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Fri, 10/14/2022 - 16:06
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The$Shawshank$Redemption$
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The!Birth!of!an!Underscore!Language!
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A!musical!analysis!of!Thomas!Newman’s!
original!sountrack!and!its!influence!
in!the!creation!of!his!own!sound!
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by!João!Bruno!Soeiro!
MMus!in!“Scoring!for!Film,!
Television!and!Videogames”!candidate!
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Berklee!College!of!Music,!Valencia!Campus!
July!3rd,!2014!
Introduction!
I!think!it’s!fair!to!say!that!Thomas!Newman!was!the!first!composer!to!ever!
really!draw!me!into!film!music.!I!think!it’s!also!fair!to!say!that!he!was!a!big!reason!
why!I!decided!to!become!a!film!composer.!
Like! for! many! other! people,! “American! Beauty”! was! a! real! ! landmark! for!
me,!particularly!for!its!music.!And!so,!yes,!I!admit!it:!my!first!instinct!was!to!write!
this!paper!on!that!film’s!music.!But!then!I!realized!that,!not!only!that’s!probably!
something! that! many! people! have! already! done,! but! it! would! also! ! be! so! much!
more! interesting! to! try! to! understand! where! did! this! all! come! from.! When! and!
where!was!the!“Thomas!Newman!sound”!born?!So,!I!thought!it!would!be!a!very!
good! idea! to! address! that! question! by! analyzing! the! first! legendary! film! that!
Newman!was!a!part!of:!“The!Shawshank!Redemption”.!
Now,!one!could!ask:!but!what!about!“Scent!of!a!Woman”?!Yes,!it’s!true!that!
this!was!Newman’s!first!real!blockbuster,!but,!not!only!it!never!reached!the!cult!
and! legendary! status! of! the! film! I! chose,! but! also! its! music,! although! truly!
wonderful,! is! of! another! realm.! One! can! already! feel! that! quite! characteristic!
Newman!sensitivity!in!it,!but!the!sound,!the!timbral!character,!the!colour!palette!
is! still! not! clearly! the! one! that! would! characterize! this! composer! so! much! and!
lead!him!to!the!musical!unveilings!of!films!to!come.!
And!so,!in!this!paper!I!will!atempt!to!not!only!analize!the!film’s!music!and!
its!narrative!function,!trying!to!answer!the!question!“why!does!it!work?”,!but!I’ll!
also! try! to! explain! why! this! film! truly! was! a! turning! point! in! Newman’s! career!
and!why!this!was!the!beginning!of!“the!Thomas!Newman!sound”.!
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Synopsis!
“The! Shawshank! Redemption”! was! an! american! film! released! in! 1994,!
directed!by!Frank!Darabont!and!starring!Tim!Robbins!and!Morgan!Freeman.!
Robbins!plays!Andy!Dufresne,!a!successful!banker,!who!was!just!convicted!
for!murdering!his!wife!and!her!lover,!and!whose!life!is!about!to!take!a!full!turn!
when!he!is!sentenced!to!lifetime!imprisionment!at!the!Shawshank!Prison.!
There,!he!meets!“Red”,!played!by!Freeman,!a!convict!who!has!spent!the!last!
20!years!of!his!life!at!Shawshank.!!The!friendship!that!flourishes!between!them!
is,! in! many! ways,! the! core! of! the! film,! along! with! their! relationships! to! other!
people!from!that!place:!Brooks,!the!librarian;!Warden!Norton,!Captain!Haywood!
and!even!Tommy.!
But!there!is!one!other!fundamental!character!in!this!film,!that!defines!much!
of!it:!the!idea!of!freedom.!Not!physical,!but!mental,!psychological,!emotional.!The!
idea! of! freedom! inside! of! us.! This! concept! is! not! only! something! that! the! film!
reflects!upon!permanently,!but!it!is!also!one!of!the!catalysts!of!the!story!and!of!its!
outcome.! It! is! Andy’s! endless! quest! for! inner! freedom! that! cultivates! his!
resilience! inside! of! those! closed! walls! and,! ultimately,! allows! him! to! build! a!
perfect!plan!to!escape.!It!is!also!this!state!of!mind!that!drives!Red!to!ultimately!
believe! in! something! more! than! life! in! Shawshank! and! follow! his! friend! to!
freedom!and!the!ultimate!inner!redemption.!
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Analysis!of!the!music!and!its!narrative!and!
emotional!function!
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There!are!36!cues!in!the!film,!3!of!which!are!source!music.!Among!the!33!
that!compose!the!underscore,!some!of!them!can!be!considered!just!as!one,!since!
they!merge!into!each!other!(fading!or!fading!out).!In!fact,!in!some!of!these!cases,!
I’ve! realized,! by! taking! a! look! at! the! OST! album,! that! they! are,! in! fact! just! one!
piece!of!music.!However,!I!still!decided!to!consider!them!as!separate!cues,!from!
an!artistical!point!of!view,!since,!in!my!opinion,!they!represnt!distinct!dramatic!
events!in!the!film!and!convey!diferente!emotions,!moods!or!atmospheres.!
1&2)!The!film!starts!right!away!with!an!interesting!musical!aspect:!as!the!
titles!appear,!we’re!already!listening!to!“If!I!didn’t!care”,!a!famous!40’s!ballad!by!
The$Ink$Spots.!As!we!see!the!first!shot,!of!Andy’s!house!and!his!car,!in!the!quiet!of!
the!night,!we’re!lead!to!believe!that!everything!is!o.k!and!the!film!starts!in!a!good!
mood.! When! we! see! Andy’s! face! we! see! that! he! looks! tired,! maybe! reflexive! or!
disturbed.! But! it! isn’t! until! the! first! underscore! cue! comes! in,! as! he! takes!
something! (a! gun)! out! of! the! front! seat! pocket,! that! we! understand! that!
something!is!clearly!wrong.!So,!it’s!the!underscore!that!actually!introduces!to!us,!
first!and!foremost,!to!the!real!mood!of!the!film!and!the!situation!we’re!about!to!
witness.!
The!very!next!aspect!is!one!that!can!be!completely!arguable!and!I!admit!I’m!
thinking!way!too!much!outside!of!the!box,!but!I’m!still!going!to!put!it!out!there!
for!whoever!wants!to!think!about!it:!when!I!listened!to!the!first!underscore!cue,!
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as!Andy!is!unraveling!the!gun,!I!couldn’t!help!but!remember!of!the!initial!theme!
to!“The!Girl!with!the!Dragon!Tattoo”,!by!Trent!Reznor.!Now,!I’m!not!saying!that!
Reznor! copied! Newman.! Not! at! all!! The! music! is! still! diferent! (timbrically,!
harmonically!and!melodically),!as!an!identity!of!its!own!and!it’s!absolutely!genius!
original!film!music.!But!still,!when!I!listen!to!Newman’s!cue...!wow!!It!just!takes!
me! to! Reznor’s,! right! away!..! I! don’t! know! what! it! is,! but! I! think! it’s! just! the!
musical! content! in! general:! that! little! “stringelike”! pad! with! the! piano!
dissonances!and!the!tense!harmony!in!general,!evoque!in!me!similar!emotional!
responses! and! take! me! to! similar! dark,! melancholic! places.! I! think! the! main!
difference! is! in! the! fact! that! Reznor’s! timbrical! palette! is! colder! (which! makes!
sense,!being!the!film!set!in!Sweden,!as!opposed!to!Shawshank’s!middle!America),!
both!in!the!choice!of!the!pads!and!the!those!lonely!notes!in!some!sort!of!celestae
like!sound.!Newman’s!music!is!a!bit!warmer,!more!organic,!since!we’re!actually!
listening!mainly!to!real,!acoustic!instruments!(despite!the!existence!of!some!pads!
and!deep!hits).!Nevertheless,!to!me,!the!resemblance!in!atmosphere,!mood!and!
overall! emotinal! expressiveness! is! still! striking! and! it! will! always! leave! me!
wondering! if,! by! any! chance,! there! is! the! possibility! that,! extremely!
subconsciously,!Reznor!was!influenced!by!this!music!and!maybe!even!searching!
for!something!of!that!kind.!Afterall,!both!films!center!on!men!who!were!unfairly!
convicted!for!a!crime!they!didnt’!comit.!And!that!could!be!a!starting!point!to!a!lot!
subconscious!mind!games!from!an!artistical!point!of!view.!
While! the! strings! do! a! pedal! in! A2,! the! piano! plays! these! lonely,! almost!
disturbing!notes:!
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Fig.1!–!The!first!cue’s!first!piano!motif!
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The! time! doesn’t! seem! to! exist,! in! this! part! of! the! cue.! The! notes! seem! to!
enter!freely!upon!the!string!pad’s!“musical!silence”.!
This! musical! silence! seems! to! create! the! perfect! setting! not! only! for! the!
situation!that!is!being!portrayed!in!the!film,!but!also!to!set!the!tone!for!the!whole!
story.! It! also! allows! space! for! the! dialog! to! be! clear.! The! initial! piano! motif,!
although!appearing!once!when!words!are!being!pronounced,!is!not!even!close!to!
disturb!anything.!It’s!way!too!soft.,!so!I!don’t!think!there!was!even!much!worry!
about!its!presence!under!dialogue.!
The!second!piano!motif,!on!the!other!hand,!appears!right!when!dialogue!is!
taking! placing.! And! even! though! this! is! new! musical! content,! it! doesn’t,! once!
again,! disturb! us! from! understanding! what! is! being! said.! On! the! contrary,! it!
actually! creates! an! expressive! countour! to! the! storyetelling.! To! me,! it’s!
particularly! wonderful! how! the! motif! comes! in! right! when! Andy! is! starting! to!
describe!what!her!wife!decided!to!do,!when!he!rejected!the!possibility!of!divorce.!
The!motif!comes!in!when!he’s!saying!“she!packed!her!bags!to!go!and!stay!with!
Mr.Quentin”!and,!its!introduction!in!this!particular!spot!gives!us!the!feeling!that!a!
story!is!about!to!be!told.!The!music!is!also!starting!to!tell!a!story!of!its!own.!
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Fig.2!–!The!first!cue’s!second!piano!motif!
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This!motif!passes!on!this!idea!that!something!happened...!something!wrong,!
something!devious...!there’s!also!a!certain!coldness!in!it,!which,!to!me,!follows!a!
bit! of! Andy’s! cold! look! and! cold! behaviour! in! the! court.! In! the! beginning! of! the!
film,! I! think! we’re! pretty! much! invited! to! believe! that! Andy! is! a! strange,!
disturbed!man,!one!not!to!be!trusted!to...!we’re!not!exactly!supposed!to!like!him.!
And! the! fact! that! this! music! conveys! something! suspicious,! only! helps! us! to! be!
divided! between! the! melancholy! that! we! were! coming! from! before! and! the!
potential! disturbed! mind! of! a! man! that! we! cannot! trust.! Ultimately,! we’re!
supposed!to!be!thinking:!“Did!he!kill!them?!Did!he!not?!What!if!actually!enjoyed!
it?”.!
Everytime!there’s!a!bit!of!a!change!in!the!situation!or!in!the!dialogue,!the!
strings! make! little! notes! in! the! low! registers,! as! if! to! reinforce! the! dramatic!
turnarounds! that! we’re! watching.! And! also! worthy! of! note! is! the! fact! that!
everytime! the! two! lovers! appear! and! the! story! is! being! clarified! we! hear! the!
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second!piano!motif,!as!if!to!convey!the!melancholic!and!disturbing!character!of!
the!events!that!led!to!the!crime.!Making!us!feel!ever!more!doubtful!about!what!to!
feel!towards!Andy.!
The! first! piano! motif! also! returns.! And! it! returns! exactly! when! the! colde
blooded! nature! of! the! crime,! and! potentially! of! Andy’s,! is! being! revealed.! As! if!
this!is!actually!really!the!“ice”!motif!(again,!as!with!Reznor’s!motif!in!“his”!film).!
The! fact! that! these! two! piano! motifs! appear! so! randomly! and! upon! the!
string! pads! makes! me! wonder! how! this! was! recorded.! I! would! risk! to! say! that!
maybe!the!orchestra!part!was!recorded!separately!from!the!piano’s.!Since!there’s!
not!much!of!an!overall!rythmic/tempo!sensation!in!this!cue,!it!would!perfectly!be!
possible!to!fit!in!the!piano!motifs!everytime!the!director!and!composer!found!it!
suitable.!And!then,!with!the!right!mix!and!perfect!amount!of!reverb,!it!would!fit!
like!a!glove!together!with!the!orchestra.!
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3)! This! next! cue! is! somewhat! very! descriptive! of! what! we! see...! and! its!
expressiveness! is! somewhat! contraditory,! maybe! a! little! bit! like! our! two! main!
characters,! in! the! beginning:! one! of! them! is! an! almost! noble,! selfemade! men! of!
the! prison,! the! other! a! selfemade! man! outside,! but! now! overwhelmed! by! the!
circumstances! of! life! and! of! his! arrival! to! that! terrifying! new! and! completely!
strange!world!e!!Shawshank.!In!many!ways,!I!find!that!this!cue!is!a!portray!of!the!
Shawshank!prison!on!its!own,!as!a!paralell!world,!where!the!realm!of!life!takes!
complete!new!shapes!and!all!feelings!and!sensations!can!seem!like!an!illusion!or!
a!distortion!of!what!was!known!to!a!common!man.!
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Fig.3!–!“The!Stoic!Theme”!starting!with!the!Double!basses!and!Cellos!(in!the!bass!clef),!followed!by!the!violas!(in!
red)!and!then!the!violins.!
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This!theme!reappears!several!times!throughout!the!film,!often!in!moments!
of! great! dramatic! tension.! Moreover,! it! is! called! “The! Stoic! Theme”! in! the! OST!
album,! which! also! says! a! lot! about! the! intentions! of! its! narrative! role! in! the!
picture.!
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4)!This!cue,!with!its!dissonances!in!the!strings!and!synth!pad!(towards!the!
end)!expresses!perfectly!both!Red’s!first!impressions!on!Andy!and!this!“tal!drink!
of!water”!‘s!disturbed!state!of!mind!as!he!gradually!realizes!where!he!now!finds!
himself!at.!
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6)! This! cue! is! one! of! the! main! theme’s! in! the! film.! I! would! call! it! the!
“melancholy!cue”!or!the!even!maybe!the!“Shawshank!cue”.!It’s!so!simple,!but!so!
expressive.!Just!a!few!long!pad!lines!(synths!in!the!mid!registers!and!strings!in!
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high!harmonics)!to!support!the!harmony!of!a!lonely!piano.!There’s!also!what!it!
seems! like! a! synth! reverb! trail! line! that! flows! around,! to! convey! this! poignant!
“void!sensation”.!It’s!like!Red!says:!“when!they!put!you!in!that!cell!and!those!bars!
slam! home,! you! know! it’s! for! real”.! And! this! music! expresses! that! feeling! of!
hopelessness!so!well.!
