TITANIC
An In Depth Analysis
by Julie Olson
Track one opens with a sad sea chantey played on a synth bag pipe. This sound is a familiar one to Horner fans. It announces his presence and sets the stage for a sad story on the sea. The first statement of the melody is underlined by the pounding of a bass note on the synth (00:50). This gives foundation and further emanates the erriness of the piece. The solo voice, horn, and synth that follow this are wonderful and an excellent contrast to the pipe heard previously. Where the pipe and the entrance of the bass note give way to a feeling of certain doom, the voice, horn and synth tug on the heart strings as the score promises to be not about the ship primarily, but rather about this great love story. I feel that the entire movie is summed up in the first track, as is often the case of Mr. Horner's work. The foreshadowing is remarkable. We enter the movie knowing the Titanic is going to sink. The pipes solidify this for our ears. We then become aware of this beautiful romance felt between two people. The voice and horn show us this. Once the second statement of the initial motif is heard, there is a repeated two-measure pattern of upward-moving chords along with excellent contrary motion (02:02) - the voicings of this pattern are simply uplifting, and give our hearts simply that: will it turn out? It must work! They love each other! The presence of the bass again (02:45) is almost as heavy as the ship's sinking itself. It takes this hope we have of a happy ending and plummets it to the bottom of the ocean. Again, a brilliant summery of the movie's main story line in just over 3 minutes. Excellent!
Track two is titled "Distant Memories," and this is apparent in the opening cluster of notes. We are being swept back in time to relive fair Rose's story. The chimes, synth, and piano are like the shimmering of water as we come closer to our destination to begin this epic. As we reach the setting in which the story will unfold, a great chord is heard over a suspended cymbal ring (00:41). This, to me, is where the story begins! The strings open the mood followed by the horn and clarinet of longing and tranquility (01:00). There is a huge rush at you, and suddenly I see myself in the midst of it all. The ship is before me, people are about bustling around and so forth. This is what I have affectionately nicknamed the "Horner Rush" (01:32). He manipulates these so well, and they really bring a lot of life to a scene. Again, the suspended cymbal rushes us into the chord laid out by the strings. The string ostinato (repeated rhythmic pattern) under the horn and lower brass that follows the rush is great- it makes us feel the excitement of all these people who were sailing to the great land of America to reach their dreams. The final chords between the low brass and strings give a sense of "okay, we're here - let's get this baby going!" :-)
Track three is so cool! It makes me want to just get up and do something! :-) What a masterfull capturing of the mood at Southhampton! There is a build up that really leads into the synth (00:11). It makes me want to leap out of my seat everytime! The synth is great - I don't care what anyone else says - it works! The chime clusters (00:32) add the shimmer that sets it over the edge, and the constant driving rhythm of the bass pushes you forward. The strings enter (01:12) in and take over in a beautiful sweeping motif that makes me want to conduct more than ever! The motif is the same sea chanty heard in track one and track two (00:41), creating a sense of unity throughout the score. The quiet part (01:31) of the track is a nice release. In fact, this entire CD is built on the "tension and release" concept where you build up to a huge climax and then release it into tranquility. I love this kind of stuff! The tension is built again when the synth and strings enter in (02:05), the tension coming from the continuous eighth notes of the bass line. It is released into the end as the tension just dissolves into the calm water of a warm afternoon. Even the hopefullness of Southampton is left behind as the open sea lies before them. The flavor of impending doom is evident in the low strings' presence right at the end (3:42).
I love track four in that it states this glorious love theme Mr. Horner has provided for the film without the pop influence of the Ms. Dion track. The flute openning is great. (I especially loved how Mr. Horner introduced Rose to Jack from a distance on the ship - a solo flute, calm and beautiful. What delicate emotion!) The synth adds stability to the harmonic structure with a simplisity that could be no one but Horner. I love this girl's voice, and I think her color is nothing like Enya's. It's smoother, richer. Anyways, the chords are just wonderful in this. There are a lot of IV9's in it (for example, the spot at 00:41). Those just give me goosbumps in any context. For those of you who are wondering what the hell makes the "wherEVER you are" part so damn lucious, it's the IV9 (01:18). The addition of the synth motif under the refrain of the piece adds a lot. It makes you feel the ship's movement (01:12). The instrumentation is great in this. It's so subtle and gentle. The key change is like none I have ever heard before. It just melts into the new key - up a major third (02:14-02:16). (On this track, the beginning is in F, so the new key is A.) Usually in a deceptive cadence such as the one heard leading into the key change, composers, myself included, add a huge crescendo that sends the audience back in their seats out of breath. Mr. Horner has done just the oposite and has achieved the same effect. There is no huge building in dynamics... only chordal. The effect is just as "orgasmic." Absoulte genious! The piece ends unresolved, just as Jack and Rose's life together ends. Beautiful!
