Yes!! And it's exactly what the movie needs! I am currently reading the book and I'm listening to the movie OST for background music and it's absolutely incredible.
It is a perfect depiction because in the book Dune, it takes place 20 thousand years from now where humans have battled against AI, instead humans develop their thinking abilities to replace robots. So, this is the future of the future where they return a bit traditional with futuristic style, hence Hanz Zimmer's scoring is truly extraordinary in depicting that.
Hearing this score at an actual cinema is EARTH SHATTERING. John Williams is amazing and will always inspire me but stuff like this where the music just unapologetically slaps you straight in the face is unbelievably brilliant.
I was lucky enough to hear it in IMAX and let me tell you…that was the best movie going experience I think I’ve ever had. Absolutely immersive, I could feel the ships rising out of the water on Caladan and the voice shook me every time. It was incredible
I don't agree. Anymore than a ripped MMA guy is better than a 20 year Kung-Fu man. Looks better? Maybe. John Williams score for Star Wars sounds like nothing else. In fact, I can't decide if it or 1959 Ben Hur is the best of all time. Zimmer routinely uses sounds from parts of Don Giovanni. While Star Wars and Ben Hur used The Planets from Holst.
@@putinscat1208 Your point about bombastic music not necessarily being better is fine, Hans zimmer certainly doesn't go for a melodic orchestra like John williams. But your analogy of comparing a MMA fighter going up against a kung fu master? Go see martial artists having a real bout with a trained MMA fighter, you're making light of a profession, insulting their hard work and effort. That image of the "wise old kung fu master" is influencing your opinion of the realities of the modern world.
@@janmajer4662 no, Hanz' texture is vital to the world on dune portrayed in the movie, it adds so much to a story focused on a specific world, versus the movies that Williams writes for, which focuses on characters' stories throughout different settings
I really like the way Zimmer's music isn't just part of a film, it always becomes the film. Like John Williams takes a film and manages to translate it into a melody and nobody else can do that. But nobody can do what Zimmer does and immerse you in such a way.
@@paintbrush3753 That's not true, in my comment I mentioned John Williams as also being someone who can't be replicated. The nuance here is that John Williams' style is all about ushering in a sense of magic, mystery and royalty. That's awesome and totally fitting to films like Star Wars or Home Alone. A Zimmer score would not fit like a Williams score in Star Wars. Where as I feel that Zimmer's style is completely atmospheric. If I could describe it metaphorically, John William's scores are in the stars and dreams of the worlds/sets of films he writes music for, and to me, Zimmer's music feels to be from underneath the foundations of the worlds he writes music for. As if it and core of said world vibrate at a resonant frequency. That to me is unique and different. John Williams is the best at what he does, but there are film score artists like Danny Elfman for example, who have a similar style, but there's nobody I know of that seems to be able to replicate Zimmer's secret crabby patty formula. Another composer I think is great, unique and underrated is Bruce Faulconer.
Fun fact, in the cone of silence scene, the dialogue can be heard at sub bass frequencies. At IMAX you could hear them speaking, at home I couldn't. The sound engineering definitely a core part of what made Dune sound so iconic
I watched it in IMAX 1.43-1 and definitely did NOT hear any dialogue, I also have a comprehensive setup of wired speakers and subwoofers at home, none here either. How loud/obvious was the dialogue for you?
I felt that the use of bagpipes gave the House of Atreides an ancient feel, like this house has been around a looooooooong time, it's power is immense, immovable and deep rooted in time. It's a heavy, solid, tangible strength based on tradition and long forgotten history.
@B Complex Back in the prehistory of the internet there was a .WAV file that went something like "A blue-painted Pict striding across a field in Scotland stepped on a bloated sheep carcass and thus the pipes were born". I wish I still had a copy of it. It's a small snippet but completely hilarious and a pretty apt description of bagpipes.
I want to say Zimmer pretty much confirmed what you are saying in an interview. In Dune lore House Atreides supposedly goes all the way back to Agamemnon, like Homer Trojan War Agamemnon, so yes very old. When Villeneuve said he wanted something like bagpipes for the scene Zimmer thought it made perfect sense, because bagpipes are not just Scottish, they from all over and often used in a ceremonial context especially when related to the changing of power (royal/military). I want to say Zimmer even joked "Anywhere you have wood and goats, the goat better watch out because someone is going to turn it into a bagpipe". My point being House Atreides being like "We are a Major house, a royal military family, with and ancient heritage, we get this super old instrument to represent us because TRADITION!" makes perfect sense.
What really makes Hans Zimmer stand out for me is that this guy does not tell the story only via melodies, but also sound design. This guy is a master beast in terms of the synthesis, sound design and he push those fields equally hard to tell you a story. I would love to ask him so mamy questions If I could
By far my favorite Zimmer score. Incredible in every aspect. The House Atreides theme with the bagpipes is one of my favorite pieces of film music I've heard. Amazing theater experience and I can't wait for Part 2.
The Atreides theme is super sick, but continues to play mind games with me as I keep anticipating the melody is about to break into "Auld Lang Syne" or worse, "Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree".
I love the emotion caused by the themes of Princess Leia and Yoda and Luke and how they bring back my childhood but the Dune soundtrack is literally out of this world and takes me places I've never been before. You can't choose between them. That'd be like saying "Pick one, your mum's traditional apple crumble or swimming at a beach in the Pacific?"
@@animalanimation5110 I’ve listened to so many scores and so much classical in my life. Dune soundtrack hits differently and I can easily take myself into another world, it really surprises me that there’s people like you that interprets it that way lmao respect to your opinion, it’s just a Terrible one imo.
Dune had the best feel to a location I've ever seen. I couldn't describe how it felt to watch dune in theaters it was so immersing at times that really put this movie and score above all of the rest easily. Hans Zimmer is changing the movie composing game for the better and I'm here for it all.
Don’t know if he’s really changing the composing game for the better though, I’m kinda tired hearing an Inception ripoff for the hundredth of time in a movie or series.
Villeneuve and his team succeeded with Dune where James Cameron failed with Avatar. They managed to bring an imaginary science fiction location TO LIFE on a level that very very few have ever achieved to this level of near perfection everything was amazing in the film. I truly think it is/will be the next Lord of The Rings.
For me, the bagpipes have a lot more subtext. The humans in this story ARE descended from Earth humans millennia ago. And a major theme of the story is familial tradition and pride. Well, in Scottish culture the bagpipes are are the pinnacle of cultural pride and tradition, and so their use in the far far off future indicates that they were important enough to survive as a major cultural touchstone for that long. Or so I read into it that way.
I don't recall any of this being part of the books, but I may be wrong, it's been years. If that's the case, the choice and interpretation that you are making would be entirely on Zimmer's imagination...
@@abelsuisse9671 Yeah, I'm giving Zimmer the credit here. We're also supposed to relate more with House Atraides, more specifically the leaders thereof, so the incorporation of more familiar instrumentation goes along way toward that as well.
@@abelsuisse9671 They were tracing their lines to ancient Greece somewhat, however I belive it was retconned by Brain Herbert so those Greek names were pointing to Butlerian Jihad participants
Bagpipes are also heavily associated with military forces, which is why this instrumental choice for a house as militarily competent as Atreides also makes sense.
John Williams shakes your emotions, Hans Zimmer shakes your soul. The melodies of Williams are so memorable, but Zimmer creates a whole new level of immersion which literally drags you into the screen and makes you oblivious to everything else around you.
Fun fact, Zimmer didn’t read the whole script for Interstellar, just a couple of pages, but damn that soundtrack goes deep into your soul. Fantastic movie, but the music makes it a legendary movie in my opinion.
Sounds like a distinction without a difference. Both composers are capable of eliciting strong emotional reactions but use different methods. What Zimmer lacks in technical skills he makes up for in creativity. He finds the right sound for a film, experimenting and tinkering away to find that sound. Williams relies more on his shear skill as a composer and his innate genius to write memorable themes and intricate leitmotifs.
I think it's important to remember Zimmer is a complete sound designer geek, he was one of the first to adopt Ableton. It's interesting to hear a Zimmer take from a music theory perspective on that note.
pretty sure it was cubase that he was known for getting all his underlings and eventually all of hollywood to use. Even decades ago when it would crash every 15 mins haha
Do you think you can talk about Ludwig Görannson? He’s worked on Tenet, Black Panther, Mandalorian, plenty other scores as well not to mention he also produced every single Childish Gambino album. He’s young and has a big future in the industry and he’s already made a great name for himself. I feel like he is my generations Hans Zimmer; Not trying to compare but that’s how I feel.
He is a beast indeed! The behind the scenes clips from him working on the soundtrack for Black Panther are amazing-really connecting with locals. You were probably already aware that the reason Christopher Nolan didn't work with Hans on Tenet was because Hans was doing ... Dune! Love what Ludwig did for that one!
Actually that scale you mentioned in the beginning ( 5:48) is the raga ' Maaya Maalava Gowla' in indian carnatic music. And this raga is used as the first raga that is taught to the students. There are so many cool songs composed in this raga in lot of the south indian movies. This raga creates a lively morning atmosphere. The song ' Pavanarachezhuthunnu kolangal' from the malayalam movie ' vietnam colony' is the perfect example... check the song pls...❤😇 . hope you will like it.
@@ambareeshchithran8792 Thank you so much for this! it's the exact kind of touch point I needed to start a delve into music theory outside of the European Classical sense.
Paul's Dream is such an intense song it brings me to tears within seconds. That voice and all the deep vibration reaches so deep inside, it touches something ancient in me and it moves me every time I hear it. I think it's fascinating that it comes from a score for a science fiction movie. But I also think it makes sense for Dune being the epic saga that it is.
Hes a story teller first and foremost, and that's why his soundtracks hit so hard. They are the atmosphere of the location, and the feeling of what's happening to the people of the story. This is the way to make film score. Tell the story.
The scale at 5:32 we would call hijazkar in eastern traditional music (greek arabic etc). You will hear it very often in old greek songs (rempetika). The chords it's usually played over are D,D#,Cm and Gm with D being the 1.
This specific scale is Hijazkar. Hijaz usually has the minor tetrachord (nahawand) as the second part of the scale, and would play around with modulating the second part to rast (like major with a half-flat third) and maybe nikriz (minor with a sharp fourth) and a bunch of other tetrachords and then come back around to the main hijaz scale (aka Phrygian dominant).
The scale could be attributed to a Carnatic raga called Mayamalavagowla raga which follows the same pattern. Its a staple in Indian classical, also called Carnatic music.
I'm familiar with this scale through a death metal context. When I hear it, it sounds evil and menacing. When you hear it, do you think it sounds happy or good spirited?
My absolute favorite by Hans Zimmer is Cornfield Chase, such a fitting piece I could listen to for hours on end and it meshes so well with the movie but in ways I can’t explain
Also, to answer your closing question... If I'm looking to play an iconic film song just to do that, I'd listen to John Williams. On the other hand with Hans Zimmer, I'd just watch the movie as it feels more connected to it.
When you hire Hans Zimmer for a soundtrack, you’re actually hiring a whole team. But they all carry the spirit of their leader in that if you sign up to go on the Zimmer team ship, it’s to discover new worlds, break barriers, and excel at your craft as a musician to the heights that you discover something new.
