Lincoln (soundtrack)
Lincoln (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album to the 2012 biographical historical drama film Lincoln, based on the Doris Kearns Goodwin's 2005 biography Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, a semi-biographical novel that covers the final four months of United States President Abraham Lincoln's life. The film is directed by Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay written by Tony Kushner and featured musical score composed by John Williams, Spielberg's frequent collaborator. The orchestral score was recorded at Symphony Center, Chicago by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Chorus.[1] It was released by Sony Classical on November 2, 2012.[2]
| Lincoln (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | November 2, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Studio | Symphony Center, Chicago | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Length | 58:46 | |||
| Label | Sony Classical | |||
| Producer | John Williams | |||
| John Williams chronology | ||||
| ||||
The score received critical acclaim, with praise being directed on Williams' composition and orchestration. It was nominated for Original Score at several award ceremonies including Academy Awards,[3][4] Golden Globe Awards,[5] British Academy Film Awards,[6] Satellite Awards and Grammy Awards.[7] It won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Score, and International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Original Score for a Drama Film.
Track listing edit
The track list of Lincoln's score was unveiled on August 24, 2012.[8] The revelation of the track titles, according to IndieWire and CinemaBlend were considered as "mild spoilers" to the film's storyline, which also calling it as suitably important and historical in a grand manner.[2][9] All music was composed by Williams, except "Battle Cry of Freedom" which was written in 1862 by American composer George Frederick Root (1820–1895) during the American Civil War.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The People's House" | 3:43 |
| 2. | "The Purpose of the Amendment" | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Getting Out the Vote" | 2:49 |
| 4. | "The American Process" | 3:57 |
| 5. | "The Blue and Grey" | 3:00 |
| 6. | "With Malice Toward None" | 1:51 |
| 7. | "Call to Muster, and Battle Cry of Freedom" | 2:17 |
| 8. | "The Southern Delegation, and the Dream" | 4:43 |
| 9. | "Father and Son" | 1:42 |
| 10. | "The Race to the House" | 2:42 |
| 11. | "Equality under the Law" | 3:12 |
| 12. | "Freedom's Call" | 6:08 |
| 13. | "Elegy" | 2:35 |
| 14. | "Remembering Willie" | 1:51 |
| 15. | "Appomattox, April 9, 1865" | 2:38 |
| 16. | "The Peterson House, and Finale" | 11:00 |
| 17. | "With Malice Toward None (Piano Solo)" | 1:31 |
| Total length: | 58:46 | |
A For Your Consideration promotional album was released prior to the film's soundtrack release, in order to be shortlisted for nominations at major award ceremonies.[10]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Quickstep And The American Process" | |
| 2. | "Sleeping Tad" | |
| 3. | "With Malice Toward None" | |
| 4. | "Getting Out the Vote" | |
| 5. | "The Southern Delegation Arrives" | |
| 6. | "Remembering Willie" | |
| 7. | "Message From Grant and Decisions" | |
| 8. | "No Sixteen Year Olds Left" | |
| 9. | "The Telegraph Office" | |
| 10. | "The Purpose of the Amendment" | |
| 11. | "Equality Under the Law" | |
| 12. | "Welcome to This House" | |
| 13. | "The American Process" | |
| 14. | "Lincoln Responds To Southern VP" | |
| 15. | "City Point" | |
| 16. | "Lincoln And Grant / Lee's Departure" | |
| 17. | "Trumpet Hymn" | |
| 18. | "Now He Belongs to the Ages" | |
| 19. | "End Credits" |
Reception edit
The soundtrack received exceptionally positive critical response, praising John Williams' composition and orchestration. From the Texas Public Radio, Nathan Cone stated "Lincoln is hands-down, pleasing music, stately, elegant, with just a hint of the country charm that remained within [Abraham] Lincoln himself, as masterfully played by Daniel Day-Lewis in the film".[1] James Southall wrote that the score of Lincoln as "exceptional" and "might be strong contender for major award ceremonies".[11] Calling it as "one of the standout works, so far in 2012", Jonathan Broxton addressed the score as "a proud and respectful musical tribute to a true American hero".[12] Hypable called the score as "masterful and memorable".