It!starts!off!with!this!simple!motif!on!the!piano:!
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Fig.4!–!The!initial!piano!motif!on!the!“Melancholy!Cue”!
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It’s!hard!to!say!what!the!time!signature!is!here.!It!could!be!4/4.!Or!a!very!
rubato!3/4.!But!then,!the!theme!comes!in!and!its!evident!its!3/4!!feel:!
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Fig.5!–!The!“Melancholy!theme”!
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The! big! catch! on! this! cue! is! that! among! those! melancholic,! hopeless!
feelings,!there’s!a!subtle,!yet!so!everlasting!and!defining!feeling!of!hope.!In!fact,!
that’s!something!that!is!characteristic!to!the!whole!score,!in!general:!the!subtlety!
of!hope,!no!matter!how!sorrowful!or!desparing!the!situation!might!seem.!In!that!
sense,! maybe! this! theme! should! be! called! the! “Melancholy! hope”! theme,! for!
instance.!
This!theme!is!recurring!throughout!the!film,!whether!in!situations!that!are!
particularly! dramatic! or! reflexive,! or! also! often! when! Andy! is! the! center! of! the!
narrative!process.!In!that!sense,!it!could!also!very!fairly!be!called!“Andy’s!theme”.!
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7)!This!cue!is!also!very!importante,!not!only!because!it!repeats!itself!a!few!
times!during!the!film,!but!mainly!for!the!introduction!of!an!importante!character!
in! the! score:! the! oboe.! Throughout! the! film,! there! are! many! different! cues! that!
include! the! oboe! as! a! solo! instrument,! and! this! is! the! first! of! them.! In! most! of!
those! cues,! the! oboe! is! clearly! used! to! express! a! great! deal! of! solitude...! maybe!
even! of! some! kind! of! inner! discomfort...! it! reminds! me! of! some! of! Mahler’s!
beautiful! oboe! solos,! in! his! symphonies! and! vocal! orchestral! cycles.! But,! when!
Newman!combines!this!timbre!with!those!piano!chords,!like!in!this!cue,!it!creates!
an!unusual!mist!of!infinite,!cold,!almost!endless!melancholy.!
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8)!This!next!cue!is!also!worthy!of!notice,!just!because!it’s!the!first!time!that!
Newman!decides!to!quote!one!of!the!themes!(in!this!case,!“Andy’s!theme)!with!a!
different!orchestration.!In!this!little!cue,!only!the!strings!play,!but!they!quote!the!
piano!motif.!This!motif!is!also!reharmonized!to!a!major!mode,!thus!expressing!a!
certain!kind!of!nobility!to!it.!Or,!as!Red!put!it!so!well!“he!strolled,!like!a!man!in!a!
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park,! without! a! care! or! a! worry! in! the! world”.! It’s! in! this! mode! that! he! lets! us!
know!that!he!likes!Andy,!almost!as!if!at!last!revealing!to!us!that!Andy!is!the!hero,!
almost!as!if!giving!us!the!permission!to!like!him!and!connect!with!him.!And!the!
music,!in!its!moving!and!smooth!contour!allows!us!to!embrace!this!feeling!with!
all!our!soul.!
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9)!This!cue!is!a!true!jewel!and!very!worthy!of!notice!for!its!very!particular!
character! and! idiosyncrasies.! It’s! the! first! time! in! the! film! that! Newman! uses!
percussion.!He!uses!several!small!percussive!instruments!(different!shakers!and!
woodblocks)!together!with!a!steel!drum,!to!create!a!unique!atmosphere.!It’s!the!
first!time!in!this!film!that!we!hear!that!timbrical!approach!that!he!would!later!on!
develop!as!a!landmark!for!“American!Beauty”.!It’s!also!the!first!and!only!cue!in!
the! film! that! used! pizzicato! strings.! And! what! a! great! use! of! it! he! makes!! The!
cellos!and!the!violas!combine!to!do!a!dynamic!rythm,!almost!ostinato,!that!fills!in!
the!musical!canvas!with!life!and,!definitely,!hope!for!the!future!o!four!heros.!This!
cue! is! also! very! descriptive! and! always! appears! when! there’s! a! sequence! of!
dynamic!shots!in!the!film,!that!is,!when!a!set!of!action!is!being!portrayed!in!the!
film,! usually! with! little! or! no! dialogue.! Action! this,! which! is! usually! in! direct!
relation!to!the!origin!of!new!events!in!the!film.!
This! cue! will! be! repeat! only! once! more! in! the! film! and! also! in! similar!
moment,!when!a!long!sequence!of!actions!that!will!lead!to!a!new!moment!in!the!
film! is! being! portrayed.! The! only! big! difference! in! this! second! time! is! that! this!
sequence!is!filled!with!Red’s!narration.!And!still,!it!doesn’t!bother!me!at!all.!On!
the! contrary! it! conveys! the! dynamic! motion! that! that! motion! in! the! film!
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demands.! Now,! why! doesn’t! it! bother,! mixing! wise?! Why! doesn’t! it! feel! busy?!
Great!engineer,!I!suppose...!
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11)!This!cue!is!such!a!breath!of!clean,!joyful,!fresh!air!in!the!middle!of!this!
score!!What!a!sensible!artist!Newman!proves!himself!to!be,!with!little!precious!
takes!of!music!like!this!one.!
Not!only!he!was!able!to!pull!off!a!cue!that!immediatly!lets!us!know!that!the!
mood! of! the! story! has! completely! shifted,! but! he! does! it! in! such! a! refined! way,!
that!we’re!already!understanding!that!there’s!a!plot!twist!happening,!even!before!
Red!or!the!follow!up!of!the!events!lets!us!confirm!it.!
Everything! is! so! perfectly! thought! of! that,! in! the! end,! it! really! leaves! us!
wondering! if,! much! more! than! a! carefully! planned! out! cue,! this! wasn’t! just! a!
simple!and!instinctive!act!of!sensibility,!by!the!composer.!I!like!to!believe!it!was.!
Because!even!the!music!expresses!that:!it’s!in!an!improvisational!style,!with!no!
tempo!or!time!signature.!Just!a!fiddle!and!a!guitar!having!a!little!fun!together.!So!
pure!and!so!right!to!the!point.!The!plot!has!changed!and!so!has!my!music!style!
and! my! instrumentation.! Even! on! a! very! subconscious! level,! the! inclusion! of! a!
guitar,!playing!so!freely!and!carelessly!really!has!a!fundamental!influence!on!how!
we! perceive! the! action.! Everything! is! now! calm! and! cool,! because! the! boys! are!
about!to!have!some!fun!during!the!wonderful!month!of!May,!working!outside!of!
the!prison.!
Given! the! improvisational! character! of! the! music,! it! seems! to! me! that! it!
would! be! quite! impossible! to! actually! write! it! accurately.! And! it! doens’t! even!
make! much! sense.! However,! just! for! reference,! I! transcribed! what! it! generally!
sounds!like,!having!the!violin!on!the!upper!staff!and!the!guitar!on!the!lower.!
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Fig.6!–!The!“May”!cue,!roughly!transcribed.!
!
This! cue! will! be! appear! one! more! time! in! the! film,! also! in! similar!
circumstances:! a! mood! change! and! an! importante! plot! element,! after! a! very!
dramatic!moment,!that!had!had!a!very!dramatic!cue.!Only!this!time,!not!only!is!a!
longer!and!more!developped!cue,!but!also,!it’s!a!different!take!of!the!same!music.!
You!can!easily!tell!this!by!the!way!the!violin!phrases,!but!even!more!obviously,!
byt!the!guitar!comping,!which,!while!keeping!the!same!harmony,!general!rythm!
and!overall!character,!is!clearly!different.!So,!it’s!basically!two!different!takes!of!
the! same! music.! I! can! imagine! that! Newman! (who! loves! to! be! in! close! contact!
with! the! ! performing! musicians! and! organize! small,! more! intimate! recording!
sesions)!just!had!the!two!performers!in!the!studio,!showed!them!what!he!wanted!
them!to!do!and!then!just!told!them!to!play!freely,!recording!several!takes!in!one!
small!session.!
!
12)!I!would!like!to!point!out!this!next!cue!for!two!reasons:!first!of!all,!just!
for! how! beautiful! it! is.! How! “noble”! it! sounds.! Just! like! Andy’s! greatly! altruist!
!
13!
action.!Or,!even!better,!as!Red!says!“he!just!did!it!to!feel!normal!again”.!It’s!music!
of!a!man!who!has!again!found!peace,!even!if!it!is!that!of!the!ethereal!kind.!But!it!is!
peace,!nonetheless.!Peace!in!every!sense!of!the!word.!
The! second! reason! why! I’d! like! to! refer! to! this! cue! is! because! this! music!
seems!to!have!been!written!very!particularly!for!this!scene.!It!fits!it!so!perfectly,!
and!the!truth!is!that!we!never!listen!to!it!again!(not!even!a!single!quote)....!until!
the! very! last! cue!..! Which! is! a! much! more! developped,! broader! orchestrated!
version!of!it.!In!many!ways,!this!cue!could!then!be!called!the!“Freedom!theme”.!
And!so,!a!question!is!imposed:!was!it!writen!for!this!moment!of!the!film!or!for!the!
ending?!
!
19)!This!cue!alone!and!this!moment!in!the!film!are!of!rare!genious,!in!my!
opinion.!In!fact,!these!5!or!6!minutes!of!film!are!so!extraordinary!and!have!such!a!
life!of!its!own,!that!they!could!make!a!great!shortefilm.!
It’s!hard!to!actually!try!to!describe!this!or!put!it!into!any!words.!It’s!just!so!
sublime.!Everytime!I!watch!this!moment!in!the!film,!I!just!feel!overwhelmed!with!
feelings.!I!think!this!is!one!of!those!moments!that!will!live!forever!in!the!history!
of! cinema,! and! particularly! in! the! history! of! northeamerican! cinematography.!
And!Mr.Newman!did!a!most!beautiful!job!in!helping!imortalize!this!moment.!The!
music! is! just! so! perfect.! It’s! one! of! those! cues! that! you! can’t! really! imagine! any!
substitute! for.! This! is! one! of! those! rare! moments! in! which! I! feel! extremely!
inspired,!while!at!the!same!time!feeling!like!I!could’ve!never!written!anything!so!
beautiful!(and!probably!never!will)!but,!on!the!other!hand,!feeling!like!I!would’ve!
writen!exacly!that!same!music!for!that!scene.!
!
14!
Even!though!the!film!is!only!halfeway!through,!this!is!the!moment!in!which!
I! stand! up! and! bow! to! Mr.Newman! and! Mr.Darabont.! Thank! you! so! much! for!
making!this.!
!
Fige7!–!“Brooks!was!here”!theme.!
!
This! cue! appears! only! once! in! the! film! (as! a! whole! –! it! is! quoted! later! on,!
but!not!entirely).!It!can’t!be!considered!like!one!of!the!main!themes!or!leitemotifs!
of! the! story,! and! yet,! it! is! so! striking,! so! deeply! moving,! that! no! one! can! be!
indiferent! to! it.! I! would! actually! bet! that! this! is! one! of! the! cue! that! people!
remember! the! most.! Even! if! they! can’t! remember! how! it! sounds,! they! will! –! to!
paraphrase! the! great! Maya! Angelou! –! remember! how! it! made! them! feel.! And!
there’s!nothing!more!important!than!that.!In!art,!just!as!in!life.!
The!“last!but!not!least”!reason!for!this!cue!to!be!so!important!and!defining!
for!us!is!the!fact!that,!in!my!humble!opinion,!this!is!the!inception!of!the!“Thomas!
Newman”!sound.!This!was!where!it!was!truly!born.!I’m!sure!it!didn’t!happen!over!
night,!but!whatever!it!is!that!it!took!the!composer!to!get!there,!this!was!its!first!
!
15!
true!demonstration!of!achievement.!And!what!an!outstanding!achievement.!Once!
again,!so!simple,!as!usual.!A!few!reverby!pads!creating!the!atmosphere,!strings!to!
support!the!harmony!and,!sometimes,!the!melodic!lines...!and!that!grand!piano,!
full!of!reverb!and!overtones,!with!its!motions!in!paralell!fifths.!So!simple,!but!so!
infinitely!expressive!and!efective.!A!game!changer!in!film!music!composition!for!
the! next! generations,! including! mine,! and! also! the! type! of! sound! and!
harmonic/melodic!approach!with!which!Newman!would!marvel!half!world!with!
the!main!theme!(“American!Beauty/Any!other!name”)!from!“American!Beauty”.!
!
25)! This! cue! is! also! worth! of! notice,! since! it! is! another! step! towards! the!
“Thomas!Newman”!sound!and,!most!particularly,!the!“American!Beauty”!sound.!
As!the!cue!starts,!we!get!the!feeling!that!it’s!just!going!to!be!more!of!cue!nº9!
(which! had! already! been! repeated,! meanwhile).! But,! then! we! are! positively!
surprised:!there’s!much!more!to!it.!We!realize!something!is!different!right!when!
the!violins!actually!play!a!melodic!line,!while!the!cellos!are!doing!pizzicatos.!But!
the!big!surprise!comes!in!when!we!hear!the!vibrafone!coming!in!with!the!clarinet!
melody!!Sweet!..!Plus,!the!clarinet’s!role!is!much!more!proeminent!in!this!cue,!not!
only!playing!a!shy!melody,!but!actually!affirming!itself!and!doing!different!kinds!
of!articulations!in!diferent!registers.!And!the!whole!mood!of!the!cue!is!not!quite!
the! same! as! in! the! previous! two! situations:! there’s! somewhat! of! an! inquiring,!
almost!sneaky!aspect!to!it,!that!wasn’t!so!present!before.!!
There!is,!though,!one!common!aspect!between!this!and!the!two!other!cues!
of! this! kind:! the! context! their! played! in.! Once! more,! this! cue! comes! in! to!
accompany! a! sequence! of! dynamic! actions! that! will! allow! the! plot! to! quickly!
develop! and! take! us! to! another! moment! in! the! dramatic! narration.! And! once!
!
16!
again,!Red!is!all!over!the!place.!But,!does!it!bother!us?!Does!the!sound!get!badly!
mixed!up!because!of!that?!Not!at!all.!
These! cues! that! include! percussion! may! not! yet! be! so! original! and! are!
definitely! not! yet! the! “American! Beauty”! sound.! But! they! do! definitely! reveal!
how,! 5! years! before! the! Sam! Mendes! oscarewinning! film,! Newman! was! already!
exploring! these! timbres,! its! mixes,! and! some! kind! of! sound! of! his! own! through!
them.!
!
31)!This!cue!might!be!the!most!arguable!moment!in!the!score,!in!terms!of!
its!formal!structure.!