@@EtherealDoomed Yup! This feels like it glosses over the fact that HZ uses ghostwriters who are often not credited or properly compensated. I'll give him credit for being fairly open about the use of ghostwriters, but he could go a lot further to spotlight his collaborators.
I gave up correcting people a long time ago, it's still funny as hell in real life when I tell people what I'm into and they think it's a good time to say they are Hans Zimmer fans just before I correct them, **rc media fans lol
Nothing will ever top the feeling I got when watching Dune in theatres as the battble bagpipes came in while the Atrades army charged the Harkonnen army. My favorite cinematic moment ever...by far.
Hans Zimmer is so surprisingly versatile. He can do textural/tonal work like in _Dune,_ and he can also do Williams-esque thematic fanfares like he did in _Pirates of the Caribbean._ He's worked on cartoons and video games. He's probably the best overall composer in modern media, but gets overshadowed by John Williams because fanfares are memorable.
Dude, as a piano player/former teacher - your music theory breakdown of everything but especially that scale was absolutely nuts and awesome! When I first listened to this soundtrack I knew it was special and complex and crazy in the best way. What a visionary Zimmer is! (thank you for including the keyboard at the bottom of the screen, IMMENSELY helpful in visualizing everything so I could follow along)
Using Arabic scales by Zimmer here are also relevant because the author of Dune book based Fremens and Dune planet on Arabic culture. That's the beauty of this movie - they've not only sticked to the story ❤️
The reasoning behind the bagpipes imo is that it's a reference to the Atreides' ancestral home of rainy, mountainous Caladan. Hans is using our association of bagpipes with rainy, mountainous Scotland to create a similar feeling when referencing Caladan. Contrasting then more strongly with the more middle eastern sounds used for Arrakis
Zimmer also mentioned in an interview that he was trying to envision what instrument from humanity would persist several millennia in the future, and he and the director if Dune both agreed it would be bagpipes
To me, this soundtrack is the sound of dread. It sounds like the stark, insistant realization of an imposing and suffocating darkness- like the outward exhaltation from those who have come to understand a terrible and brutal secret that I have not and perhaps cannot fully comprehend.
To me it sounds like a dystopian future but you’re already there. There was no change. And you don’t know how you git there. But you’re there now and you can’t get out
Yep, there is definitely something sinister lurking behind the surface, and it's perfect. To all the reviewers who mentioned that they think Dune is just another monomyth, they are going to have a rude awakening.
Hans Zimmer. John Williams. James Horner. Ennio Morricone. How lucky are we all in this age to be able to hear the works of these geniuses (and many more like them!).
There are some comments about Dune being “in another galaxy”. Star Wars certainly was (the very first words that greet us) but Dune is framed as humanities near-ish (20,000 years hence) future. The major houses are not even located that far from our current Earth (which is a borderline lost irrelevance by the time of Dune). Zimmer decided it would be natural for various aspects of human musical culture to somewhat survive the journey to space (it might be different, but it wouldn’t all be lost).
@@krakenkrafted5122 It's further than that, because (in the books at least) the war against 'thinking machines' around 10,000 years prior that was mentioned several times is itself set 10,000 years in the future relative to us.
The music from Dune seems so otherworldly that I thought it would be impossible to play it live. Yet a month ago I saw him live performing. And I can only day that it's the most incredible auditory experience I've ever had. Even as you sit in the venue watching them play it, you can not entirely believe that they're sounds of this world. Simply a magical experience. If you ever get the opportunity to see him live: DO IT! You do not want to miss it
I also saw him a month ago in munich and it was amazing. Hans was apparently so proud of the Dune soundtrack that he decided to play it like four different times during the whole show, but he had every right to do it, the soundtrack is breathtaking
Honestly the Interstellar soundtrack blows me away every time! There's something about the motif of the main theme that brings a tear to my eye... it's majestic and astronomical, but also so emotional and heartfelt. I've literally watched "The Making of" that soundtrack so many times. I'd love to see a whole video from you deconstructing each track! Or maybe even just the main theme.
I loved, and I do mean loved, the soundtrack to Interstellar. I've never seen the movie but got into the soundtrack here on RUclips. I finally listened to an audiobook recording (homemade by someone but it's good enough) and realized the real theme in Interstellar is the abandonment of a daughter by a father and that did me in. My father abandoned me, my siblings, and our mother when I was about 8 years old. Just moved out one day, cleaned out the joint bank account (back then, women needed their husband's permission to withdraw money from joint accounts but men could take everything without needing the wife's permission) and left Mom with NO money and five children as he skipped his merry way onward in life. SO....finding out that that was a huge theme in the movie, I then couldn't stop hearing the loss, the anguish, the confusion, and the utter betrayal that Murphy feels when he goes, even though he's going for the good of Humanity (unlike my dad who went to chase women he wasn't married to). When you're a kid and a parent literally abandons you and never looks back, it's rough. Hearing that abandonment as written by Zimmer was wrenching. I don't know how he knew how to portray abandonment and betrayal in music but he did a great job with it, so much so that today, I can't bring myself to listen to Interstellar any more because it hurts too much. Sorry for War and Peace. I believe in context. LOL
@@LauraS1 Interstellar is a beautiful experience if you can find a way to watch it. And it’s not really about a father abandoning a daughter but saving her and everyone else
@@swirlingchias father of a daughter I very much felt it was something he had to do to save her. Surprised anyone thinks otherwise, but things change when you have kids
The thing that blew my mind about the Interstellar sound track was the sort of clicking metronome sound that runs through many of the tracks. Which tend to switch between tempos and triplets, which to me signifies the different speeds of time across the different universes the characters are in
This Hans Zimmer song made us feel like were in the 5th Dimension. - The reverbed base sinths at the beginning have a fade in effect...then fade out to give space to the drums and orquestra instruments. - The female Vocalist just comes out setting the tone of mystery and Colossal presence of whatever form or shape the audience needs to feel and imagine. - Orquestra instruments cames out CHAOTIC yet secretly organized...it manifest greatly so your ears cannot make sense were is going you just know it's tense. - The Drums tell a story of Ancient presence,not Evil not Good but Unknown,Uncharted,Dangerous, Unbiased...stepping in the Void of the Big Unknown.
I absolutely agree with you, and that is exactly the centre point of why Hans Zimmer is as great as memorable composers like John Williams, yet so different. To me, being a producer, Hans will always hold a special place in my heart: John Williams is an amazing composer, he writes music like nobody else; but what makes Hans such as great is the incredible sound-design. Hans can shape and craft sound like no other film composer has ever done, and on top of that, there is obviously great music writing and composing. But the soul of Hans Zimmer's film composing is the inventive side of his work, rather than the theoretical composing, which makes him so great (at least to me). You hear those sounds in Dune, those unbelievable percussions, and you are immediately taken to a different reality, a different world, and I don't get this feeling in such a strong way like I do with Hans, with any other composer
Zimmer's production is very polished, but not particularly inventive. He does lots of traditional stuff quite well, nothing new. Newman's style of composition is much more inovative
Both Williams and Zimmer are derivative. There's not a chance they would get away with that theft of sound and music in the world they took them from. Brilliant, but derivative and really quite dependant on the ignorance of the listeners to spot the original forms. It's why its 'movie music'. edit: I watched Aliens again last night, wow. They owe Shostakovich and Khatchaturian quite a bit don't they? It's just wholesale 'taking'. At least Kubrick just used the originals, always liked that about him. Not being a snob, just their 'genius' needs a slap down as far as I'm concerned. I love them also, I don't mean to decry Aliens or Horner, I think it's a masterpiece of film making. Though in respect to genius or originality (re: something like 2049), Pauline Oliveros is/was much more innovative and interesting for example. Nobody will ever bother to find out who that is. Just consume - nom, slurp, belch and regurgitate (Without due credit unfortunately, I don't enjoy that world much. Take and no give. Modern age. Hollywood)
The double harmonic scale Zimmer uses here is the same scale upon which the middle eastern folk song Misirlou is based. Dick Dale made a surf rock version of Misirlou that was made super famous by the movie Pulp Fiction. Such an awesome sounding scale!
actually that scale in Arabic is called the Nikriz, it's rarely used and it's a mix between two main Arabic scales which are the Hijaz and the Nahawand
8:12 This man's videos are so wild because he'll play just the most beautiful piece I've ever heard and then, while I'm having this whole transcendent experience, he just goes "And see, the B flat here can change the tone of the chord, right? It can go from this-" *Most amazing chord ever* "to this-" *nevermind this is the best chord I've ever heard." Like- I know I came here for this but it still shakes me to my core every time lol
The bag pipes feel to me more about House Atreides than Dune. House Atreides home planet, Caladan, is very wet. It’s a sharp contrast to Arrakis (Dune), and there are some moments where Paul wows the Fremen with stories of water falling from the sky.
I'm not usually a huge Zimmer fan, but this is not only my favorite Zimmer score, but one of my favorite scores period. Especially of the past 20 years. It fits the movie and manages to stand alone as a listening experience. Which is the sweet spot for me.
Leaving Caladan is, by far, my favorite track from Zimmer. I could not fathom a different score during the scene in which it appears, so much scale, the emotion of leaving one's planet, and the score is portraying that this is when everything changes, for Arrakis and for Paul. It's huge, it's foreboding, it is everything that the movie wanted to portray in that moment.
I wish I could’ve seen interstellar in theaters, that scene where he’s lining up the ship always shakes me to the core because of how well the music works with the visuals
What's so cool about Hans Zimmer is that he _can_ make the John Williams type super iconic orchestral melodies: Pirates of the Caribbean theme, Discombobulate, Wonder Woman theme, etc. but he has a great sense for when a score should or shouldn't have them, _and_ he puts all that thought into sound design and instrumentation that influences the viewer's emotions so well. Outside of theme songs, almost every time I see movies let the score come to the forefront during a scene it turns out to be a Hans Zimmer score, it's crazy!
@@kozodoev I'm not sure why you think I'm wrong, but this video is my source, and they interviewed Zimmer, so... ruclips.net/video/sgt70wWkUVs/видео.html
No he's a composer and the sound designer, your envious. Look at tracks from pearl harbour, pirates of Caribbean, tracks like "time" from Inception or s.t.a.y from interstellar.
This but unironically. I enjoyed the score in the films, but as someone who’s music tastes is 1/3rd soundtracks, I do not care to listen to Zimmer outside of the films he scored for. Musically, there’s not much there. It really makes you *feel* the epicness of the moment, and really elevates the meaning of the expression on say, Timothy’s face in a scene, but its nothing compared to John Williams and Howard Shore. I mean think about the asteroid field in Empire, or the reveal of the dwarven city in Fellowship, and compare it to what you’re ultimately hearing as *BRRRRRRR* in a few different chords.
@@Eilajienvious* Look at the Amazing Spiderman 2 soundtrack for Hans Zimmer's compositional abilities. If I had millions of dollars in orchestral VSTs I could make some nice droning scores too lmao but they're all that he does. If he did a few scores that were noticeable enough to be appreciated outside of the movie it would be nice. I can't name one he's done since the Lion King, and speaking of which Fatass McGee fucked up the remake's audio so add that to the list. Zimmer is overrated and will not be remembered among the current compositional renaissance.
