"Hedwig's Theme" - Harry Potter (Score Reduction & Analysis)

A full score reduction and analysis of "Hedwig's Theme." Enjoy!
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[@mdmf117]

As a violinist it has always been my dream to play this since I was a little boy. But having seen the score now, this dream has pretty much become my nightmare...

[@Jay-S04]

Don’t give up

[@jvil723]

Same 💀

[@alicegoldenvalley]

Never give up! ✨🌸

[@rake1087]

It's just arpegios, you got it, just got to practice your arpegios

[@arjenbij]

PRACTICE

[@foojuice101]

Wow. Those violin passages are absolutely diabolical

[@itznoxy7193]

I know! I can barely count them and follow along, let alone play them. And I am a violinist!

[@trevorjensen2706]

They're playing on an open string, so it makes it a lot easier. The musicians are top-notch sight readers, and, this is why they practice their scales, quickly, for composers like John Williams. lol. Practice your scales! ;)

[@jakegearhart]

@@trevorjensen2706 What do you mean by playing on an open string? There's only 4 strings to play open on and that'll only give you 4 notes.

[@trevorjensen2706]

My bad. The key is very string-friendly, so while the speed of the notes is a little difficult, for professional musicians, this is just another scale run to them.

[@michaelflores6253]

Counting isn’t the problem... the problem is keeping up with the tempo lol

[@emmaaxelson7821]

John Williams Writes HARD music.

[@pena1950]

Paganini too.

[@idontcare7197]

Holst too

[@idontcare7197]

Shotakovich, Prokofiev, Korngold...

[@S.H.gaming]

It is a fun challenge to play though. French horn

[@sampeacaml9307]

But OH so beautiful!

[@itznoxy7193]

This piece is amazingly complex. Even more so than it seems (and it seems really complex). I'm just here like "how did he come up with this?". Even by William's standards its so different and "out there" from what he normally does. This is like its own musical language/syntax that I have never seen anywhere else. Almost like its own genre entirely. The Philosopher's Stone should have easily won the oscar for best score.

[@Soytu19]

This sort of musical language is very bartokian (Bela Bartók). Unbeliavable counterpoint.

[@jakegearhart]

The sheer amount of effort put into creating the Harry Potter "soundscape" (unfortunately only used for the first two films) is astounding. _Every single time_ magic of some kind is performed in the first two films is either scored by one of these three themes or is scored by another theme that is derived from these. Both films' orchestration, embellishments, and key change patterns are so unique by so incredibly consistent that it can only be from Harry Potter. I hope one day, in some form, a project is done to rescore the rest of the series in this style using Prisoner of Azkaban as a template for how the last films should sound.

[@althealligator1467]

@@jakegearhart PoA has the best soundscape out of all 8 films. It's not very Harry Potter, though. It just should've been more consistent and gotten progressively darker. But I would like a sort of remaster where they somehow add things and change how some things look and sound.

[@sohankalirai8769]

U say that but if u look into the depths of classical music it’s almost a merge of Bartók and Tchaikovsky

[@pena1950]

John williams is the contemporary Paganini

[@wraith2939]

How did this not win an Oscar? This is outrageous.

[@joshqim3110]

I agree. LotR's soundtrack is great but it lacks the musical complexity that John Williams offers in his scores. The end of this track sounds like it's written by one of the classical greats.

[@jakubsedlak2173]

Lemme tell you something about Oscars... Who gives a shit?

[@RianDenver]

Because you could have said the same about LotR if they didn't win.. both masterpieces but unfortuntely there is can only be one winner

[@jakegearhart]

@@RianDenver LotR's score is great, but not on this level.

[@atuvelman]

@@jakegearhart Agreed. Even on the most basic level, if someone simply asked me to hum the LOTR theme, it's not memorable enough to where I could.

[@merlinhlr3553]

imagine John Williams having written the music for The Deathly Hallows. man. we missed such a pay-off.

[@semanticsamuel936]

The post-Williams HP music is mostly a bit rubbish. There are some nice moments scattered about (I like the Quidditch trials music in Half-Blood Prince and the fireworks music from Order), but they are few and far between. None of them have the melodic richness or the textural complexity as anything Williams did. I've been having a go at analysing the Nimbus 2000 music and even a few bars in there's so much to learn from it.

