[Film scores and orchestral or choral works can be used to good effect in the latter regard, but paced and structured for their own purpose, not your game; can be a touch tricky!]
I've a real soft spot for music of all forms, and try to incorporate it as
much as possible in my games. When people create characters for me in the
future I'll always ask if they want to decide on a 'leitmotif', a snatch of
music that is their 'theme' and helps envision their character - used to
good effect in works from Wagner to 'Once Upon a Time in the West'.
'Playing' your character's leitmotif in a dramatically appropriate scene is
a sure way to get an augment!Anything can pass, from the obligatory John
Williams quotations (!) to Iron Maiden.
Er...
When it comes to musical scenery or props, it's pretty common to steer into ambient, film-score, period, choral or orchestral music. What do people plumb for, or recommend? Here are a few select picks that take my particular fancy:
'FILM SCORE'
Always fun, and typically tailored to sequences and plot developments that
occur on a pace analogous to a game, as opposed to written for a concert
hall. I tend to like epic stilton here, and thus I've got to start with
Basil Pouledouris' masterful CONAN score! Got to be careful I don't go off
cleaving people in twain just thinking about it... For some reason (!) I've
picked up several copies, and flood my mates' collections with it, so they
have no excuse but to indulge/endure.
Other picks include Mario Nascimbene's evocative 'Ragnar's Return' from THE
VIKINGS (great music to receive heroes coming back from a cattle raid) to
the
(IMHO) musical master, Miklos Rozsa. Miklos' scores for EL CID (the
Andalusian influences provide an interesting extra colour which may sparkle
up your Western paradigms), BEN HUR, GV OF SINBAD, QUO VADIS, SODOM &
GOMORRAH etc. And then of course there are other greats like Morricone*,
North, Korngold, Williams, Goldsmith, Herrmann, Newman etc. etc. And not one
mention to GLADIATOR yet! :o)
*Though I'd hold off using NAVAJO JOE to describe anything...
'CLASSICAL'
Tops for me has to be the Finnish 'classical' repertoire. Mythically, the
Kalevala and Kanteletar are for me some of the most inspiring sources out
there; tie this to evocative, elemental music and there's a sure-fire HQ
winner! Beyond SIBELIUS' famous works (Tapiola, En Saga, the Leminkainen
Suite, Pohjola's Daughter, Luonnatar, Finlandia, Oceanides, Kullervo etc.)
there are a wealth of other pieces by less well-known composers, like:
Armas Jarnefelt, Robert Kajanus, Uuno Klami, Toivo Kuula, Erkki Melartin, Aare Merikanto, Aulis Sallinen etc. (please forgive lack of accents!)
Einojuhani RAUTAVAARA is my favourite composer beyond Sibelius. His instrumental works vary in style and substance, and range nature-inspiredly atmospheric ('Cantus Arcticus') to the more ethereal and otherworldly ('Isle of Bliss'; the 'Angels' series).
I'm sure the Finns on this list may have more info, or check out: http://www.fimic.fi/fimic/fimic.nsf?open
Running through Amazon the names of any of these composers will hopefully get you snippets, and many CD shops gladly have try-before-buy sections now.
'MEDIEVAL'
I don't go in fully for folk or period music, but there are a couple of
artists that I think are great for HQ:
http://www.sequentia.org/index.htm
SEQUENTIA have recorded tales from the Icelandic Edda and lots of Hildegard
von Bingen. The musical Edda is itself superb, and IMHO perfect music for
scenes set in an Orlanthi chieftain's hall.
http://www.sabbatum.com/
Medieval adaptations of Black Sabbath songs from RONDELLUS, sung in Latin...
no don't squirm, it actually sounds superb!
Any others?
Cheerio,
Stu (saving the post on mead-horn swinging Viking Metal 'til later...)
Powered by hypermail