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{{Infobox Album | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
{{Infobox Album | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
Name = Halo Original Soundtrack |
Name = Halo Original Soundtrack |
Type = [[Album]] |
Type = [[Soundtrack]] |
Artist = Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori |
Artist = Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori |
Cover = Halo-soundtrack-cover.jpg |
Cover = Halo-soundtrack-cover.jpg |
Line 11: Line 11:
Producer = [[Martin O'Donnell]], [[Michael Salvatori]] |
Producer = [[Martin O'Donnell]], [[Michael Salvatori]] |
}}
}}
'''''Halo Original Soundtrack''''', composed and produced by [[Martin O'Donnell]] and [[Michael Salvatori]] for [[Bungie Studios]]' [[2001 in video gaming|2001 video game]] ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', is one CD comprising 26 tracks. Some editions include a bonus [[DVD]] with game trailers for ''[[Halo 2]]''. Most of the music from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' is present on the CD, although some songs are remixed and some tracks are intermixed with others in medley form to aid in listening. The soundtrack was released on [[June 11]], [[2002]].


O'Donnell began working on the music for ''Halo'' on a contract; eventually, he joined Bungie to work on the game full-time. The first piece O'Donnell wrote became the basis for ''Halo''{{'}}s "signature sound" which has been heard in the other games of the trilogy. Upon release, the soundtrack was well-received.
The '''''Halo Original Soundtrack''''' is a [[soundtrack]] for the [[video game]] ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''. Composed and produced by [[Martin O'Donnell]] and [[Michael Salvatori]] for [[Bungie Studios]], the soundtrack was released on [[June 11]], [[2002]]. Most of the music from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' is present on the CD, although some songs are remixed in medley form to aid in listening. The first piece O'Donnell wrote became the basis for ''[[Halo (series)|Halo]]''{{'}}s "signature sound" which has been heard in the other games of the [[Halo (series)#Main trilogy|main trilogy]].

The soundtrack features a wide range of musical styles, including chanting, string orchestra, and percussion. Upon release, the soundtrack was well-received by critics. Some complimented the wide range of musical styles, while most agreed that playing the game is not needed to enjoy the soundtrack. A special edition of the soundtrack was later released, featuring a [[DVD]] with trailers, a non-playable demo, and high quality music for for ''[[Halo 2]]''.


==Background==
==Background==
As the audio director for [[Bungie]], [[Martin O'Donnell]] was tasked with writting the music for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.<ref name=ancient>{{cite web|author=Carlson|year=2001|url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo/themakers3.htm|title=Just the Right Sense of "Ancient"|publisher=Xbox.com|accessdate=2008-04-22}}</ref> He had scored previous Bungie projects, including ''[[Riven|Riven: The Sequel to Myst]]'' and ''[[Myth (computer game series)|Myth: The Fallen Lords]]'', while working for his audio company, TotalAudio, along with Michael Salvatori.<ref name=ancient/><ref name=BungieCast>{{cite web |url= http://download.microsoft.com/download/d/8/5/d85ce76f-0cb2-41df-aaae-a8c96790332b/Bungie_Podcast_121207.mp3|title= Podcast Ep. 51: With Martin O'Donnell|accessdate=2008-06-21 |author= O'Connor, Frank; O'Donnell, Martin; Smith, Luke; Jarrard, Brian|date= 2007-12-12|work= |publisher=[[Bungie.net]]}}</ref> O' Donnell was nervous about the project, saying he approached it, "with fear and trepidation".<ref name=ancient/> O'Donnell stated his main influences were music he liked—"a little [[Samuel Barber]] meets [[Giorgio Moroder]]".<ref name=ancient/> Bungie's Director of cinematics, [[Joseph Staten]] said, "the music should give a feeling of importance, weight, and sense of the "ancient" to the visuals of Halo".<ref name=ancient/> O' Donnell's first piece of music, which would become the "the signature theme for Halo", was written and recorded in three days.<ref name=ancient/> O'Donnell recruited Salvatori and three other colleagues he had recorded jingles with—Robert Bowker, Jeffrey Morrow, and Rob Trow—to produce the "chanting monks" that open the piece. Originally he had intended the [[Qawwali]] accents to be sung by one of the professionals, but after singing an example of what he wanted, the others suggested they use O'Donnell's own rendition instead.<ref name=ancient/> The theme premiered at the [[Macworld Conference & Expo#1999|1999 Macworld Conference & Expo]] demonstration of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.<ref name=ancient/>
Composer [[Martin O'Donnell]] had worked with developer [[Bungie]] since their video game ''[[Myth: The Fallen Lords]]''. When Bungie began work on their new project code-named ''Blam!'', O'Donnell and his partner Michael Salvatori's company, TotalAudio, was approached with the task of developing the music.<ref name="bungie podcast">{{cite web|author=O'Connor, Frank; O'Donnell, Martin; Smith, Luke; Jarrard, Brian|url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/d/8/5/d85ce76f-0cb2-41df-aaae-a8c96790332b/BungiePodcast%5FEpisode%5F1.mp3|title= Bungie Podcast Ep. 51: With Martin O'Donnell|work=[[Bungie.net]]|accessdate=2007-12-10}}</ref> Eventually, O'Donnell left TotalAudio to work at Bungie as a full-time employee,<ref name="bungie podcast"/> joining only ten days before [[Microsoft]] acquired the studio.<ref name="sense of ancient">{{cite web|author=Staff|year=2001|url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo/themakers3.htm|title=Just the Right Sense of "Ancient"|work=Xbox.com|accessdate=2008-04-22}}</ref>


