to Washington Square to play chess with his friend, Vinnie. This return comes after a banishment from the park by his mentor saying that speed chess would ruin his playing. Josh's happiness and excitement is really masterfully captured in this track. I encourage you to listen to it very carefully and try to keep your ear on the piano. It is always playing the subdivisions and shows the best the change in meters. The cool thing is that through the constant tempo change, the subdivision remains the same! The meter actually accommodates the subdivision. Try to conduct the track - it's a blast! In a nutshell, this piece makes me feel like I'm flying!
Track Eleven is not as intellectual as the rest of the CD, but it does have some interesting colors throughout the piece. The piece begins very mysteriously. Violins and high synth sustain a high E and a synth acoustic guitar enters (0:09) along with an oboe. The string basses enter (0:27) and play a D-E, making the sound very modal. The strings begin to play little riffs within the chords and a clarinet sneaks in (0:34) to play a longing melody. The piano becomes a bit more predominant (0:43) playing duple subdivisions of the triple meter in its upper register over repeated A's in the lower voices. All cadences on an E (1:11). This cadence is short-lived and the piano begins a pattern that becomes the accompaniment to a clarinet solo (1:28). The strings also enter in here and move into a better heard range (1:35). The excitement begins to build out of the mystery. All stops to silence (1:43). Suddenly, there is a mighty G-C heard in the timpani (1:46) and the violins play quadruple subdivisions in their lower register. This turns into the accompaniment to another clarinet solo (2:02), but this is much different than the solo heard earlier in the track. The feeling of excitement is still present in the strings and timpani, even though the strings have slowed to a duple subdivision. The quadruple subdivision returns at the end of the solo (2:21) and moves into another mysterious section (2:26). This is full of piano ostinato and violins sustaining in their upper range. A clarinet / oboe combination enters (2:32) in and plays the melodic line. We are now in e minor, though the key is not well defined. There is a low E heard in the basses (3:06), and the only other notes heard are a B and F#, meaning the chord is full of harmonic ambiguity. It could be an E Major 9 or e minor 9. Without the presence of the third, we don't know. It does feel resolved, though, through the string basses and synth on the low E.
Track Twelve spans two scenes, the first being one of the most beautiful in the film. Josh is scared about the final tournament between himself and a kid who he doesn't think he can beat. His mentor enters his room and talks with him and presents him a "Grand Master" certificate. This means the world to Josh - he has finally won the approval of his teacher. The piece commences right as Bruce, his teacher, gives Josh the certificate. It begins very delicately with a soft flute solo which grows into the main theme (0:17) as played by a solo oboe. In the background, a lightly played, but determinate synth plays on the first and second beats of each measure. Again, we're in a triple meter and in D Major. The solo continues, and more woodwinds enter: clarinet (0:24) and bassoon (0:39) both add separate lines of counterpoint and thicken the harmonic texture. Horner really score this for the film - right when we move to the C Major chord and the bass enters (1:03), Josh throws his arms around Bruce in a hug. This just melts my heart every time I see and hear it! The synth lightly echoes this as the camera moves away from the two (1:20), and the scene changes to the tournament itself with the resolution of the D Major chord (1:28). This D Major chord fades into just synth, and moves to d minor (1:43) as the tournament's beginning looms over Josh. The piano plays small riffs in d minor accompanied by a solemn D from the basses. There's also a great line throughout this (1:43-2:24). The line is simply a descending d natural minor scale, but it descends through four octaves. Horner does this in the craftiest way! He begins the line with a solo clarinet and flute (1:43) for the first octave, then clarinet and bassoon (1:53) for the second octave, then bassoon and cello (2:04) for the third octave, then string bass (2:13) for the fourth octave. These instruments have such similar timbres in their respective register, and the effect is just one big melting scale down. You really have to listen to hear the instrument changes. The final low D given by the string basses dissolves into a flute solo (2:25) in D Major. Violins and synth are heard above the solo to give harmonic direction. The bass enters in again (2:41) as a pedal tone (on a low D). This adds tension between the D Major and C Major chord fluctuations. D's are reiterated for dramatic effect (2:59) in the piano in a "heartbeat" kind of rhythm. Strings and synth enter on the familiar cadence (3:08) that is heard often in the score. It is interrupted by a suddenly loud low D from the piano (3:16 and again at 3:29 at its conclusion). A solo horn gives the call (3:37), again over this relentless piano heartbeat. Orchestra chimes accompany another sudden forte (3:55) in the string basses and piano. The piano then plays a small anxiety-ridden riff (3:59) that is reminiscent harmonically to Track 10 at 0:51. The extreme difference in mood