Well Mark Mangini and his team at The Formosa Group played an equal role, as the actual sound designer of the film. The collaboration with Hans and his team is the magic
I love both Zimmer and Williams. The “Dune” score absolutely deserved the Oscar (I’d also say both “Inception” and “Interstellar” did, too). I especially love it when Williams makes departures from his signature style on occasion. If you want to hear the wildest film score he ever composed, check out his 1972 Oscar-nominated score from “Images”. Pure avant-garde brilliance 🙂
I was absolutely floored by Dune, from an audio/sound perspective! The 'voice' is actually what fascinated me the most because it plays on perception, or more specifically our ability to perceive. It always bothers me that within sci-fi films, in which 'alien' life is present, not enough attention if given to the fact that they may communicate out of our perceivable range, dictated by our biology. It sounds off, otherworldly and unsettling, as it should! You also get the feeling that you are not hearing/perceiving the full power of it as the viewer! This notion is further demonstrated with the 'Sardaukar Chant', however this is less about aural perception and more about cadence and inflection. Hopefully more film-makers, composers etc start to think of the audio being more integral to the picture, rather than as a means to serve the picture! “We gestate in sound, and are born into sight. Cinema gestated in sight and was born into sound.” Sorry for the long comment but I can't (clearly) say enough good things about this film!
Learning about Full Spectrum/Infrared/Ultraviolet photography gives some interesting insight into how non earth life might see the world too, its really neat what a modded camera can see and I highly recommend checking out some of the RUclips content for it
what you're describing is also why I always loved oldschool Japanese video game composers like Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, Miki Higashino, Michiko Naruke... they're all masters of ~V~I~B~E~S~ when creating the moods and setting for the worlds of their respective games... and by far I definitely prefer this type of approach to music. Create a unique atmosphere and convey emotion though the means of the ~vibes~ a piece gives, master the mood through both melodies and harmonies as the sounds used and their innovative textures and combinations and stuff...
That double harmonic scale is actually a very prominent scale in Indian Ragas.. It is called Raga Bhairav! It is also a scale which is considered the natural scale in Indian Carnatic music and sounds similar to an Arabic scale also. If you want to learn more intriguing sounding scales, I recommend you to go through Indian Ragas atleast ones!
In Arabic music we have 8 main musical scales, all with distinguished sounds and moods. What you demonstrated in 6:10 is the scale of ‘Hijaz’ which literally is the name of Saudi Arabia before it was called Saudi Arabia. This is used a lot to convey feelings of melancholy almost like dawn time. Hope you find this interesting keep up the nice work!
I think Hans Zimmer is a huge admirer of Ennio Morricone; he proved it on many occasions. This first part of the score reminds me a lot “once upon a time in the west”, revisited by Hans Zimmer’s great creativity.
John Williams is an old school jazz cat. Melodies, harmonies, and orchestration are epic. Zimmer is a rock and roll guy. His textures and rhythms hit hard.
6:01 Yes. It is a form of Arabic scale, called "Hijaz Kar" which is a branch of "Hijaz" scale (or so-called Phrygian Dominant). Hans knew what he was doing switching between those two scales, impressive!
A couple of years ago I was scoring for a short film I was working on. I came up with this theme and I didn’t quite know where it sat. After some googling I learned it was best seen as from a double harmonic scale. Such a beautiful challenging sound, the dissonance is just amazing.
This soundtrack has really grown on me. Not instantly but gradually iconic. I think a lot of people, me included, were expecting a John Williams style score. Zimmer was brave enough to create the score we didn’t know we needed.
We are on an era where directors are shifting more towards to asking a composer to write much more sound design. This idea of a strong, thematic idea announcing a hero or villain is less and less requested. Minimalist scoring is definitely the trend in Hollywood, and Hans Zimmer has NAILED this kind of writing. Far more importance in the chords, the electronics, etc. to create a WORLD, a soundscape that really blurs the audience's ability to recognize what is music, and what are sound effects.
One dispute I would make, is that House Atreides DOES have ties to earth culture. It doesn't necessarily explain the bagpipes, but canonically House Atreides traces its lineage back to ancient Greece.
"Anywhere you have a goats and reeds, you have bagpipes" - Nicholas Bras Bagpipe instruments are found all over the world. Though the Atreides are shown with Highland bagpipes played by guys in kilts, so that's a bit more overt. "Atreides" is "Son of Atreus", Atreus meaning "fearless" in Greek, and canonically descends from King Agamemnon
Well every human in the world of Dune is related to earth. It is situated in our galaxy but in a real distant future and humans are either undergoing evolution, introduced to quallity of life improvement, bred, mutated or cyborg like. Or like the fremen exposed to ecosystems. Earth was forsaken but some cultural elements have survived in some sort, like the bibel but are now distorted in some form.
Well, the home planet of House Atreides is Caladan, which has very Highland-like landscapes, so I think that the bagpipes perfectly reflect that culture.
Perfectly reasonable to figure that bagpipes might have some heritage. The Portuguese have their own type of bagpipes and Caladan is a reference to Catalonia so the Atreides are more widespread Mediterranean than just Greek. And Dune takes place 100% within the milky way. Arrakis is ~300ly from Earth
The music truly felt like its own character within the film. It's honestly the part that I remember the most, along with the pain box scene and Stellan being a blob thing lol.
I would LOVE for you to cover some Trent reznor and attics Ross scores, especially soul, the social network and gone girl. They use subtle piano over synth basses and glissandos and would be pretty simple to explain the use of the major 3rd and minor 7th (“Intriguing Possibilities”), as well as the emotional piano scene in Soul (“Epiphany”)
I'm a NIN fan, but I think the soundtracks are his finest moment, however I think the Ghosts V/VI albums under the NIN name (Although instrumental and have Atticus on board)are really interesting and contrast each other. It would be an interesting video too. Nine Inch Nails Ghosts V: Together Ghosts VI: Locusts
As always top notch content. But can we appreciate how lovely the setup with the piano lighting and everything else is? ✨👏 I've been loving the evolution of the setting over the years.
2:36 The melody remembers me hugely of the strings in the Harmonica tracks of Ennio Morricone's Soundtrack "Once Upon a Time in the West". Same mood, same harmony. 13:54 The bagpipes are not related to Arrakis but to Atreides' home Caladan.
finally someone else noticed :) its not only that. even the major hook essentially is as if you loop bar 7 and 8 of "Once Upon a Time in the West". the score is basically a BWAAAAAAH remix of one of the greatest scores of all time. and noone noticed. i find that hilarious.
John Williams, James Horner, Hans Zimmer, Ludwig Goransson in movies were amazing!!! keep it coming. if you can make a list of movie composers and what makes them iconic would be a great video
My favourite Hans Zimmer quote is “music is a conversation”. Since then I listen to music differently. Hans is a fearless composer. He creates soundscapes that bring you deeper into the cinematic world. His music is explorative and we are as drawn into its process as much as we are the film’s. His compositions surround you in the film’s world without suffocating you, yet his music still feels deeply personal. He’s not as much of a composer as he is a craftsman. John creates musical accompaniments to what’s occurring on the screen, but he does it with a keen sense of the needs of the audience. He enhances their emotional experience with the film while setting mood and tempo. He’s a traditional soundtrack composer with a traditional background but who composes for the audience as much as he does for the film. His music is more than “audience friendly”, it’s “audience empathetic”. And as far as the comparison between John and Hans is concerned, I greatly admire and respect each composer and love their music equally. But the question to ask is, if John had not received the education/training he did, would he still be the composer he is today? And how would Hans’ work change if he had received the same level of training/education as John?
One of my favorite Zimmer songs is Bakara from Black Hawk Down, I remember hearing that for the first time and being stricken by how different it was to what I expected to hear in film. He has only continued to blow me away with each successive bit of work, but Bakara will always be the one I go back to.
Personally, I prefer Hans Zimmer's style over John Williams'. This is because as you said, Hans Zimmer is exceptional at putting the listener into the environment, rather than just giving context to it. In sound tracks like Dune and Interstellar, I feel like I'm actually there. In Dune, I feel like I'm actually on Arrakis, in the sand, among the Sandworms. I could almost feel the heat coming off the sand dunes, and felt scared when I knew the Sandworm was coming. In Interstellar, the scene that stood out to me was the ocean planet scene. The track "Mountains", when it started playing in the movie, literally gave me shivers. I felt like I was experiencing the same terror that the astronauts were as they realized that those weren't mountains, it was a kilometres high wave. Hans Zimmer, I feel, plays more with your emotions and feelings. John Williams is good at helping you have context to what's going on.
When I think about memorable scores, I think John Williams, James Horner, or Howard Shore's brilliant Lord of the Rings soundtrack. I can instantly recall scores they've done and basically hum along with them. Hans Zimmer, not so much; his scores aren't catchy. He's not concerned with people humming along. But they suit the films that use them down to the tiniest grace note. It's a different kind of genius, but it's certainly genius.
Gladiator and spirit included lion king also dark knight final blade runner kung fu pand pirates of Caribbean mission impossible two Batman vs super man Inception The Road to El Dorado Interstellar The Last Samurai and dune
I was really hoping you were going to discuss the scene with the throat singing. It was so unique and jarring. He does such a good job of letting you understand the scene with sound.
That double harmonic scale is wild. I’m definitely hearing the Eb diminished chord more prominently than any of the major or minor chords. I think the variety of chords in that scale is so interesting!
Paul’s Dream reminds me of William Barton’s 2012 “Didge Fusion” which he plays with the Incredible Australian Chamber Orchestra - brilliantly blending indigenous sounds with European classical music. Has that fantastic raw ancient voice sound which really evokes some indescribable emotion. Zimmer’s music is incredible.
"House Atreides" is my single favorite movie music piece. It is just THAT mindblowing. I would have never imagined that a composer would grasp the concepts of Dune so greatly and craft a score so fitting and perfect.
The IMAX session of this movie was a unique experience (saw it three times, but regret not seen even more). Hans Zimmer's inspiration in "tribal" music and throat singing (Sardaukar sent you hugs :p), is so refreshing and powerful to see in a movie score nowadays, and fits perfectly the Dune's atmosphere. I LOVE DUNE, it's an awesome time to be living.
@charlescornell If you use a DAW... You can see how basically Hanz Zimmer is using a lot of the same techniques for ambience and "hype build" that EDM artists use for their tracks :)))). For example he opened "Paul's Dream" with a heavy and automated Reese bass. He was automating the "Cut Off Filter" to increase the intensification of the sound being generated from the synthesizer he was using to make the Reese Bass sound.
I watched this video immediately when I saw you uploaded, Dune is by far my favorite movie in the past decade. One of the most interesting things about the sound in this movie that you didn't touch on is their use of the really weird phenomenon that happens in desserts called "singing sand" where since the entire dessert is a huge resonant body it actually has its own rhythm and you'll be able to hear what sounds like really low pulsations or buzzing in your ears on the top of a dune. The rhythm of the dessert is a big part of Dune and it's incredibly cool to see such a cool phenomenon used in the score of this movie. One more fun fact: The sound team named the noise that the worm makes the "gunk-gunk"
Hans Zimmer is such an expert at creating amazing imersive sound scapes. I would honestly describe his work as musical world building, because scores feel like they are living and breathing entities that just envelope you and take you there. I don't think there is another composer who can literally create a whole new environment or world through music the way Zimmer does; Ludwig Goransson is a very close second, but Zimmer is an absolute master at it.