The first piece O'Donnell wrote for ''Halo'' was dubbed "Halo", and was played as the soundtrack to accompany ''Halo''{{'}}s demonstration at [[MacWorld Expo]] New York in 1999;<ref name="total audio interview">{{cite web|author=[[Martin O'Donnell|O'Donnell, Martin]], [[Halo.Bungie.Org|Wu, Louis]]|year=1999|url=http://nikon.bungie.org/music.html|title=TotalAudio Questions and Answers|work=[[Halo.Bungie.Org]]|accessdate=2008-04-13}}</ref> the composition would end up being the ''de facto'' melody of the franchise. O'Donnell was tasked with creating the music with only a week before the Expo; Bungie cinematics director [[Joseph Staten]] approached O'Donnell with the MacWorld demo plan and simply said "that the music should give a feeling of importance, weight, and sense of the 'ancient' to the visuals of ''Halo''".<ref name="sense of ancient"/> In an interview, O'Donnell stated his main influences were music he liked—"a little [[Samuel Barber]] meets [[Giorgio Moroder]]"—and that the final piece ended up with [[gregorian chant]]ing, a string section, strong percussion and a "[[Qawwali]] voice".<ref name="total audio interview"/>
The remaining themes were simultaneously written, recorded, and produced from July to September of 1999.<ref name=ancient/> The music was written with a variety of equipment including, "keyboards, synths, and samplers as well as digital recording equipment controlled by computers".<ref name=ancient/> Live instrumentations, from members of the [[Chicago Symphony]] and Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra were added where needed.<ref name=ancient/><ref name=TotalAudio>{{cite web|author=[[Martin O'Donnell|O'Donnell, Martin]], [[Halo.Bungie.Org|Wu, Louis]]|year=1999|url=http://nikon.bungie.org/music.html|title=TotalAudio Questions and Answers|work=[[Halo.Bungie.Org]]|accessdate=2008-04-13}}</ref> The overall soundtrack features a wide range of sounds, O' Donnell described it as, "[[Gregorian chant]], string orchestra, percussion and just a bit of a 'Qawwali voice'".<ref name=ancient/> Working closely with level designers, the music was divided "into chunks". Based on these "chunks", "[''Halo''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s] audio engine could play [the music] back dynamically based on the player's actions".<ref name=ancient/> O 'Donnell rearranged the music featured in the game in order to make listening to the soundtrack "more enjoyable".<ref name=album/>


