Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (soundtrack)
Encyclopedia
The Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (or "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the United States) was released on 30 October 2001. The film's score was composed and conducted by John Williams
. The Philosopher's Stone soundtrack was nominated for Best Original Music Score
the 74th Academy Awards
, but lost to Howard Shore's
score to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The film introduces many character-specific themes (leitmotifs) that are used in at least one sequel as well, although most of the themes are only used again in Chamber of Secrets. These themes include two themes for Voldemort, two themes for Hogwarts, a Diagon Alley theme, a Quidditch
theme, a flying theme, a friendship theme, and the main theme ("Hedwig's Theme"). This main theme can be found in most of the films although not usually in its unaltered state. The soundtrack was certified Gold in Canada (50,000 units) by the CRIA
on 14 December 2001. The soundtrack was performed at Air Lyndhurst Studios and Abbey Road Studios in London. It entered the Billboard 200
at number 48, and also charted at two on the Top Soundtracks Chart.
"Hedwig's Theme" is the leitmotif
composed by John Williams
for the Harry Potter
film
series. Often labelled as the main theme of the film series, it was first featured in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
in the track "Prologue." A concert arrangement of the same name is featured in the end credits. "Hedwig's Theme" has been interpolated throughout the rest of the Harry Potter film scores, from those by Patrick Doyle
, Nicholas Hooper
, and Alexandre Desplat
. It is also featured in the score to the Order of the Phoenix game
composed by James Hannigan
. "Hedwig's Theme" has achieved significant pop culture status, being featured as ring tones, trailer music, and other forms of multimedia.
Track Number 18, Leaving Hogwarts, is also featured during the Epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 as a tribute to Williams and the end of the series.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released in the United States and India as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film is the first instalment in the Harry Potter film series,...
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (or "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the United States) was released on 30 October 2001. The film's score was composed and conducted by John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
. The Philosopher's Stone soundtrack was nominated for Best Original Music Score
Academy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
the 74th Academy Awards
74th Academy Awards
The 74th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2001 and took place March 24, 2002, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. It was the first ceremony to take place...
, but lost to Howard Shore's
Howard Shore
Howard Leslie Shore is a Canadian composer, notable for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he won three Academy Awards. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg,...
score to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The film introduces many character-specific themes (leitmotifs) that are used in at least one sequel as well, although most of the themes are only used again in Chamber of Secrets. These themes include two themes for Voldemort, two themes for Hogwarts, a Diagon Alley theme, a Quidditch
Quidditch
Quidditch is a fictional sport developed by British author J. K. Rowling for the Harry Potter series of novels. It is described as an extremely rough, but very popular, semi-contact sport, played by wizards and witches around the world...
theme, a flying theme, a friendship theme, and the main theme ("Hedwig's Theme"). This main theme can be found in most of the films although not usually in its unaltered state. The soundtrack was certified Gold in Canada (50,000 units) by the CRIA
Cria
A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically...
on 14 December 2001. The soundtrack was performed at Air Lyndhurst Studios and Abbey Road Studios in London. It entered the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at number 48, and also charted at two on the Top Soundtracks Chart.
"Hedwig's Theme" is the leitmotif
Leitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
composed by John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
for the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
series. Often labelled as the main theme of the film series, it was first featured in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released in the United States and India as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film is the first instalment in the Harry Potter film series,...
in the track "Prologue." A concert arrangement of the same name is featured in the end credits. "Hedwig's Theme" has been interpolated throughout the rest of the Harry Potter film scores, from those by Patrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle is a Scottish musician and film score composer. A longtime collaborator of actor/director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work scoring such critically acclaimed films as Henry V , Sense and Sensibility , Hamlet , and Gosford Park , as well as noteworthy blockbusters as Harry...
, Nicholas Hooper
Nicholas Hooper
Nicholas Hooper is a British film and television composer. He has scored the award-winning BBC productions Land of the Tiger and Andes to Amazon, as well as the TV movies The Girl in the Café and My Family and Other Animals among others...
, and Alexandre Desplat
Alexandre Desplat
Alexandre Michel Gérard Desplat is a French film composer. He has received four Academy Award nominations, five BAFTA nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, winning a Golden Globe for his work on The Painted Veil in 2006, and two Grammy nominations. In 2011, Desplat won his first British...
. It is also featured in the score to the Order of the Phoenix game
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a video game that is based on the fifth instalment of the popular Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling and the film of the same name, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii, Game Boy Advance and Mac OS X...
composed by James Hannigan
James Hannigan
James Hannigan is an award-winning British film, television and video game composer who has composed music for various entries in the Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Command & Conquer, Wing Commander, Warhammer and Grand Prix series' of games.-Career:Notable early game credits of Hannigan...
. "Hedwig's Theme" has achieved significant pop culture status, being featured as ring tones, trailer music, and other forms of multimedia.
Behind the Scenes
Track Number 10 concludes with "A Change of Season", although in the film the season's change had occurred before Norbert had hatched.Track Number 18, Leaving Hogwarts, is also featured during the Epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 as a tribute to Williams and the end of the series.