Hans Zimmer may not be a musical genius like John Williams, but he is a true master of understanding and creating atmosphere! Two very different approaches to film scoring, and both brilliant in their own way. Having these two wonderful gentlemen providing their wonderful music to us with their different approach really enriches the musical landscape!
That bit in Inception where the music slows down (I think where the van is in slo-mo, track= dream is collapsing)- mind blowing/spine chilling from Zimmer there. Love interstellar also- so beautiful.
I actually really like his score for Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons! Always loved the books and his greatly overwhelming score for the movies is suspenseful and mysterious at the same time!
Me too!! I watched it it theatre and remember being literally blown away by the drums during the opening scene, and the visuals made everything so mesmerising!
I disagree, they’re not too different actually. Tracks like leaving Caladan and Bene Gesserit from the first soundtrack blow tracks from dune 2 out of the water so I think both are on parr.
@@phantomgauntletThey work well together as Part Two is a continuation of Part One and not a “sequel” in the conventional terms. I see both scores as one complete work.
The Dune 2 score almost entirely the same… BUT added the “A Time Between Storms” track, and that changed everything about how we heard the overall sound of the two films together.
During the night attack, after we've seen an utter masterpiece of lighting and scale, when Josh Brolin's Gurney Halleck yells "With me!" and the bag pipes and drums come in as the troops rush forward-I don't know that I've ever been pumped with more emotion chemicals in a movie theater than in that moment, with maybe the exception of Endgame's finale. Just. So. Powerful.
i gotta say i think dune was the most mindblowing theater experience since avatar in 2009. i ended up watching this masterpiece 3 times and while doing so i ventured continuously deeper in the universe of dune and i watched a bunch of videos explaining why this movie is just SO GOOD. one of the most interesting things was of course how intertwined the story and the score are. for some of the details in the book the movie had not enough time to go in depth but you can still HEAR some of them in the music. this is something you don't really are aware of consciously but you can feel it. shout out to thomas flight... he made a video about how good different themes are weaved into the music making the audience understand how the characters relations and also their develpments are coming togehter. and thanks to you charles for this input! can't hear enough about dune and its music!! have a good one, cheers
14:08 - "We typically expect to hear bagpipes in a very certain context... " Probably the first context that comes to mind for most is Scottish (or Irish) pipes, but the more you look around, the more you come to realize how many distinctly different cultures across a very broad area--Europe, Asia, Africa--all have some version of bagpipes. It might not be the single most common folk-tradition instrument on the planet across a greater number of cultures, but it's definitely up there. Finding bagpipes in a culture wholly separate from Earth, on planets who knows how far away in space and time, may not be as weird as you'd first think.
I think one of the best of Hans Zimmer's scores is Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron because it is so unique and is the narrator of the story. It is one of his earlier works. This man has been inventing new things for his entire career. Whatta legend.
13:43 Using the bagpipes in this scene is just genius. Just shows how powerful the main Atreides theme song can be used for more power in the last stand of Gurney. I don't know about you but that part just gives me goosebumps haha
yesss that’s one of my favorite peices from the soundtrack, it just comes out of nowhere but not really because it fits in so perfectly and the triumphant theme changes into a not-so-triumphant sound as they are overpowered and it’s just so good
I honestly think their styles are too different to compare, but I would say that while John Williams has crafted melodies that have INSANE staying power, Hans Zimmer has been more responsible for scores that have peaked my emotions. The textures he creates in his scores instantly connect with me, drawing me further into the emotional depth of the film. Williams is melodic scalpel, and Zimmer is an emotional sledgehammer.
I think maybe there's a risk of giving Hans Zimmer credit where it isn't due here though. The mix and sound design, and especially the mix of non score elements such as "the voice" that you mention was probably not Zimmers decision (there are 13 people with "mixer" in their job title in the credits). Not trashing on Zimmer, just saying it'd be a shame if the big name gets all the cred for what is more of a team effort.
John Williams also has a team with him, including orchestrators specialized in each section of the orchestra and some credited co-composers. It is just too much work in too little time for a single person to do it all.
Ye, and Hans himself is aware of this, wonderfully humble man. When he was asked to do an interview for how the score for Dune was written, he made it a point to say "this is how WE wrote the score for Dune" and showcased multiple members of the team in the interview.
Definitely, and as others pointed out, same goes for John Williams. It's a whole team behind productions like this. It's just sad that people don't realise that, we keep thinking John Williams and Hans Zimmer are masters in every aspect when in reality they couldn't execute their ideas without the help of others. The composers themselves are aware of it but crediting a whole team just wouldn't sell. It's very similar to how Popstars have their team of writers snd producers that don't get any credit
@@Violn95 If he has a sort of directorial role when it comes to the sound he seems to have done an awesome job pulling together the talent of many. I remember someone once told me ''true'' art is individualistic, but I LOVE when many people come together to create a sum that is greater than it's parts, and media such as film or videogames are the perfect candidates for such projects. (Especially games, it's CRAZY how many different crafts can come together, depending on the case, the way gameplay narrative can tell story etc. is super unique too)
@@Gnurklesquimp Totally agree with you. It's brilliant when several creative disciplines combine. Video games is a great example (and I love The Consouls who do VGM jazz which is again collaborative creation) but musicals also - set creation, costumes, music, dance etc
Hey Charles! Any chance you could do Ori and the Blind Forest/Will of the Wisps? Gareth Coker did a phenomenal job on those and I think they'd be pretty interesting to feature on the show! Love your vids!
I really appreciate Hans Zimmer's approach to building that wall of sound, as some of my favorite soundtracks used unconventional instrumentation to make you pay attention and to, as you stated, put you into those environments. Would love to hear your thoughts on some of these, namely the soundtracks to Akira, Willow, Tron, and A Clockwork Orange (basically anything Wendy Carlos touched)!
Favorite Hans Zimmer score, GO!
Can you do hyrule warriors next
Dune's pretty good. You should check it out! Won an Oscar
the one with the string section
Gotta be Interstellar
Interstellar
The dune score sounds ancient and futuristic at the same time. Absolutely brilliant
Perfect!! That's exactly what it is😀😀
Yes!! And it's exactly what the movie needs! I am currently reading the book and I'm listening to the movie OST for background music and it's absolutely incredible.
It is a perfect depiction because in the book Dune, it takes place 20 thousand years from now where humans have battled against AI, instead humans develop their thinking abilities to replace robots. So, this is the future of the future where they return a bit traditional with futuristic style, hence Hanz Zimmer's scoring is truly extraordinary in depicting that.
which perfectly describes Dune
And its si good because it fits the movie.Doesn t the movue give of kind of the same vibe?futuristic yet ancient
Hearing this score at an actual cinema is EARTH SHATTERING. John Williams is amazing and will always inspire me but stuff like this where the music just unapologetically slaps you straight in the face is unbelievably brilliant.
I was lucky enough to hear it in IMAX and let me tell you…that was the best movie going experience I think I’ve ever had. Absolutely immersive, I could feel the ships rising out of the water on Caladan and the voice shook me every time. It was incredible
i regret not seeing it in the theater only watched it on hbo
I heard how thrilling it was in IMAX, but I was disappointed because my local theater was having sound issues.
I don't agree. Anymore than a ripped MMA guy is better than a 20 year Kung-Fu man. Looks better? Maybe. John Williams score for Star Wars sounds like nothing else. In fact, I can't decide if it or 1959 Ben Hur is the best of all time. Zimmer routinely uses sounds from parts of Don Giovanni. While Star Wars and Ben Hur used The Planets from Holst.
@@putinscat1208 Your point about bombastic music not necessarily being better is fine, Hans zimmer certainly doesn't go for a melodic orchestra like John williams.
But your analogy of comparing a MMA fighter going up against a kung fu master? Go see martial artists having a real bout with a trained MMA fighter, you're making light of a profession, insulting their hard work and effort.
That image of the "wise old kung fu master" is influencing your opinion of the realities of the modern world.
As amazing a composer Williams is, I can’t imagine anyone who could have done the DUNE soundtrack better than Zimmer
I couldn't imagine a composer less suitable for this movie than Williams. Just... no! Not Dune.
@@janmajer4662 no, Hanz' texture is vital to the world on dune portrayed in the movie, it adds so much to a story focused on a specific world, versus the movies that Williams writes for, which focuses on characters' stories throughout different settings
Johann Johannsson ;-;
Thanks, Yoda.
@@manassinghbhati6 I came here to say that 😭 Johann Johannsson should have. RIP
I really like the way Zimmer's music isn't just part of a film, it always becomes the film. Like John Williams takes a film and manages to translate it into a melody and nobody else can do that. But nobody can do what Zimmer does and immerse you in such a way.
Howard Shore is a tie!
Ludwig Goranson entered the scene..
Why do you people always say “nobody does it like Zimmer” when you don’t even analyse any other composers in the same way…
Such a sheep
@@paintbrush3753 That's not true, in my comment I mentioned John Williams as also being someone who can't be replicated. The nuance here is that John Williams' style is all about ushering in a sense of magic, mystery and royalty. That's awesome and totally fitting to films like Star Wars or Home Alone. A Zimmer score would not fit like a Williams score in Star Wars. Where as I feel that Zimmer's style is completely atmospheric. If I could describe it metaphorically, John William's scores are in the stars and dreams of the worlds/sets of films he writes music for, and to me, Zimmer's music feels to be from underneath the foundations of the worlds he writes music for. As if it and core of said world vibrate at a resonant frequency. That to me is unique and different. John Williams is the best at what he does, but there are film score artists like Danny Elfman for example, who have a similar style, but there's nobody I know of that seems to be able to replicate Zimmer's secret crabby patty formula. Another composer I think is great, unique and underrated is Bruce Faulconer.
@@kenblaji The Tenet Soundtrack is pretty awesome.
Williams is about melody, Zimmer is about _texture._
williams is about stealing from holst
and Denis Villeneuve does a lot with visual texture, it's a great combination
I have yet to see a more accurate comment
@@Woodsaras omg i was thinking the same
Yesyesyes
Fun fact, in the cone of silence scene, the dialogue can be heard at sub bass frequencies. At IMAX you could hear them speaking, at home I couldn't. The sound engineering definitely a core part of what made Dune sound so iconic
That's a very VALID observation mate. Should one a main topic too.
Yeah, if you don't go to see this in a theater you need a sick setup to hear the score the way it's meant to. A subwoofer is mandatory.
funny, i can hear it...
oh wait... that might be the 8 x 15" subs in the attic xD
Brb... gonna use this little nugget to test how good my subwoofer is
I watched it in IMAX 1.43-1 and definitely did NOT hear any dialogue, I also have a comprehensive setup of wired speakers and subwoofers at home, none here either. How loud/obvious was the dialogue for you?
I felt that the use of bagpipes gave the House of Atreides an ancient feel, like this house has been around a looooooooong time, it's power is immense, immovable and deep rooted in time. It's a heavy, solid, tangible strength based on tradition and long forgotten history.
@B Complex Back in the prehistory of the internet there was a .WAV file that went something like "A blue-painted Pict striding across a field in Scotland stepped on a bloated sheep carcass and thus the pipes were born". I wish I still had a copy of it. It's a small snippet but completely hilarious and a pretty apt description of bagpipes.
