# Need listening recommendations- orchestral "Flight" music



## impressions

I've been trying to create something that gives a feeling of great heights and soaring, 
but it sounds either so cliche or just plain bad taste, so I'm looking to good listening recommendations.

no "how to train my first dragon" recommendations though(although i might go there) 

I'm looking for something more in direction of Holst-Debussy-Bernstein..


----------



## Farkle

impressions @ Mon Jun 03 said:


> I've been trying to create something that gives a feeling of great heights and soaring,
> but it sounds either so cliche or just plain bad taste, so I'm looking to good listening recommendations.
> 
> no "how to train my first dragon" recommendations though(although i might go there)
> 
> I'm looking for something more in direction of Holst-Debussy-Bernstein..



Hm, if you want a darker, more mystic soaring... maybe the Hippogriff Flight music from Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFbUbRWH0iE#t=20s

For more magical flying stuff, maybe Goldsmith's score to supergirl?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsVD7LVYWP0

With the shimmery, cascading winds and harps, and the shimmery strings in the beginning?

Mike


----------



## impressions

Thanks but No, not looking for anything shimmering childish things heh 
That's the problem with film music it has a language that fits the genre as opposed to classical themes/suites. 

I don't know how to built it other than create a solid fast violin arpeggio-ostinato, then some nice pushes with lower notes, a cool soaring trumpet solo. So very corny and boring. 

Harmonic changes seems to fit although also in a corny way. 

I know some good "sea" like themes which aren't film music(not Debussy necessarily). I'm sure there are more skyward ones.


----------



## clynos

Maybe flight doesn't have to be fast and energetic. I think of a calmness soaring up there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... U3M#t=138s


----------



## Leosc

impressions @ Mon Jun 03 said:


> That's the problem with film music it has a language that fits the genre as opposed to classical themes/suites.



No, it doesn't. Not necessarily, at least - good film music (and indeed good music in general) can be as universal as "classical" music; think "Star Wars" for example. Anyhow, as to the discussion at hand: I'm afraid the "Sea" themes are indeed more prevalent than any "Sky" themes. There's Debussy's _Nuages_ of course, which I don't consider too sky-like however. Even the beginning of Ravel's 2nd _Daphnis et Chloe_ suite (breaking of dawn), which is certainly meant to at least partly describe the sky, sounds more like a bubbling brook and sea-like to me. Honestly - there's no decent sky-like theme in recent memory.


----------



## Dave Connor

Just listened to a favorite of mine: Goldsmiths title and other cues from The Blue Max. A dead-on amalgamation of prior classic flight music from the Romantic period and JG's own fresh modern approach. Very deliberately period and modern at the same time. Truly genius, beautiful, well crafted music. It's on the 'Jerry Goldsmith 40 Years Of Film Music' CD which is great.


----------



## Mike Marino

Try this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufs237_N_vs

This is Jerry Goldsmith's song for the ride Soarin' at Disney's EPCOT.


----------



## XT26

How about 'Lark Ascending' by Ralph Vaughan Williams.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWwBh0dzgi4


----------



## impressions

K, still not there..Leosc I believe there must be some at the very least. everyone had dreams of flying, and just like the masters of art portrayed their monsters and strange worlds, I'm sure the musical ones also.

maybe its a challenge for us..

Dave, that's a beautiful cue with some moments of brass that kinda capture it..and thanks for that.

Mike-there's definitely soaring music, but its so terribly americana, i really enjoyed the opening and the movements. 
something funny about those arpeggiating violins? their staccatos sounds so fast, could that be a synth? 

not that I can write something like that at all, but just to bring myself more inspiration i'm looking for something more serious.

Clynos-
I know that one, its fantastic but its way up above our sky...


----------



## Tatu

A couple of cues by James Horner, I think he nails the flying stuff, regardless of Hornerisms:

Jake's First Flight - Avatar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gayblm2aZdc

The Horsemen (making of, couldn't find the actual piece)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQINoi5LbBs


----------



## Studio E

The Egg Travels by JNH.


----------



## Mike Marino

Flying from James Newton Howard's score to Peter Pan?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbg6g8xlbjo



Also, maybe the tune Flight from the soundtrack to Cirque's KA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8e5hIPBkZI


----------



## impressions

Ok I think what i'm looking for might be in JW stuff..

thanks guys for all these, the egg travels was the closest feeling to flight.

mike-that Cirque KA is a one beautiful melody, perfect for dance theater.

Tatu- the horseman p-47 was about what i'm looking in the last part of the video-reminded me of JW.

cheers and if any of you has a nice "flight" cue, I would love to hear.