⚫
==Reception==
<div style="float:right; clear:right; border:1px solid #CCC; background:#FFF; width:200px; margin:3px 0 3px .5cm; font-size:8pt; text-align:left; padding:4pt; padding-left:0pt; line-height:1.25em">
<div style="float:right; clear:right; border:1px solid #CCC; background:#FFF; width:200px; margin:3px 0 3px .5cm; font-size:8pt; text-align:left; padding:4pt; padding-left:0pt; line-height:1.25em">
<div style=" font-size:9pt; padding-left:5px; padding-bottom:4px; "><font style="font-weight:bold;">Music Sample:</font> [[:Image:Halo marty odonnell.ogg|"Halo"]]</div>
<div style=" font-size:9pt; padding-left:5px; padding-bottom:4px; "><font style="font-weight:bold;">Music Sample:</font> [[:Image:Halo marty odonnell.ogg|"Halo"]]</div>
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</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
⚫
Reception of the soundtrack was generally positive from critics. [[IGN]] praised the soundtrack for its wide use of instruments stating, "Where other videogame scores tend to miss their mark when combining electronic and organic elements, O'Donnell and Salvatori seem to have found a rather stable balance between the two divergent sounds." Adding, overall the soundtrack is "one of the better videogame oriented musical experiences out there" and playing the game is not required to find enjoyment within the score.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://music.ign.com/articles/822/822717p1.html|title= Halo Original Soundtrack|accessdate=2008-05-30 |author= Spence D.|date= 2007-09-24|work= |publisher=[[IGN]]}}</ref> Reviewing for Monsters At Play, Michael Johnson called the soundtrack "66 minutes of orchestral goodness" citing the wide range of music covered as a strong point.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://games.monstersatplay.com/review/soundtrack/halo.php|title= Halo Original Soundtrack|accessdate=2008-05-30 |author= Michael Johnson|date= |work= |publisher=Monsters at Play}}</ref> Nuketown gave the soundtrack a 9 out of 10, stating "the soundtrack is a welcome and invigorating reminder of good times had blasting unstoppable alien hordes".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nuketown.com/node/489|title= Halo: The Soundtrack|accessdate=2008-05-30 |author= Kenneth Newquist |date= 2004-09-09|work= |publisher=Nuketown}}</ref>
O'Donnell recruited Salvatori and three other colleagues he had recorded jingles with—Robert Bowker, Jeffrey Morrow, and Rob Trow—to produce the "chanting monks" that open the piece. Originally he had intended the Qawwali accents to be sung by one of the professionals, but they suggested they use O'Donnell's own rendition instead.<ref name="sense of ancient"/>

''[[Halo:Combat Evolved|Halo's]]'' in-game music is very dynamic and changes in response to situations encountered during gameplay. O'Donnell was quoted saying that "Themes, moods and even the duration of these pieces will change and adapt with each player's ''Halo'' experience." As such, the music for the soundtrack's CD release was "frozen", remixed and rearranged so that it corresponded with the chapters of the game and was more enjoyable to listen to.<ref name="odonnell's foreword">{{cite album-notes |authorlink=Martin O'Donnell |last=O'Donnell |first=Martin |notestitle=Introduction |year=2002 |title=Halo Original Soundtrack|publisher=[[Sumthing Distribution]]}}</ref>


== Track listing ==
== Track listing ==
Line 60: Line 62:
# "Halo" {{small|(4:22)}}
# "Halo" {{small|(4:22)}}


A short instrumental track that is not easily heard in the video game can be found at the end of track 26, "Halo", after about 30 seconds of silence. The song is known as "The Siege Of Madrigal", and is from Bungie's older series of real-time strategy games, ''[[Myth (computer game)|Myth]]''.
An instrumental track appears after the final track. The song, known as "The Siege Of Madrigal", is from Bungie's series of real-time strategy games, ''[[Myth (computer game)|Myth]]''.

An instrumental track that is found in the game, but not present on the soundtrack, can be found [http://www.bungie.net/images/games/halo/audio/music/lost_song.mp3 here]. It plays during an encounter with an energy-sword carrying cloaked Elite in an empty corridor during the Assault on the Control Room level.

Another instrumental track that is heard on the level "[[343 Guilty Spark]]" is not present on the soundtrack. It features synthesizers and radio is heard going on and off. This track is heard after encountering a traumatized Marine who shoots you with his hand-gun.

