The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (soundtrack)

Soule incorporated [[Motif (music)|motifs]] from compositions for previous ''Elder Scrolls'' games, for instance on "[[Dragonborn (Skyrim theme)|Dragonborn]]" - which borrows from "Nerevar Rising" from ''Morrowind'' as well as elements from music in ''Oblivion'' (portions of "Dragonborn" even being essentially an orchestral and choral arrangement of "Nerevar Rising" rather than a variation on it)'','' "Unbroken Road"- the string melody of which is also heard in ''Oblivion'', "The Jerall Mountains" - which also borrows from ''Oblivion'', and "One They Fear" - which combines both the motif of ''Skyrim''<nowiki/>'s "Dragonborn" with the theme from the previous two ''Elder Scrolls'' games.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Barron |first=Josh |date=August 1, 2012 |title=The Elder Scrolls V -Skyrim- Original Game Soundtrack |url=http://www.vgmonline.net/elderscrolls5/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2022 |website=VGMO -Video Game Music Online- |language=en-US |archive-date=January 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106204250/http://www.vgmonline.net/elderscrolls5/ }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Hart |first=Iain |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NPYoEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA236 |title=The Cambridge Companion to Video Game Music |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-316-99944-8 |editor-last=Fritsch |editor-first=Melanie |location=Cambridge |pages=220–237 |language=en |chapter=Semiotics in Game Music |editor-last2=Summers |editor-first2=Tim |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009191048/https://books.google.com/books?id=NPYoEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA236 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Soule incorporated [[Motif (music)|motifs]] from compositions for previous ''Elder Scrolls'' games, for instance on "[[Dragonborn (Skyrim theme)|Dragonborn]]" - which borrows from "Nerevar Rising" from ''Morrowind'' as well as elements from music in ''Oblivion'' (portions of "Dragonborn" even being essentially an orchestral and choral arrangement of "Nerevar Rising" rather than a variation on it)'','' "Unbroken Road"- the string melody of which is also heard in ''Oblivion'', "The Jerall Mountains" - which also borrows from ''Oblivion'', and "One They Fear" - which combines both the motif of ''Skyrim''<nowiki/>'s "Dragonborn" with the theme from the previous two ''Elder Scrolls'' games.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Barron |first=Josh |date=August 1, 2012 |title=The Elder Scrolls V -Skyrim- Original Game Soundtrack |url=http://www.vgmonline.net/elderscrolls5/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2022 |website=VGMO -Video Game Music Online- |language=en-US |archive-date=January 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106204250/http://www.vgmonline.net/elderscrolls5/ }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Hart |first=Iain |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NPYoEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA236 |title=The Cambridge Companion to Video Game Music |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-316-99944-8 |editor-last=Fritsch |editor-first=Melanie |location=Cambridge |pages=220–237 |language=en |chapter=Semiotics in Game Music |editor-last2=Summers |editor-first2=Tim |access-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009191048/https://books.google.com/books?id=NPYoEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA236 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In their review of the album, Josh Barron analyzed the composition of numerous individual songs from the album. "Dragonsreach" utilizes low strings, [[taiko]] drums, and male choir to "emanate power" and portray "masculinity". "Awake", opens with strings then introduces [[timpani]] as it plays motifs of the main theme. "Secunda" incorporates light piano textures and harp. "Distant Horizons" showcases dissonant strings and an oboe melody. On "White River", Soule uses [[French horn]] and strings to emulate rushing rivers and waterfalls. At 1:32, Barron found the piece similar to [[La mer (Debussy)|''La mer'']] by [[Claude Debussy|Debussy]]. "Death or Sovngarde", one of the combat cues for the game, features a full orchestra as well as a choir and is filled with [[Brass instrument|brass]] chords and drum rhythms. "Blood and Steel" similarly features brass and drums for a bombastic sound. It incorporates motifs from the main theme and ends abruptly. "Ancient Stones", a town theme with lighter textures and a joyful sound, is the first track on which the [[dulcimer]] appears. "City Gates" features lower strings in contrast to the higher registers of "Ancient Stones" and brings in cello. "Solitude" features a [[soprano]] soloist and "Streets of Whiterun" features a cello melody. "Journey’s End" consists of very lush, flowing orchestration, primarily of strings in a very classical form as used by composers such as [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]]. The tavern songs differ from the rest of the soundtrack. They all feature a [[medieval music]] style and include instruments invented during the [[Dark Ages (historiography)|Dark Ages]] such as the [[lute]] and ancient flutes. "Around the Fire" includes a full ensemble of [[fiddle]], lute, flute, and drums. Some pieces included on the album are short ambient or incidental pieces, such as the stumbling strings and percussion of "Caught Off Guard" or "Tooth and Claw" with urgent string and drum rhythms. "Masser", by contrast, is a long, choral-based ambient track. The final track on the album, "Skyrim Atmospheres", consists entirely of ambient sound effects. The ambient piece "Frostfall" features cello and other lower register strings as well as vocals which are similar to those used in [[Howard Shore]]'s ''[[Music of The Lord of the Rings film series|The Lord of the Rings]]''. "Standing Stones" opens with an ominous male choral and [[Suspended chord|suspended]] strings. At the 0:49 mark of the track, the dissonant strings contrast with female vocals. "Tundra" uses similar techniques and also includes [[Middle Eastern music|Middle Eastern style]] instrumentation. "Aurora" is filled with contrasts, mixing [[Consonance and dissonance|dissonance and consonance]], quiet openings and dramatic buildups. "Sovngarde" incorporates motifs from "Dragonborn" and opens with a male-voice Nordic chant. "Wind Guide You" starts off in a dark tone then changes to a simultaneously warm yet ominous sound through strings and choir.<ref name=":6" />

