Titanic

James Horner

Rating: 7.8


The year 1997 saw the release of what was to become one of the biggest blockbuster hits of all time, the highly anticipated Titanic film. Anticipated though the movie was, surely no one could have guessed the huge impact the tragedy story would have on such a large amount of the public. Somehow, this film touched the hearts of its audience in a way few movies have, and in the decade since its release it has become a definite classic. Among the numerous Academy Awards Titanic won, such as 'Best Cinematography', 'Best Costume Design', 'Best Director', 'Best Sound Effects Editing', 'Best Visual Effects', 'Best Film Editing', 'Best Picture', 'Best Sound', 'Best Actress In Leading Role', 'Best Actress In Supporting Role', and 'Best Makeup', the music also won two Academy Awards for 'Best Original Dramatic Score' and 'Best Original Song'. Suffice to say that this movie is anything but under-appreciated, and the music is, like the movie, one of the public's all-time favorites.

Many considered Horner's Braveheart score of two years earlier to have been his big oscar winning effort, but, though nominated, that honor was not given to Horner at that time. However, after two years Horner would receive the recognition many believed he deserved for Breaveheart in his Titanic score. As already mentioned, it has become one of the must hugely popular film scores of all time, and devoted and fanatical fans abound. This could quite possibly be the only review you will ever read of this album written by someone who has not watched the movie. As such, I believe I possess a much more objective view of the music than most. I believe that much of the fanaticism about this score comes from a love of the movie. This is frequently the case in film scores, but perhaps more so here. The movie seems to have such a strong effect on those who watch it that they cannot help but love the soundtrack, if only because it reminds them of the movie. If this would be your only reason for buying the soundtrack, than this review is useless to you because, as I have already commented, I cannot judge by the movie, but by the music alone.

Before beginning a discussion of the orchestrational techniques used in this music, it would be very appropriate to quote some of the liner notes from director James Cameron: "James Horner has walked the tightrope by using the synthesizer, vocals and full orchestra to create a timeless sound which tells us that these people were not so very different from us. Their hopes, their fears, their passions are like ours. In the film I have tried to accentuate the universalities of human behavior, rather than focus on the quaint differences between this other times and our own. James has done the same thing, bridging the gap of time and making these people seem so alive, so vibrant, so real that the dreaded event, when it comes, is terrifying in its authenticity."

This is an interesting argument, and deserves attention. Synthesizers are rarely used well in today's scoring, and so you will usually find me against them in reviews. The synth usage displayed by Horner on this album, however, is of quite a different nature than the common techniques. Two types of synth writing prevail in todays film scoring world. Either we have synths trying to copy orchestral instruments and voices, showing clearly the tight budget that the movie was produced on, or we have a modern, popular music sound that just sounds like noise. But this album has done it differently, with most of the synths used to replicate the human voice. One would think that this techniques would fit firmly into the first category, except that Horner in no way tries to disguise the fact that synths were used instead of real voices. Never is any sort of legato attempted, and each chord transition sounds distinctly synth-ey. The way in which the effects and EQ are applied to the voices gives them a very expansive and airy sound, something that would not be possible with real voices, and even if it could be attained through effects, the result would be no better than a synth. There are some examples of pop music sounding synths in the score, but the larger part of the times that the synth appears it does so on the form of these voices.

Another very important factor that contributes to the texture of the music is the vocals of Sissel. Her singing on this album is very Enya-esque, and combines with the vocal synth textures very pleasingly. Also, her voice is sufficiently close in tone to Celine Dion, who sings the song "My Heart Will Go On" towards the end of the cd, that, vocally, continuity is preserved even through the obviously radio-aimed pop song.

The first six tracks on the album are dominated by subdued, thoughtful scoring, with little bits of excitement and jubilation felt when the ship leaves port. Through these pieces, Horner introduces his somewhat unique texture already discussed, orchestra, synth vocals and the vocals of Sissel combining in a very modern but still melodic and beautiful way. Four tracks, "Hard To Starboard", "Unable To Stay, Unwilling To Leave", "The Sinking" and "Death Of Titanic" feature hash, percussive writing that strays completely from the soft vocals of earlier. Horner's sinking music is jarring, to say the least. The anvil is used extensively, and many times the orchestra is used in such a percussive way that, though excitement does not let go, listen-ability is somewhat jeopardized. From here the music becomes moody again, and much of the texture from the beginning makes a return, and continues to the end of the score.

The song "My Heart Will Go On", sung by Celine Dion, has become the object of close to the same amount of fanatiscm as the score, and there is no doubt that it has a certain amount of charm. Unfortunately, the instrumentation is very pop-ish, and quite bad, actually. It is, then, a great tribute to the song that it can rise above this huge problem, and still be a touching bit of music. In its favor, also, is the fact that the melody is used extensively throughout the score as a theme, thus, written as it is by the composer, it is a much better melody than what a pop artist would normally write, and it fits the rest of the album quite well, despite the glaring differences in orchestration,

In the end, the amount to which you enjoy Titanic will depend largely on how favorably you view the synthesized vocals and overtly romantic melodies. Though perhaps inflated somewhat by many people's love for the movie, Titanic is nonetheless an enjoyable listen, and deserves a place on any film score collector's shelf.

-Colin Thomson


Track List:

Never An Absolution
Distant Memories
Southampton
Rose
Leaving Port
Take Her to Sea, Mr. Murdoch
Hard To Starboard
Unable To Stay, Unwilling To Leave
The Sinking
Death Of Titanic
A Promise Kept
A Life So Changed
An Ocean Of Memories
My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From "Titanic")
Hymn To The Sea