A guitar remix of Truth and Reconciliation Suite, the MJOLNIR mix, was later made to jazz up the main song. This track is composed and produced by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, featuring [[Steve Vai]] on guitars, and it features two electric guitars playing simultaneously to add a harder experience to the song; however, the Guitar remix does not appear on the Soundtrack. This remix was later used in the ''[[Halo 2 Original Soundtrack]]'' but was originally done for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
All information is taken from the CD credits.<ref name=album>{{cite album-notes |notestitle=Soundtrack credits |year=2002 |title=Halo Original Soundtrack|publisher=[[Sumthing Distribution]]}}</ref>
All information is taken from the CD credits.<ref name=album>{{cite album-notes |notestitle=Soundtrack credits |year=2002 |title=Halo Original Soundtrack|publisher=[[Sumthing Distribution]]}}</ref>
{{col-begin}}
⚫
*[[Martin O'Donnell]] ([[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP]]) – composer
{{col-2}}
*[[Michael Salvatori]] (ASCAP) - composer
⚫
*[[Martin O'Donnell]] ([[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP]]) – Writer, composer, musician, and singer
*O'Donnell, Salvatori, Harry Hmura, Arnold Roth, Peter Labella, Everett Zlatoff-Mirsky, Elliott Golub, Niasanne Howell, Marylou Johnston, Kevin Case, Barbara Haffner, Larry Glazier, Judy Stone - musicians
*O'Donnell, Salvatori, Robert Bowker, Jeffrey Morrow, Rob Trow - singers
*[[Michael Salvatori]] (ASCAP) - Writer, composer, musician, and singer
*Harry Hmura - musician

*Arnold Roth - musician
⚫
==Reception==
*Peter Labella - musician
⚫
Reception of the soundtrack was generally positive from critics. [[IGN]] praised the soundtrack for its wide use of instruments stating, "Where other videogame scores tend to miss their mark when combining electronic and organic elements, O'Donnell and Salvatori seem to have found a rather stable balance between the two divergent sounds." Adding, overall the soundtrack is "one of the better videogame oriented musical experiences out there" and playing the game is not required to find enjoyment within the score.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://music.ign.com/articles/822/822717p1.html|title= Halo Original Soundtrack|accessdate=2008-05-30 |author= Spence D.|date= 2007-09-24|work= |publisher=[[IGN]]}}</ref> Reviewing for Monsters At Play, Michael Johnson called the soundtrack "66 minutes of orchestral goodness" citing the wide range of music covered as a strong point.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://games.monstersatplay.com/review/soundtrack/halo.php|title= Halo Original Soundtrack|accessdate=2008-05-30 |author= Michael Johnson|date= |work= |publisher=Monsters at Play}}</ref> Nuketown gave the soundtrack a 9 out of 10, stating "the soundtrack is a welcome and invigorating reminder of good times had blasting unstoppable alien hordes".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nuketown.com/node/489|title= Halo: The Soundtrack|accessdate=2008-05-30 |author= Kenneth Newquist |date= 2004-09-09|work= |publisher=Nuketown}}</ref>
*Everett Zlatoff-Mirsky - musician

*Elliott Golub - musician

*Niasanne Howell - musician

{{col-2}}
*Marylou Johnston - musician
*Kevin Case - musician
*Barbara Haffner - musician
*Larry Glazier - musician
*Judy Stone - musician
*Robert Bowker - singer
*Jeffrey Morrow - singer
*Rob Trow - singer
{{col-end}}
==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

Revision as of 04:08, 21 June 2008

Untitled

The Halo Original Soundtrack is a soundtrack for the video game Halo: Combat Evolved. Composed and produced by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori for Bungie Studios, the soundtrack was released on June 11, 2002. Most of the music from Halo: Combat Evolved is present on the CD, although some songs are remixed in medley form to aid in listening. The first piece O'Donnell wrote became the basis for Halo's "signature sound" which has been heard in the other games of the main trilogy.

The soundtrack features a wide range of musical styles, including chanting, string orchestra, and percussion. Upon release, the soundtrack was well-received by critics. Some complimented the wide range of musical styles, while most agreed that playing the game is not needed to enjoy the soundtrack. A special edition of the soundtrack was later released, featuring a DVD with trailers, a non-playable demo, and high quality music for for Halo 2.


Background

As the audio director for Bungie, Martin O'Donnell was tasked with writting the music for Halo: Combat Evolved.[1] He had scored previous Bungie projects, including Riven: The Sequel to Myst and Myth: The Fallen Lords, while working for his audio company, TotalAudio, along with Michael Salvatori.[1][2] O' Donnell was nervous about the project, saying he approached it, "with fear and trepidation".[1] O'Donnell stated his main influences were music he liked—"a little Samuel Barber meets Giorgio Moroder".[1] Bungie's Director of cinematics, Joseph Staten said, "the music should give a feeling of importance, weight, and sense of the "ancient" to the visuals of Halo".[1] O' Donnell's first piece of music, which would become the "the signature theme for Halo", was written and recorded in three days.[1] O'Donnell recruited Salvatori and three other colleagues he had recorded jingles with—Robert Bowker, Jeffrey Morrow, and Rob Trow—to produce the "chanting monks" that open the piece. Originally he had intended the Qawwali accents to be sung by one of the professionals, but after singing an example of what he wanted, the others suggested they use O'Donnell's own rendition instead.[1] The theme premiered at the 1999 Macworld Conference & Expo demonstration of Halo: Combat Evolved.[1]