I want to say Zimmer pretty much confirmed what you are saying in an interview. In Dune lore House Atreides supposedly goes all the way back to Agamemnon, like Homer Trojan War Agamemnon, so yes very old. When Villeneuve said he wanted something like bagpipes for the scene Zimmer thought it made perfect sense, because bagpipes are not just Scottish, they from all over and often used in a ceremonial context especially when related to the changing of power (royal/military). I want to say Zimmer even joked "Anywhere you have wood and goats, the goat better watch out because someone is going to turn it into a bagpipe". My point being House Atreides being like "We are a Major house, a royal military family, with and ancient heritage, we get this super old instrument to represent us because TRADITION!" makes perfect sense.
Or there homeworld is similaie to scotlans
@@AlechiaTheWitch Aye, Paul grew up in a tenement block on th'east end ae Glasgae
Well said my brother
What really makes Hans Zimmer stand out for me is that this guy does not tell the story only via melodies, but also sound design. This guy is a master beast in terms of the synthesis, sound design and he push those fields equally hard to tell you a story. I would love to ask him so mamy questions If I could
By far my favorite Zimmer score. Incredible in every aspect. The House Atreides theme with the bagpipes is one of my favorite pieces of film music I've heard. Amazing theater experience and I can't wait for Part 2.
@Don't Read My Profile Photo cringe
The bagpipes was actual like 20 stacked guitar parts by Guthrie guthan
Yeah if you watch the interview with Hans Zimmer about the sound track, you’ll find that out, it’s really cool.
The Atreides theme is super sick, but continues to play mind games with me as I keep anticipating the melody is about to break into "Auld Lang Syne" or worse, "Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree".
@@AMurderOfLobs I won’t be able to Unhear that lol
I love the emotion caused by the themes of Princess Leia and Yoda and Luke and how they bring back my childhood but the Dune soundtrack is literally out of this world and takes me places I've never been before. You can't choose between them. That'd be like saying "Pick one, your mum's traditional apple crumble or swimming at a beach in the Pacific?"
Haha right, its like "but why cant i have both??"
It takes you places you've never been? You've never heard a creaky garage door in your life? Or garbage trucks squealing?
@@animalanimation5110 I’ve listened to so many scores and so much classical in my life. Dune soundtrack hits differently and I can easily take myself into another world, it really surprises me that there’s people like you that interprets it that way lmao respect to your opinion, it’s just a Terrible one imo.
@@treytilley333 Agreed. The Dune score is a big part of why the movie has such a unique, otherworldly feel, both alien and very human. It's stunning.
My mum is a terrible cook so I'll take the beach
Dune had the best feel to a location I've ever seen. I couldn't describe how it felt to watch dune in theaters it was so immersing at times that really put this movie and score above all of the rest easily. Hans Zimmer is changing the movie composing game for the better and I'm here for it all.
Very true. I hadn't felt that way about a movie since Lord of the Rings, honestly
He basically composed for a documentary of an imaginary place. Pretty cool
Don’t know if he’s really changing the composing game for the better though, I’m kinda tired hearing an Inception ripoff for the hundredth of time in a movie or series.
@@Flashplayer65 just like the tenet score. It sounded like someone trying to emulate hans zimmer
Villeneuve and his team succeeded with Dune where James Cameron failed with Avatar.
They managed to bring an imaginary science fiction location TO LIFE on a level that very very few have ever achieved to this level of near perfection everything was amazing in the film.
I truly think it is/will be the next Lord of The Rings.
For me, the bagpipes have a lot more subtext. The humans in this story ARE descended from Earth humans millennia ago. And a major theme of the story is familial tradition and pride. Well, in Scottish culture the bagpipes are are the pinnacle of cultural pride and tradition, and so their use in the far far off future indicates that they were important enough to survive as a major cultural touchstone for that long. Or so I read into it that way.
I don't recall any of this being part of the books, but I may be wrong, it's been years. If that's the case, the choice and interpretation that you are making would be entirely on Zimmer's imagination...
@@abelsuisse9671 Yeah, I'm giving Zimmer the credit here. We're also supposed to relate more with House Atraides, more specifically the leaders thereof, so the incorporation of more familiar instrumentation goes along way toward that as well.
@@abelsuisse9671 They were tracing their lines to ancient Greece somewhat, however I belive it was retconned by Brain Herbert so those Greek names were pointing to Butlerian Jihad participants
Bagpipes are also heavily associated with military forces, which is why this instrumental choice for a house as militarily competent as Atreides also makes sense.
Caladan = Caledonia = bagpipes = see what I did there?
John Williams shakes your emotions, Hans Zimmer shakes your soul.
The melodies of Williams are so memorable, but Zimmer creates a whole new level of immersion which literally drags you into the screen and makes you oblivious to everything else around you.
Naaah…. Williams does all of the above ⬆️
Hans Zimmer is a bit overrated because many people would like to believe he is a God of music. He is great, but not perfect.
@@halfbee7886 no one is perfect
Fun fact, Zimmer didn’t read the whole script for Interstellar, just a couple of pages, but damn that soundtrack goes deep into your soul. Fantastic movie, but the music makes it a legendary movie in my opinion.
Sounds like a distinction without a difference. Both composers are capable of eliciting strong emotional reactions but use different methods. What Zimmer lacks in technical skills he makes up for in creativity. He finds the right sound for a film, experimenting and tinkering away to find that sound. Williams relies more on his shear skill as a composer and his innate genius to write memorable themes and intricate leitmotifs.
I think it's important to remember Zimmer is a complete sound designer geek, he was one of the first to adopt Ableton. It's interesting to hear a Zimmer take from a music theory perspective on that note.
Wow
pretty sure it was cubase that he was known for getting all his underlings and eventually all of hollywood to use. Even decades ago when it would crash every 15 mins haha
@@MrSinny94 you may be right man , I just read from an Ableton founder that he was very interested in Live at one of their first expos ever
@@MrSinny94 you are right brother, cubase ftw.
@@justusreim5539 CUBASED
Do you think you can talk about Ludwig Görannson? He’s worked on Tenet, Black Panther, Mandalorian, plenty other scores as well not to mention he also produced every single Childish Gambino album. He’s young and has a big future in the industry and he’s already made a great name for himself. I feel like he is my generations Hans Zimmer; Not trying to compare but that’s how I feel.
He is a beast indeed! The behind the scenes clips from him working on the soundtrack for Black Panther are amazing-really connecting with locals. You were probably already aware that the reason Christopher Nolan didn't work with Hans on Tenet was because Hans was doing ... Dune! Love what Ludwig did for that one!
Love Göransson's work. I wish he scored "Obi-Wan Kenobi".
I think he's a lot better than Zimmer.
i completely agree, watching how Göransson made the soundtrack for The Mandalorian was incredible
@@DoctorNemmo He may have potential to be as good as Zimmer someday but he is in no way better than Zimmer now.
I've seen Hans Zimmer twice in concert over the past 10 years, can't wait to go again.
Actually that scale you mentioned in the beginning ( 5:48) is the raga ' Maaya Maalava Gowla' in indian carnatic music. And this raga is used as the first raga that is taught to the students. There are so many cool songs composed in this raga in lot of the south indian movies. This raga creates a lively morning atmosphere. The song ' Pavanarachezhuthunnu kolangal' from the malayalam movie ' vietnam colony' is the perfect example... check the song pls...❤😇 . hope you will like it.
I listened to the song and my head started going from left to right and saying aaaaaaaah indian song very good very good.
Sorry mate no way im typing that in
@@jonblon-II 😂 you can copy the song name 😇
@@MS7.7 🥰😍😇
@@ambareeshchithran8792 Thank you so much for this! it's the exact kind of touch point I needed to start a delve into music theory outside of the European Classical sense.
Paul's Dream is such an intense song it brings me to tears within seconds. That voice and all the deep vibration reaches so deep inside, it touches something ancient in me and it moves me every time I hear it. I think it's fascinating that it comes from a score for a science fiction movie. But I also think it makes sense for Dune being the epic saga that it is.
It taps into what paul's going through with his Kwisatz Haderach Prescience. Pretty crazy how well the score gets on the feels.
I think you've been having too much soy milk.
@@animalanimation5110 think you need to go outside pal
Science fiction isn't an attribute that determines quality.
The seduction and tragedy of power in Holy War. Being the front edge of much bigger forces.
Must say, Zimmer is my favourite composer simply because he happens to be the composer to the soundtracks of my favourite movies.
Me too😁
Me too
His dc works are commendable too...
Spirit is one of them watched it last night
lmao exactly
Hes a story teller first and foremost, and that's why his soundtracks hit so hard. They are the atmosphere of the location, and the feeling of what's happening to the people of the story. This is the way to make film score. Tell the story.
The scale at 5:32 we would call hijazkar in eastern traditional music (greek arabic etc). You will hear it very often in old greek songs (rempetika). The chords it's usually played over are D,D#,Cm and Gm with D being the 1.
That’s so cool! Thanks for sharing 😄
“Misirlou” scale. It is so familiar it is entertaining watching Charles analyzing it.
This specific scale is Hijazkar. Hijaz usually has the minor tetrachord (nahawand) as the second part of the scale, and would play around with modulating the second part to rast (like major with a half-flat third) and maybe nikriz (minor with a sharp fourth) and a bunch of other tetrachords and then come back around to the main hijaz scale (aka Phrygian dominant).
@@RusNad you are right I didn't see the C# Gonna edit the comment
@@RusNad btw in greece we call this tetracord you mentioned neveser. Where are you from?
The scale could be attributed to a Carnatic raga called Mayamalavagowla raga which follows the same pattern. Its a staple in Indian classical, also called Carnatic music.
Was looking for this! Very common sound in Indian classical music
Thank you, i was wondering!
I'm familiar with this scale through a death metal context. When I hear it, it sounds evil and menacing. When you hear it, do you think it sounds happy or good spirited?
@@maillardsbearcat Depends on the context imo
It is also called Hijaz Kar in Arabic music.
My absolute favorite by Hans Zimmer is Cornfield Chase, such a fitting piece I could listen to for hours on end and it meshes so well with the movie but in ways I can’t explain
ooooo from Interstellar? when they're chasing the old indian air force drone? fuck that whole score is hauntingly powerfuly
That scale is amazing. When played as a whole, it feels jumbled, but when played in parts, it's intriguing and mysterious. Love it.
Also, to answer your closing question... If I'm looking to play an iconic film song just to do that, I'd listen to John Williams. On the other hand with Hans Zimmer, I'd just watch the movie as it feels more connected to it.
When you hire Hans Zimmer for a soundtrack, you’re actually hiring a whole team. But they all carry the spirit of their leader in that if you sign up to go on the Zimmer team ship, it’s to discover new worlds, break barriers, and excel at your craft as a musician to the heights that you discover something new.
But also not get paid enough
@@EtherealDoomed Yup! This feels like it glosses over the fact that HZ uses ghostwriters who are often not credited or properly compensated. I'll give him credit for being fairly open about the use of ghostwriters, but he could go a lot further to spotlight his collaborators.
I gave up correcting people a long time ago, it's still funny as hell in real life when I tell people what I'm into and they think it's a good time to say they are Hans Zimmer fans just before I correct them, **rc media fans lol
@@kyleserafin9616 He's also unfortunately a child abuser.
@@sandiago7564 ruh roh - source?
Nothing will ever top the feeling I got when watching Dune in theatres as the battble bagpipes came in while the Atrades army charged the Harkonnen army. My favorite cinematic moment ever...by far.
Instant chills and tears
“With me!”