The beginning of "Leaving Port" is great. The single strumming of the guitar reminds me of an "On your mark, get set"-type of thing. Again, another Horner Rush is heard and we're off! The ship is moving here. The massiveness if the ship is felt as it begins to move out of the harbor through the synth chorus (00:20). (The synth chorus is really well used all throughout this score as it gives a thousand different emotions depending on its context.) I imagine the chains being cranked up, the ship creaking with its own weight. There is a great cymbal ring back (00:32) into the restatement of the synth choir's motif and another through the chimes as the choir moves up an octave. The synth choir lays a great groove after here that reminds me of the sound of a steam train just as it starts to move. It's not an "I think I can," but rather an "I KNOW I can!" This whole piece not only shows the massive beauty of this strong ship, but also the strong courage of the people aboard. They came from all different walks of life beginning as total strangers and many dying together. These people are the Titanic in this track. They are a strong willed people that have nothing but hope in their hearts. When I hear this track, that is how I feel - hopeful, reborn, and ready to face the world.
There is a great upward chordal line that sets the stage for the synth voice in the beginning of track six. The play between the low strings and brass and the chimes are great. It lets us feel the constant rhythm of the ocean. The tempo picks up and washes us onto the ship to survey its glamour. The synth voice a few minutes into it is great... no longer in duple meter, but rather in triple (00:10). Again, excellent contrast. If anyone tells me all of Horner's stuff is the same, I tell them they have to listen closer. There are subtitles in his work that are so complex, he reminds me of Bernard Herrmann at times. (Okay, off the soap box!) The piece gets under way with an accelerando (00:45) that emanates the ship's increase in speed wonderfully. Another "Horner Rush" is heard (01:20) and the ship is off! There is a ton of tension being built up through the middle of this piece with the quiet high synth choir and to the trumpet solo. The great strings of an orchestra that will probably never be named are superb from the violins (02:25) carrying the melody to the violas and cellos adding the constant driving force of the ship. The whole beginning three and a half minutes are pure tension that promises to climax at an incredible point. The synth choir (03:20) moves in again... tension... tension... some release... more tension. Then, you get the release you've been praying to god will come (03:30). It washes over you like a great wave from the wake of the Titanic itself. The end lets you down off the high as gently as only Mr. Horner could. This really captured the movie at this point. Jack's "I'm the king of the world" statement is perfectly in sync with the release. Gives me shivers just thinking about it. Now, there is a great example of Horner's subtle genius in this track. The first time you hear the main synth chorus motif (01:47), it is in 5/4 time. The second and third times you hear it (02:44 and 03:16), it is in 6/4 time! (A noteworthy observation: the 5/4 variation happens only once in the whole score.) This is simply one of countless times that Mr. Horner displays his complexity and intellect in a subtle and creative way!
"Hard To Starboard" is one of the first places on the CD where the feeling of impending doom begins to kick in. The beginning is so beautiful - Jack and Rose are together, and all is well (00:35). Suddenly, a voice calls out from the stillness of the cold night, "iceberg!" (01:01). The doom is solidified through the electric guitar rush (01:26) into the percussive strings that send us into a state of panic. This part of the film sends audiences to the edge... due mostly to this score. This style of music feeds of the notion of tension, without the release. Composes want to tire the listeners into complete submission. Track 7 is just that. There is no break at all. The tempo slows to make way for a great ostinato (02:30) under some horns, but the tension's still there. There is the prayer that the ship will actually clear the ice. It even looks like it might. You here the ring of the suspended cymbal (03:25) that is supposed to release you, but it is followed by nervous strings. More tension... low brass (04:10) add to this. The music picks up again (04:20) as the ship smashes into the iceberg. The clanging of the anvil (beginning at 04:36 and again at 05:08) is great - it really adds the harshness to the tension. The great snare lick (05:18) that follows is the ultimate edge - you can't be pushed any closer to the edge without falling to your death. There is a let up where the piano is heard (05:25), but there is tension in that with the trumpet ostinato (05:26) and the breathy synth. It's an eerie stillness like that of a cold night in the dead of winter where you know something's gonna happen, but you can't tell what. Spooky stuff. The only release he lets you have is when the track ends. Oooh!
"Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave" starts out as a cry for help. Jack knows there is no deal with Cal. The title says it all. The love theme kicks in with an underlying of synth voices (00:46) pushing you to tears as you know this is where Jack and Rose part. The addition of the pipes (01:38) culminates the final act of desperate love as Rose leaps from her lifeboat back to the sinking ship. They are together, and the death that surrounds them means nothing because they have each other. This feeling is broken as Cal runs in rage to kill the two of them. The music gives way to tension (02:31)... the percussion in the lower parts is great. The dissonance in the horns (02:41)... the sweeping into the strings throws us back into panic. The high hat ostinato (02:56) mixed with the chordal suspense is unrelenting until Mr. Horner begins to play the piano first in frenzied suspense in the upper range (03:20), then pounding in the lower range (03:30). This is the saddest piece on the CD for me. The music states the conflict perfectly. There is love - a sad love that will not last much longer that is overcome in the end by tragic disaster. The worst part is that the disaster wins, and that is how the piece ends. (Sorry if I'm being dramatic, everyone, but when I take the time to analyze something like this, I tend to get really wrapped up in it.)
The staticness of the strings' ostinato at the beginning of track 9 is overlaid by the percussiveness of the strings, synth, etc. That, to me, is genius. Not only is tension built with the receptiveness of the ostinato, but also is heightened by the sudden jolts of sound. This shows you that this ship and these people are not going to go down without a fight. The low brass enter (00:15) with a motif in a completely different meter than the ostinato, which begins to vary itself (00:17). The short motif is interrupted by nervous trumpets (00:20) and high strings. The sweeping strings (00:39), to me, symbolize the conflict between the people - who gets to get on the row boats and who gets left to die. The double tonguing trumpets (00:52) under the sweeping synth voice is great and seems to interrupt the flowingness of an otherwise beautiful sound. Moments later, the synth voice is heard over an ostinato (01:13) of low voices moving in a completely different direction, then increasing to overpower (01:22) the synth. Throughout this, the trumpets are heard with brief interruptions (01:35) that seem to fight with the rest of the orchestra almost as much as the people fought for life boats. In fact, I believe that is what Mr. Horner is trying to portray in this movement. There is a quote of the love theme that is great in the middle of the track as it is heard over an upward-moving line in the strings (02:40). Again, love and tension collide. There is a rush (03:19) into what one thinks is a release, however the pace continues relentlessly. The swelling effect of crescendos and immediate decrescendos (03:41) are tension-filled as they sweep you into the cold water. It gives me shivers just listening to it now. The great IV9 chords of the love theme are disrupted by dissonance (04:05 and 04:19) that again sends us into a piano frenzy (04:44) under a percussive rampage. Again, the only release comes at the piece's conclusion.