The!cue!starts!with!lively!strings!playing!a!fiddleetype!texture!and!melody,!
in!the!old!irish!style.!A!completely!new!motif!in!the!film,!by!the!way,!that!we!only!
hear! at! this! moment.! That! makes! a! lot! of! sense,! since! you! don’t! get! to! escape!
from!prison!more!than!once.!So,!for!a!unique!event,!a!unique!piece!of!music.!But,!
after!about!a!minute,!when!that!section!ends,!the!music!shifts!moods!completely!
and!we!start!hearing!the!second!piano!motif!from!the!first!cue!of!the!film.!And,!
the!truth!is,!the!music!never!completely!stops,!from!one!mood!to!the!other.!There!
is,!at!the!most,!a!very!subtle!crossefade!between!the!two,!but!there!is!trully!the!
sensation! that! it! is! all! one! long! cue,! connected! by! some! pads.! Then,! we! have! a!
similar!situation,!about!one!minute!ahead:!this!theme!ends!and!the!music!fades!
out,! but! we’re! never! really! sure! if! it! actually! faded! out,! because! another! cue! is!
already! starting.! And! this! new! cue! is! actually! the! same! one,! only! this! time! it!
starts!closer!to!the!beginning,!that!is,!with!the!first!piano!motif!from!the!first!cue!
(and!then!quickly!passing!on!to!the!second!motif).!So,!where!do!we!stand?!Were!
these!three!cues!different!cues!or!all!one!big!giant!cue?!
!
17!
I! decided! to! classify! them! as! different! cues,! since! the! thematic! material!
exposed!is!already!preeexisting!from!different!moments!in!the!film.!Now,!the!real!
news!come!a!bit!later!on.!After!quoting!the!first!cue!for!the!second!time,!Newman!
starts! developing! and! developing,! and! growing! and! growing,! both! in! texture,!
orchestration,!size!and!mass.!We’re!reaching!the!big!climax!of!the!whole!film!and,!
with! it,! of! the! whole! score.! The! thematic! material! for! this! truly! epic! moment! is!
composed!of!!three!basic!motifs:!in!the!low!register,!we!hear!a!very!pesante!FeF#e
GeF! in! quarter! notes,! in! a! 4/4! time! signature,! in! a! repeating! ostinato.! It’s! like!
something!inevitable,!something!bigger!than!you!is!about!to!happen.!It’s!such!a!
simple!but!such!a!great!line.!After!this,!come!in!the!high!strings!doing!FeF#eAeA#,!
in!the!same!rythm!as!the!basses,!also!ostinato.!It’s!a!small!counterpoint!line!that!
conveys!an!amazing!feeling!of!tension!and!release,!constantly.!And!this!gets!even!
better! if! we! realize! that! these! two! lines! are! sort! of! adaptations! or! “tonal!
variations”!of!the!“Stoic!theme”.!So,!he’s!actually!using!main!thematic!material!to!
create!the!biggest!of!his!musical!climaxes!in!the!whole!film!!And,!you!know,!this!
is! so! great,! already,! that! the! cue! could! probably! be! almost! just! like! this! and! it!
would! be! fine.! But,! no,! not! for! Thomas! Newman.! He! knew! he! needed! to! add! a!
poignant! motif,! something! that! would! really! make! us! want! to! tear! down! our!
shirts!off,!like!Andy,!in!the!middle!of!the!rain.!Something!that!would!truly!convey!
how! brutal! that! whole! scene! was.! And,! thus,! he! added! the! horns,! with! this!
incredible!EeDeC#,!in!a!long!note,!followed!by!triplets.!It’s!such!an!amazing!treat!
of!the!disssonance!(the!E!in!the!horns!with!the!F!in!the!strings!),!both!melodically!
and!rythmically!(3!against!2!).!
But,!more!importantl!than!any!of!these!details,!this!music!moves!us!to!the!
bone!and!keeps!us!glued!to!the!screen,!filled!with!glorious!hope.!
!
18!
!
33)!This!cue!is!also!quite!unique!in!such!a!way!that,!not!only!it’s!the!first!
time!it!appears!(such!as!the!situation!depicted,!which!is!also!a!one!and!only),!but!
also,! it! uses! a! new! timbre.! And,! guess! what?! It’s! percussion,! Newman’s! new!
faviourite!playground.!It’s!hard!to!say!what!instrument!it!is,!but!it!is!certainly!not!
a! western! classical! percussion! instrument.! Which! is! also! very! revealing! of! the!
composers! explorations! and! experiments! with! nonetraditional! instrument!
combinations,!which!would!lead!to!the!famous!“American!Beauty”!Marimba!plus!
Tabla!cue!(in!the!“Dead!Already”!cue).!
The!paring!of!this!percussive!timbre!with!that!of!the!horns!makes!up!for!a!
great!feeling!of!irreversible!fate!and,!almost,!bitter!destiny.!Which!is!exactly!what!
the!picture!is!portraying.!
!
35)! This! cue! starts! off! as! being! a! repetition! of! “Brooks! was! here”.! Maybe!
some!sort!of!way!to!express!that!Red!was!going!down!the!same!path!as!Brooks.!
But! when! he! decides! to! turn! his! fate! around,! the! music! shifts! to! something!
completely!new...!maybe,!a!sort!of!“Red!was!here”?!
It’s! very! beautiful! music,! with! luscious! strings! and! harmonies! reminding!
some!of!the!main!themes.!But!the!real!great!detail!is!the!care!of!Newman!to!use!
the! harmonica,! Red’s! own! forsaken! instrument.! I! believe! the! inclusion! of! ! the!
harmonica!solo!here,!is!a!very!refined!expressiveness!detail!and!way!to!convey!a!
new!hope!that!has,!even!if!very!subtly!,!penetrated!the!spirit!of!Red.!
!
The!very!last!cue!is!basically!a!big!contemplative!conclusion/reflexion!over!
our! heroes’! destiny.! A! destiny! that! they! decided! to! build! from! scratch,! through!
!
19!
their!belief!in!hope!and!in!something!new.!Their!belief!in!change.!A!change!that!
arose!from!their!friendship!and!from!their!will!not!to!become!subdued!by!fear,!
but!to!believe!in!freedom.!Inner!freedom.!
And!I!believe!it!is!this!since!of!noble!freedom!that!is,!above!all,!portrayed!in!
the!music.!It!is!the!freest!piece!of!music!in!the!whole!score.!The!orchestra!opens!
up! so! wide! and! so! high,! it! almost! feels! like! my! stereo! field! has,! all! of! a! sudden,!
become!ATMOS.!
Another! curious! aspect! is! that! it! seems! to! me! like! this! is! the! only! cue! in!
which!Newman!uses!the!orchestra!in!full,!altogether.!This!is!particularly!evident!
because! of! the! woodwinds! section.! It’s! the! only! cue! in! which! you! can! actually!
listen!to!this!section!playing!together,!as!a!tone!group.!And!I!feel!like!this!full!use!
of! the! orchestra,! with! all! the! instruments! finally! togtether,! even! if! done! in! a!
subconscious! level,! also! represents! the! coming! together! of! the! two! friends! and!
making!amends!with!their!life!and!their!pasts.:“Get!busy!livin’!or!get!busy!dyin’”.!!
!
!
!
20!
Conclusions!
It’s!hard!to!address!this!section!of!the!paper,!because!it!just!seems!so!much!
easier!to!send!you!off!to!watch!the!film!and!realize!all!of!this!on!your!own.!The!
film! and! its! music! were! created! with! what! seems! to! be! such! artistic! sincerity,!
that! it! seems! almost! impossible! that! one! would! not,! more! that! think! e! feel!
everything!that!this!fine!work!of!contemporary!mainstream!cinema!has!to!offer.!
However,!given!all!the!reflection!that!I’ve!done!upon!this!work,!there!are,!in!
deed,! a! few! conclusions! that! make! sense! and! may! be! worth! sharing! with!
everyone.!
The! first! one! is! about! the! narrative! function! of! the! music! in! the! film! and!
“why!does!it!work?”.!Now,!why!does!this!music!work!in!this!film?!I!think!it!has!to!
do,!first!of!all,!with!consistency!and!with!understanding!where!to!vary,!where!to!
make! the! changes,! where! to! create! the! exceptions,! where! to! insert! the! new.!
Generally! throughout! the! score,! Newman! sticks! himself! to! very! simple! and!
coherent!orchestration:!simple!string!lines,!synth!pads,!!hollow!piano!chords!and!
melodies.!If!you!ask!someone!about!the!soundtrack!of!the!film,!this!is!probably!
what! they’ll! remember! first,! because! this! is! the! core! of! the! timbral! palette! and!
type! of! musical! writing! that! Newman! used.! But! then...! yes,! there! are! amazing,!
completely! antagonical! moments! to! this! standard:! the! percussion! experiments,!
the!fiddler!with!the!guitar!and,!hey,!even!the!full!orchestral!passages.!Those!were!
the! moments! where! Newman! knew! he! had! to! change! the! set,! where! he! had! to!
create!a!new!sounscape,!because!the!film!and!its!story!were!also!being!taken!to!
new! places.! And! it! is! by! inserting! these! occasionally! different! elements! from!
within! a! very! homogenous! whole! that! he! achieves! something! that! is!
!
21!
fundamental,!both!from!a!filmmaking!and!musicmaking!point!of!view:!coherency!
in! storytelling.! Through! his! music! he! glues! the! whole! story! together! and! then!
convenientely! highlights! all! the! plot! twists! and! intense! dramatic! moments!
almost!as!entities!with!a!life!of!its!own.!But!entities!that,!nevertheless,!are!firmly!
attached!to!the!story.!Story!that,!which!has!a!general!mood,!a!general!atmoshere!
which!must!imperatively!be!kept!together.!And!Newman!seems!to!be!a!master!in!
doing!that,!as,!by!the!way,!he!has!shown!us!throughout!his!career.!
Another! simple! reason! why! this! music! works! so! well! is! because! of! the!
thematic!treatment.!The!leitemotif!concept!is!one!that!has!become!quite!rooted!in!
both!composers’!ways!of!writing!and!our!way!to!perceive!the!musical!writing.!It’s!
good! to! have! themes! that! we! listen! several! times.! Not! only! it! makes! us! feel!
comfortable!througout!the!film!(because!of!the!sensation!of!familiarity!with!what!
we’re!listening),!but!it!also!helps!us!easily!connect!to!the!different!aspects!of!the!
film.!And,!particularly!in!character!driven!films!and!stories,!musical!themes!are!
almost! a! must! and! often! play! a! fundamental! role! in! the! way! the! audience!
connects!to!the!characters!and!even!places.!Well,!it!just!so!happens!that!Newman!
is! a! master! in! writing! simple,! but! very! emotionally! effective! little! themes.! And!
not!only!these!themes!are!very!memorable,!but!they’re!also!very!easy!to!morph!
around.!So,!it’s!a!winewin!situation!for!him!and!his!directors.!C’mon,!who!doesn’t!
get!out!of!the!film!theatre!with!one!his!main!themes!stuck!sounding!in!the!head?!
Whether!it’s!“American!Beauty”,!“The!Good!German”,!“WalleE”!or!“Revolutionary!
Road”,!it’s!almost!impossible!not!to!be!carried!away!by!the!veil!of!emotions!that!
these! simple! themes! create! upon! us.! And! with! “Shawshank”,! it’s! nothing! less!
than! that.! In! fact,! once! again,! it! seems! to! me! that! this! is! the! first! of! his!
soundtracks! from! which! we! can! draw! some! deeply! memorable,! deeply! moving!
!
22!
and!almost!even!historically!and!aesthetically!changing!little!themes.!If!you!think!
about!it,!theme’s!like!“The!Stoic!theme”!or!“Melancholic!Hope”!can!easily!become!
engraved! in! our! minds! and! hearts,! after! watching! the! film.! And! these! kind! of!
themes! of! his! set! the! tone,! both! melodically/harmonically! and! timbrically! for!
many!other!composers!that!followed!to!write!music!in!that!style.!
There’s! another,! more! strictly! technical! aspect,! that! is! also! interesting! to!
refer!here:!the!music!under!dialogue!question.!I!think!it’s!fair!to!say!that!if!these!
two! elements! don’t! go! together! (that! is,! if! the! music! disturbs! us! from! the!
dialogue),!that!means!that!there’s!something!wrong!with!the!music.!But,!in!our!
film,! that! never! happens.! That! is,! they! never! clash.! Truth! be! said,! there’s! not!
really!much!music!under!dialogue,!but!under!monologue.,!since!Red!narrates!the!
whole! film.! And! what! a! precious! voice! it! is,! that! of! Morgan! Freeman!! But! the!
music!pays!full!respect!to!it,!never!disturbing!even!a!bit!what!is!coming!out!of!his!
mouth.!In!general,!it’s!pretty!clear!why:!when!you!have!a!lot!of!long!string!notes!
and!synth!pads,!it’s!not!so!easy!to!create!problems!with!the!voices.!But,!there!are!
also!moments!when!the!piano!plays!and,!more!importantly,!when!the!percussion!
cues!are!actually!being!played!under!dialogue.!And!it’s!pretty!impressive,!almost!
hard!to!understand!how!can!it!not!interfere.!It’s!easy!to!think!that!it’s!a!question!
of!mixing!and!tweaking!the!EQ!as!much!as!necessary!to!find!that!sweet!spot.!Or,!
even! more! simple,! to! just! mess! with! the! volume! faders.! But,! still,! I! believe! the!
question!lies,!most!of!all,!in!the!way!the!music!was!written.!You!see,!even!in!the!
percussion!cues,!in!which!you!might!have!a!lot!of!troubling!frequencies!and!lot!of!
transients!flying!around!the!stereo!field,!the!music!is!written!in!such!a!way!that!it!
won’t!affect!the!perception!of!the!voices.!Why?!Because!it’s!mainly!written!with!
ostinatos.!You!see,!when!you!have!mainly!ostinatos!in!your!music,!what!happens!
!
23!
is!that,!in!the!first!couple!of!seconds!that!you’re!listening!to!the!cue,!your!brain!is!
detecting! the! music! and,! hence,! the! ostinato! motifs.! Once! those! motifs! start!
repeating! without! much! change,! you! send! it! to! the! back! of! your! head! and! you!
don’t! really! need! to! pay! attention! anymore,! because! everything! that! is!
happening,! musically,! is! very! similar! and! there! are! no! particular! new!
stimulations! being! made! to! your! mind,! in! that! field.! So,! your! brain! can! easily!
focus!on!what’s!being!said!(on!the!words)!and!not!on!whatever!musical!events!
are! going! on.! So,! everything! sounds! clear,! although! in! theory! might! not! be! that!
clear.!