Atreides. Read the book
Hans Zimmer is so surprisingly versatile. He can do textural/tonal work like in _Dune,_ and he can also do Williams-esque thematic fanfares like he did in _Pirates of the Caribbean._ He's worked on cartoons and video games. He's probably the best overall composer in modern media, but gets overshadowed by John Williams because fanfares are memorable.
He's definitely not underrated
the music to the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was actually written by Klaus Badelt :)
@@markusmeiser He did mention that he did the main theme, and Klaus did the entire score.
@@JumboCod91 This.
@@JumboCod91 Sources? Explain.
Dude, as a piano player/former teacher - your music theory breakdown of everything but especially that scale was absolutely nuts and awesome! When I first listened to this soundtrack I knew it was special and complex and crazy in the best way. What a visionary Zimmer is! (thank you for including the keyboard at the bottom of the screen, IMMENSELY helpful in visualizing everything so I could follow along)
Using Arabic scales by Zimmer here are also relevant because the author of Dune book based Fremens and Dune planet on Arabic culture. That's the beauty of this movie - they've not only sticked to the story ❤️
I think it's a raga called mayamalavagowla (in Indian Carnatic style) which is transposed +1 if I'm not wrong 😅
@@ayye5208 ywa, that is mayamalavagowla, i was thinking the same
Yeah it makes sense. The planet Iraq where the Oil is from.
Exactly❤
The reasoning behind the bagpipes imo is that it's a reference to the Atreides' ancestral home of rainy, mountainous Caladan. Hans is using our association of bagpipes with rainy, mountainous Scotland to create a similar feeling when referencing Caladan. Contrasting then more strongly with the more middle eastern sounds used for Arrakis
The association becomes even more clear when you also throw the Latin name of Scotland into the mix. Caledonia -> Caladan
Spanish gaita?
Not to mention it's association with battlefield intimidation. Many a young English soldier soiled his armour hearing it in the dark of night
Zimmer also mentioned in an interview that he was trying to envision what instrument from humanity would persist several millennia in the future, and he and the director if Dune both agreed it would be bagpipes
@@pipolwes000 THANK YOU! I was waiting for someone to make that observation.
To me, this soundtrack is the sound of dread. It sounds like the stark, insistant realization of an imposing and suffocating darkness- like the outward exhaltation from those who have come to understand a terrible and brutal secret that I have not and perhaps cannot fully comprehend.
To me it sounds like a dystopian future but you’re already there. There was no change. And you don’t know how you git there. But you’re there now and you can’t get out
Perfect description of what Paul goes through in the later books. He is not a hero
Yep, there is definitely something sinister lurking behind the surface, and it's perfect. To all the reviewers who mentioned that they think Dune is just another monomyth, they are going to have a rude awakening.
like when you found out chocolate milk doesn’t come from brown cows
@@brentennielsen7293 a devastating and wretched truth
Hans Zimmer. John Williams. James Horner. Ennio Morricone. How lucky are we all in this age to be able to hear the works of these geniuses (and many more like them!).
Vangelis.
Michael Giacchino
There are some comments about Dune being “in another galaxy”. Star Wars certainly was (the very first words that greet us) but Dune is framed as humanities near-ish (20,000 years hence) future. The major houses are not even located that far from our current Earth (which is a borderline lost irrelevance by the time of Dune). Zimmer decided it would be natural for various aspects of human musical culture to somewhat survive the journey to space (it might be different, but it wouldn’t all be lost).
I was wondering if anyone would notice.
If you’re wondering it’s about 12000 AD.
@@krakenkrafted5122 It's further than that, because (in the books at least) the war against 'thinking machines' around 10,000 years prior that was mentioned several times is itself set 10,000 years in the future relative to us.
@@wanderingrandomer That's weird. I guess the movies digress there bc the opening scene on caladan says its around 12000.
@@krakenkrafted5122 I thought the same thing too when I first saw the film (I hadn't read the book at the time). It's ambiguous, I suppose.
The music from Dune seems so otherworldly that I thought it would be impossible to play it live. Yet a month ago I saw him live performing. And I can only day that it's the most incredible auditory experience I've ever had. Even as you sit in the venue watching them play it, you can not entirely believe that they're sounds of this world. Simply a magical experience.
If you ever get the opportunity to see him live: DO IT! You do not want to miss it
I also saw him a month ago in munich and it was amazing. Hans was apparently so proud of the Dune soundtrack that he decided to play it like four different times during the whole show, but he had every right to do it, the soundtrack is breathtaking
Honestly the Interstellar soundtrack blows me away every time! There's something about the motif of the main theme that brings a tear to my eye... it's majestic and astronomical, but also so emotional and heartfelt. I've literally watched "The Making of" that soundtrack so many times. I'd love to see a whole video from you deconstructing each track! Or maybe even just the main theme.
I loved, and I do mean loved, the soundtrack to Interstellar. I've never seen the movie but got into the soundtrack here on RUclips. I finally listened to an audiobook recording (homemade by someone but it's good enough) and realized the real theme in Interstellar is the abandonment of a daughter by a father and that did me in. My father abandoned me, my siblings, and our mother when I was about 8 years old. Just moved out one day, cleaned out the joint bank account (back then, women needed their husband's permission to withdraw money from joint accounts but men could take everything without needing the wife's permission) and left Mom with NO money and five children as he skipped his merry way onward in life. SO....finding out that that was a huge theme in the movie, I then couldn't stop hearing the loss, the anguish, the confusion, and the utter betrayal that Murphy feels when he goes, even though he's going for the good of Humanity (unlike my dad who went to chase women he wasn't married to). When you're a kid and a parent literally abandons you and never looks back, it's rough. Hearing that abandonment as written by Zimmer was wrenching. I don't know how he knew how to portray abandonment and betrayal in music but he did a great job with it, so much so that today, I can't bring myself to listen to Interstellar any more because it hurts too much.
Sorry for War and Peace. I believe in context. LOL
I love the soundtrack too, but I don’t enjoy watching the movie very much
@@LauraS1 Interstellar is a beautiful experience if you can find a way to watch it. And it’s not really about a father abandoning a daughter but saving her and everyone else
@@swirlingchias father of a daughter I very much felt it was something he had to do to save her. Surprised anyone thinks otherwise, but things change when you have kids
The thing that blew my mind about the Interstellar sound track was the sort of clicking metronome sound that runs through many of the tracks. Which tend to switch between tempos and triplets, which to me signifies the different speeds of time across the different universes the characters are in
I recall hearing that each metronome "tick" on the water planet signified an entire day passing on Earth.
yes every clock ticking represents one day. Btw it's not a metronome since it's actually not on beat but an actual second^^@@GoBlueHTB
This Hans Zimmer song made us feel like were in the 5th Dimension.
- The reverbed base sinths at the beginning have a fade in effect...then fade out to give space to the drums and orquestra instruments.
- The female Vocalist just comes out setting the tone of mystery and Colossal presence of whatever form or shape the audience needs to feel and imagine.
- Orquestra instruments cames out CHAOTIC yet secretly organized...it manifest greatly so your ears cannot make sense were is going you just know it's tense.
- The Drums tell a story of Ancient presence,not Evil not Good but Unknown,Uncharted,Dangerous, Unbiased...stepping in the Void of the Big Unknown.
*bass synths
@@Jalapeno_sizzle thanks
I absolutely agree with you, and that is exactly the centre point of why Hans Zimmer is as great as memorable composers like John Williams, yet so different. To me, being a producer, Hans will always hold a special place in my heart: John Williams is an amazing composer, he writes music like nobody else; but what makes Hans such as great is the incredible sound-design. Hans can shape and craft sound like no other film composer has ever done, and on top of that, there is obviously great music writing and composing. But the soul of Hans Zimmer's film composing is the inventive side of his work, rather than the theoretical composing, which makes him so great (at least to me). You hear those sounds in Dune, those unbelievable percussions, and you are immediately taken to a different reality, a different world, and I don't get this feeling in such a strong way like I do with Hans, with any other composer
Well said.
Zimmer's production is very polished, but not particularly inventive. He does lots of traditional stuff quite well, nothing new. Newman's style of composition is much more inovative
Don't forget his dozen synth programmers who made those sounds, additional music composers, musicians etc.
Both Williams and Zimmer are derivative. There's not a chance they would get away with that theft of sound and music in the world they took them from. Brilliant, but derivative and really quite dependant on the ignorance of the listeners to spot the original forms. It's why its 'movie music'.
edit: I watched Aliens again last night, wow. They owe Shostakovich and Khatchaturian quite a bit don't they? It's just wholesale 'taking'. At least Kubrick just used the originals, always liked that about him.
Not being a snob, just their 'genius' needs a slap down as far as I'm concerned. I love them also, I don't mean to decry Aliens or Horner, I think it's a masterpiece of film making.
Though in respect to genius or originality (re: something like 2049), Pauline Oliveros is/was much more innovative and interesting for example. Nobody will ever bother to find out who that is. Just consume - nom, slurp, belch and regurgitate (Without due credit unfortunately, I don't enjoy that world much. Take and no give. Modern age. Hollywood)
@@eustacequinlank7418 Horner lifted those pages on quite a number of films.
The double harmonic scale Zimmer uses here is the same scale upon which the middle eastern folk song Misirlou is based. Dick Dale made a surf rock version of Misirlou that was made super famous by the movie Pulp Fiction. Such an awesome sounding scale!
Came here to say this!
Hava nagila too I believe.
Dick Dale’s father was Lebanese.
actually that scale in Arabic is called the Nikriz, it's rarely used and it's a mix between two main Arabic scales which are the Hijaz and the Nahawand
@@sofianebl9927 Can you please share with me all of your knowledge on scales? I am willing to pay you for lessons
8:12
This man's videos are so wild because he'll play just the most beautiful piece I've ever heard and then, while I'm having this whole transcendent experience, he just goes
"And see, the B flat here can change the tone of the chord, right? It can go from this-" *Most amazing chord ever* "to this-" *nevermind this is the best chord I've ever heard." Like-
I know I came here for this but it still shakes me to my core every time lol
The bag pipes feel to me more about House Atreides than Dune. House Atreides home planet, Caladan, is very wet. It’s a sharp contrast to Arrakis (Dune), and there are some moments where Paul wows the Fremen with stories of water falling from the sky.
Yes the music made the danger and unfamiliarity of the Atreides in Arrakis very clear, I loved it!
Agreed
I'm not usually a huge Zimmer fan, but this is not only my favorite Zimmer score, but one of my favorite scores period. Especially of the past 20 years. It fits the movie and manages to stand alone as a listening experience. Which is the sweet spot for me.
Leaving Caladan is, by far, my favorite track from Zimmer. I could not fathom a different score during the scene in which it appears, so much scale, the emotion of leaving one's planet, and the score is portraying that this is when everything changes, for Arrakis and for Paul. It's huge, it's foreboding, it is everything that the movie wanted to portray in that moment.
I wish I could’ve seen interstellar in theaters, that scene where he’s lining up the ship always shakes me to the core because of how well the music works with the visuals
You could feel the sound in your bones it was pretty cool!