[@JohnBurkeMusic]

TRUTH

[@GregJamesMusic]

When the _Deathly Hallows_ movies were in production, Williams said in an interview that he’d like to score them. Unfortunately, that never happened, probably because he was working on _War Horse_ and _The Adventures of Tintin_ around the same time.

[@mattkirkhamm]

As a “normal” listener you get swept away with the gorgeous melodies. It some how makes you feel a sense of adventure, a sense of flying without wings, a sense of mystery. Then as a musician you realise just how amazing John Williams is. He writes music that is so dense, intricate, complex yet at the same time easy to listen to. Each few bars is something new, something interesting, something genius.

[@60darklord]

The poor piccolo and flutes... and violins. Y’all are monsters.

[@trevorjensen2706]

Eh, it's just chromatic. This is no big deal for them. Throw the runs on a trumpet, then it would be hell. A lot of this music appears to be on an open string anyway. Also, flutes do this stuff all the time with ease. lol, the performers are ridiculously talented sight readers.

[@jakegearhart]

@@trevorjensen2706 Chromatic scales are actually kinda difficult for violins because you use the same finger to play different notes that are close together. For example, you use the first finger to play both D# and E on the D string and the second finger to play both F and F# on the D string which means you have to slide your finger up quickly and it's hard to make that not sound like a slide when you're slurring the notes together.

[@trevorjensen2706]

@@jakegearhart, well, for the professional musicians, they see this type of music frequently, so for them, it's really not that big of a deal. For many musicians, it may be very difficult. I wrote a score that had chromatic lines at a University, and it was sixteenth note runs at a quarter note = 120 B.P.M. I asked the violin performer if it was too difficult, she laughed and said, "it was for the first hour of practicing." She at least to me, made it seem that the fingerings and bowings, once figured out, were easy. But I get your point, this cue is probably difficult for even some of the best, but even at a University level, some of the musicians are ridiculous sight readers.

[@trevorjensen2706]

@@jakegearhart, have you seen this video? Brian Tyler writes some pretty intense string parts for this cue from Terra Nova. It sounds difficult, and watching the bow rapidly move, it looks difficult, but the lady playing the cello looks a little bored. lol. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJ6vmJJqictgZ7M

[@trevorjensen2706]

@@jakegearhart, my point is, I don't think these top-tier musicians find much of anything to be too difficult. Thanks for your great information. I can compose music, and as I said, the one composition I wrote for the strings with chromatic runs at a 120 BPM, the violinist said it wasn't that difficult.

[@jimd385]

The word “GENIUS” is often overused. But in the case of John Williams music, it isn’t used enough.

[@zoltan902]

I'm amazed you were able to analyse this piece in one video. Hedwig's Theme is possibly the most texturally complex I've ever seen of John Williams' writing. I own the Hal Leonard Signature Edition score of the piece, and refer to it regularly when listening to the piece. I think the 'bridge theme' is my favourite motive. Simple, yet so animated.

[@nickadkins5679]

the bridge them is amazing! It captures for me the true spirit of harry potter.

[@Tsharkeye]

John Williams is known for having very good B sections that evoke even more emotion than the main theme. It's crazy how much ideas this guy can come up with in just one track.

[@Raachen]

Without this music, the Harry Potter movies would've probably never caught my attention. It's the soundscape that pulls you into this world and creates a true magical experience. Simply one of the best scores ever written...

[@Lotschi]

this is so true!

[@nicksipich1024]

Truly, truly, TRULY one of the best pieces of music ever composed.

[@DuhAverageJoe]

Those string passages are insane. Kinda reminds me a little of "Holiday Flight" from Home Alone.

[@brianbarry5039]

DuhAverageJoe You have to figure that Williams is writing for either top flight studio or professional orchestra musicians. He does write very challenging parts but their definitely not impossible thankfully!

[@joshwarrior9491]

In fact some of the string sections are impossible to play like the beginning

[@rodolfohurtado7714]

About the passages: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6aTl2ulr5Jmi6M

[@thomasshredster4627]

yea i thought so too, very recognizable , you can hear it right away absoultly brilliant

[@minemilx2702]

Damn. I don't even have the guts to write music that technically advanced.