Finally,!and!after!going!through!this!music!over!and!over!again,!I’d!like!to!
clarify! the! question! about! Mr.Newman’s! style! and! sound! and! its! origin.! First! of!
all,! what! is! the! “Thomas! Newman”! sound?! This! is,! of! course,! extremely!
ambiguous! and! relative.! I’d! even! say! that! Newman! himself! would! probably!
totally! disagree! what! I’m! trying! to! define,! because! he! probably! doesn’t! see!
himself!like!that!,!at!all,!and!also!because!he!has!done!so!many!different!things!
and! written! so! many! different! soundtracks.! So,! I! understand! that! is! extremely!
arguable.!And!I,!too,!believe!that!it’s!not!possible!to!define!the!work!or!the!style!
of! such! an! amazingly! talented! and! diverse! composer! as! him! in! just! a! few!
sentences.!So,!it’s!not!like!I’m!trying!to!actually!define!anything!about!who!he!is!
as! an! artist,! composer! and! creator.! But,! here’s! the! question:! if! you! ask! people!
about!Thomas!Newman’s!soundtracks!and!his!sound,!what!do!you!think!people!
will! answer?! I,! personally,! believe! that! people! will! immediately! turn! their!
answers! to! the! memories! of! much! of! what! we! hear! in! this! “Shawshank”!
soundtrack:!some!reverby!synths!creating!a!mood,!some!static!string!lines!(in!the!
high! harmonics,! or! in! the! mid/low! register)! and! a! lonely! grand! piano! full! of!
!
24!
overtones.! And,! in! that! grand! piano,! what! will! we! hear! often:! parallell! fifths! in!
blocks,!that!accompany!a!melody.!And!then,!eventually,!some!of!the!strings!will!
start!doubling!the!piano!melody!and!maybe!even!some!of!the!harmony.!Oh,!and!
also,!very!important:!sometimes!he!adds!some!sort!of!“ethnic”!instrument!to!the!
mix,!like!some!kind!of!indigenous!woodwind!or!something!like!that.!
Now,! don’t! get! me! wrong.! I’m! not! saying! that! Newman! keeps! copying!
himself.!I!just!think!that!this!type!of!writing!comes!out!very!naturally!for!him!and!
so,!if!it’s!beautiful!and!it!fits!the!film!perfectly,!why!not!do!it!again?!Plus,!what’s!
amazing!is!that!most!of!these!soundtracks!sound!really!different,!anyway.!And!I!
think!that’s!a!sign!of!musical!integrity!and!honesty.!When!you!do!something!just!
because!you’re!naturally!feeling!it!inside!of!you,!you!can’t!usually!go!wrong.!And!
Newman! has! done! it! this! way! in! several! occasions:! from! “Shawshank”! to!
“Revolutionary! Road”,! through! “Pay! it! Forward”,! “Erin! Brockovich”! and,! of!
course,!the!one!and!only!“American!Beauty”.!He’s!also!done!it!in!other!films,!too,!
but!just!maybe!not!in!such!a!pronounced!way.!Likewise,!he!hasn’t!done!it!at!all!in!
many!other!films!and!that!only!shows!that!he’s!a!very!resourceful!composer.!But,!
it’s!those!times!when!he’s!done!it!that!people!remember!him!the!most.!So,!I!think!
that,! whether! he! wants! it! or! not,! like! it! or! not,! it! has! become! sort! of! his!
trademark.!Because,!all!in!all,!when!he!doesn’t!do!it,!he’s!music!is,!in!deed,!more!
easily! confusable! with! that! of! other! great! film! composers.! And,! on! the! other!
hand,! when! some! other! composer! writes! this! kind! of! music,! people! have! the!
tendency!to!immediatly!think!that!it!is!Thomas!Newman.!So,!as!far!as!I!can!see!it,!
it’s!his!exelibris.!And!there’s!nothing!wrong!about!it.!I’d!even!say!the!contrary.!It’s!
great.! It! means! that! he! has! his! own! identity! has! an! artist! and! will,! most! likely,!
!
25!
leave! a! legacy! for! the! future.! In! other! words,! he’s! achieved! a! little! bit! of!
immortality.!
And! it’s! in! this! film! that! he! began! to! explore! and! create! those! paradigms!
that! will! most! likely! secure! his! immortality.! I! don’t! suppose! I! have! to! tell! you!
again! what! paradigms! those! are,! since! I’ve! repeated! that! quite! a! few! times!
already,! the! last! time! of! which! was! one! page! ago.! So,! I! invite! you! to! listen! to!
“Brooks!was!here”!or!the!“Melancholy!Cue”!(which!you!can!find!under!the!name!
“New!Fish”!in!the!OST!album!or!on!YouTube)!and!then!just!listen!to,!for!instance,!
“Sleepover”! from! “Pay! it! Forward”;! “What! about! you”,! from! “Erin! Brockovich”;!
“Route”,! from! “Revolutionary! Road”;! “Ghosts”,! from! “Road! to! Perdition”! and,! of!
course,!“Any!other!name”,!from!“American!Beauty”.!You!don’t!have!to!be!a!rocket!
scientist! to! understand! that! there! is! one! sole! musical! language,! one! idiom,! one!
same!family!of!textures!and!colours,!one!beautiful!timbrical!group!and!one!type!
of!musical!structure.!
But,!one!last!time,!I!say:!I’m!not!criticizing.!Not!at!all.!In!fact,!I’m!praising.!
Thomas!Newman!has!found!a!voice!of!his!own,!has!found!himself!as!an!artist,!has!
created! an! original! identity! and! has! earned! the! respect! of! his! peers! by! doing!
what!he!loves!and!doing!it!greatly.!And,!at!the!end!of!the!day,!isn’t!that!what!we,!
as!artists,!are!all!searching!for?!
!
26!
01:43!
08:52!
12:01!
12:42!
14:16!
23:21!
28:28!
29:01!
2!
3!
4!
5!
6!
7!
8!
9!
!
00:00!
Start$
1!
Nº$
Cue$
Deep!wobbly!low!bass!
metallic!noise)!
Strings,!Sample!(glassy,!
with!the!percussion.!Great!note!by!clarinet.!
Woodblocks),!Clarinet!
27!
motifs!and!overall!movement!of!the!music,!
Underscore.!Very!cool!strings!pizzicato!
motifs!but!only!in!the!strings.!
Underscore.!The!same!“melancholic!theme”!
Percussion!(Shaker!and!
2:16!
0:33!
from!the!first!cue.!Beautiful!oboe!solo.!
Underscore.!More!of!the!same!piano!motifs!
film!(“The!Melancholic!Hope”!theme).!
Underscore.!One!of!the!main!themes!of!the!
cue!and!continues!on!the!next!one.!
Underscore.!It!fades!in!from!the!previous!
Underscore.!It!fades!out!into!the!next!cue.!
Underscore.!The!“Stoic!Theme”.!
Underscore.!
Spots!–!“If!I!didn’t!care”.!
Source!Music.!Famous!ballad!by!The$Ink$
Comments$
Suggestive!
30:17!
29:01!
1:18!
2:16!
1:34!
0:50!
1:49!
4:55!
minutes.!
during!those!5!
Intermittent,!
Duration$
Strings,!Marimba,!
Strings!
24:39!
16:30!
14:16!
12:51!
10:41!
06:38!
05:00!
End$
Dynamic,!Descriptive,!
Contemplative!
Atmospheric,!Melancholic! Strings,!Piano,!Oboe!
Atmospheric,!Melancholic! Strings,!Piano,!Pads!
Tense…!
Dramatic,!Evokes!danger!
Strings,!Horns,!Timpani!
Strings,!Piano,!Pads!
Melancholic,!Meditative.!
Dramatic,!Descriptive!
Choir!(High!Voices),!
Drums,!Horns,!Voice!
Vocal!Ballad!
Atmospheric,!
!Piano,!Double!Bass,!
Instrumentation$
1940s!Doo!Wop/R&B!!
Character$
!
Cue!Sheet!
33:14!
37:21!
40:15!
43:03!
44:00!
46:13!
50:54!
55:36!
11!
12!
13!
14!
15!
16!
17!
18!
!
31:24!
10!
Strings!
guitar!
Violin!(Irish!Fiddle)!and!
Clarinets!
Dynamic,!Descriptive,!
Sad!
Shiny!and!Positive!
Atmospheric,!Tragic!
Tragic,!Suspense!
Strings,!Marimba,!
Strings!
Guitar!and!Piano!
Violin!(Irish!Fiddle),!
Strings,!Piano,!Oboe!
Low!pads!
Atmospheric,!Melancholic! Strings,!Piano,!Pads!
Noble!
Shiny!and!Positive!
descriptive!
Tragic!and!suspense,!then! Low!pads,!Strings,!
57:22!
51:42!
48:15!
45:48!
45:48!
41:13!
38:55!
34:07!
33:12!
1:46!
0:48!
2:03!
1:48!
2:45!
0:58!
1:34!
0:53!
1:49!
28!
The!same!cue!as!nº9,!but!shortened.!Very!
A!new!motif.!Somehow,!sad!and!hopeless.!
Andy’s!theme.!
main!theme,!which!kind!of!seems!to!be!
The!piano!at!the!end!seems!to!evoke!the!
funny.!I!think!this!is!kind!of!Red’s!theme.!
change,!from!tragic!to!hopeful!and!even!
Underscore.!Again,!it!captures!the!mood!
are!just!one!cue!altogether.!
understand!if!this!cue!and!the!previous!one!
section!of!that!piece.!In!fact,!it’s!hard!to!
but!it!has!more!to!it.!As!if!a!development!
Underscore.!It!has!the!main!theme!motif,!
Underscore.!Merges!with!the!next!cue.!
theme.!
Underscore.!The!“Melancholic!Hope!“!
expresses.!
perfectly!the!scene!and!the!feelings!it!
Underscore.!Beautiful!moment.!Just!fits!
interesting!plot!twist.!
the!previous!cue,!clearly!conveying!the!
Underscore.!Very!cool!mood!swing!from!
strings,!after!the!initial!tragic!moment.!
Underscore.!The!Stoic!theme!comes!in!the!
67:46!
72:16!
75:02!
77:49!
83:59!
86:50!
90:09!
20!
21!
22!
23!
24!
25!
26!
!
60:52!
19!
Woodblocks),!Clarinet!
Percussion!(Shaker!and!
Dark,!Tragic!
Inquiring,!Sneaky!
Upbeat,!Dynamic,!
Straight!up!Rock!n’Roll!
Funny,!Expressive!
Troubling,!Announcing!
Strings!
Synths,!Pads,!Low!
Strings,!Clarinets,!Vibes!
Rock!n’Roll!band!
Country!Band!
Strings,!Oboe!
Strings,!Brass!
Sopranos!
Peaceful!
Solemn,!Dramatic!
Orchestra,!Two!
Operatic,!Sublime,!
Melancholic,!Atmospheric! Strings,!Piano,!Pads!
Suggestive!
92:09!
88:26!
84:35!
79:09!
76:27!
73:03!
71:02!
65:47!
2:00!
1:36!
0:36!
1:20!
1:25!
0:47!
3:16!
4:55!
29!
creating!this!almost!scary!atmosphere.!
Underscore.!So!simple,!but!so!effective,!
born.!
unique!atmosphere.!Tommy!Newman!is!
movements!and!the!vibes!just!creates!that!
supported!by!the!lively!pizzicato!
movement.!Great!melodic!lines!(Cls),!
entering!with!Tommy’s!eyebrow!
Underscore.!Delicious!detail!of!the!music!
riphoff!of!a!song!and!made!it!underscore.!
like!Mr.Newman!might!just!have!written!a!
I!thought!it!was!source!music,!but!it!seems!
Williams’!song!“Lovesick!Blues”.!
Source!Music.!Famous!country!singer!Hank!
Underscore.!Great!harmonies,!dissonances.!
Underscore.!Very!subtle,!but!so!expressive.!
Marriage!of!Figaro”,!by!W.A!Mozart.!
Source!Music.!Duet!from!the!Opera!“The!
piano!and!the!moody!pads!!What!a!jewel!!
Newman.!All!those!parallel!fifths!in!the!
showing!how!he!made!himself!Tommy!
“Brooks!was!here”!theme.!Tommy!Newman!
cool!dynamics.!
114:09! Lively,!Cheerful,!Ironic,!
31!
123:54! Melancholic,!Nostalgic!
128:25! Hopeful,!Melancholic,!
34!
35!
36!
122:03! Irreversible,!Determined!
33!
135:40! Noble,!Hopeful,!Glorious!
Dreamy!
116:43! Suspense,!Mellow,!Epic!
32!
Meditative,!Melancholic!
109:07! Melancholic,!Announcing!
Fearful!
30!
!
102:46! Melancholic,!Hopeful,!
29!
Frightening.!
99:28!
28!
Noble!but!Infinitely!Sad!
95:27!
27!
Full!Orchestra!
Harmonica!
Synths,!Oboe,!
Strings,!Piano,!Pads,!
Strings,!Pads,!Piano!
Brass,!Synths,!Pads!
Strings!(Hard!pizz),!
Pads,!Synths!
Strings,!Brass,!Piano,!
Piano!
Strings,!Brass,!Pads,!
Oboe!
Strings,!Pads,!Piano,!
Oboe!
Strings,!Piano,!Pads,!
Strings!
Strings!
(End)!
142:32
133:54!
125:52!
123:53!
121:42!
116:39!
110:55!
107:24!
100:37!
96:19!
6:58!
5:29!
1:58!
1:50!
4:59!
2:30!
1:48!
4:38!
1:09!
0:52!
and!everything!restarts..!
30!
cue!is!over…!but!then!the!timpani!come!in!
a!section.!Also,!at!138:22!it!seems!like!the!
WW,!or!at!least!in!which!they!play!a!solo!as!
It’s!the!only!cue!in!which!he!uses!all!the!
nostalgic.!
Underscore.!So!warm!and!yet,!always!
Underscore.!The!ones!who!stayed!behind.!
Underscore.!The!judgment!day.!
moment!of!truth.!
Underscore.!The!climax,!the!most!glorious!
storytelling!and!pictures!in!this!segment.!
Underscore.!!The!music!morphs!as!the!
And!those!oboe!lines…!
again.!The!dissonances!are!so!incredible.!
Underscore.!“The!Shawshank!Theme”,!
distant!from!each!other!in!just!one!cue.!
“Zinuatanejo”.!So!many!emotions,!and!so!
theme.!This!cue!is!actually!called!
Underscore.!“The!Hopeful!Melancholy”!
Underscore.!Devious!sounding.!Creepy.!
Underscore.!
Table!of!Contents!
!
!
Introduction.................................................................................................1!
!
!
Synopsis.........................................................................................................2!
!
!
Analysis! of! the! music! and! its! narrative! and! emotional!
function..........................................................................................................3!
!
!
Conclusions................................................................................................21!
!
!
Appendix:!Cue!Sheet..............................................................................27!
!
31!
!
!
!
The$Shawshank$Redemption$
!
The!Birth!of!an!Underscore!Language!
