Musical Analysis of the Game of Thrones Theme Song

 Game of Thrones Theme Song

A Musical Analysis

    The Game of Thrones Theme was composed by Ramin Djawadi and recorded in Prague, featuring the Czech film Orchestra and Choir. It was released on June 14, 2011. You can listen to it by clicking this link: Game of Thrones Theme Song

    Ever since I first heard the intro theme song to Game of Thrones, I couldn't stop humming it. It's such an enchanting mix of instruments, which heavily features string instruments. This song first caught my attention because of the overwhelmingly powerful flurry of string instruments, which I have a certain affinity to because I grew up playing the violin in an orchestra. I can't help but listen to the intro song every time I watch an episode from this series, even though I have the option to skip it. I love listening to it, and it gets me into the mood of watching Game of Thrones, which is the whole reason the piece was composed in the first place. I think that the composer did a great job of encompassing the whole feel of this show with the opening theme, and it gives the listener a predisposition of how the show will evolve. 

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Musical Elements:

The first element I would like to talk about is the instruments selected for this piece. It is heavily played by string instruments, the major one being a cello. The first melody of this piece is a single cello, which is awesome because this instrument on its own has so much power. It's not very often that a show's theme song opens with just one instrument being played. I think this gives the opening melody such a forceful and dynamic presence. The listener is able to focus their attention on this one instrument and hear each note being played, rather than it being a whole orchestra where single notes could get jumbled together and get lost or overpowered by other string sections. 

The second element is the switch from major to minor keys throughout the piece. The very first instrument (cello) is played in a minor key, then after two bars, it switches to a major key, then back to minor. I think this is such a cool way of showing depth in a musical piece, and even someone with no knowledge of music can sense the tone change and how this affects the feel of the intro. 

The third element I noticed is the introduction of more string instruments after the cello solo. Now, in the VERY beginning of the theme song, it sounds like violins, violas, and cello are being played, but once we get into the meat of the song, the cello by itself is what really catches people's attention. But after the cello has it's beautiful piece, more string instruments are once again added with the cello. This second introduction of all these string instruments adds more depth to the theme, and offers a lighter tone because violins and violas offer a higher pitch range than cellos. I can almost hear each instrument separately. I can hear the low tone of the cello, the higher tone of the viola, and the even higher tone of the violin. All of these instruments together provide a very bold and fulfilling sound that changes the feel from when the cello by itself was being played.

The fourth element is the drums. The drums offer a unique addition to the sound that none of the string instruments do. They are played to the beat to the music, following along to the tempo of the song in the background. This offers yet another layer to the song that allows for the string instruments to shine, but can still be heard as a base layer that lets the listener enjoy. The drums carry the melody all throughout the song, from the beginning to the very end. 

The final element, and probably my favorite, is the dynamics throughout this piece. The first few notes at the very beginning of the theme are a powerful explosion of string instruments, but them it immediately gets a bit softer, the initial sharpness of the instruments backing off a bit.  Then, as I explained above, the cello gets it's solo, then the other string instruments come in, and that's when the the swell and crescendo are heard clearly. After every pause of string instruments, when the music is mainly drums, and the string instruments fall into a soft decrescendo, it is immediately followed by a crescendo from the strings once again. I love this added depth because, as a violin player, in my opinion one of the hardest things to do as an entire orchestra is getting softer and louder together. I love when dynamics are used, and the dynamics used in this piece give it an extra intensity. It is heard especially at the very end, because all of the instruments end with a sweeping crescendo, followed by the drop off of all of the instruments except for a dulcimer and kantele, which add a shimmery quality that provides a contrast from the string instruments that were played just a moment before. I think this was used to showcase the intensity of the Game of Thrones series itself, because there are some serious highs and lows that the audience goes through when watching. 

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My sources:

    I'm a big fan of Classic FM, so it just made sense to try to find an article that talks about the Game of Thrones theme song. In their article, the first topic they discuss is how the main theme makes an appearance throughout the episodes themselves. They included part of the score for their audience to see, and I thought I'd add it here too. 

    These notes are part of the main theme, and it's fun to follow along while listening to the music. This article adds some direct quotes from the composer himself, where he states why he decided to go with a cello as the main instrument. “It can be very dark and moody, but also beautiful and emotional at the same time,” says Djawadi, “And it’s just perfect for the show. Because it’s such a dark show. Obviously, because all these families have their problems.” Just as I stated above in my own musical analysis, the cello adds a dark aspect to the theme, which directly correlates with the plot of the series itself. The article then goes on to provide examples of different versions of this song played by famous cellists and pianists, as a sort of tribute to the awesomeness that encompasses this song. So it's safe to say that I'm not the only one obsessed and in awe of this simple yet powerful score.

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    The second article I looked at was published by Business Insider in Australia. This article talks about the bigger meaning of this theme song, which I was really interested to read. They talk about how the "[...] theme is one that was intentionally designed to encapsulate some of the most important ideas behind the show." It then goes on to include the major and minor key change in the beginning, and a direct quote from the composer himself that ties all of it together. He states that “'There’s so much backstabbing and conspiracy — anybody can turn on anybody at any point,” said Djawadi. “So I thought it would be cool to do the same play with the music. So even though the majority of the piece is in minor, there’s that little hint of major in there where it kind of switches and then it changes back again.'” This is exactly what the music lead me to believe when I first listened to it. There's so much going on, and yet it's such a simple melody, with a hint of a key change that is such a huge ode to what happens within the series itself. "Djawadi composed it in a minor key, but with a brief switch to a major key — and since the entire theme is built around that riff, it’s tonality (the key it’s in) subtly expresses one of the biggest truths of the show." I think this man is an absolute genius! This article talked about one of the, in my opinion, coolest aspects of the theme song because before the audience even watches an episode, they inherently get a sense of what is to come by just hearing the music and nothing else. So cool!

Sources:

Roberts, Maddy Shaw. “Game of Thrones Theme Tune: Everything You Need to Know about Ramin Djawadi's Epic Score.” Classic FM, Classic FM, 11 Apr. 2019, https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/periods-genres/film-tv/game-of-thrones-soundtrack-theme-song-instrument/ 

Businessinsiderinternational. “The 'Game of Thrones' Theme Song Has a Bigger Meaning than You Think.” Business Insider Australia, 12 June 2015, https://www.businessinsider.com.au/how-the-game-of-thrones-composer-hid-the-entire-show-in-a-two-minute-theme-2015-6