[@brownie3454]

you probably don't have access to the musicians Williams does

[@greatmomentsofopera7170]

He knows the LSO will be able to play it

[@FreakieFan]

Nor the ability to.

[@muffinconsumer4431]

@@FreakieFan loser

[@madisonw4583]

If my conductor ever gave me this piece I don't know if I would quit on the spot, or practice 40 hours a day. Iykyk

[@beninglintang4895]

Well not all of us can be Ling Ling

[@adam4757]

This piece is mad. The way the Maestro darts in and out of different keys and time signatures is mind-boggling.

[@vbnnbvcx1]

The violin section is dead hahahaha

[@trevorjensen2706]

Nah, they are just fine. This is fun for them, they finally get a challenge (well, it challenges them for thirty minutes, then it's probably cake-walk).

[@kaan_bey]

Me: John, which notes did you use in Hedwig's Theme? John Williams: Yes.

[@PianoGeek3]

Congratulations! This is one of the most thoroughly analyzed score reductions I've seen you do! Thanks for this!

[@keithfoester7326]

liszt: i buy this piano so imma write songs using all 88 keys!!! john williams: hold my oscars.

[@marekciepucha7569]

Wagner and Stravinsky are proud!

[@camsolo2024]

Love how you put the themes in the beginning. Your analyses are so clear! Thanks!

[@Jay-S04]

Some day, I swear I’ll be able to play those arpeggios and runs on my violin

[@demonhunter5478]

Keep on practicing ! You'll get there

[@TommyLellan]

I love that the 4:48 manic flutes and harps is mentioned in a tiny scribe. It DOES sound magical.

[@robert_270]

And clarinets

[@Jay-S04]

That violin part is viciously difficult. Someday I'll be able to play it...

[@steffen5121]

So how much do you hate your orchestra? Williams: Yes

[@timmah4476]

What amazing resources you are creating for the composing community here - Bravo 👏🏼👏🏼 John Williams will be remembered up there with the best of them! 🙌🏼 His fluency with the harmonic and rhythmic language of music is next level - It's like he completed Duolingo for Music on God mode!!!

[@typo1345]

Rip celeste player

[@TheBycara]

You can really hear 'The Carnival of the Animals', definitely inspired by it.

[@alfred4264]

I hear the aquarium

[@joeythomas2724]

These videos you have made are treasures. Thank you for the time and effort you take to make them! Uniquely valuable.

[@dawid13og]

This is pure magic. You are wizard, John Williams!

[@brianeheads]

I wanted to see the Celesta part. Nevermind, I don't wanna work on scale runs and arpeggios. 😅

[@justjulia4541]

Why am I happy and crying at the same time. Damn my kids will be great wizards. Thank you for this masterpiece.

[@geevanh4200]

♥♥ the power of music ♫♪♥♂♀♦♣♠♥

[@MehdiD.Ardebili]

This is such a masterpiece!

[@carlpowell0]

really appreciate the channel these videos are very helpful for myself atm.

[@NightmareGuitarist]

This is awesome. Much appreciated!

[@beepbeep7358]

Man this is on another level

[@LearningEnjoyingPianoMusic]

Such a wonderful analysis! Thank You!

[@mikoajdudkiewicz8727]

This is spectacular. Thank you very much for this work, it helpes me with my arragements of this music. ❤

[@BenjaminLandauMusic]

If I may, I have spotted two misspelled tension chords : -Bar 131 the G#m is in fact a Fm7/b5 (you missed the bass :p ) I guess it is just experimentation, he went for the major/minor flavor and its nice tension of an half diminished seventh sound. The rest of this part are minor chords planings. -Bar 210 it is a Cm7/b5 (wait again?) instead of a C°7 Keep up the good work dude, this is my fav channel! This channel is a dream come true!

[@Imagineyourmusiccom]

fantastic work, very well done, thank you so much!

[@tamasfekete9673]

Thank you so much for this! :)

[@olihayne3724]

Such an amazing complex piece of music. John Williams is great at creating these themes which are then moved and played around with for different representations of mood.

[@yuhscha]

3:10 Liszt La Campanella Coda

[@jrocket7368]

Omg I love you for making these videos.