Track 10 is, again, one of Mr. Horner's masterpieces in its complexity. The opening of this piece is so clever! After the introduction, we are thrown into an ostinato (00:13) that is constantly changing itself. Where you are expecting to hear a pattern that recycles itself after a period of time, the pattern evolves into a melody of its own. The ostinato is clearly in the key of d minor, however the melody and two accompanying counter subjects are in a modal d (00:17). The counterlines are melodically independent, and connect to the melody only rhythmically. The sudden splashes of color from the percussion (00:20) add to the urgency felt by the ostinato. After careful listening, I found that the top notes of the ostinato are actually a part of one of the two countermelodies. Ultimately, there are about four things happening in essentially four key centers. Pure genius! The strings take off to accent the slow-moving brass into a frenzy of rhythmic complexity (00:53). The strings begin to play in a three pattern (01:10) where the rest of the instruments stay in the duple. Again, a great effect! There are small pieces of the love theme quoted throughout this (01:28). The piece dies off a bit (02:07) to allow you to feel the coldness of the water (02:10), but soon rushes back at you with percussion bursts (02:15). There is a transition passage that leads into a development of the love theme (02:44). The low strings continue the development of the opening motif, while the upper strings play the love theme over grossly diminished chords (02:50). We, as an audience, hear the love theme, and feel a ray of hope descend on us, but our hopes are dismayed at the dissonant sound of the chords Mr. Horner has chosen to take the place of the glorious IV9s he has made us so accustomed to. This is a great effect because it throws the audience into a panic when the chord they are expecting to hear is not played. The ostinato is a repeated pattern of rising notes (03:00), which is one of a composer's finest tools to create tension. The piece once again takes off after a small let down (03:24). Percussion and frenzied strings (03:50) lead to the panic heard in the muted trumpets (03:58) and the following pounding piano progression (04:11). The strings move upward, again, doubled by the trumpets (04:18). (This is an excellent time to congratulate Mr. Horner on his fine work orchestrating this entire score!) A timpani roll leads us into chromatic chords over a viola tremolo (04:31). These chords are great, again, because of the voicings Horner chose. They sound so bad... and yet SO good! The splash (04:42) follows a small intermission played by the low brass and strings. This leads into a great rising line played by the horns and mimicking trumpets (05:09). Again, the love theme is developed through different chords over a string ostinato (05:28). At times, the horns and trumpets take this ostinato over (05:40), depending on where in the range they are. The airy synth and electronic cries (06:00) are a great effect and allows the listener to take a breath and realize the peril that is taking place. A lonely horn plays one final plea for peace through (06:35) the synth cries for help. This is quickly replaced ("this is it!") by the snare and trumpet playing a motif together (06:50). The low brass enters next (06:55), followed by the strings (07:00). The synth adds a feeling of doom with inserted winds and cries (07:06). The horns begin to play chromatic quarters (07:24), then triplets (07:35), then eighths (07:41), then triplet eighths, then sixteenths... The trumpet is increased in volume (07:42). There is a ton going on during the last minute and a half of this track. There is a suspended cymbal (08:06) wash into the low bass heard as the ship is thrown into the cold, dark waters of the Atlantic. This piece really brings to life the horror felt by all with its multiple keys, time signatures, and harmonic differences - really an incredible piece of work by Mr. Horner.
The beginning of "A Promise Kept" always gives me shivers. The synth drone (00:00), low brass (00:08) and quiet, pounding piano (00:27) really create an excellent picture of the bottom of the ocean. This is a great experimentation in color by Mr. Horner that comes off very nicely as a spooky, cold vision of the still night surrounding Jack and Rose. The low brass move into a tension-filled suspension motif (00:48) that proceeds a glimmer of light coming from the higher synth and small bells (01:23). The solo clarinet plays a sad song of loneliness and lost love (01:41) over a small ensemble of strings and synth (02:08). This is so delicate, so beautiful, and melts into the love theme wonderfully (02:44). The sustaining chords (02:54) add weight to the sound through the cold water. The music fades away as the world seamed to fade away for Jack and Rose. There is only them, only the flute and voice playing the simple melody of the sea song (03:28). (Ironically, the flute is the instrument that first introduced Rose to Jack in the film.) A silence falls on them (04:09), and the strings play a sad song of longing (04:12) with the clarinet who joins moments later (04:32). There is both hope and death in the air as optimism and reality collide through the flute and voice. Jack dies. Horner gives it away in the score throughout here. "I'll never let go." The strings (05:13) give Rose her strength and hope to look up and see the whistle... and blow it to her rescue (05:30). The piece fades to sobs of joy and sadness from the strings.
Track 12 is very reflective with the sustained A heard in the low bass and the soft calling of the voice (00:04). The synth joins to add harmonic balance (00:32), followed by the flute to carry the melody (00:32). The rising synth chorus and falling horn motif heard at the very beginning of the CD (track 1 - 02:02) is heard again repeated three times (01:11). It seams to bring closure to the great story, but...