!
A!musical!analysis!of!Thomas!Newman’s!
original!sountrack!and!its!influence!
in!the!creation!of!his!own!sound!
!
!
!
!
!
by!João!Bruno!Soeiro!
MMus!in!“Scoring!for!Film,!
Television!and!Videogames”!candidate!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Berklee!College!of!Music,!Valencia!Campus!
July!3rd,!2014!
Introduction!
I!think!it’s!fair!to!say!that!Thomas!Newman!was!the!first!composer!to!ever!
really!draw!me!into!film!music.!I!think!it’s!also!fair!to!say!that!he!was!a!big!reason!
why!I!decided!to!become!a!film!composer.!
Like! for! many! other! people,! “American! Beauty”! was! a! real! ! landmark! for!
me,!particularly!for!its!music.!And!so,!yes,!I!admit!it:!my!first!instinct!was!to!write!
this!paper!on!that!film’s!music.!But!then!I!realized!that,!not!only!that’s!probably!
something! that! many! people! have! already! done,! but! it! would! also! ! be! so! much!
more! interesting! to! try! to! understand! where! did! this! all! come! from.! When! and!
where!was!the!“Thomas!Newman!sound”!born?!So,!I!thought!it!would!be!a!very!
good! idea! to! address! that! question! by! analyzing! the! first! legendary! film! that!
Newman!was!a!part!of:!“The!Shawshank!Redemption”.!
Now,!one!could!ask:!but!what!about!“Scent!of!a!Woman”?!Yes,!it’s!true!that!
this!was!Newman’s!first!real!blockbuster,!but,!not!only!it!never!reached!the!cult!
and! legendary! status! of! the! film! I! chose,! but! also! its! music,! although! truly!
wonderful,! is! of! another! realm.! One! can! already! feel! that! quite! characteristic!
Newman!sensitivity!in!it,!but!the!sound,!the!timbral!character,!the!colour!palette!
is! still! not! clearly! the! one! that! would! characterize! this! composer! so! much! and!
lead!him!to!the!musical!unveilings!of!films!to!come.!
And!so,!in!this!paper!I!will!atempt!to!not!only!analize!the!film’s!music!and!
its!narrative!function,!trying!to!answer!the!question!“why!does!it!work?”,!but!I’ll!
also! try! to! explain! why! this! film! truly! was! a! turning! point! in! Newman’s! career!
and!why!this!was!the!beginning!of!“the!Thomas!Newman!sound”.!
!
!
1!
Synopsis!
“The! Shawshank! Redemption”! was! an! american! film! released! in! 1994,!
directed!by!Frank!Darabont!and!starring!Tim!Robbins!and!Morgan!Freeman.!
Robbins!plays!Andy!Dufresne,!a!successful!banker,!who!was!just!convicted!
for!murdering!his!wife!and!her!lover,!and!whose!life!is!about!to!take!a!full!turn!
when!he!is!sentenced!to!lifetime!imprisionment!at!the!Shawshank!Prison.!
There,!he!meets!“Red”,!played!by!Freeman,!a!convict!who!has!spent!the!last!
20!years!of!his!life!at!Shawshank.!!The!friendship!that!flourishes!between!them!
is,! in! many! ways,! the! core! of! the! film,! along! with! their! relationships! to! other!
people!from!that!place:!Brooks,!the!librarian;!Warden!Norton,!Captain!Haywood!
and!even!Tommy.!
But!there!is!one!other!fundamental!character!in!this!film,!that!defines!much!
of!it:!the!idea!of!freedom.!Not!physical,!but!mental,!psychological,!emotional.!The!
idea! of! freedom! inside! of! us.! This! concept! is! not! only! something! that! the! film!
reflects!upon!permanently,!but!it!is!also!one!of!the!catalysts!of!the!story!and!of!its!
outcome.! It! is! Andy’s! endless! quest! for! inner! freedom! that! cultivates! his!
resilience! inside! of! those! closed! walls! and,! ultimately,! allows! him! to! build! a!
perfect!plan!to!escape.!It!is!also!this!state!of!mind!that!drives!Red!to!ultimately!
believe! in! something! more! than! life! in! Shawshank! and! follow! his! friend! to!
freedom!and!the!ultimate!inner!redemption.!
!
!
!
2!
Analysis!of!the!music!and!its!narrative!and!
emotional!function!
!
There!are!36!cues!in!the!film,!3!of!which!are!source!music.!Among!the!33!
that!compose!the!underscore,!some!of!them!can!be!considered!just!as!one,!since!
they!merge!into!each!other!(fading!or!fading!out).!In!fact,!in!some!of!these!cases,!
I’ve! realized,! by! taking! a! look! at! the! OST! album,! that! they! are,! in! fact! just! one!
piece!of!music.!However,!I!still!decided!to!consider!them!as!separate!cues,!from!
an!artistical!point!of!view,!since,!in!my!opinion,!they!represnt!distinct!dramatic!
events!in!the!film!and!convey!diferente!emotions,!moods!or!atmospheres.!
1&2)!The!film!starts!right!away!with!an!interesting!musical!aspect:!as!the!
titles!appear,!we’re!already!listening!to!“If!I!didn’t!care”,!a!famous!40’s!ballad!by!
The$Ink$Spots.!As!we!see!the!first!shot,!of!Andy’s!house!and!his!car,!in!the!quiet!of!
the!night,!we’re!lead!to!believe!that!everything!is!o.k!and!the!film!starts!in!a!good!
mood.! When! we! see! Andy’s! face! we! see! that! he! looks! tired,! maybe! reflexive! or!
disturbed.! But! it! isn’t! until! the! first! underscore! cue! comes! in,! as! he! takes!
something! (a! gun)! out! of! the! front! seat! pocket,! that! we! understand! that!
something!is!clearly!wrong.!So,!it’s!the!underscore!that!actually!introduces!to!us,!
first!and!foremost,!to!the!real!mood!of!the!film!and!the!situation!we’re!about!to!
witness.!
The!very!next!aspect!is!one!that!can!be!completely!arguable!and!I!admit!I’m!
thinking!way!too!much!outside!of!the!box,!but!I’m!still!going!to!put!it!out!there!
for!whoever!wants!to!think!about!it:!when!I!listened!to!the!first!underscore!cue,!
!
3!
as!Andy!is!unraveling!the!gun,!I!couldn’t!help!but!remember!of!the!initial!theme!
to!“The!Girl!with!the!Dragon!Tattoo”,!by!Trent!Reznor.!Now,!I’m!not!saying!that!
Reznor! copied! Newman.! Not! at! all!! The! music! is! still! diferent! (timbrically,!
harmonically!and!melodically),!as!an!identity!of!its!own!and!it’s!absolutely!genius!
original!film!music.!But!still,!when!I!listen!to!Newman’s!cue...!wow!!It!just!takes!
me! to! Reznor’s,! right! away!..! I! don’t! know! what! it! is,! but! I! think! it’s! just! the!
musical! content! in! general:! that! little! “stringelike”! pad! with! the! piano!
dissonances!and!the!tense!harmony!in!general,!evoque!in!me!similar!emotional!
responses! and! take! me! to! similar! dark,! melancholic! places.! I! think! the! main!
difference! is! in! the! fact! that! Reznor’s! timbrical! palette! is! colder! (which! makes!
sense,!being!the!film!set!in!Sweden,!as!opposed!to!Shawshank’s!middle!America),!
both!in!the!choice!of!the!pads!and!the!those!lonely!notes!in!some!sort!of!celestae
like!sound.!Newman’s!music!is!a!bit!warmer,!more!organic,!since!we’re!actually!
listening!mainly!to!real,!acoustic!instruments!(despite!the!existence!of!some!pads!
and!deep!hits).!Nevertheless,!to!me,!the!resemblance!in!atmosphere,!mood!and!
overall! emotinal! expressiveness! is! still! striking! and! it! will! always! leave! me!
wondering! if,! by! any! chance,! there! is! the! possibility! that,! extremely!
subconsciously,!Reznor!was!influenced!by!this!music!and!maybe!even!searching!
for!something!of!that!kind.!Afterall,!both!films!center!on!men!who!were!unfairly!
convicted!for!a!crime!they!didnt’!comit.!And!that!could!be!a!starting!point!to!a!lot!
subconscious!mind!games!from!an!artistical!point!of!view.!
While! the! strings! do! a! pedal! in! A2,! the! piano! plays! these! lonely,! almost!
disturbing!notes:!
!
4!
!
Fig.1!–!The!first!cue’s!first!piano!motif!
!
The! time! doesn’t! seem! to! exist,! in! this! part! of! the! cue.! The! notes! seem! to!
enter!freely!upon!the!string!pad’s!“musical!silence”.!
This! musical! silence! seems! to! create! the! perfect! setting! not! only! for! the!
situation!that!is!being!portrayed!in!the!film,!but!also!to!set!the!tone!for!the!whole!
story.! It! also! allows! space! for! the! dialog! to! be! clear.! The! initial! piano! motif,!
although!appearing!once!when!words!are!being!pronounced,!is!not!even!close!to!
disturb!anything.!It’s!way!too!soft.,!so!I!don’t!think!there!was!even!much!worry!
about!its!presence!under!dialogue.!
The!second!piano!motif,!on!the!other!hand,!appears!right!when!dialogue!is!
taking! placing.! And! even! though! this! is! new! musical! content,! it! doesn’t,! once!
again,! disturb! us! from! understanding! what! is! being! said.! On! the! contrary,! it!
actually! creates! an! expressive! countour! to! the! storyetelling.! To! me,! it’s!
particularly! wonderful! how! the! motif! comes! in! right! when! Andy! is! starting! to!
describe!what!her!wife!decided!to!do,!when!he!rejected!the!possibility!of!divorce.!
The!motif!comes!in!when!he’s!saying!“she!packed!her!bags!to!go!and!stay!with!
Mr.Quentin”!and,!its!introduction!in!this!particular!spot!gives!us!the!feeling!that!a!
story!is!about!to!be!told.!The!music!is!also!starting!to!tell!a!story!of!its!own.!
!
5!
!
Fig.2!–!The!first!cue’s!second!piano!motif!
!
This!motif!passes!on!this!idea!that!something!happened...!something!wrong,!
something!devious...!there’s!also!a!certain!coldness!in!it,!which,!to!me,!follows!a!
bit! of! Andy’s! cold! look! and! cold! behaviour! in! the! court.! In! the! beginning! of! the!
film,! I! think! we’re! pretty! much! invited! to! believe! that! Andy! is! a! strange,!
disturbed!man,!one!not!to!be!trusted!to...!we’re!not!exactly!supposed!to!like!him.!
And! the! fact! that! this! music! conveys! something! suspicious,! only! helps! us! to! be!
divided! between! the! melancholy! that! we! were! coming! from! before! and! the!
potential! disturbed! mind! of! a! man! that! we! cannot! trust.! Ultimately,! we’re!
supposed!to!be!thinking:!“Did!he!kill!them?!Did!he!not?!What!if!actually!enjoyed!
it?”.!
Everytime!there’s!a!bit!of!a!change!in!the!situation!or!in!the!dialogue,!the!
strings! make! little! notes! in! the! low! registers,! as! if! to! reinforce! the! dramatic!
turnarounds! that! we’re! watching.! And! also! worthy! of! note! is! the! fact! that!
everytime! the! two! lovers! appear! and! the! story! is! being! clarified! we! hear! the!
!
6!
second!piano!motif,!as!if!to!convey!the!melancholic!and!disturbing!character!of!
the!events!that!led!to!the!crime.!Making!us!feel!ever!more!doubtful!about!what!to!
feel!towards!Andy.!
The! first! piano! motif! also! returns.! And! it! returns! exactly! when! the! colde
blooded! nature! of! the! crime,! and! potentially! of! Andy’s,! is! being! revealed.! As! if!
this!is!actually!really!the!“ice”!motif!(again,!as!with!Reznor’s!motif!in!“his”!film).!
The! fact! that! these! two! piano! motifs! appear! so! randomly! and! upon! the!
string! pads! makes! me! wonder! how! this! was! recorded.! I! would! risk! to! say! that!
maybe!the!orchestra!part!was!recorded!separately!from!the!piano’s.!Since!there’s!
not!much!of!an!overall!rythmic/tempo!sensation!in!this!cue,!it!would!perfectly!be!
possible!to!fit!in!the!piano!motifs!everytime!the!director!and!composer!found!it!
suitable.!And!then,!with!the!right!mix!and!perfect!amount!of!reverb,!it!would!fit!
like!a!glove!together!with!the!orchestra.!
!
3)! This! next! cue! is! somewhat! very! descriptive! of! what! we! see...! and! its!
expressiveness! is! somewhat! contraditory,! maybe! a! little! bit! like! our! two! main!
characters,! in! the! beginning:! one! of! them! is! an! almost! noble,! selfemade! men! of!
the! prison,! the! other! a! selfemade! man! outside,! but! now! overwhelmed! by! the!
circumstances! of! life! and! of! his! arrival! to! that! terrifying! new! and! completely!
strange!world!e!!Shawshank.!In!many!ways,!I!find!that!this!cue!is!a!portray!of!the!
Shawshank!prison!on!its!own,!as!a!paralell!world,!where!the!realm!of!life!takes!
complete!new!shapes!and!all!feelings!and!sensations!can!seem!like!an!illusion!or!
a!distortion!of!what!was!known!to!a!common!man.!
!
7!
!
Fig.3!–!“The!Stoic!Theme”!starting!with!the!Double!basses!and!Cellos!(in!the!bass!clef),!followed!by!the!violas!(in!
red)!and!then!the!violins.!
!
This!theme!reappears!several!times!throughout!the!film,!often!in!moments!
of! great! dramatic! tension.! Moreover,! it! is! called! “The! Stoic! Theme”! in! the! OST!
album,! which! also! says! a! lot! about! the! intentions! of! its! narrative! role! in! the!
picture.!
!
4)!This!cue,!with!its!dissonances!in!the!strings!and!synth!pad!(towards!the!
end)!expresses!perfectly!both!Red’s!first!impressions!on!Andy!and!this!“tal!drink!
of!water”!‘s!disturbed!state!of!mind!as!he!gradually!realizes!where!he!now!finds!
himself!at.!
!
6)! This! cue! is! one! of! the! main! theme’s! in! the! film.! I! would! call! it! the!
“melancholy!cue”!or!the!even!maybe!the!“Shawshank!cue”.!It’s!so!simple,!but!so!
expressive.!Just!a!few!long!pad!lines!(synths!in!the!mid!registers!and!strings!in!
!
8!
high!harmonics)!to!support!the!harmony!of!a!lonely!piano.!There’s!also!what!it!
seems! like! a! synth! reverb! trail! line! that! flows! around,! to! convey! this! poignant!
