James Horner has called it "the movie he was born to score". And indeed, Titanic may be the soundtrack that earns him another Oscar nomination. Utilizing all the musical styles he's used on many of his previous efforts, Horner brings a rousing score that makes it easy to picture the majesty of the great ship Titanic. Opening with one of his favorite instrument of late, the bag pipes, Horner starts with a solo which brings to mind images of an empty sea and reminds us of the tragedy to come. From there the orchestra backed by the vocals of Norwegian vocalist, Sissel, Horner introduces one of the main themes for the movie.
It's true that the opening music is similar to Enya ("Book of Days" in particular), after all, it was what director James Cameron had originally used to temp score his test prints. Nonetheless it works quite well. The vocalisations seem to be a combination of synthesised voices and real singing. The theme used to represent the ship is both powerful and melodic so as to indicate the grandeur and grace of the ship. It is introduced in Southhampton and then is reprised in Leaving Port and "Take Her To Sea, Mr. Murdoch". Rose is the cue which is the musical version of Celine Dion's song which is in this case played by the orchestra and supported by Sissel's vocals. Here Horner introduces the listener to his love theme which itself describes the beauty of Rose herself as well as her character.
The sinking of the ship is of course one of the major incidents in the movie and as such it rightly has the most amount of music for it. Horner uses his previously introduced themes here as well at points however they are more action prone due to the situation. Also found in full force is the Horner style of danger music, described by many as being a combination of piano and orchestra crashes. However, in this case it isn't as bad as all that. While it is dominant in the sinking segment of the soundtrack, it is still not as bad as it could have been. While maintaining urgency and the sense of danger in the music, there is still a sense of sanity to the music. There are no wild moments where every musician is playing what he pleases in the most irrational manner he can think of. In fact it is just the opposite, the moments of danger are properly assembled and executed resulting in a piece of music which can be listened to without causing mental anguish or confusion.
Celine Dion's song is a welcome addition to the soundtrack. Unlike many of the love themes from movies ( Where do we go from here? from Eraser or How do I live without you from Con Air) the song doesn't appear to have been tacked on as an afterthought to boost album sales. Composed by James Horner, the tune itself is an extension of the tune he introduces in the rest of the soundtrack. And, unlike the previously mentioned love themes, the words have meanings that relate to the movie we just saw (or the soundtrack we just listened to) and is therefore a proper addition to the soundtrack.
Overall this is by far one of the best scores Horner has composed in recent years and should be considered as a contender for an Oscar. And as a note to anyone who has accused Horner of blatantly ripping-off themes from himself and others, I say listen to this soundtrack and it will change your mind. Besides, what Horner does isn't copying himself, he likes certain styles of composition and he uses it again and again, the same could even be said of other composers as well such as John Williams or John Barry.
Total time: 72:23
1: Never An Absolution (3:03)
2: Distant Memories (2:24)
3: Southampton (4:02)
4: Rose (2:52)
5: Leaving Port (3:26)
6: "Take Her To Sea, Mr. Murdoch" (4:31)
7: "Hard To Starboard" (6:52)
8: Unable To Stay, Unwilling To Leave (3:57)
9: The Sinking (5:05)
10: Death Of Titanic (8:26)
11: A Promise Kept (6:03)
12: A Life So Changed (2:13)
13: An Ocean Of Memories (7:58)
14: My Heart Will Go On (5:11) - Celine Dion
15: Hymn To The Sea (6:26)
Review copyright � 1997 Jay Tipnis. Comments always welcome!