----------



## impressions

I just remembered a really great flying track from neverending story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvuteGIuAbc

its very childish, but its so beautiful(to me).


----------



## DanielBeijbom

I had never heard that track before.... maybe when I was a kid. Absolutely love it!! Will re-watch the movie now, thanks for posting.


----------



## reddognoyz

there are so many different ways to do it.... 

two unsubtle ways:

for pure cheese chromatic woodwinds in parallel thirds. kites in a wind storm

for slightly less cheese, but you've stilll heard it before a lydian figure moving ever upward in minor thirds, with clever voice leading....

up up and away


----------



## reddognoyz

for slightly less cheese, but you've stilll heard it before a lydian figure TRANSPOSING ever upward in minor thirds, with clever voice leading....


----------



## impressions

DanielBeijbom @ Thu Jun 06 said:


> I had never heard that track before.... maybe when I was a kid. Absolutely love it!! Will re-watch the movie now, thanks for posting.



one of the most magical films i've ever seen perhaps even more than star wars in that regard.(but yes the impact is much dramatic when watched as a child).

stuart, nice tricks, don't know about implanting your last one. the first 2 i think i know. do you have an example of your last?


----------



## Jetzer

My favorite would be this one, technically not really a flying theme though  

http://youtu.be/zMGRAvn_4S8?t=1m28s


----------



## Tatu

Just watched one awesome movie that had this scene in it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX69NSZ6Vik


----------



## Beat Kaufmann

Hello
Here is a short track I've done once for a flight scene. 
But in this case I've added the music to some clips of a flight show which happened close to my town last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csL_z_kCDfE

You can easily make out how the music is constructed within the first bars. 
A rising up melody or rising up chords can support the flight in a good way.
As an example: See the A380 between the Tigers at 1:37.

BTW I observed the making of the Flight-Music of the Never Ending Story for composing and doing my own music. This was in 2004 or so.

All the best
Beat


----------



## impressions

Beat Kaufmann @ Sat Jun 08 said:


> Hello
> Here is a short track I've done once for a flight scene.
> But in this case I've added the music to some clips of a flight show which happened close to my town last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csL_z_kCDfE
> 
> You can easily make out how the music is constructed within the first bars.
> A rising up melody or rising up chords can support the flight in a good way.
> As an example: See the A380 between the Tigers at 1:37.
> 
> BTW I observed the making of the Flight-Music of the Never Ending Story for composing and doing my own music. This was in 2004 or so.
> 
> All the best
> Beat


thanks for that Beat, you got some nice chops and it serves the picture nicely.
so if you also had an inspiration from neverending story, is there a better flight music than that film?

Tatu yep i know that one already. great film and score, but pure entertainment value, I'm not so keen about its artistic prowess.


----------



## jleckie

Goldsmiths "Nightcrossing" is my favorite for taking flight.


----------



## Beat Kaufmann

impressions @ Sat 08 Jun said:


> thanks for that Beat, you got some nice chops and it serves the picture nicely.
> so if you also had an inspiration from neverending story, is there a better flight music than that film?...


Hi again

I hadn't to compose other "flight music examples" since then. But I produced another piece for demoing the VSL-choir: It got the name "Flying Aaahs" 
http://www.vsl.co.at/Player2.aspx?Lang=2&DemoId=5544 (first part)

*Some thoughts about flying:*
*"Flying" contains speed* on the one hand and on the other hand *spacious, round and swinging movements*. If music also contains these elements it will probably support any flight movie. 
So translated to the practice: 
The recipe could be a fast and more or less driving rhythm for showing the speed. For showing the movement of the flying object you should use long and wide melody-lines above the speedy rhythm.
Now you are able either to vary the speed or the flight itself with the melody (quiet, zigzag, up, down...) 
What do you think?

Back to your first post here _Im searching for something that gives a feeling of great heights and soaring..._
So: The driving rhythm and high (doubled in octave) violins in the melody (with long notes). 

Beat


----------



## impressions

^
Yep i think that's quite the "proper" "recipe", and it could sound very effective.
the problem for me is that everyone uses it, and it became a cliche' . the swirling counter melody though is less common. but the violins ostinato is grinded to dust already.

I'm still convinced there are some examples out there not using this recipe, especially ones created by the masters of classical music.

thanks for the detailed explanation.


----------



## Jdiggity1

Have you checked out JW's score for Hook? Flight To Neverland? I'm sure that will contain valuable techniques.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-0wghH4OL8
0:43
& 1:53


----------



## impressions

yes some good chops in there. it doesn't have the soul of the others though, but it is complex and effective for sure. thanks.


----------

