# A L I E N - Jerry Goldsmith and classical (or other) influences on this score



## Atrahasis

​I m writing some paper on Alien franchise, and now it is time for detailed analysis of Alien score by great Jerry Goldsmith. I ve mentioned some classical influences (using my modest knowledge of classical music) on his score such as:* Bartok, Penderecki, Ligeti, Messiaen, Ives, Mahler, Stravinsky* ("avant-garde" composers), *Varèse, Rautavaara* (Angels and Visitations, 1978), *Scelsi* and maybe *Pettersson and Hovhaness*. Of course I have also mentioned the use of Jerry's soundtrack for the movie Freud and Hanson's Symphony no.2. Then I wrote about his use of echoplex (like in Paton) and about few not so standard instruments that the utilized for this score - serpent, didgeridoo, conch shell. Of course there is much more to be added, but I m interested if there is someone willing to help me regarding classical influences on Alien score (not just names but the ways music of those composers influenced this ost or sci fi music in general)?

Thanks.


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## Guest

Make sure you research properly and find out what he wrote for the movie that was actually used, and what he wrote for other movies (especially Freud) that Terry Rawlings selected for the temp track that survived into the final cut.


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## Atrahasis

From the booklet I have:



> Documentation suggests that Alien was shortened by eleven minutes from the version Goldsmith scored. While some entire scenes were cut, trimming mostly consisted of short segments which often resulted in a rhythm or tone inconsistent with what had been composed. In addition to cues that were rescored, most others were dropped, cut or moved to scenes other than those for which they were written... and in three sequences music from Goldsmith's 1962 score for Freud (his first Oscar nomination) was retained in lieu of his Alien compositions. "We bought a couple of the Goldsmith pieces we had in the temp.* explained co-producer David Giler, "and then in the dub, in the mix, we really played down a lot of his stuff and played up some kinds of weird sounds that we had... but Mr. Goldsmith was quite unhappy when he saw the movie" Goldsmith recalled: "The film came out with the Freud music in it. Consequently, I got more letters saying: 'starting to repeat yourself, eh?"'


Edit: Thans for the video, it is form The Beast Within: The Making of Alien documentary. I have that too.


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## JAS

I presume that snippet is from the Intrada release, which has very detailed notes. For a long time, there was a publication called Film Score Monthly, which I think is now defunct. I never subscribed, but I have a few of their CD releases, and I suspect that they have a number of discussions that might be relevant to your study.

Edit: And I have been informed that it still exists and has an online incarnation: http://www.filmscoremonthly.com


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## Prodromides

My 2 cents:

I'd be very cautious/reluctant to claim that Scelsi was in any way an influence on Goldsmith.
Much of Scelsi's mature compositions (from around 1959 onwards) which ultimately define Scelsi's soundscapes had to wait about 25 years for their premieres! For example, most of the larger orchestral works from the 1960s didn't get performances until 1987, 1988, 1989, etc. It wasn't until Scelsi's death that there began to accumulate an actual discography offering his music on recordings.
Since *Alien* was composed by Goldsmith early in 1979 (around February, I recall), there likely weren't any concerts or albums of Scelsi music that could influence Goldsmith in any significant way.
This is all my guesswork, though, and I'd love to hear of any evidence of Goldsmith listening to Scelsi to prove me wrong. 

There is one work in particular which sounds quite similar to Goldsmith's *Alien* - and this is Maurice Ohana's *Livre des Prodiges* (but it wouldn't be an influence on Goldsmith either since both were completed in 1979!)


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## Atrahasis

Prodromides said:


> My 2 cents:
> 
> I'd be very cautious/reluctant to claim that Scelsi was in any way an influence on Goldsmith.
> Much of Scelsi's mature compositions (from around 1959 onwards) which ultimately define Scelsi's soundscapes had to wait about 25 years for their premieres! For example, most of the larger orchestral works from the 1960s didn't get performances until 1987, 1988, 1989, etc. It wasn't until Scelsi's death that there began to accumulate an actual discography offering his music on recordings.
> Since *Alien* was composed by Goldsmith early in 1979 (around February, I recall), there likely weren't any concerts or albums of Scelsi music that could influence Goldsmith in any significant way.
> This is all my guesswork, though, and I'd love to hear of any evidence of Goldsmith listening to Scelsi to prove me wrong.
> 
> There is one work in particular which sounds quite similar to Goldsmith's *Alien* - and this is Maurice Ohana's *Livre des Prodiges* (but it wouldn't be an influence on Goldsmith either since both were completed in 1979!)


Thanks for that. Excellent remarks. Ohana's work is strangely similar to Goldsmith soundtrack.


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## Metairie Road

György Ligeti is the most obvious influence.


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