User:Cabe6403/Music of the Elder Scrolls series

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The music of the Elder Scrolls series refers to the soundtracks of The Elder Scrolls video games, as well as soundtrack and compilation albums. The Elder Scrolls is a video game franchise of action role-playing open world video game series developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series began in 1994 with The Elder Scrolls: Arena with composer Eric R. Heberling who also composed the music for The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. Since the release of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind in 2002 the primary composer for the series has been Jeremy Soule.

Games[edit]

The Elder Scrolls: Arena[edit]

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall[edit]

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind[edit]

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
Jeremy Soule
GenreVideo game soundtrack
Length40:22

Morrowind's soundtrack was composed by Jeremy Soule, a video game composer whose previous soundtracks for Total Annihilation and Icewind Dale had earned some acclaim from the gaming press. In a Bethesda press release, Soule stated that the "epic quality" of the Elder Scrolls series was "particularly compatible with the grand, orchestral style of music" that Soule enjoys composing "the most".[1]Outside Bethesda press releases, some have criticized Morrowind's soundtrack. In their reviews of the game, both GameSpot and GameSpy criticized the length of the game's soundtrack and praised its general production quality.[2][3] In the words of GameSpot's Greg Kasavin: "The very first time you boot up Morrowind, you'll be treated to a memorable, stirring theme filled with soaring strings and booming percussion. You'll proceed to hear it literally every five minutes or so during play."[3] Soule was aware of the problem, and chose to create a soft and minimalist score so as not to wear out players' ears.[4]

In a feature for Gamasutra, Scott B. Morton, although praising the music itself, declared that Morrowind's soundtrack did not work effectively with the game's gameplay, accomplishing little as an emotional device. Morrowind's soundtrack is ambient, with cues only for battle encounters. In Morton's view, the lack of variation, of response to the game's action, and of length—Morrowind's soundtrack is only 30 minutes long—leaves players detached from the game world.[5] Alexander Brandon, in another Gamasutra feature, praised Morrowind's soundtrack for its innovative instrumentation. In Brandon's opinion, its use of orchestral elements in conjunction with synthesized ones, and the use of what Brandon termed "the 'Bolero' approach", left the game's soundtrack feeling "incredibly dramatic".[6] In February 2003, Morrowind was nominated for the category of "Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition" at the 6th Annual Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences's Interactive Achievement Awards, but lost to Medal of Honor:Frontline.[7]

Morrowind also contained a fair bit of voiced dialogue; an aspect somewhat better received by the gaming press. Of note is Lynda Carter, television's Wonder Woman, promoted by Bethesda for her role in voicing the Nordic race in the game.[8] Morrowind's race-specific voice acting received praise from some reviewers,[9][10] though was met with disdain from others, who disliked the discord between a culturally inflected voice spoken in an alien dialect and the grammatically flawless dialogue printed in the dialogue boxes.[11]


The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion[edit]

Oblivion features the voices of Patrick Stewart, Lynda Carter, Sean Bean, Terence Stamp, Ralph Cosham, and Wes Johnson, with celebrity acquisition and voice production being handled by Blindlight.[14] The voice acting received mixed reviews in the gaming press. While many publications praised it as excellent,[15][16][17] others found fault with its repetitiveness.[18][19] The issue has been blamed on the small number of voice actors and the blandness of the dialogue itself.[20] Lead designer Ken Rolston found the plan to fully voice the game "less flexible, less apt for user projection of his own tone, more constrained for branching, and more trouble for production and disk real estate" than Morrowind's partially recorded dialogue. Rolston tempered his criticism with the suggestion that voice acting "can be a powerful expressive tool" and can contribute significantly to the charm and ambience of the game. He stated "I prefer Morrowind's partially recorded dialogue, for many reasons. But I'm told that fully-voiced dialogue is what the kids want".[21]