[@TheMaestro2005]

Man my orchestra played this a few years back before I left the group and them violin parts were no fun but they were so fun

[@HDKinoCool]

Amazing composition!!! amazing! Bravo!

[@MtFuji-pl3eb]

I love Harry Potter and its music. Thanks for uploading! 💖

[@LipnitskyOrchestra]

Thanks for your work!💫

[@jonathanparham]

Thanks. Always learning

[@carmenromerovera6853]

Crazy violin part

[@AAAstudioz]

Sight reading this piece at 7am must’ve been a blast. 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@dodirahmadi7314]

wow so cool! keep it up bro!!! 🙏🏻 thanks for the sharing

[@user-sn5dp6pj4j]

wonderful videos, keep making them

[@AramZero]

"What's the definition of an eargasm?" " 2:50 "

[@chloeprice4166]

as someone who played first violin in this piece, i absolutely hated it 💀

[@jadejaguar69]

Oh wow! You were the one who recorded the original score?? What's Williams like in person? I play in Berlin Philharmonic (not second or first, sadly) and it's always a dream to meet and talk to him!

[@AAAstudioz]

Chloe Price you played during the actual recording?

[@CosmicTeapot]

lmao at the comments. Have you guys never heard another orchestra play one of the many John Williams medleys out there? Just because she said she played it doesn't mean she was in the orchestra of the original recording... There's a gazillion college-level orchestras that play Harry Potter/Star Wars/other film music medleys as the first part of a concert to draw in the crowds that are too afraid of listening to contemporary music.

[@sanjayr.a8502]

This is amazing 😍

[@AndreyRubtsovRU]

I know a lot of film music in UK would be recorded on the day. Surely this fragment would merit a special note from a composer saying 'we probably need an extra rehearsal for the violins. and violas. and celeste'.

[@joshtimmins4410]

Amazing video! Appreciate the time and effort gone it to have such a wonderful outcome which is easy to read and follow. :)One question, are the violins playing at the start of the piece when the score says they are, or is it just very quiet? ;)

[@LanaVegana]

I've always liked 2:50 so much!

[@brownie3454]

best part. reminds me of the breakdown section in the Sorcerer's Apprentice

[@SYQmusic]

That was quite a journey through key signatures and variations!

[@anselmsnodgrass47]

I can't have been the only one to notice the similarity of this music (essentially a theme and variations) to the Sicilienne from Pelléas et Mélisande (Fauré Op. 80).

[@VickyGreen-tz3pn]

I noticed that too.

[@xatnu]

This must take hours of work. I hope you find doing this as rewarding as I find it interesting and enertaining to watch.

[@AaronAlterman]

3:08 Alexandre Desplat modifies this theme in “The Tunnel” from Deathly Hallows Part 2. I recommend listening to this part and that song :)

[@andrewrichesson8627]

I love the chordal horn chromatic motion at 4:52

[@sammossa3920]

Hello! First off, your channel is great and has helped me so much as a composer. Thank you for your videos. Also, can you do score anaylsis of the "La La Land" Epilouge? That would be awesome

[@typo1345]

When trailers were called promotional reels

[@TheJazzDane]

Is it just me or is that a subtle 'Dies Irae' in the horns at 3:12?

[@kappabravomusic2101]

Beautiful piece

[@glidermusicvideos]

Those trumpets at 5:01: TONGUING!!!

[@a...7139]

Wow.it's really amazing!😯👏👏👏

[@alfalfa_art]

I got to play this piece in an orchestra, but unfortunately it was a youth orchestra and the arranger apparently didn't get the memo that the bassoon initially got some pretty parts!! Those exposed woodwinds are just so lovely in this original, they look fun to play :(

[@dushdy7160]

Thanks for all this amazing content! I'm inspired by your Reductions for a while and trying to accomplish something similiar for VGM Themes. I'm curious, do you do all of the layouting in Sibelius, or do you use any other Software to assemble the final layout for the videos? I'm not having the resources for Sibelius, so I'm using MS - so I don't know which features I could be probably missing for this case. It's very easy to get ordinary scores done and make em look good, but shrinking and reducing systems, condensing parts into one system, all the useful stuff that is happening in your videos, seems to be only possible in Sibelius?