One of the best moments in cinema period. Love the docking sequence
What's so cool about Hans Zimmer is that he _can_ make the John Williams type super iconic orchestral melodies: Pirates of the Caribbean theme, Discombobulate, Wonder Woman theme, etc. but he has a great sense for when a score should or shouldn't have them, _and_ he puts all that thought into sound design and instrumentation that influences the viewer's emotions so well. Outside of theme songs, almost every time I see movies let the score come to the forefront during a scene it turns out to be a Hans Zimmer score, it's crazy!
@@kozodoev I promise you he wrote the theme lol
@@kozodoev Klaus wrote the score. He did not write the theme.
So I posted my comment with proof 3 times already and it got deleted all 3 times. Disgusting.
@@kozodoev I'm not sure why you think I'm wrong, but this video is my source, and they interviewed Zimmer, so... ruclips.net/video/sgt70wWkUVs/видео.html
@@isabelladonna Most channels have it set to delete comments with urls automatically because there's so many bots on the platform
can't really describe the chills I get when I listen to Dune's soundtrack... Absolutely mindblowing
Hans is a sound designer disguised as a film composer.
And he has mastered the art of immersion
No he's a composer and the sound designer, your envious. Look at tracks from pearl harbour, pirates of Caribbean, tracks like "time" from Inception or s.t.a.y from interstellar.
This but unironically. I enjoyed the score in the films, but as someone who’s music tastes is 1/3rd soundtracks, I do not care to listen to Zimmer outside of the films he scored for. Musically, there’s not much there. It really makes you *feel* the epicness of the moment, and really elevates the meaning of the expression on say, Timothy’s face in a scene, but its nothing compared to John Williams and Howard Shore. I mean think about the asteroid field in Empire, or the reveal of the dwarven city in Fellowship, and compare it to what you’re ultimately hearing as *BRRRRRRR* in a few different chords.
@@Eilajienvious*
Look at the Amazing Spiderman 2 soundtrack for Hans Zimmer's compositional abilities.
If I had millions of dollars in orchestral VSTs I could make some nice droning scores too lmao but they're all that he does.
If he did a few scores that were noticeable enough to be appreciated outside of the movie it would be nice. I can't name one he's done since the Lion King, and speaking of which Fatass McGee fucked up the remake's audio so add that to the list.
Zimmer is overrated and will not be remembered among the current compositional renaissance.
Well Mark Mangini and his team at The Formosa Group played an equal role, as the actual sound designer of the film. The collaboration with Hans and his team is the magic
I love both Zimmer and Williams. The “Dune” score absolutely deserved the Oscar (I’d also say both “Inception” and “Interstellar” did, too). I especially love it when Williams makes departures from his signature style on occasion. If you want to hear the wildest film score he ever composed, check out his 1972 Oscar-nominated score from “Images”. Pure avant-garde brilliance 🙂
Thanks! I learned so much watching your channel. Love your enthusiasm for these music. It's always enjoyable hearing you talk about them.
I was absolutely floored by Dune, from an audio/sound perspective! The 'voice' is actually what fascinated me the most because it plays on perception, or more specifically our ability to perceive. It always bothers me that within sci-fi films, in which 'alien' life is present, not enough attention if given to the fact that they may communicate out of our perceivable range, dictated by our biology. It sounds off, otherworldly and unsettling, as it should! You also get the feeling that you are not hearing/perceiving the full power of it as the viewer! This notion is further demonstrated with the 'Sardaukar Chant', however this is less about aural perception and more about cadence and inflection.
Hopefully more film-makers, composers etc start to think of the audio being more integral to the picture, rather than as a means to serve the picture!
“We gestate in sound, and are born into sight. Cinema gestated in sight and was born into sound.”
Sorry for the long comment but I can't (clearly) say enough good things about this film!
Learning about Full Spectrum/Infrared/Ultraviolet photography gives some interesting insight into how non earth life might see the world too, its really neat what a modded camera can see and I highly recommend checking out some of the RUclips content for it
what you're describing is also why I always loved oldschool Japanese video game composers like Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, Miki Higashino, Michiko Naruke... they're all masters of ~V~I~B~E~S~ when creating the moods and setting for the worlds of their respective games... and by far I definitely prefer this type of approach to music. Create a unique atmosphere and convey emotion though the means of the ~vibes~ a piece gives, master the mood through both melodies and harmonies as the sounds used and their innovative textures and combinations and stuff...
That double harmonic scale is actually a very prominent scale in Indian Ragas.. It is called Raga Bhairav! It is also a scale which is considered the natural scale in Indian Carnatic music and sounds similar to an Arabic scale also. If you want to learn more intriguing sounding scales, I recommend you to go through Indian Ragas atleast ones!
True 👍🏼
So cool thanks for this
In Arabic music we have 8 main musical scales, all with distinguished sounds and moods. What you demonstrated in 6:10 is the scale of ‘Hijaz’ which literally is the name of Saudi Arabia before it was called Saudi Arabia. This is used a lot to convey feelings of melancholy almost like dawn time. Hope you find this interesting keep up the nice work!
nice
Aka the Byzantine Scale
it is not hijaz but very similar
Now I really wanna write some music in that scale
Where can one learn more about the 8 Arabic musical scales?
I think Hans Zimmer is a huge admirer of Ennio Morricone; he proved it on many occasions.
This first part of the score reminds me a lot “once upon a time in the west”, revisited by Hans Zimmer’s great creativity.
John Williams is an old school jazz cat. Melodies, harmonies, and orchestration are epic.
Zimmer is a rock and roll guy. His textures and rhythms hit hard.
Ok, jazz is literally 66% rhythm
Can’t deny the electronic influence as well
6:01
Yes. It is a form of Arabic scale, called "Hijaz Kar" which is a branch of "Hijaz" scale (or so-called Phrygian Dominant). Hans knew what he was doing switching between those two scales, impressive!
if its the hijaz scale then it belongs to the group of Armenian scales
JP - Its utilized by several cultures & regions, from India to Eastern Europe.
I bet anything he probably had no idea he was doing that, and that obsessive RUclips video makers overthought it from their basement.
Please stop insulting Arabic music by implying that the noises in this film are Arabic music. Thanks!
@@animalanimation5110 its very arabic inspired so whats your point?
A couple of years ago I was scoring for a short film I was working on. I came up with this theme and I didn’t quite know where it sat. After some googling I learned it was best seen as from a double harmonic scale. Such a beautiful challenging sound, the dissonance is just amazing.
I'm not kidding when I say that I *instantly* got goosebumps when the Interstellar soundtrack came on. It's just so insanely good
This soundtrack has really grown on me. Not instantly but gradually iconic. I think a lot of people, me included, were expecting a John Williams style score. Zimmer was brave enough to create the score we didn’t know we needed.
Have you seen the sequel? The score was just as fantastic.
What score u talking about
@@Moodboard39 the film score of Dune 2.
Fantastic explanation on why this score sounded so perfect for the environment of the movie.
We are on an era where directors are shifting more towards to asking a composer to write much more sound design. This idea of a strong, thematic idea announcing a hero or villain is less and less requested.
Minimalist scoring is definitely the trend in Hollywood, and Hans Zimmer has NAILED this kind of writing. Far more importance in the chords, the electronics, etc. to create a WORLD, a soundscape that really blurs the audience's ability to recognize what is music, and what are sound effects.
One dispute I would make, is that House Atreides DOES have ties to earth culture. It doesn't necessarily explain the bagpipes, but canonically House Atreides traces its lineage back to ancient Greece.
"Anywhere you have a goats and reeds, you have bagpipes" - Nicholas Bras
Bagpipe instruments are found all over the world. Though the Atreides are shown with Highland bagpipes played by guys in kilts, so that's a bit more overt.
"Atreides" is "Son of Atreus", Atreus meaning "fearless" in Greek, and canonically descends from King Agamemnon
Well every human in the world of Dune is related to earth. It is situated in our galaxy but in a real distant future and humans are either undergoing evolution, introduced to quallity of life improvement, bred, mutated or cyborg like. Or like the fremen exposed to ecosystems. Earth was forsaken but some cultural elements have survived in some sort, like the bibel but are now distorted in some form.
Well, the home planet of House Atreides is Caladan, which has very Highland-like landscapes, so I think that the bagpipes perfectly reflect that culture.
Perfectly reasonable to figure that bagpipes might have some heritage. The Portuguese have their own type of bagpipes and Caladan is a reference to Catalonia so the Atreides are more widespread Mediterranean than just Greek.
And Dune takes place 100% within the milky way. Arrakis is ~300ly from Earth
@@anotherdrummer2 is it really a reference to Catalonia? Wow so cool. That's were I live!
The music truly felt like its own character within the film. It's honestly the part that I remember the most, along with the pain box scene and Stellan being a blob thing lol.
I would LOVE for you to cover some Trent reznor and attics Ross scores, especially soul, the social network and gone girl.
They use subtle piano over synth basses and glissandos and would be pretty simple to explain the use of the major 3rd and minor 7th (“Intriguing Possibilities”), as well as the emotional piano scene in Soul (“Epiphany”)
I'm a NIN fan, but I think the soundtracks are his finest moment, however I think the Ghosts V/VI albums under the NIN name (Although instrumental and have Atticus on board)are really interesting and contrast each other.
It would be an interesting video too.
Nine Inch Nails
Ghosts V: Together
Ghosts VI: Locusts
As always top notch content. But can we appreciate how lovely the setup with the piano lighting and everything else is? ✨👏 I've been loving the evolution of the setting over the years.
2:36 The melody remembers me hugely of the strings in the Harmonica tracks of Ennio Morricone's Soundtrack "Once Upon a Time in the West". Same mood, same harmony.
13:54 The bagpipes are not related to Arrakis but to Atreides' home Caladan.
An area smiliair to ireland/scotland
finally someone else noticed :)
its not only that. even the major hook essentially is as if you loop bar 7 and 8 of "Once Upon a Time in the West".
the score is basically a BWAAAAAAH remix of one of the greatest scores of all time. and noone noticed. i find that hilarious.
Same song
John Williams, James Horner, Hans Zimmer, Ludwig Goransson in movies were amazing!!! keep it coming. if you can make a list of movie composers and what makes them iconic would be a great video
My favourite Hans Zimmer quote is “music is a conversation”. Since then I listen to music differently.
Hans is a fearless composer. He creates soundscapes that bring you deeper into the cinematic world. His music is explorative and we are as drawn into its process as much as we are the film’s. His compositions surround you in the film’s world without suffocating you, yet his music still feels deeply personal. He’s not as much of a composer as he is a craftsman.
John creates musical accompaniments to what’s occurring on the screen, but he does it with a keen sense of the needs of the audience. He enhances their emotional experience with the film while setting mood and tempo. He’s a traditional soundtrack composer with a traditional background but who composes for the audience as much as he does for the film. His music is more than “audience friendly”, it’s “audience empathetic”.
And as far as the comparison between John and Hans is concerned, I greatly admire and respect each composer and love their music equally. But the question to ask is, if John had not received the education/training he did, would he still be the composer he is today? And how would Hans’ work change if he had received the same level of training/education as John?
One of my favorite Zimmer songs is Bakara from Black Hawk Down, I remember hearing that for the first time and being stricken by how different it was to what I expected to hear in film. He has only continued to blow me away with each successive bit of work, but Bakara will always be the one I go back to.