The remaining themes were simultaneously written, recorded, and produced from July to September of 1999.[1] The music was written with a variety of equipment including, "keyboards, synths, and samplers as well as digital recording equipment controlled by computers".[1] Live instrumentations, from members of the Chicago Symphony and Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra were added where needed.[1][3] The overall soundtrack features a wide range of sounds, O' Donnell described it as, "Gregorian chant, string orchestra, percussion and just a bit of a 'Qawwali voice'".[1] Working closely with level designers, the music was divided "into chunks". Based on these "chunks", "[Halo's] audio engine could play [the music] back dynamically based on the player's actions".[1] O 'Donnell rearranged the music featured in the game in order to make listening to the soundtrack "more enjoyable".[4]

Reception

Music Sample: "Halo"

The piece used for the MacWorld Expo 1999 Halo announcement.

Reception of the soundtrack was generally positive from critics. IGN praised the soundtrack for its wide use of instruments stating, "Where other videogame scores tend to miss their mark when combining electronic and organic elements, O'Donnell and Salvatori seem to have found a rather stable balance between the two divergent sounds." Adding, overall the soundtrack is "one of the better videogame oriented musical experiences out there" and playing the game is not required to find enjoyment within the score.[5] Reviewing for Monsters At Play, Michael Johnson called the soundtrack "66 minutes of orchestral goodness" citing the wide range of music covered as a strong point.[6] Nuketown gave the soundtrack a 9 out of 10, stating "the soundtrack is a welcome and invigorating reminder of good times had blasting unstoppable alien hordes".[7]

Track listing

All music was written and composed by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori.[4]

  1. "Opening Suite" (3:33)
  2. "Truth and Reconciliation Suite" (8:25)
  3. "Brothers in Arms" (1:29)
  4. "Enough Dead Heroes" (3:00)
  5. "Perilous Journey" (2:26)
  6. "A Walk in the Woods" (1:52)
  7. "Ambient Wonder" (1:57)
  8. "The Gun Pointed at the Head of the Universe" (2:26)
  9. "Trace Amounts" (1:51)
  10. "Under Cover of Night" (3:41)
  11. "What Once Was Lost" (1:40)
  12. "Lament for Pvt. Jenkins" (1:14)
  13. "Devils, Monsters" (1:30)
  14. "Covenant Dance" (1:57)
  15. "Alien Corridors" (1:48)
  16. "Rock Anthem for Saving the World" (1:18)
  17. "The Maw" (1:06)
  18. "Drumrun" (1:01)
  19. "On a Pale Horse" (1:35)
  20. "Perchance to Dream" (1:00)
  21. "Library Suite" (6:47)
  22. "The Long Run" (2:12)
  23. "Suite Autumn" (4:22)
  24. "Shadows" (0:59)
  25. "Dust and Echoes" (2:49)
  26. "Halo" (4:22)

An instrumental track appears after the final track. The song, known as "The Siege Of Madrigal", is from Bungie's series of real-time strategy games, Myth.

Personnel

All information is taken from the CD credits.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Carlson (2001). "Just the Right Sense of "Ancient"". Xbox.com. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  2. ^ O'Connor, Frank; O'Donnell, Martin; Smith, Luke; Jarrard, Brian (2007-12-12). "Podcast Ep. 51: With Martin O'Donnell". Bungie.net. Retrieved 2008-06-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ O'Donnell, Martin, Wu, Louis (1999). "TotalAudio Questions and Answers". Halo.Bungie.Org. Retrieved 2008-04-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b c Halo Original Soundtrack (Media notes). Sumthing Distribution. 2002. {{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |notestitle= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Spence D. (2007-09-24). "Halo Original Soundtrack". IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  6. ^ Michael Johnson. "Halo Original Soundtrack". Monsters at Play. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  7. ^ Kenneth Newquist (2004-09-09). "Halo: The Soundtrack". Nuketown. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
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