between the two instances, however, is staggering! Woodwinds enter in throughout this and it catapults into another sudden low D (4:35) that is hammered this time. The unresolved tension keeps building. We are in d minor, now. It even repeated (4:39) and ends on an offbeat. The upper strings meekly answer back (4:48) with another familiar cadence. It is embellished upon (5:01) with the addition of more instruments and more opposing lines of counterpoint. The horn enters in (5:25), partially stopped, with a sense of urgency. One also hears the constant pounding of the timpani throughout this section. This despairing mood continues until an F Major chord (5:41) is heard, and we go through a modulation to d minor (5:55). The string basses play a small melodic section (6:07) that sends us back into despair. Throughout all this, Josh is playing his greatest opponent, and the two continue to move faster and faster. Suddenly, his opponent makes a fatal error (6:30), easily heard in the music with the unison D's heard throughout the orchestra. Josh sees that it's an error, and must now find a way to take advantage of that error. His teacher, who is in another room with Josh's family and Vinnie, knows the solution and wills Josh to find it. The camera cuts close onto Josh now, and he begins to hear his teacher's voice from past lessons (6:47). His eyes are moving very quickly trying to move the pieces in his mind. Over this one hears the horn playing the main theme, the synth playing on beats one and two, and the basses playing on three. (Usually in a triple meter, the bass note is heard on one - go Horner!) When we move to the IV chord - the G Major chord - (7:12), the bass cuts out. Josh can't find the solution (7:23) and the music turns to a frustrating mood, and the bass enters in again. As the piece fades off, entered by a solo flute, you see Josh's eyes close and hear him whisper in his mind, "I'm sorry, Dad."
After Josh mentally removes all the pieces from the chessboard, he is able to find the solution and offers his opponent a draw to share the championship. When he refuses Josh's offer, Josh goes on to his victory. This is all done before Track Thirteen begins. When all of the spectators are allowed to come into the room, there is a sigh of relief given and repeated by the woodwinds (0:01). Through opposite moving lines and non-harmonic tones, these progressions yearn to push forward into something more. That something more occurs with the entire orchestra entering in D Major (0:32), whooshed in by a suspended cymbal. This is the moment when the camera turns to Bruce and he is seen walking very slowly and proudly into the room. The orchestra plays the same theme heard throughout very triumphantly - the melody in the violins and solo horn. There is a rush into the familiar cadence (1:12), but the energy doesn't fade away until 1:32. At this point we see Josh and a friend of his in a playground. The feeling of peace is reestablished as the hustle of the tournament slowly fades away. A beautiful clarinet duet dissolves out of this (1:36) in A Major and is restated in the horn, violins, and cellos (1:53) in G Major. A small flute cadence follows, again, in G Major. The rush back into D Major (2:22) is the end of the dialogue in the film, and there is a small end to the story that is written over the screen. The film ends (3:07) with a soft release on D Major. The synth and piano begin (3:11) to play their familiar "one-two" pattern over the horn solo. The pattern switches to beats one and three (3:35) at the IV chord and then switches back (3:51) at the I chord to end the phrase. The melody is restated in the upper strings (3:57) and in the horn (4:01), which enters two measures later in an almost strict cannon. The cannon then switches from two bars to one (4:16) and the two resolve together on the D Major triad (4:28). Woodwinds enter and play accented non-harmonic tones (4:30 and 4:46) that create a great bit of tension. The violins come together (5:04) to majestically play the melody over the same "one-two" pattern in the synth and piano. Again, the pattern switches (5:11) when the IV chord is played. This dissolves into a horn solo. Then, just as it was stated in the end of the film's dialogue, the clarinet duet (5:33) enters, and the melody is repeated in the flute and strings. Beyond this, Horner has often said that he never knows when the end credits are going to actually end, so he writes these final minutes of music so that the could be faded out if they needed to be. The piece actually comes to a resolution at 6:05, but the string basses play (6:07) a low C, then Bb that throw the whole resolution out. The synth interjects the same I-V "one-two" pattern (6:10). These two elements are heard two and a half times (bass-synth-bass-synth-bass). This melts into a high leading tone (6:39) in the violins, synth, and horn. The piece and entire score resolves on an absolutely luscious D Major triad (6:52) in the low voices.
"Searching For Bobby Fischer" is often overlooked by many film score enthusiasts, however it is easily one of my favorites. Its complexities make it a wonderfully intellectual piece that is a fun challenge to sort out. Its emotion is truly magical and really sets me flying. Dr. Horner, thank you for all you've given me... you are truly an inspiration. As always, Julie :-)
Julie Olson is a Bachelor of Music Composition and Music Education Double Major at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.