Theme composer(s) ?

[subatoi]

Hi,

Can someone tell me who composed the themes at the beginning of the show?
There were one for each season, as I recall, right?

Thanks

 

[darth_librarian]

All Babylon 5 music was composed by Christopher Franke (actually, JMS wrote some song lyrics for one episode I think...)

All the info is here:

http://www.sonicimages.com/

 

[B5_Obsessed]

All Babylon 5 music was composed by Christopher Franke (actually, JMS wrote some song lyrics for one episode I think...)

That would be "Walkabout".

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

There were one for each season, as I recall, right?

The five main title themes were really all variations on the same theme, tweaked to match the "feel" of each season. The first and second season are quite close, the fifth season's arrangment and orchestration makes it sound least like the others.

Franke also wrote a separate score for each episode, often 20 minutes or more of new music. There was very little use of "stock music" as is common in other shows. (Star Trek had one theme that played for virtually every hand-to-hand fight scene, for instance. )

You can purchase episode soundtrack CDs and compilations via Amazon.com or direct from Franke's own company, Sonic Images

Regards,

Joe

 

[KoshFan]

B5 did have a little stock music -- for the first two seasons, whenever StarFuries launched, the music sounded pretty much the same. But considering I like it, I don't really mind.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

B5 did have a little stock music -- for the first two seasons, whenever StarFuries launched, the music sounded pretty much the same. But considering I like it, I don't really mind.

Yeah.

There was very little use of "stock music"...

(Emphasis added)

Joe

 

[KoshFan]

Yay! We're both right!

 

[GaribaldisHair]

The five main title themes were really all variations on the same theme, tweaked to match the "feel" of each season.

I disagree ... Seasons 1, 2 and 4 would fit that description perfectly, but S3 (based on 'Requiem for the Line') is clearly not a variation on the S1 and 2 themes that came before it, and I would argue that S5 is different again, although feeling more like the others than S3 does.

 

[Chilli]

The five main title themes were really all variations on the same theme, tweaked to match the "feel" of each season.

I disagree ... Seasons 1, 2 and 4 would fit that description perfectly, but S3 (based on 'Requiem for the Line') is clearly not a variation on the S1 and 2 themes that came before it, and I would argue that S5 is different again, although feeling more like the others than S3 does.

I thought the same when initially reading Joe's post .. but then I listened to them before making a smartass comment. I'll have to ask my music scientist sister to be sure, not having guitar tablatures or scores, and having a horrible "musical ear", in spite of playing an instrument .. but I do think, on considering it like that, that the Requiem of the Line is VERY strongly based on the original B5 theme - just that it's played in a minor scale instead of a major scale. The "movement" through the scale seems very similar.

Season 5 I'd call *very* loosely based on the recurring B5 theme .. too loosely to call it "the same" though.

 

[Chilli]

Well .. my sister's verdict is in.

Nope, nada. No way in hell. Any similarities are purely stylistic, but no scale transformations will make the "usual" B5 theme be the Requim of the Line. The similarity I noticed lasted 4 notes basically .. if you were to consider all pieces of music sharing 4 notes as "the same", you'd be left with a fairly musicless universe