Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone [Original Soundtrack] John Williams [composer]

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone [Original Soundtrack]

1	Prologue 2:12
2	Harry's Wondrous World 5:21
3	Arrival of Baby Harry 4:25
4	Visit to the Zoo/Letters from Hogwarts 3:22
5	Diagon Alley/The Gringotts Vault 4:06
6	Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters/The Journey to Hogwarts 3:14
7	Entry into the Great Hall/The Banquet 3:42
8	Mr. Longbottom Flies 3:35
9	Hogwarts Forever!/The Moving Stairs 3:46
10	Norwegian Ridgeback/A Change of Season 2:47
11	Quidditch Match 8:28
12	Christmas at Hogwarts 2:56
13	Invisibility Cloak/The Library Scene 3:15
14	Fluffy's Harp 2:38
15	In the Devil's Snare/The Flying Keys 2:20
16	Chess Games 3:48
17	Face of Voldemort 6:10
18	Leaving Hogwarts 2:13
19	Hedwig's Theme 5:09

Barnes & Noble

That the film version of J. K. Rowling's wildly popular Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone succeeds in re-creating the novel's magical atmosphere owes much to this richly imaginative symphonic score by John Williams. Of course, as the composer behind enchanting movie soundtracks from E.T. to A.I., Williams is no stranger to musical fantasy and wonder. He's the natural choice to provide the backdrop for young Harry's adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The music sets a fairy-tale tone from the outset, featuring a solo on the music-box chimes of the celeste, a distinctive sound that recurs throughout the score. But this opening tune isn't just fairy dust -- it also contains a hint of mystery, an omen of the wizardly potential Harry has yet to realize, and the dangers he will encounter as he does so. Williams's orchestration shows great variety, from the festive brass fanfares that herald Harry's arrival at Hogwarts to the swirling strings, harps, and wordless choruses that conjure up the supernatural world. Delightful episodes such as the frantic "Quidditch Match" allow free rein to the composer's creativity, while the ominous "Face of Voldemort" shows his ability to build a dramatic climax. By turns whimsical, otherworldly, nostalgic, and majestic, Williams provides the perfect musical backdrop, not only for the blockbuster film but also for rereading Rowling's irresistible novels. Scott Paulin

All Music Guide

As a fan of J.K. Rowling's massively popular Harry Potter books and the composer of some of the best fantasy/sci-fi film scores, John Williams was a natural choice to write the music for Chris Columbus' film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. His score captures the childhood mischief, magic, and adventure of the film and the books, mixing winding, soaring melodies with instrumentation that spans the delicately spooky to the darkly majestic. However, his work here won't necessarily dispel Williams' reputation as an occasionally light-fingered composer: one of the score's main motifs, a light-as-a-cobweb celesta melody most clearly stated in "The Arrival of Baby Harry" and "Hedwig's Theme," recalls the work of both Danny Elfman and Tchaikovsky, while some of the other melodies sound like they're just a few notes away from themes in his own Hook and Star Wars scores. Harry Potter's score also tends to repeat these main themes a little too often; fortunately they're reinterpreted fairly creatively from piece to piece. "Harry's Wondrous World" and "Visit to the Zoo and Letters from Hogwarts" are sweeping and lighthearted, while "In the Devil's Snare and the Flying Keys," "The Chess Game," and "The Face of Voldemort" close the score with a trio of menacing, climactic musical cues. In between are pretty, delicate moments like "Fluffy's Harp" and whimsical pieces like "Christmas at Hogwarts," which manages to combine the festive, carol-esque melody with the atmosphere of a school for witches and wizards. The pomp and circumstance of "The Quidditch Match" is probably the score's most typically Williams composition; a thrilling mix of his heroic style and the rest of the music's spooky, supernatural feel. Not surprisingly, considering that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone runs nearly three hours long, Williams' score is on the long side, making it somewhat difficult to take in outside of the film's context. While it may not be one of his most inspired works, it's never less than perfectly appropriate and does include some brilliant moments. Heather Phares