I also liked Barra Barra by Rachid Taha from the same soundtrack. 🙂
Personally, I prefer Hans Zimmer's style over John Williams'. This is because as you said, Hans Zimmer is exceptional at putting the listener into the environment, rather than just giving context to it. In sound tracks like Dune and Interstellar, I feel like I'm actually there. In Dune, I feel like I'm actually on Arrakis, in the sand, among the Sandworms. I could almost feel the heat coming off the sand dunes, and felt scared when I knew the Sandworm was coming. In Interstellar, the scene that stood out to me was the ocean planet scene. The track "Mountains", when it started playing in the movie, literally gave me shivers. I felt like I was experiencing the same terror that the astronauts were as they realized that those weren't mountains, it was a kilometres high wave. Hans Zimmer, I feel, plays more with your emotions and feelings. John Williams is good at helping you have context to what's going on.
When I think about memorable scores, I think John Williams, James Horner, or Howard Shore's brilliant Lord of the Rings soundtrack. I can instantly recall scores they've done and basically hum along with them. Hans Zimmer, not so much; his scores aren't catchy. He's not concerned with people humming along. But they suit the films that use them down to the tiniest grace note. It's a different kind of genius, but it's certainly genius.
batman theme and megamind tho :O
right? and if you do remember it, it's often just tiny bits of it rather than the entire melody
If those other composers make music, Zimmer makes a stage. Better in some cases, worse in others.
Pirates of the Caribbean?
Gladiator and spirit included lion king also dark knight final blade runner kung fu pand pirates of Caribbean mission impossible two Batman vs super man Inception The Road to El Dorado Interstellar The Last Samurai and dune
I was really hoping you were going to discuss the scene with the throat singing. It was so unique and jarring. He does such a good job of letting you understand the scene with sound.
That double harmonic scale is wild. I’m definitely hearing the Eb diminished chord more prominently than any of the major or minor chords. I think the variety of chords in that scale is so interesting!
It's "Maqam Hijazkar" from Arabic theory FYI
Paul’s Dream reminds me of William Barton’s 2012 “Didge Fusion” which he plays with the Incredible Australian Chamber Orchestra - brilliantly blending indigenous sounds with European classical music. Has that fantastic raw ancient voice sound which really evokes some indescribable emotion. Zimmer’s music is incredible.
"House Atreides" is my single favorite movie music piece. It is just THAT mindblowing. I would have never imagined that a composer would grasp the concepts of Dune so greatly and craft a score so fitting and perfect.
This is based on the Indian Raga “Bhairav” i think that has been Mr. Zimmer’s inspiration. The score of this film is just mind f*****g blowing
The scale he plays at 6:23 is clearly "Bhairav" (Hindustani) / "Mayamalavagowla" (Carnatic). Such a hypnotic composition!
came here to say this ! Mayamalavagowla is one of the first "scales" taught in carnatic music
The IMAX session of this movie was a unique experience (saw it three times, but regret not seen even more).
Hans Zimmer's inspiration in "tribal" music and throat singing (Sardaukar sent you hugs :p), is so refreshing and powerful to see in a movie score nowadays, and fits perfectly the Dune's atmosphere.
I LOVE DUNE, it's an awesome time to be living.
@charlescornell If you use a DAW... You can see how basically Hanz Zimmer is using a lot of the same techniques for ambience and "hype build" that EDM artists use for their tracks :)))).
For example he opened "Paul's Dream" with a heavy and automated Reese bass. He was automating the "Cut Off Filter" to increase the intensification of the sound being generated from the synthesizer he was using to make the Reese Bass sound.
I watched this video immediately when I saw you uploaded, Dune is by far my favorite movie in the past decade.
One of the most interesting things about the sound in this movie that you didn't touch on is their use of the really weird phenomenon that happens in desserts called "singing sand" where since the entire dessert is a huge resonant body it actually has its own rhythm and you'll be able to hear what sounds like really low pulsations or buzzing in your ears on the top of a dune. The rhythm of the dessert is a big part of Dune and it's incredibly cool to see such a cool phenomenon used in the score of this movie.
One more fun fact: The sound team named the noise that the worm makes the "gunk-gunk"
Hans Zimmer is such an expert at creating amazing imersive sound scapes. I would honestly describe his work as musical world building, because scores feel like they are living and breathing entities that just envelope you and take you there. I don't think there is another composer who can literally create a whole new environment or world through music the way Zimmer does; Ludwig Goransson is a very close second, but Zimmer is an absolute master at it.
Not if you don’t look beyond this genre
Hans Zimmer may not be a musical genius like John Williams, but he is a true master of understanding and creating atmosphere! Two very different approaches to film scoring, and both brilliant in their own way. Having these two wonderful gentlemen providing their wonderful music to us with their different approach really enriches the musical landscape!
You call Hans NOT a musical genius?😳 what are u on?
He is a musical genius but in a different type of way than a normal composer.
@@shepardcommander5174 No, I didn't. Read again...
@@joeabiro2049 Exactly!
That bit in Inception where the music slows down (I think where the van is in slo-mo, track= dream is collapsing)- mind blowing/spine chilling from Zimmer there. Love interstellar also- so beautiful.
I actually really like his score for Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons! Always loved the books and his greatly overwhelming score for the movies is suspenseful and mysterious at the same time!
I loved the drum beat in the theme. I have a decent Dolby Atmos setup, I cranked up the volume and kept playing the into over and over 😅
Me too!! I watched it it theatre and remember being literally blown away by the drums during the opening scene, and the visuals made everything so mesmerising!
and then dune 2 blew dune 1's sound track out of the water
I disagree, they’re not too different actually. Tracks like leaving Caladan and Bene Gesserit from the first soundtrack blow tracks from dune 2 out of the water so I think both are on parr.
@@phantomgauntletThey work well together as Part Two is a continuation of Part One and not a “sequel” in the conventional terms. I see both scores as one complete work.
The Dune 2 score almost entirely the same… BUT added the “A Time Between Storms” track, and that changed everything about how we heard the overall sound of the two films together.
@@markkittel44 a time between storms is just a remix of the house atreides
@@markkittel44 Not really. It uses motifs from the first film, but they’re arranged differently and different instrumentation is used for Part Two.
Need one for Dune 2 now, my man.
indeed. beautiful.
During the night attack, after we've seen an utter masterpiece of lighting and scale, when Josh Brolin's Gurney Halleck yells "With me!" and the bag pipes and drums come in as the troops rush forward-I don't know that I've ever been pumped with more emotion chemicals in a movie theater than in that moment, with maybe the exception of Endgame's finale. Just. So. Powerful.
Love how nobody mentions how Hans made the electro suite- underrated asl and one of my absolute favorites
i gotta say i think dune was the most mindblowing theater experience since avatar in 2009.
i ended up watching this masterpiece 3 times and while doing so i ventured continuously deeper in the universe of dune and i watched a bunch of videos explaining why this movie is just SO GOOD.
one of the most interesting things was of course how intertwined the story and the score are. for some of the details in the book the movie had not enough time to go in depth but you can still HEAR some of them in the music. this is something you don't really are aware of consciously but you can feel it.
shout out to thomas flight... he made a video about how good different themes are weaved into the music making the audience understand how the characters relations and also their develpments are coming togehter.
and thanks to you charles for this input! can't hear enough about dune and its music!!
have a good one,
cheers
Interstellar snuck into that category for me. Mind blown walking out of the theater.
At this point, just give Hans every year his Oscar. Even when he didnt make a soundtrack...absolute Legend
14:08 - "We typically expect to hear bagpipes in a very certain context... "
Probably the first context that comes to mind for most is Scottish (or Irish) pipes, but the more you look around, the more you come to realize how many distinctly different cultures across a very broad area--Europe, Asia, Africa--all have some version of bagpipes. It might not be the single most common folk-tradition instrument on the planet across a greater number of cultures, but it's definitely up there. Finding bagpipes in a culture wholly separate from Earth, on planets who knows how far away in space and time, may not be as weird as you'd first think.
I think one of the best of Hans Zimmer's scores is Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron because it is so unique and is the narrator of the story. It is one of his earlier works. This man has been inventing new things for his entire career. Whatta legend.
13:43 Using the bagpipes in this scene is just genius. Just shows how powerful the main Atreides theme song can be used for more power in the last stand of Gurney. I don't know about you but that part just gives me goosebumps haha
yesss that’s one of my favorite peices from the soundtrack, it just comes out of nowhere but not really because it fits in so perfectly and the triumphant theme changes into a not-so-triumphant sound as they are overpowered and it’s just so good
@@charlottecushingham7149 ikr
What last stand of Gurney? He’s still alive, my dude.
@@navsquid32 yeah didnt know at the time until I read the book :/
your passion is so infectious, makes learning about music theory a joy
I honestly think their styles are too different to compare, but I would say that while John Williams has crafted melodies that have INSANE staying power, Hans Zimmer has been more responsible for scores that have peaked my emotions. The textures he creates in his scores instantly connect with me, drawing me further into the emotional depth of the film.
Williams is melodic scalpel, and Zimmer is an emotional sledgehammer.
I think maybe there's a risk of giving Hans Zimmer credit where it isn't due here though. The mix and sound design, and especially the mix of non score elements such as "the voice" that you mention was probably not Zimmers decision (there are 13 people with "mixer" in their job title in the credits).
Not trashing on Zimmer, just saying it'd be a shame if the big name gets all the cred for what is more of a team effort.
John Williams also has a team with him, including orchestrators specialized in each section of the orchestra and some credited co-composers. It is just too much work in too little time for a single person to do it all.
Ye, and Hans himself is aware of this, wonderfully humble man. When he was asked to do an interview for how the score for Dune was written, he made it a point to say "this is how WE wrote the score for Dune" and showcased multiple members of the team in the interview.
Definitely, and as others pointed out, same goes for John Williams. It's a whole team behind productions like this. It's just sad that people don't realise that, we keep thinking John Williams and Hans Zimmer are masters in every aspect when in reality they couldn't execute their ideas without the help of others. The composers themselves are aware of it but crediting a whole team just wouldn't sell. It's very similar to how Popstars have their team of writers snd producers that don't get any credit
@@Violn95 If he has a sort of directorial role when it comes to the sound he seems to have done an awesome job pulling together the talent of many. I remember someone once told me ''true'' art is individualistic, but I LOVE when many people come together to create a sum that is greater than it's parts, and media such as film or videogames are the perfect candidates for such projects. (Especially games, it's CRAZY how many different crafts can come together, depending on the case, the way gameplay narrative can tell story etc. is super unique too)
@@Gnurklesquimp Totally agree with you. It's brilliant when several creative disciplines combine. Video games is a great example (and I love The Consouls who do VGM jazz which is again collaborative creation) but musicals also - set creation, costumes, music, dance etc
Hey Charles! Any chance you could do Ori and the Blind Forest/Will of the Wisps? Gareth Coker did a phenomenal job on those and I think they'd be pretty interesting to feature on the show!
Love your vids!
Agreed. Gareth Coker's Ori music is some of the best music I've ever listened to. It's just so beautiful and perfect.
SO TRYUE OMG GARETH COKER IS AMAZING
Coming back after watching the second and holy hell,
In every scene I was stunned my the complex music
I really appreciate Hans Zimmer's approach to building that wall of sound, as some of my favorite soundtracks used unconventional instrumentation to make you pay attention and to, as you stated, put you into those environments. Would love to hear your thoughts on some of these, namely the soundtracks to Akira, Willow, Tron, and A Clockwork Orange (basically anything Wendy Carlos touched)!