“void!sensation”.!It’s!like!Red!says:!“when!they!put!you!in!that!cell!and!those!bars!
slam! home,! you! know! it’s! for! real”.! And! this! music! expresses! that! feeling! of!
hopelessness!so!well.!
It!starts!off!with!this!simple!motif!on!the!piano:!
!
Fig.4!–!The!initial!piano!motif!on!the!“Melancholy!Cue”!
!
It’s!hard!to!say!what!the!time!signature!is!here.!It!could!be!4/4.!Or!a!very!
rubato!3/4.!But!then,!the!theme!comes!in!and!its!evident!its!3/4!!feel:!
!
Fig.5!–!The!“Melancholy!theme”!
!
!
9!
The! big! catch! on! this! cue! is! that! among! those! melancholic,! hopeless!
feelings,!there’s!a!subtle,!yet!so!everlasting!and!defining!feeling!of!hope.!In!fact,!
that’s!something!that!is!characteristic!to!the!whole!score,!in!general:!the!subtlety!
of!hope,!no!matter!how!sorrowful!or!desparing!the!situation!might!seem.!In!that!
sense,! maybe! this! theme! should! be! called! the! “Melancholy! hope”! theme,! for!
instance.!
This!theme!is!recurring!throughout!the!film,!whether!in!situations!that!are!
particularly! dramatic! or! reflexive,! or! also! often! when! Andy! is! the! center! of! the!
narrative!process.!In!that!sense,!it!could!also!very!fairly!be!called!“Andy’s!theme”.!
!
7)!This!cue!is!also!very!importante,!not!only!because!it!repeats!itself!a!few!
times!during!the!film,!but!mainly!for!the!introduction!of!an!importante!character!
in! the! score:! the! oboe.! Throughout! the! film,! there! are! many! different! cues! that!
include! the! oboe! as! a! solo! instrument,! and! this! is! the! first! of! them.! In! most! of!
those! cues,! the! oboe! is! clearly! used! to! express! a! great! deal! of! solitude...! maybe!
even! of! some! kind! of! inner! discomfort...! it! reminds! me! of! some! of! Mahler’s!
beautiful! oboe! solos,! in! his! symphonies! and! vocal! orchestral! cycles.! But,! when!
Newman!combines!this!timbre!with!those!piano!chords,!like!in!this!cue,!it!creates!
an!unusual!mist!of!infinite,!cold,!almost!endless!melancholy.!
!
8)!This!next!cue!is!also!worthy!of!notice,!just!because!it’s!the!first!time!that!
Newman!decides!to!quote!one!of!the!themes!(in!this!case,!“Andy’s!theme)!with!a!
different!orchestration.!In!this!little!cue,!only!the!strings!play,!but!they!quote!the!
piano!motif.!This!motif!is!also!reharmonized!to!a!major!mode,!thus!expressing!a!
certain!kind!of!nobility!to!it.!Or,!as!Red!put!it!so!well!“he!strolled,!like!a!man!in!a!
!
10!
park,! without! a! care! or! a! worry! in! the! world”.! It’s! in! this! mode! that! he! lets! us!
know!that!he!likes!Andy,!almost!as!if!at!last!revealing!to!us!that!Andy!is!the!hero,!
almost!as!if!giving!us!the!permission!to!like!him!and!connect!with!him.!And!the!
music,!in!its!moving!and!smooth!contour!allows!us!to!embrace!this!feeling!with!
all!our!soul.!
!
9)!This!cue!is!a!true!jewel!and!very!worthy!of!notice!for!its!very!particular!
character! and! idiosyncrasies.! It’s! the! first! time! in! the! film! that! Newman! uses!
percussion.!He!uses!several!small!percussive!instruments!(different!shakers!and!
woodblocks)!together!with!a!steel!drum,!to!create!a!unique!atmosphere.!It’s!the!
first!time!in!this!film!that!we!hear!that!timbrical!approach!that!he!would!later!on!
develop!as!a!landmark!for!“American!Beauty”.!It’s!also!the!first!and!only!cue!in!
the! film! that! used! pizzicato! strings.! And! what! a! great! use! of! it! he! makes!! The!
cellos!and!the!violas!combine!to!do!a!dynamic!rythm,!almost!ostinato,!that!fills!in!
the!musical!canvas!with!life!and,!definitely,!hope!for!the!future!o!four!heros.!This!
cue! is! also! very! descriptive! and! always! appears! when! there’s! a! sequence! of!
dynamic!shots!in!the!film,!that!is,!when!a!set!of!action!is!being!portrayed!in!the!
film,! usually! with! little! or! no! dialogue.! Action! this,! which! is! usually! in! direct!
relation!to!the!origin!of!new!events!in!the!film.!
This! cue! will! be! repeat! only! once! more! in! the! film! and! also! in! similar!
moment,!when!a!long!sequence!of!actions!that!will!lead!to!a!new!moment!in!the!
film! is! being! portrayed.! The! only! big! difference! in! this! second! time! is! that! this!
sequence!is!filled!with!Red’s!narration.!And!still,!it!doesn’t!bother!me!at!all.!On!
the! contrary! it! conveys! the! dynamic! motion! that! that! motion! in! the! film!
!
11!
demands.! Now,! why! doesn’t! it! bother,! mixing! wise?! Why! doesn’t! it! feel! busy?!
Great!engineer,!I!suppose...!
!
11)!This!cue!is!such!a!breath!of!clean,!joyful,!fresh!air!in!the!middle!of!this!
score!!What!a!sensible!artist!Newman!proves!himself!to!be,!with!little!precious!
takes!of!music!like!this!one.!
Not!only!he!was!able!to!pull!off!a!cue!that!immediatly!lets!us!know!that!the!
mood! of! the! story! has! completely! shifted,! but! he! does! it! in! such! a! refined! way,!
that!we’re!already!understanding!that!there’s!a!plot!twist!happening,!even!before!
Red!or!the!follow!up!of!the!events!lets!us!confirm!it.!
Everything! is! so! perfectly! thought! of! that,! in! the! end,! it! really! leaves! us!
wondering! if,! much! more! than! a! carefully! planned! out! cue,! this! wasn’t! just! a!
simple!and!instinctive!act!of!sensibility,!by!the!composer.!I!like!to!believe!it!was.!
Because!even!the!music!expresses!that:!it’s!in!an!improvisational!style,!with!no!
tempo!or!time!signature.!Just!a!fiddle!and!a!guitar!having!a!little!fun!together.!So!
pure!and!so!right!to!the!point.!The!plot!has!changed!and!so!has!my!music!style!
and! my! instrumentation.! Even! on! a! very! subconscious! level,! the! inclusion! of! a!
guitar,!playing!so!freely!and!carelessly!really!has!a!fundamental!influence!on!how!
we! perceive! the! action.! Everything! is! now! calm! and! cool,! because! the! boys! are!
about!to!have!some!fun!during!the!wonderful!month!of!May,!working!outside!of!
the!prison.!
Given! the! improvisational! character! of! the! music,! it! seems! to! me! that! it!
would! be! quite! impossible! to! actually! write! it! accurately.! And! it! doens’t! even!
make! much! sense.! However,! just! for! reference,! I! transcribed! what! it! generally!
sounds!like,!having!the!violin!on!the!upper!staff!and!the!guitar!on!the!lower.!
!
12!
!
Fig.6!–!The!“May”!cue,!roughly!transcribed.!
!
This! cue! will! be! appear! one! more! time! in! the! film,! also! in! similar!
circumstances:! a! mood! change! and! an! importante! plot! element,! after! a! very!
dramatic!moment,!that!had!had!a!very!dramatic!cue.!Only!this!time,!not!only!is!a!
longer!and!more!developped!cue,!but!also,!it’s!a!different!take!of!the!same!music.!
You!can!easily!tell!this!by!the!way!the!violin!phrases,!but!even!more!obviously,!
byt!the!guitar!comping,!which,!while!keeping!the!same!harmony,!general!rythm!
and!overall!character,!is!clearly!different.!So,!it’s!basically!two!different!takes!of!
the! same! music.! I! can! imagine! that! Newman! (who! loves! to! be! in! close! contact!
with! the! ! performing! musicians! and! organize! small,! more! intimate! recording!
sesions)!just!had!the!two!performers!in!the!studio,!showed!them!what!he!wanted!
them!to!do!and!then!just!told!them!to!play!freely,!recording!several!takes!in!one!
small!session.!
!
12)!I!would!like!to!point!out!this!next!cue!for!two!reasons:!first!of!all,!just!
for! how! beautiful! it! is.! How! “noble”! it! sounds.! Just! like! Andy’s! greatly! altruist!
!
13!
action.!Or,!even!better,!as!Red!says!“he!just!did!it!to!feel!normal!again”.!It’s!music!
of!a!man!who!has!again!found!peace,!even!if!it!is!that!of!the!ethereal!kind.!But!it!is!
peace,!nonetheless.!Peace!in!every!sense!of!the!word.!
The! second! reason! why! I’d! like! to! refer! to! this! cue! is! because! this! music!
seems!to!have!been!written!very!particularly!for!this!scene.!It!fits!it!so!perfectly,!
and!the!truth!is!that!we!never!listen!to!it!again!(not!even!a!single!quote)....!until!
the! very! last! cue!..! Which! is! a! much! more! developped,! broader! orchestrated!
version!of!it.!In!many!ways,!this!cue!could!then!be!called!the!“Freedom!theme”.!
And!so,!a!question!is!imposed:!was!it!writen!for!this!moment!of!the!film!or!for!the!
ending?!
!
19)!This!cue!alone!and!this!moment!in!the!film!are!of!rare!genious,!in!my!
opinion.!In!fact,!these!5!or!6!minutes!of!film!are!so!extraordinary!and!have!such!a!
life!of!its!own,!that!they!could!make!a!great!shortefilm.!
It’s!hard!to!actually!try!to!describe!this!or!put!it!into!any!words.!It’s!just!so!
sublime.!Everytime!I!watch!this!moment!in!the!film,!I!just!feel!overwhelmed!with!
feelings.!I!think!this!is!one!of!those!moments!that!will!live!forever!in!the!history!
of! cinema,! and! particularly! in! the! history! of! northeamerican! cinematography.!
And!Mr.Newman!did!a!most!beautiful!job!in!helping!imortalize!this!moment.!The!
music! is! just! so! perfect.! It’s! one! of! those! cues! that! you! can’t! really! imagine! any!
substitute! for.! This! is! one! of! those! rare! moments! in! which! I! feel! extremely!
inspired,!while!at!the!same!time!feeling!like!I!could’ve!never!written!anything!so!
beautiful!(and!probably!never!will)!but,!on!the!other!hand,!feeling!like!I!would’ve!
writen!exacly!that!same!music!for!that!scene.!
!
14!
Even!though!the!film!is!only!halfeway!through,!this!is!the!moment!in!which!
I! stand! up! and! bow! to! Mr.Newman! and! Mr.Darabont.! Thank! you! so! much! for!
making!this.!
!
Fige7!–!“Brooks!was!here”!theme.!
!
This! cue! appears! only! once! in! the! film! (as! a! whole! –! it! is! quoted! later! on,!
but!not!entirely).!It!can’t!be!considered!like!one!of!the!main!themes!or!leitemotifs!
of! the! story,! and! yet,! it! is! so! striking,! so! deeply! moving,! that! no! one! can! be!
indiferent! to! it.! I! would! actually! bet! that! this! is! one! of! the! cue! that! people!
remember! the! most.! Even! if! they! can’t! remember! how! it! sounds,! they! will! –! to!
paraphrase! the! great! Maya! Angelou! –! remember! how! it! made! them! feel.! And!
there’s!nothing!more!important!than!that.!In!art,!just!as!in!life.!
The!“last!but!not!least”!reason!for!this!cue!to!be!so!important!and!defining!
for!us!is!the!fact!that,!in!my!humble!opinion,!this!is!the!inception!of!the!“Thomas!
Newman”!sound.!This!was!where!it!was!truly!born.!I’m!sure!it!didn’t!happen!over!
night,!but!whatever!it!is!that!it!took!the!composer!to!get!there,!this!was!its!first!
!
15!
true!demonstration!of!achievement.!And!what!an!outstanding!achievement.!Once!
again,!so!simple,!as!usual.!A!few!reverby!pads!creating!the!atmosphere,!strings!to!
support!the!harmony!and,!sometimes,!the!melodic!lines...!and!that!grand!piano,!
full!of!reverb!and!overtones,!with!its!motions!in!paralell!fifths.!So!simple,!but!so!
infinitely!expressive!and!efective.!A!game!changer!in!film!music!composition!for!
the! next! generations,! including! mine,! and! also! the! type! of! sound! and!
harmonic/melodic!approach!with!which!Newman!would!marvel!half!world!with!
the!main!theme!(“American!Beauty/Any!other!name”)!from!“American!Beauty”.!
!
25)! This! cue! is! also! worth! of! notice,! since! it! is! another! step! towards! the!
“Thomas!Newman”!sound!and,!most!particularly,!the!“American!Beauty”!sound.!
As!the!cue!starts,!we!get!the!feeling!that!it’s!just!going!to!be!more!of!cue!nº9!
(which! had! already! been! repeated,! meanwhile).! But,! then! we! are! positively!
surprised:!there’s!much!more!to!it.!We!realize!something!is!different!right!when!
the!violins!actually!play!a!melodic!line,!while!the!cellos!are!doing!pizzicatos.!But!
the!big!surprise!comes!in!when!we!hear!the!vibrafone!coming!in!with!the!clarinet!
melody!!Sweet!..!Plus,!the!clarinet’s!role!is!much!more!proeminent!in!this!cue,!not!
only!playing!a!shy!melody,!but!actually!affirming!itself!and!doing!different!kinds!
of!articulations!in!diferent!registers.!And!the!whole!mood!of!the!cue!is!not!quite!
the! same! as! in! the! previous! two! situations:! there’s! somewhat! of! an! inquiring,!
almost!sneaky!aspect!to!it,!that!wasn’t!so!present!before.!!
There!is,!though,!one!common!aspect!between!this!and!the!two!other!cues!
of! this! kind:! the! context! their! played! in.! Once! more,! this! cue! comes! in! to!
accompany! a! sequence! of! dynamic! actions! that! will! allow! the! plot! to! quickly!
develop! and! take! us! to! another! moment! in! the! dramatic! narration.! And! once!
!
16!
again,!Red!is!all!over!the!place.!But,!does!it!bother!us?!Does!the!sound!get!badly!
mixed!up!because!of!that?!Not!at!all.!
These! cues! that! include! percussion! may! not! yet! be! so! original! and! are!
definitely! not! yet! the! “American! Beauty”! sound.! But! they! do! definitely! reveal!
how,! 5! years! before! the! Sam! Mendes! oscarewinning! film,! Newman! was! already!
exploring! these! timbres,! its! mixes,! and! some! kind! of! sound! of! his! own! through!
them.!
!
