# Can anyone recommend a composer who has written pieces similar to this?



## Alessio

Hello all, I'm new to the forums here, and am not entirely certain as to where and how I should have posted this question (although I figured that this type of music would fall under the "Chamber Music" category). I'd also like to say that while the track I am discussing is indeed from a video game, I have been listening to classical for quite some time, so I'm not just a boy asking a silly question that he could have answered on his own.

The composer Gary Schyman wrote the soundtrack for the game Bioshock Infinite, which was wonderful, but it is the song in the credits (simply name Elizabeth) that captured my attention. Here is a link to it on YouTube 




The song really picks up at about fifty seconds. I'd like to ask you all to recommend some composers that have made similar works. To be less exact, and somewhat easier to answer, I'd like to find more composers that wrote chamber music in similar fashion (maybe something that is only for strings). I've listened to a lot of Faure, Chopin, Saint-Seans, Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann, but from what works of theirs that I do have, very little of it is like the aforementioned song.

Once again, I'm sorry if I've asked this question in the wrong section of the forums, it just seemed like the right place to do so.


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## peeyaj

*Schubert - String Quintet*

Reminds me of Vaughn-Williams string works..


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## CyrilWashbrook

Reminds me a bit of some of the many string arrangements of Piazzolla. Examples:











The 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Artemis Quartet are two groups that have made some excellent Piazzolla arrangements, among other things. (As a general point, I would certainly recommend looking into the 12 Cellists: they've produced some nice CDs with novel arrangements of music of many genres. Then again, I'm a cellist so I'm a tad biased. )



peeyaj said:


> *Schubert - String Quintet*


As nice as it is, I'm not there's a huge resemblance in style between the Schubert and the piece at the link.


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## peeyaj

CyrilWashbrook said:


> Reminds me a bit of some of the many string arrangements of Piazzolla. Examples:
> 
> As nice as it is, I'm not there's a huge resemblance in style between the Schubert and the piece at the link.


I just posted that for a plug for some Schubert.


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## hreichgott

Hi, two free-associating music nerds here are coming up with

Tchaikovsky - Marche Slave
Dvorak - piano trios (piano/violin/cello)
Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherezade
Grieg - Peer Gynt suite


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## KenOC

Some cellos with voice...


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## Guest

Alessio said:


> The composer Gary Schyman wrote the soundtrack for the game Bioshock Infinite, which was wonderful, but it is the song in the credits (simply name Elizabeth) that captured my attention.
> 
> I'd like to ask you all to recommend some composers that have made similar works.


I think you mioht like this (John Tavener) :


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## PetrB

The opening sounds more than coincidentally similar to the beginning of Arnold Schoenberg's Verklaerte Nacht. 
It is even in the same key! The Schoenberg is much longer and 'developed' than most any film or video game music. (And I am sorry if you are now a little disappointed to find that at least this opening gesture was nearly directly 'cribbed' by the composer of 'Elizabeth,' but such is the way of many a film or video game track - 'original' music, but very directly derived from extant classical works... a little of this, that, a slight change of direction of the line, but clearly 'taken' from material written by others who came before.)
The piece is harmonically dark, 'gleams' and is also quite 'rich' or lush....









The rest that follow are not 'directly like that' but I've added them because they may make you feel similarly, as different as their 'musical means' are. This next is, well, just lovely.
Claude Debussy, String Quartet, 3rd movement - Andantino, doucement expressif.





Very different this, Arvo Pärt, _Fratres_ in the composer's arrangement for 12 Cellos.





You might also like his Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, for Strings and bell.





Hope some of this 'takes' with you. Feel free to inquire for more via a Private Message if you care to.

P.s. Common parlance in classical has music without vocals called 'a piece.' 
'Song' is reserved for pieces with voice, text, and instrumental accompaniment.


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## Delicious Manager

peeyaj said:


> *Schubert - String Quintet*
> 
> Reminds me of Vaughn-Williams string works..


* Vaughan Williams (two 'a's in 'Vaughan', no hyphen. It's not hard.).


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## Vaneyes

Delicious Manager said:


> * Vaughan Williams (two 'a's in 'Vaughan', no hyphen. It's not hard.).


And RVW's even better.


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