The chimes heard at the beginning of Track 13 signal further pondering. The same synth chorus and solo voice (00:35) heard at the beginning of "Distant Memories" once again allow us to travel in and out of Rose's heart. After a small clarinet interlude, there is a small "Horner Rush" (01:16) heard as the key changes and the synth takes over the color (01:20). A small motif between the flute and piano, heard in a triple meter (01:33), gives us memories of Rose's youth. The clarinet takes over the melody (01:55), still in the triple meter. A rubatto flute plays (02:23) over an ensemble of strings in what sounds like one of the greatest conducting experiences ever done by Mr. Horner. As a conductor, I can really hear the delicate control he has of gestures throughout this section. The piano (02:5) is a great voice with the oboe (02:58) and echoing horn (03:04) in the following section. It gives the sound of tranquility and a deep peace of a life lived to its fullest. The high strings (03:36) lead us into a great swelling of low brass (03:56) into a tremendous cadence (04:05). Again, the strings echo this cadence (04:14). The trumpet solo that follows (04:25) is one of the best heard in on the CD. Hats off to the trumpet player who will most likely remain forever nameless. The sea song is heard again (04:45) as the solo voice, synth, and strings reminisce through Rose's memories. There is a feeling of openness achieved as the chords do not cadence (05:18) and are followed by tinkling chimes and a breathy synth chorus (05:22). This is where old Rose, in the movie, has the diamond in her hand. The solo voice (05:46) over the chimes is a great effect, and is swelled into a brilliant "Horner Rush" (06:09). The horns (06:10) and then trumpets add a solid knowledge of satisfaction as she lets the diamond drop from her hand. Both the love theme (as heard in the strings) AND the sea song (as heard in the voice) are played a final time (06:52) in the movie with new confidence and hope. A flute takes over and finishes the melody with the voice (07:24). This swells into the final cadencing (07:37) as the final vision of the memory of Jack and Rose on the Titanic fade from our sight.
"My Heart Will Go On" is brilliant in both its versions (track 14 of the soundtrack and also the radio edit). Ms. Dion gives a breathy character to her often overpowering voice that gives the song a soft surface and is reminiscent of the solo voice heard throughout the score. Mr. Jennings did a wonderful job placing lyrics to this great piece. They capture the story told both told on the screen and through the score. Not much can be said about this piece with the exception that this is a very powerful song in all aspects. Mr. Horner, Mr. Jennings, and Ms. Dion all obviously cared very deeply about this piece. It is evident in their output on this song.
Track 15, "Hymn to the Sea," begins with a pedal tone heard in the synth. The solo voice is paired with a solo horn to play the sea song (00:06). The final cadence is a modal one with the lowered seventh (01:06) rather than major as it is always heard in the score (for example, 02:11 of this track). The pipes enter (01:12) after this modal cadence and repeat the melody with a synth giving harmonic sustain. The flute enters (02:20) to accompany the pipes on the sea song while the strings (glorious IV9s heard at 02:28 and 02:54!) play the love theme under them. This is an excellent effect as both melodies have different centers to their sounds. The synth voice picks up after this over a repeated string ostinato (03:19). Another pedal note is heard (03:39) followed by the same thrice-repeated motif (as heard in track 1 and 12) by the synth primarily (03:56). Pipes enter in again to play the sea chanity theme (04:38) - the first one heard on the CD - slowly and thoughtfully over the sustaining synth and strings. It cadences as a single voice (05:18). Synth and strings (05:29) play a small passage which is repeated by first the horns and strings (05:38) and then just the low strings (05:47). This creates a "weighty" feeling through the repetitiveness and low-sounding chords. The final two chords of the CD are soft and rounded - full of life. Again, I feel that these two chords are a great conducting accomplishment for Mr. Horner. These were most likely two of the most difficult chords in the entire score to conduct, and he did it with grace and certainty. In the movie, only one chord is heard at the end of the closing credits, proving once again that you just never can be sure how long those credits are going to last!
On a personal note, TITANIC is one of my favorite film scores of all time. Through its complexity and serenity, it gives the perfect balance of tension and release. These are the underlying elements of all works of music. This score gives the listener almost too much tension, but lets them down with just the right amount of release. It's the kind of score that when I listen to it in its entirety, I am exhausted at its conclusion - truly an "orgasmic" score! Mr. Horner, I applaud you. You have certainly created one of the most intricate and delicate scores of our time. 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.