31)!This!cue!might!be!the!most!arguable!moment!in!the!score,!in!terms!of!
its!formal!structure.!
The!cue!starts!with!lively!strings!playing!a!fiddleetype!texture!and!melody,!
in!the!old!irish!style.!A!completely!new!motif!in!the!film,!by!the!way,!that!we!only!
hear! at! this! moment.! That! makes! a! lot! of! sense,! since! you! don’t! get! to! escape!
from!prison!more!than!once.!So,!for!a!unique!event,!a!unique!piece!of!music.!But,!
after!about!a!minute,!when!that!section!ends,!the!music!shifts!moods!completely!
and!we!start!hearing!the!second!piano!motif!from!the!first!cue!of!the!film.!And,!
the!truth!is,!the!music!never!completely!stops,!from!one!mood!to!the!other.!There!
is,!at!the!most,!a!very!subtle!crossefade!between!the!two,!but!there!is!trully!the!
sensation! that! it! is! all! one! long! cue,! connected! by! some! pads.! Then,! we! have! a!
similar!situation,!about!one!minute!ahead:!this!theme!ends!and!the!music!fades!
out,! but! we’re! never! really! sure! if! it! actually! faded! out,! because! another! cue! is!
already! starting.! And! this! new! cue! is! actually! the! same! one,! only! this! time! it!
starts!closer!to!the!beginning,!that!is,!with!the!first!piano!motif!from!the!first!cue!
(and!then!quickly!passing!on!to!the!second!motif).!So,!where!do!we!stand?!Were!
these!three!cues!different!cues!or!all!one!big!giant!cue?!
!
17!
I! decided! to! classify! them! as! different! cues,! since! the! thematic! material!
exposed!is!already!preeexisting!from!different!moments!in!the!film.!Now,!the!real!
news!come!a!bit!later!on.!After!quoting!the!first!cue!for!the!second!time,!Newman!
starts! developing! and! developing,! and! growing! and! growing,! both! in! texture,!
orchestration,!size!and!mass.!We’re!reaching!the!big!climax!of!the!whole!film!and,!
with! it,! of! the! whole! score.! The! thematic! material! for! this! truly! epic! moment! is!
composed!of!!three!basic!motifs:!in!the!low!register,!we!hear!a!very!pesante!FeF#e
GeF! in! quarter! notes,! in! a! 4/4! time! signature,! in! a! repeating! ostinato.! It’s! like!
something!inevitable,!something!bigger!than!you!is!about!to!happen.!It’s!such!a!
simple!but!such!a!great!line.!After!this,!come!in!the!high!strings!doing!FeF#eAeA#,!
in!the!same!rythm!as!the!basses,!also!ostinato.!It’s!a!small!counterpoint!line!that!
conveys!an!amazing!feeling!of!tension!and!release,!constantly.!And!this!gets!even!
better! if! we! realize! that! these! two! lines! are! sort! of! adaptations! or! “tonal!
variations”!of!the!“Stoic!theme”.!So,!he’s!actually!using!main!thematic!material!to!
create!the!biggest!of!his!musical!climaxes!in!the!whole!film!!And,!you!know,!this!
is! so! great,! already,! that! the! cue! could! probably! be! almost! just! like! this! and! it!
would! be! fine.! But,! no,! not! for! Thomas! Newman.! He! knew! he! needed! to! add! a!
poignant! motif,! something! that! would! really! make! us! want! to! tear! down! our!
shirts!off,!like!Andy,!in!the!middle!of!the!rain.!Something!that!would!truly!convey!
how! brutal! that! whole! scene! was.! And,! thus,! he! added! the! horns,! with! this!
incredible!EeDeC#,!in!a!long!note,!followed!by!triplets.!It’s!such!an!amazing!treat!
of!the!disssonance!(the!E!in!the!horns!with!the!F!in!the!strings!),!both!melodically!
and!rythmically!(3!against!2!).!
But,!more!importantl!than!any!of!these!details,!this!music!moves!us!to!the!
bone!and!keeps!us!glued!to!the!screen,!filled!with!glorious!hope.!
!
18!
!
33)!This!cue!is!also!quite!unique!in!such!a!way!that,!not!only!it’s!the!first!
time!it!appears!(such!as!the!situation!depicted,!which!is!also!a!one!and!only),!but!
also,! it! uses! a! new! timbre.! And,! guess! what?! It’s! percussion,! Newman’s! new!
faviourite!playground.!It’s!hard!to!say!what!instrument!it!is,!but!it!is!certainly!not!
a! western! classical! percussion! instrument.! Which! is! also! very! revealing! of! the!
composers! explorations! and! experiments! with! nonetraditional! instrument!
combinations,!which!would!lead!to!the!famous!“American!Beauty”!Marimba!plus!
Tabla!cue!(in!the!“Dead!Already”!cue).!
The!paring!of!this!percussive!timbre!with!that!of!the!horns!makes!up!for!a!
great!feeling!of!irreversible!fate!and,!almost,!bitter!destiny.!Which!is!exactly!what!
the!picture!is!portraying.!
!
35)! This! cue! starts! off! as! being! a! repetition! of! “Brooks! was! here”.! Maybe!
some!sort!of!way!to!express!that!Red!was!going!down!the!same!path!as!Brooks.!
But! when! he! decides! to! turn! his! fate! around,! the! music! shifts! to! something!
completely!new...!maybe,!a!sort!of!“Red!was!here”?!
It’s! very! beautiful! music,! with! luscious! strings! and! harmonies! reminding!
some!of!the!main!themes.!But!the!real!great!detail!is!the!care!of!Newman!to!use!
the! harmonica,! Red’s! own! forsaken! instrument.! I! believe! the! inclusion! of! ! the!
harmonica!solo!here,!is!a!very!refined!expressiveness!detail!and!way!to!convey!a!
new!hope!that!has,!even!if!very!subtly!,!penetrated!the!spirit!of!Red.!
!
The!very!last!cue!is!basically!a!big!contemplative!conclusion/reflexion!over!
our! heroes’! destiny.! A! destiny! that! they! decided! to! build! from! scratch,! through!
!
19!
their!belief!in!hope!and!in!something!new.!Their!belief!in!change.!A!change!that!
arose!from!their!friendship!and!from!their!will!not!to!become!subdued!by!fear,!
but!to!believe!in!freedom.!Inner!freedom.!
And!I!believe!it!is!this!since!of!noble!freedom!that!is,!above!all,!portrayed!in!
the!music.!It!is!the!freest!piece!of!music!in!the!whole!score.!The!orchestra!opens!
up! so! wide! and! so! high,! it! almost! feels! like! my! stereo! field! has,! all! of! a! sudden,!
become!ATMOS.!
Another! curious! aspect! is! that! it! seems! to! me! like! this! is! the! only! cue! in!
which!Newman!uses!the!orchestra!in!full,!altogether.!This!is!particularly!evident!
because! of! the! woodwinds! section.! It’s! the! only! cue! in! which! you! can! actually!
listen!to!this!section!playing!together,!as!a!tone!group.!And!I!feel!like!this!full!use!
of! the! orchestra,! with! all! the! instruments! finally! togtether,! even! if! done! in! a!
subconscious! level,! also! represents! the! coming! together! of! the! two! friends! and!
making!amends!with!their!life!and!their!pasts.:“Get!busy!livin’!or!get!busy!dyin’”.!!
!
!
!
20!
Conclusions!
It’s!hard!to!address!this!section!of!the!paper,!because!it!just!seems!so!much!
easier!to!send!you!off!to!watch!the!film!and!realize!all!of!this!on!your!own.!The!
film! and! its! music! were! created! with! what! seems! to! be! such! artistic! sincerity,!
that! it! seems! almost! impossible! that! one! would! not,! more! that! think! e! feel!
everything!that!this!fine!work!of!contemporary!mainstream!cinema!has!to!offer.!
However,!given!all!the!reflection!that!I’ve!done!upon!this!work,!there!are,!in!
deed,! a! few! conclusions! that! make! sense! and! may! be! worth! sharing! with!
everyone.!
The! first! one! is! about! the! narrative! function! of! the! music! in! the! film! and!
“why!does!it!work?”.!Now,!why!does!this!music!work!in!this!film?!I!think!it!has!to!
do,!first!of!all,!with!consistency!and!with!understanding!where!to!vary,!where!to!
make! the! changes,! where! to! create! the! exceptions,! where! to! insert! the! new.!
Generally! throughout! the! score,! Newman! sticks! himself! to! very! simple! and!
coherent!orchestration:!simple!string!lines,!synth!pads,!!hollow!piano!chords!and!
melodies.!If!you!ask!someone!about!the!soundtrack!of!the!film,!this!is!probably!
what! they’ll! remember! first,! because! this! is! the! core! of! the! timbral! palette! and!
type! of! musical! writing! that! Newman! used.! But! then...! yes,! there! are! amazing,!
completely! antagonical! moments! to! this! standard:! the! percussion! experiments,!
the!fiddler!with!the!guitar!and,!hey,!even!the!full!orchestral!passages.!Those!were!
the! moments! where! Newman! knew! he! had! to! change! the! set,! where! he! had! to!
create!a!new!sounscape,!because!the!film!and!its!story!were!also!being!taken!to!
new! places.! And! it! is! by! inserting! these! occasionally! different! elements! from!
within! a! very! homogenous! whole! that! he! achieves! something! that! is!
!
21!
fundamental,!both!from!a!filmmaking!and!musicmaking!point!of!view:!coherency!
in! storytelling.! Through! his! music! he! glues! the! whole! story! together! and! then!
convenientely! highlights! all! the! plot! twists! and! intense! dramatic! moments!
almost!as!entities!with!a!life!of!its!own.!But!entities!that,!nevertheless,!are!firmly!
attached!to!the!story.!Story!that,!which!has!a!general!mood,!a!general!atmoshere!
which!must!imperatively!be!kept!together.!And!Newman!seems!to!be!a!master!in!
doing!that,!as,!by!the!way,!he!has!shown!us!throughout!his!career.!
Another! simple! reason! why! this! music! works! so! well! is! because! of! the!
thematic!treatment.!The!leitemotif!concept!is!one!that!has!become!quite!rooted!in!
both!composers’!ways!of!writing!and!our!way!to!perceive!the!musical!writing.!It’s!
good! to! have! themes! that! we! listen! several! times.! Not! only! it! makes! us! feel!
comfortable!througout!the!film!(because!of!the!sensation!of!familiarity!with!what!
we’re!listening),!but!it!also!helps!us!easily!connect!to!the!different!aspects!of!the!
film.!And,!particularly!in!character!driven!films!and!stories,!musical!themes!are!
almost! a! must! and! often! play! a! fundamental! role! in! the! way! the! audience!
connects!to!the!characters!and!even!places.!Well,!it!just!so!happens!that!Newman!
is! a! master! in! writing! simple,! but! very! emotionally! effective! little! themes.! And!
not!only!these!themes!are!very!memorable,!but!they’re!also!very!easy!to!morph!
around.!So,!it’s!a!winewin!situation!for!him!and!his!directors.!C’mon,!who!doesn’t!
get!out!of!the!film!theatre!with!one!his!main!themes!stuck!sounding!in!the!head?!
Whether!it’s!“American!Beauty”,!“The!Good!German”,!“WalleE”!or!“Revolutionary!
Road”,!it’s!almost!impossible!not!to!be!carried!away!by!the!veil!of!emotions!that!
these! simple! themes! create! upon! us.! And! with! “Shawshank”,! it’s! nothing! less!
than! that.! In! fact,! once! again,! it! seems! to! me! that! this! is! the! first! of! his!
soundtracks! from! which! we! can! draw! some! deeply! memorable,! deeply! moving!
!
22!
and!almost!even!historically!and!aesthetically!changing!little!themes.!If!you!think!
about!it,!theme’s!like!“The!Stoic!theme”!or!“Melancholic!Hope”!can!easily!become!
engraved! in! our! minds! and! hearts,! after! watching! the! film.! And! these! kind! of!
themes! of! his! set! the! tone,! both! melodically/harmonically! and! timbrically! for!
many!other!composers!that!followed!to!write!music!in!that!style.!
There’s! another,! more! strictly! technical! aspect,! that! is! also! interesting! to!
refer!here:!the!music!under!dialogue!question.!I!think!it’s!fair!to!say!that!if!these!
two! elements! don’t! go! together! (that! is,! if! the! music! disturbs! us! from! the!
dialogue),!that!means!that!there’s!something!wrong!with!the!music.!But,!in!our!
film,! that! never! happens.! That! is,! they! never! clash.! Truth! be! said,! there’s! not!
really!much!music!under!dialogue,!but!under!monologue.,!since!Red!narrates!the!
whole! film.! And! what! a! precious! voice! it! is,! that! of! Morgan! Freeman!! But! the!
music!pays!full!respect!to!it,!never!disturbing!even!a!bit!what!is!coming!out!of!his!
mouth.!In!general,!it’s!pretty!clear!why:!when!you!have!a!lot!of!long!string!notes!
and!synth!pads,!it’s!not!so!easy!to!create!problems!with!the!voices.!But,!there!are!
also!moments!when!the!piano!plays!and,!more!importantly,!when!the!percussion!
cues!are!actually!being!played!under!dialogue.!And!it’s!pretty!impressive,!almost!
hard!to!understand!how!can!it!not!interfere.!It’s!easy!to!think!that!it’s!a!question!
of!mixing!and!tweaking!the!EQ!as!much!as!necessary!to!find!that!sweet!spot.!Or,!
even! more! simple,! to! just! mess! with! the! volume! faders.! But,! still,! I! believe! the!
question!lies,!most!of!all,!in!the!way!the!music!was!written.!You!see,!even!in!the!
percussion!cues,!in!which!you!might!have!a!lot!of!troubling!frequencies!and!lot!of!
transients!flying!around!the!stereo!field,!the!music!is!written!in!such!a!way!that!it!
won’t!affect!the!perception!of!the!voices.!Why?!Because!it’s!mainly!written!with!
ostinatos.!You!see,!when!you!have!mainly!ostinatos!in!your!music,!what!happens!
!
23!
is!that,!in!the!first!couple!of!seconds!that!you’re!listening!to!the!cue,!your!brain!is!
detecting! the! music! and,! hence,! the! ostinato! motifs.! Once! those! motifs! start!
repeating! without! much! change,! you! send! it! to! the! back! of! your! head! and! you!
don’t! really! need! to! pay! attention! anymore,! because! everything! that! is!
happening,! musically,! is! very! similar! and! there! are! no! particular! new!
stimulations! being! made! to! your! mind,! in! that! field.! So,! your! brain! can! easily!
focus!on!what’s!being!said!(on!the!words)!and!not!on!whatever!musical!events!
are! going! on.! So,! everything! sounds! clear,! although! in! theory! might! not! be! that!
clear.!