The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Soundtrack album by
Jeremy Soule
ReleasedMarch 10, 2006
(digital only)
GenreSoundtrack
Length58.5 minutes
LabelDirect Song

Oblivion's score was composed by series mainstay Jeremy Soule, a video game composer whose past scores had earned him a BAFTA award in the "Game Music Category" and two nominations for an AIAS award for "Original Music Composition". Soule had worked with Bethesda and Todd Howard during the creation of Morrowind, and, in a press release announcing his return for Oblivion, Soule repeated the words he had said during Morrowind's press release: "The stunning, epic quality of The Elder Scrolls series is particularly compatible with the grand, orchestral style of music I enjoy composing the most".[22] As in his compositions for Morrowind, Soule chose to create a soft and minimalist score so as not to wear out users' ears.[23]

Soule stated that while composing the music he did not imagine any specific characters or events; rather, he wanted it "to comment on the human condition and the beauty of life". In a 2006 interview, he related that this desire came as a result of a car accident that occurred during his composition of the score. He said, "I ended up rolling in my car several times on an interstate while flying headlong into oncoming traffic ... I felt no fear ... I simply just acknowledged to myself that I've had a good life and I would soon have to say goodbye to all of it in a matter of seconds". Soule sustained only minor injuries, but commented that his feeling during the crash—"that life is indeed precious"—remained with him throughout the rest of the composition.[24]

The official soundtrack to Oblivion is sold exclusively via Soule's digital distributor DirectSong. It features 26 tracks spanning 58 minutes, all composed by Soule.[25] The soundtrack was generally positively received, though Square Enix Music Online gave it a 6/10, criticizing its "monotonous action tracks".[26]

"The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" tracklisting
No.TitleLength
1."Reign of the Septims"1:51
2."Through the Valleys"4:19
3."Death Knell"1:10
4."Harvest Dawn"2:51
5."Wind from the Depths"1:42
6."King & Country"4:05
7."Fall of the Hammer"1:16
8."Wings of Kynareth"3:30
9."All's Well"2:26
10."Tension"2:32
11."March of the Marauders"2:08
12."Watchman's Ease"2:05
13."Glory of Cyrodiil"2:28
14."Defending the Gate"1:21
15."Bloody Blades"1:14
16."Minstrel's Lament"4:42
17."Ancient Sorrow"1:05
18."Auriel's Ascension"3:05
19."Daedra In Flight"1:02
20."Unmarked Stone"1:02
21."Bloodlust"1:07
22."Sunrise of Flutes"2:56
23."Churl's Revenge"1:08
24."Deep Waters"1:11
25."Dusk at the Market"2:11
26."Peace of Akatosh"4:11


The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim[edit]

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Featured Music Selections)
Soundtrack album by
Jeremy Soule
ReleasedNovember 11, 2011 (2011-11-11)
GenreVideo game soundtrack
Length18:02
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — Original Game Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
Jeremy Soule
ReleasedDecember 23, 2011 (2011-12-23)
GenreVideo game soundtrack
Length218:19 (Full Soundtrack)
63:00 (Disc 1)
56:04 (Disc 2)
56:41 (Disc 3)
42:35 (Disc 4)
LabelDirect Song

The team employed Jeremy Soule to compose music for Skyrim after his work on Morrowind and Oblivion. He composed "Dragonborn", the game's main theme. "Dragonborn" was recorded with a choir of over thirty people, singing in the game world's dragon language.[27] Creative director Todd Howard envisioned the theme for Skyrim as the Elder Scrolls theme sung by a choir of barbarians. This became a reality when the idea was passed by Soule, who recorded the 30-man choir and layered three separate recordings to create the effect of 90 voices.[28] The language, Draconic, was created by Bethesda's concept artist Adam Adamowicz, and he developed a 34-character runic alphabet for the game.[29] The lexicon of Draconic was expanded as needed; as lead designer Bruce Nesmith explained, words were introduced to the lexicon "every time [the studio wanted] to say something".[30]