[@JohnMassari]

Thanks for the IMAGES 1972 excerpt.

[@lettucedaydreams1178]

As a violinist I hope I never have to play this... not because I don’t like it (actually one of my favourite pieces of music) but because I would probably die

[@Theomite]

Anybody else get the feeling that this is the soundtrack for when Harry Potter and Kevin McCallister ever got together?

[@callummckie894]

I be really interested to see the subtle differences in orchestration between the two C major chord hits at the end. Sounds like the trumpets are playing the complete triad in the second hit for one. Amazing what a small difference in voicing can do for the colour of the same chord.

[@SamVillano]

Images is such a fascinating score for Williams

[@b3yourself91]

I love you channel so much! do you think you'd be able to find a score of the battle from the chronicles of Narnia?

[@bradfrey]

I love the Narnia score! I think I have some sort of "suite" of the music somewhere, but I'll do some digging and see if I can get ahold of the battle score.

[@LeonardAbbado3]

Thank you very much 😢😌💋💕💕💕💕

[@pepn]

So I'm having difficulties to play a very regular 16th notes motives at high tempo, and these people just play 11:1 rhythms

[@aesthetic3322]

thank you ✨💞

[@brunopineyro1805]

That guy is a legend

[@samueliglesias8601]

I just used this video (thoroughly) on a piano lesson with a student who wants to play this theme and understands basic harmony. I'm pushing her to come up with the most conscious arrangement that she can play. Thank you for this! Wrong John Williams movie quote, but "this belongs in a museum!"

[@u1zha]

Similar here, couple of years ago I pieced together a playable piano arrangement for my son from this video. 👍️

[@ManualidadesMaForMarili]

Nice video👍

[@Musicrafter12]

Roman numeral analysis would generally be so much more helpful to learning what he's doing. I appreciate exact chord names, and sometimes functional analysis doesn't make sense in some contexts, but I'd love to see some roman numerals. Also not every chord is super important, so having them all listed, even when it's just basically some neighbor-tone planing chord for half a beat, clouds up one's overall analysis.

[@chuckwieser7622]

Awesome video and reduction. Very helpful!... I do want to mention that the C diminished chords. If they have a B-flat and not a double B flat or A natural, they should be half-diminished 7th chords not fully diminished 7th chords. Thanks

[@kyrachen9108]

Idk why but the Harry Potter theme just sound so good ITS JUST SO FUN TO LISTEN TO LMAO

[@krane.kk8827]

I really love it

[@FyrverkeriElskeren]

I’d love an analysis of “Be prepared” from the Lion King!

[@Bugleur]

The firebird !

[@tomekkobialka]

I've always wanted to play the bass part of 4:48; must be so much fun!

[@holtenbarnwell5136]

Seriously, the amount of stuff that is going on in this main theme is crazy. The about of 16th and 32nd note string runs across like 8 bars is insane.

[@DuhAverageJoe]

Never realized how much this reminds me of a Danny Elfman score.

[@sampeacaml9307]

Oh, those iconic first notes...

[@ivanrangga]

Superb analysis! Would you mind doing The Mummy Returns Theme by Alan Silvestri?

[@fabrizioriso3616]

What program do you use for highlights and edit scores? Thank you

[@gijsvanamelsvoort3689]

Such an outstanding piece of composition, it ticks all the boxes! One question though; I'm wondering why Williams chose 3/8 over 3/4? I'm really curious what the practical use of the 3/8 is in this case?

[@FreakieFan]

No real difference other than visual. It’s a fast and lively piece and 3/8 looks more fast and lively than if it were 3/4. It’s a great communicative tool to the musicians, to understand the composer’s intentions. Also, a lot of the HP score is written in 6/8, 9/8, 12/8. So having this in 3/8 makes metric modulation easier to digest for the players. And I think it’s a better question to ask as to why it’s not in 6/8 rather 3/8. It feels way more like 6 to me.

[@SpielerischKlavierLernen]

Thank you

[@franklehman8677]

Superb! How on earth did you get your hands on that score from Images? (Or is that your own transcription? If so, impressive -- most impressive!)

[@bradfrey]

Not a transcription, I have the score... I know some people ;)