In their review of the album, Josh Barron analyzed the composition of numerous individual songs from the album. "Dragonsreach" utilizes low strings, [[taiko]] drums, and male choir to "emanate power" and portray "masculinity". "Awake", opens with strings then introduces [[timpani]] as it plays motifs of the main theme. "Secunda" incorporates light piano textures and harp. "Distant Horizons" showcases dissonant strings and an oboe melody. On "White River", Soule uses [[French horn]] and strings to emulate rushing rivers and waterfalls. At 1:32, Barron found the piece similar to [[La mer (Debussy)|''La mer'']] by [[Claude Debussy|Debussy]]. "Death or Sovngarde", one of the combat cues for the game, features a full orchestra as well as a choir and is filled with [[Brass instrument|brass]] chords and drum rhythms. "Blood and Steel" similarly features brass and drums for a bombastic sound. It incorporates motifs from the main theme and ends abruptly. For "Ancient Stones", a town theme with lighter textures and a joyful sound, Soule used pencil struck piano strings to emulate the sound of a [[dulcimer]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Soule |first=Jeremy |title=Skyrim:Music Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages |url=https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Music |url-status=live |website=Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages}}</ref> "City Gates" features lower strings in contrast to the higher registers of "Ancient Stones" and brings in cello. "Solitude" features a [[soprano]] soloist and "Streets of Whiterun" features a cello melody. "Journey’s End" consists of very lush, flowing orchestration, primarily of strings in a very classical form as used by composers such as [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]]. The tavern songs differ from the rest of the soundtrack. They all feature a [[medieval music]] style and include instruments invented during the [[Dark Ages (historiography)|Dark Ages]] such as the [[lute]] and ancient flutes. "Around the Fire" includes a full ensemble of [[fiddle]], lute, flute, and drums. Some pieces included on the album are short ambient or incidental pieces, such as the stumbling strings and percussion of "Caught Off Guard" or "Tooth and Claw" with urgent string and drum rhythms. "Masser", by contrast, is a long, choral-based ambient track. The final track on the album, "Skyrim Atmospheres", consists entirely of ambient sound effects. The ambient piece "Frostfall" features cello and other lower register strings as well as vocals which are similar to those used in [[Howard Shore]]'s ''[[Music of The Lord of the Rings film series|The Lord of the Rings]]''. "Standing Stones" opens with an ominous male choral and [[Suspended chord|suspended]] strings. At the 0:49 mark of the track, the dissonant strings contrast with female vocals. "Tundra" uses similar techniques and also includes [[Middle Eastern music|Middle Eastern style]] instrumentation. "Aurora" is filled with contrasts, mixing [[Consonance and dissonance|dissonance and consonance]], quiet openings and dramatic buildups. "Sovngarde" incorporates motifs from "Dragonborn" and opens with a male-voice Nordic chant. "Wind Guide You" starts off in a dark tone then changes to a simultaneously warm yet ominous sound through strings and choir.<ref name=":6" />

== Reception and analysis ==

== Reception and analysis ==