As with the previous two entries in the series, the soundtrack to Skyrim is sold exclusively via Jeremy Soule's distributor DirectSong; on November 4, 2011 a physical-only release consisting of 4audio CDs was announced, coinciding with the launch of the game. All copies preordered before December 23 will be personally autographed by Soule.[31] Following an October 17tweet from Pete Hines, vice president of public relations and marketing at Bethesda, stating "The OST would take 4 CDs",[32] a 4-disc CD set release was spotted by Digital Song customers during an account display error.[33] "Day One" preorders from Amazon.de also include a 5-track promotional Skyrim soundtrack sampler.[34]

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Featured Music Selections)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dragonborn"Jeremy Soule3:58
2."Under an Ancient Sun"Jeremy Soule3:42
3."The Streets of Whiterun"Jeremy Soule4:07
4."Sky Above, Voice Within"Jeremy Soule3:59
5."Dragonsreach"Jeremy Soule2:21
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — Original Game Soundtrack (Disc 1)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dragonborn"Jeremy Soule3:58
2."Awake"Jeremy Soule1:35
3."From Past to Present"Jeremy Soule5:06
4."Unbroken Road"Jeremy Soule6:26
5."Ancient Stones"Jeremy Soule4:48
6."The City Gates"Jeremy Soule3:48
7."Silent Footsteps"Jeremy Soule2:53
8."Dragonsreach"Jeremy Soule2:23
9."Tooth and Claw"Jeremy Soule1:51
10."Under An Ancient Sun"Jeremy Soule3:44
11."Death Or Sovngarde"Jeremy Soule3:02
12."Masser"Jeremy Soule6:06
13."Distant Horizons"Jeremy Soule3:55
14."Dawn"Jeremy Soule4:00
15."The Jerall Mountains"Jeremy Soule3:22
16."Steel on Steel"Jeremy Soule1:45
17."Secunda"Jeremy Soule2:05
18."Imperial Throne"Jeremy Soule2:23
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — Original Game Soundtrack (Disc 2)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Frostfall"Jeremy Soule3:28
2."Night Without Stars"Jeremy Soule0:43
3."Into Darkness"Jeremy Soule2:55
4."Kyne's Peace"Jeremy Soule3:52
5."Unbound"Jeremy Soule1:35
6."Far Horizons"Jeremy Soule5:33
7."A Winter's Tale"Jeremy Soule3:22
8."The Bannered Mare"Jeremy Soule2:30
9."The Streets of Whiterun"Jeremy Soule4:07
10."One They Fear"Jeremy Soule3:16
11."The White River"Jeremy Soule3:31
12."Silence Unbroken"Jeremy Soule2:24
13."Standing Stones"Jeremy Soule6:39
14."Beneath the Ice"Jeremy Soule4:16
15."Tundra"Jeremy Soule3:52
16."Journey's End"Jeremy Soule4:10
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — Original Game Soundtrack (Disc 3)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Before The Storm"Jeremy Soule1:09
2."A Chance Meeting"Jeremy Soule3:12
3."Out of the Cold"Jeremy Soule3:04
4."Around The Fire"Jeremy Soule3:12
5."Shadows And Echoes"Jeremy Soule2:21
6."Caught Off Guard"Jeremy Soule1:13
7."Aurora"Jeremy Soule7:23
8."Blood And Steel"Jeremy Soule2:12
9."Towers And Shadows"Jeremy Soule2:24
10."Seven Thousand Steps"Jeremy Soule1:08
11."Solitude"Jeremy Soule2:12
12."Watch The Skies"Jeremy Soule2:23
13."The Gathering Storm"Jeremy Soule2:55
14."Sky Above, Voice Within"Jeremy Soule3:59
15."Death in the Darkness"Jeremy Soule2:38
16."Shattered Shields"Jeremy Soule2:40
17."Sovngarde"Jeremy Soule3:38
18."Wind Guide You"Jeremy Soule9:05
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — Original Game Soundtrack (Disc 4)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Skyrim Atmospheres"Jeremy Soule42:35