Finally,!and!after!going!through!this!music!over!and!over!again,!I’d!like!to!
clarify! the! question! about! Mr.Newman’s! style! and! sound! and! its! origin.! First! of!
all,! what! is! the! “Thomas! Newman”! sound?! This! is,! of! course,! extremely!
ambiguous! and! relative.! I’d! even! say! that! Newman! himself! would! probably!
totally! disagree! what! I’m! trying! to! define,! because! he! probably! doesn’t! see!
himself!like!that!,!at!all,!and!also!because!he!has!done!so!many!different!things!
and! written! so! many! different! soundtracks.! So,! I! understand! that! is! extremely!
arguable.!And!I,!too,!believe!that!it’s!not!possible!to!define!the!work!or!the!style!
of! such! an! amazingly! talented! and! diverse! composer! as! him! in! just! a! few!
sentences.!So,!it’s!not!like!I’m!trying!to!actually!define!anything!about!who!he!is!
as! an! artist,! composer! and! creator.! But,! here’s! the! question:! if! you! ask! people!
about!Thomas!Newman’s!soundtracks!and!his!sound,!what!do!you!think!people!
will! answer?! I,! personally,! believe! that! people! will! immediately! turn! their!
answers! to! the! memories! of! much! of! what! we! hear! in! this! “Shawshank”!
soundtrack:!some!reverby!synths!creating!a!mood,!some!static!string!lines!(in!the!
high! harmonics,! or! in! the! mid/low! register)! and! a! lonely! grand! piano! full! of!
!
24!
overtones.! And,! in! that! grand! piano,! what! will! we! hear! often:! parallell! fifths! in!
blocks,!that!accompany!a!melody.!And!then,!eventually,!some!of!the!strings!will!
start!doubling!the!piano!melody!and!maybe!even!some!of!the!harmony.!Oh,!and!
also,!very!important:!sometimes!he!adds!some!sort!of!“ethnic”!instrument!to!the!
mix,!like!some!kind!of!indigenous!woodwind!or!something!like!that.!
Now,! don’t! get! me! wrong.! I’m! not! saying! that! Newman! keeps! copying!
himself.!I!just!think!that!this!type!of!writing!comes!out!very!naturally!for!him!and!
so,!if!it’s!beautiful!and!it!fits!the!film!perfectly,!why!not!do!it!again?!Plus,!what’s!
amazing!is!that!most!of!these!soundtracks!sound!really!different,!anyway.!And!I!
think!that’s!a!sign!of!musical!integrity!and!honesty.!When!you!do!something!just!
because!you’re!naturally!feeling!it!inside!of!you,!you!can’t!usually!go!wrong.!And!
Newman! has! done! it! this! way! in! several! occasions:! from! “Shawshank”! to!
“Revolutionary! Road”,! through! “Pay! it! Forward”,! “Erin! Brockovich”! and,! of!
course,!the!one!and!only!“American!Beauty”.!He’s!also!done!it!in!other!films,!too,!
but!just!maybe!not!in!such!a!pronounced!way.!Likewise,!he!hasn’t!done!it!at!all!in!
many!other!films!and!that!only!shows!that!he’s!a!very!resourceful!composer.!But,!
it’s!those!times!when!he’s!done!it!that!people!remember!him!the!most.!So,!I!think!
that,! whether! he! wants! it! or! not,! like! it! or! not,! it! has! become! sort! of! his!
trademark.!Because,!all!in!all,!when!he!doesn’t!do!it,!he’s!music!is,!in!deed,!more!
easily! confusable! with! that! of! other! great! film! composers.! And,! on! the! other!
hand,! when! some! other! composer! writes! this! kind! of! music,! people! have! the!
tendency!to!immediatly!think!that!it!is!Thomas!Newman.!So,!as!far!as!I!can!see!it,!
it’s!his!exelibris.!And!there’s!nothing!wrong!about!it.!I’d!even!say!the!contrary.!It’s!
great.! It! means! that! he! has! his! own! identity! has! an! artist! and! will,! most! likely,!
!
25!
leave! a! legacy! for! the! future.! In! other! words,! he’s! achieved! a! little! bit! of!
immortality.!
And! it’s! in! this! film! that! he! began! to! explore! and! create! those! paradigms!
that! will! most! likely! secure! his! immortality.! I! don’t! suppose! I! have! to! tell! you!
again! what! paradigms! those! are,! since! I’ve! repeated! that! quite! a! few! times!
already,! the! last! time! of! which! was! one! page! ago.! So,! I! invite! you! to! listen! to!
“Brooks!was!here”!or!the!“Melancholy!Cue”!(which!you!can!find!under!the!name!
“New!Fish”!in!the!OST!album!or!on!YouTube)!and!then!just!listen!to,!for!instance,!
“Sleepover”! from! “Pay! it! Forward”;! “What! about! you”,! from! “Erin! Brockovich”;!
“Route”,! from! “Revolutionary! Road”;! “Ghosts”,! from! “Road! to! Perdition”! and,! of!
course,!“Any!other!name”,!from!“American!Beauty”.!You!don’t!have!to!be!a!rocket!
scientist! to! understand! that! there! is! one! sole! musical! language,! one! idiom,! one!
same!family!of!textures!and!colours,!one!beautiful!timbrical!group!and!one!type!
of!musical!structure.!
But,!one!last!time,!I!say:!I’m!not!criticizing.!Not!at!all.!In!fact,!I’m!praising.!
Thomas!Newman!has!found!a!voice!of!his!own,!has!found!himself!as!an!artist,!has!
created! an! original! identity! and! has! earned! the! respect! of! his! peers! by! doing!
what!he!loves!and!doing!it!greatly.!And,!at!the!end!of!the!day,!isn’t!that!what!we,!
as!artists,!are!all!searching!for?!
!
26!
01:43!
08:52!
12:01!
12:42!
14:16!
23:21!
28:28!
29:01!
2!
3!
4!
5!
6!
7!
8!
9!
!
00:00!
Start$
1!
Nº$
Cue$
Deep!wobbly!low!bass!
metallic!noise)!
Strings,!Sample!(glassy,!
with!the!percussion.!Great!note!by!clarinet.!
Woodblocks),!Clarinet!
27!
motifs!and!overall!movement!of!the!music,!
Underscore.!Very!cool!strings!pizzicato!
motifs!but!only!in!the!strings.!
Underscore.!The!same!“melancholic!theme”!
Percussion!(Shaker!and!
2:16!
0:33!
from!the!first!cue.!Beautiful!oboe!solo.!
Underscore.!More!of!the!same!piano!motifs!
film!(“The!Melancholic!Hope”!theme).!
Underscore.!One!of!the!main!themes!of!the!
cue!and!continues!on!the!next!one.!
Underscore.!It!fades!in!from!the!previous!
Underscore.!It!fades!out!into!the!next!cue.!
Underscore.!The!“Stoic!Theme”.!
Underscore.!
Spots!–!“If!I!didn’t!care”.!
Source!Music.!Famous!ballad!by!The$Ink$
Comments$
Suggestive!
30:17!
29:01!
1:18!
2:16!
1:34!
0:50!
1:49!
4:55!
minutes.!
during!those!5!
Intermittent,!
Duration$
Strings,!Marimba,!
Strings!
24:39!
16:30!
14:16!
12:51!
10:41!
06:38!
05:00!
End$
Dynamic,!Descriptive,!
Contemplative!
Atmospheric,!Melancholic! Strings,!Piano,!Oboe!
Atmospheric,!Melancholic! Strings,!Piano,!Pads!
Tense…!
Dramatic,!Evokes!danger!
Strings,!Horns,!Timpani!
Strings,!Piano,!Pads!
Melancholic,!Meditative.!
Dramatic,!Descriptive!
Choir!(High!Voices),!
Drums,!Horns,!Voice!
Vocal!Ballad!
Atmospheric,!
!Piano,!Double!Bass,!
Instrumentation$
1940s!Doo!Wop/R&B!!
Character$
!
Cue!Sheet!
33:14!
37:21!
40:15!
43:03!
44:00!
46:13!
50:54!
55:36!
11!
12!
13!
14!
15!
16!
17!
18!
!
31:24!
10!
Strings!
guitar!
Violin!(Irish!Fiddle)!and!
Clarinets!
Dynamic,!Descriptive,!
Sad!
Shiny!and!Positive!
Atmospheric,!Tragic!
Tragic,!Suspense!
Strings,!Marimba,!
Strings!
Guitar!and!Piano!
Violin!(Irish!Fiddle),!
Strings,!Piano,!Oboe!
Low!pads!
Atmospheric,!Melancholic! Strings,!Piano,!Pads!
Noble!
Shiny!and!Positive!
descriptive!
Tragic!and!suspense,!then! Low!pads,!Strings,!
57:22!
51:42!
48:15!
45:48!
45:48!
41:13!
38:55!
34:07!
33:12!
1:46!
0:48!
2:03!
1:48!
2:45!
0:58!
1:34!
0:53!
1:49!
28!
The!same!cue!as!nº9,!but!shortened.!Very!
A!new!motif.!Somehow,!sad!and!hopeless.!
Andy’s!theme.!
main!theme,!which!kind!of!seems!to!be!
The!piano!at!the!end!seems!to!evoke!the!
funny.!I!think!this!is!kind!of!Red’s!theme.!
change,!from!tragic!to!hopeful!and!even!
Underscore.!Again,!it!captures!the!mood!
are!just!one!cue!altogether.!
understand!if!this!cue!and!the!previous!one!
section!of!that!piece.!In!fact,!it’s!hard!to!
but!it!has!more!to!it.!As!if!a!development!
Underscore.!It!has!the!main!theme!motif,!
Underscore.!Merges!with!the!next!cue.!
theme.!
Underscore.!The!“Melancholic!Hope!“!
expresses.!
perfectly!the!scene!and!the!feelings!it!
Underscore.!Beautiful!moment.!Just!fits!
interesting!plot!twist.!
the!previous!cue,!clearly!conveying!the!
Underscore.!Very!cool!mood!swing!from!
strings,!after!the!initial!tragic!moment.!
Underscore.!The!Stoic!theme!comes!in!the!
67:46!
72:16!
75:02!
77:49!
83:59!
86:50!
90:09!
20!
21!
22!
23!
24!
25!
26!
!
60:52!
19!
Woodblocks),!Clarinet!
Percussion!(Shaker!and!
Dark,!Tragic!
Inquiring,!Sneaky!
Upbeat,!Dynamic,!
Straight!up!Rock!n’Roll!
Funny,!Expressive!
Troubling,!Announcing!
Strings!
Synths,!Pads,!Low!
Strings,!Clarinets,!Vibes!
Rock!n’Roll!band!
Country!Band!
Strings,!Oboe!
Strings,!Brass!
Sopranos!
Peaceful!
Solemn,!Dramatic!
Orchestra,!Two!
Operatic,!Sublime,!
Melancholic,!Atmospheric! Strings,!Piano,!Pads!
Suggestive!
92:09!
88:26!
84:35!
79:09!
76:27!
73:03!
71:02!
65:47!
2:00!
1:36!
0:36!
1:20!
1:25!
0:47!
3:16!
4:55!
29!
creating!this!almost!scary!atmosphere.!
Underscore.!So!simple,!but!so!effective,!
born.!
unique!atmosphere.!Tommy!Newman!is!
movements!and!the!vibes!just!creates!that!
supported!by!the!lively!pizzicato!
movement.!Great!melodic!lines!(Cls),!
entering!with!Tommy’s!eyebrow!
Underscore.!Delicious!detail!of!the!music!
riphoff!of!a!song!and!made!it!underscore.!
like!Mr.Newman!might!just!have!written!a!
I!thought!it!was!source!music,!but!it!seems!
Williams’!song!“Lovesick!Blues”.!
Source!Music.!Famous!country!singer!Hank!
Underscore.!Great!harmonies,!dissonances.!
Underscore.!Very!subtle,!but!so!expressive.!
Marriage!of!Figaro”,!by!W.A!Mozart.!
Source!Music.!Duet!from!the!Opera!“The!
piano!and!the!moody!pads!!What!a!jewel!!
Newman.!All!those!parallel!fifths!in!the!
showing!how!he!made!himself!Tommy!
“Brooks!was!here”!theme.!Tommy!Newman!
cool!dynamics.!
114:09! Lively,!Cheerful,!Ironic,!
31!
123:54! Melancholic,!Nostalgic!
128:25! Hopeful,!Melancholic,!
34!
35!
36!
122:03! Irreversible,!Determined!
33!
135:40! Noble,!Hopeful,!Glorious!
Dreamy!
116:43! Suspense,!Mellow,!Epic!
32!
Meditative,!Melancholic!
109:07! Melancholic,!Announcing!
Fearful!
30!
!
102:46! Melancholic,!Hopeful,!
29!
Frightening.!
99:28!
28!
Noble!but!Infinitely!Sad!
95:27!
27!
Full!Orchestra!
Harmonica!
Synths,!Oboe,!
Strings,!Piano,!Pads,!
Strings,!Pads,!Piano!
Brass,!Synths,!Pads!
Strings!(Hard!pizz),!
Pads,!Synths!
Strings,!Brass,!Piano,!
Piano!
Strings,!Brass,!Pads,!
Oboe!
Strings,!Pads,!Piano,!
Oboe!
Strings,!Piano,!Pads,!
Strings!
Strings!
(End)!
142:32
133:54!
125:52!
123:53!
121:42!
116:39!
110:55!
107:24!
100:37!
96:19!
6:58!
5:29!
1:58!
1:50!
4:59!
2:30!
1:48!
4:38!
1:09!
0:52!
and!everything!restarts..!
30!
cue!is!over…!but!then!the!timpani!come!in!
a!section.!Also,!at!138:22!it!seems!like!the!
WW,!or!at!least!in!which!they!play!a!solo!as!
It’s!the!only!cue!in!which!he!uses!all!the!
nostalgic.!
Underscore.!So!warm!and!yet,!always!
Underscore.!The!ones!who!stayed!behind.!
Underscore.!The!judgment!day.!
moment!of!truth.!
Underscore.!The!climax,!the!most!glorious!
storytelling!and!pictures!in!this!segment.!
Underscore.!!The!music!morphs!as!the!
And!those!oboe!lines…!
again.!The!dissonances!are!so!incredible.!
Underscore.!“The!Shawshank!Theme”,!
distant!from!each!other!in!just!one!cue.!
“Zinuatanejo”.!So!many!emotions,!and!so!
theme.!This!cue!is!actually!called!
Underscore.!“The!Hopeful!Melancholy”!
Underscore.!Devious!sounding.!Creepy.!
Underscore.!
Table!of!Contents!
!
!
Introduction.................................................................................................1!
!
!
Synopsis.........................................................................................................2!
!
!
Analysis! of! the! music! and! its! narrative! and! emotional!
function..........................................................................................................3!
!
!
Conclusions................................................................................................21!
!
!
Appendix:!Cue!Sheet..............................................................................27!
!
31!