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind to feature soundtrack by award-winning composer Jeremy Soule". Bethesda Softworks. 2001-11-12. Archived from the original on 2007-04-23. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
    Staff (2001-11-12). "Morrowind's Got Soule". IGN. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference GSPY2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference GSPT3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Napolitano, Jayson (2007-06-06). "Interview with composer Jeremy Soule at PLAY! San Jose". Music 4 Games. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
  5. ^ Morton, Scott B. (2005-01-24). "Enhancing the Impact of Music in Drama-Oriented Games". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  6. ^ Brandon, Alexander (2004-04-30). "Instrumentation: The Game Composer's New Challenge". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  7. ^ "The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-22.
  8. ^ "Lynda Carter Joins the Cast of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind". Bethesda Softworks. 2002-02-05. Archived from the original on 2007-05-19. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
  9. ^ Knutson, Michael. "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind". Gamezone. Archived from the original on 2006-06-18. Retrieved 2006-08-24.
  10. ^ Cavner, Brian. "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind". RPG Fan. Retrieved 2006-08-24.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference IGN3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Release: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind". 2008-04-27. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  13. ^ "RPGamer - Soundtrack Review - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Soundtrack". Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  14. ^ Steel, Wade (2005-09-30). "More of Oblivion's Voice Cast Revealed - PC News at IGN". IGN. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
  15. ^ Kasavin, Greg (2006-03-25). "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2006-08-24.
  16. ^ McNamara, Tom (2006-03-24). "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review – Another Take". IGN. Retrieved 2006-08-24.
  17. ^ Vallentin, Greg (2006-04-18). "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review". Videogamer.com. Retrieved 2006-08-24.
  18. ^ Ferris, Duke (2006-03-30). "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Xbox360". Xbox 360 Reviews. Game Revolution. Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  19. ^ Fisher, Matthew (2006-03-23). "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review (Xbox 360) – Audio". TeamXbox. p. 5. Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  20. ^ Sliwinski, Alexander (2006-09-18). "Oblivion's vocal and line repetition". Joystiq. Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  21. ^ Varney, Allen (2006-05-23). "Oblivion's Ken Rolston Interview". HardOCP. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  22. ^ Walker, Trey (2001-11-12). "Jeremy Soule to compose Morrowind music". GameSpot. Retrieved 2011-08-25. [dead link]
  23. ^ Napolitano, Jayson (2007-06-06). "Interview with composer Jeremy Soule at PLAY! San Jose". Music 4 Games. Archived from the original on 2008-06-20. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
  24. ^ Callaham, John (2006-05-22). "Jeremy Soule Interview & PLAY!". Firing Squad. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
  25. ^ "DirectSong - The World's Greatest Music". DirectSong. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  26. ^ Elchlepp, Simon. "Game Music :: The Elder Scrolls IV -Oblivion- Special Edition Soundtrack :: Review by Simon Elchlepp". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
  27. ^ Hanson, Ben (January 14, 2011). "The Sounds Of Skyrim". Game Informer. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  28. ^ "BethesdaSoftworksUK on YouTube — The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — The Sound of Skyrim". Youtube. November 3, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  29. ^ Miller, Matt (January 20, 2011). "Skyrim's Dragon Shouts". Game Informer. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  30. ^ Cite error: The named reference OPSM Skyrim was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  31. ^ "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 4 CD Set". DirectSong. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  32. ^ / @DCDeacon: @robertwery That's just th ...
  33. ^ "Skyrim soundtrack coming soon as digital download at directsong.com : skyrim". Reddit.com. October 23, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  34. ^ Amazon.de Video Games: The Elder Scrolls: Limited Day-One-Edition

http://heberlingmusic.com/credits.html

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