[13] MFiles.com wrote "Lincoln is a score that once again proves no composer can pierce to the emotional heart of a movie with as much tact and grace as John Williams. His music is never just noise for the sake of it, is never dominated by ego or aimless padding. Instead, he always serves the emotional needs of the movie through good, old-fashioned orchestral magic, and it's always a treat to behold. Although the music is for the most part fairly quiet, the building blocks are more easily identifiable than they have been in many Williams scores of late, making it a pleasurable and well-constructed listening experience. And let's not forget Spielberg's part in this enduring collaboration. As director, he shows real sensitivity and understanding in how to deploy music, helping to draw out the very best from Williams. The score works brilliantly on album and yet its largely unobtrusive presence in the film also needs to be commended, quietly urging the drama along and never getting in the way."[14] Filmtracks.com stated "There is extraordinary, carefully crafted finesse to this material that, while perhaps tired and repetitive in Williams' own body of incredible achievements, remains remarkable to behold in the 2010's."[15] CinemaBlend and Collider ranked it as "one of the best scores from Williams' and Spielberg's collaboration".[16][17]
Release history edit
Accolades edit
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards[24] | February 24, 2013 | Best Original Score | John Williams | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards[25] | February 10, 2013 | Best Original Music | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Awards[26] | January 10, 2013 | Best Score | Won | |
| Golden Globe Awards[27] | January 13, 2013 | Best Original Score | Nominated | |
| Grammy Awards[28] | January 26, 2014 | Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media | Nominated | |
| Houston Film Critics Awards[29] | January 6, 2012 | Best Score | Nominated | |
| International Film Music Critics Association Awards[30] | February 21, 2013 | Film Score of the Year | Nominated | |
| Film Composer of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score for a Drama Film | Won | |||
| Film Music Composition of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Satellite Awards[31] | December 16, 2012 | Best Original Score | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards[32] | December 10, 2012 | Best Score | Nominated |
References edit
- ^ a b "Soundtrack Review: "Lincoln"". TPR. November 22, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ a b "Lincoln: the new soundtrack by John Williams - an album guide". Classic FM. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "85th Oscars: 'Lincoln' leads with 12 nominations". News18. January 10, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Kroll, Katy (January 10, 2013). "'Lincoln' Leads Oscar Nominations With 12". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "Lincoln riding high with seven Golden Globe nominations". the Guardian. December 13, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "BAFTA awards: 'Lincoln' leads nominations, 'Life of Pi' follows with nine nods". The Economic Times. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "Grammy nominations 2014: List of nominees". www.cbsnews.com. December 7, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Cunliffe, Jack (August 23, 2012). "Tracklist For John Williams' 'Lincoln' Score Walks Us Through Steven Spielberg's Story". The Film Stage. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ . Indiewire. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
- ^ John Williams - Lincoln, retrieved June 2, 2022
- ^ Southall, James (December 9, 2012). "Lincoln Soundtrack Review". Movie Wave. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "LINCOLN – John Williams". MOVIE MUSIC UK. October 24, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "'Lincoln' score - soundtrack review; John Williams' masterful score analyzed". Hypable. November 9, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "Lincoln by John Williams: a review of the film score soundtrack from mfiles". www.mfiles.co.uk. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "Filmtracks: Lincoln (John Williams)". www.filmtracks.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Philip Sledge (August 8, 2020). "10 Excellent John Williams Scores In A Steven Spielberg Movie". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Tanenbaum, Ross (December 26, 2021). "7 Best Collaborations Between John Williams and Steven Spielberg, Ranked". Collider. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ John Williams (2012), Lincoln, Sony Classical, retrieved June 2, 2022
- ^ John Williams, Lincoln Soundtrack, Music on Vinyl, retrieved June 2, 2022
- ^ John Williams, Lincoln, Sony Music Classical, retrieved June 2, 2022
- ^ John Williams - Lincoln (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), retrieved June 2, 2022
- ^ Lincoln, retrieved June 2, 2022
- ^ Williams John, LINCOLN ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK, SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN, retrieved June 2, 2022
- ^ Bigman, Dan. "Full List: 'Lincoln' Leads 2013 Oscar Nominations". Forbes. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "'Lincoln' dominates BAFTA nominations, earning 10". Los Angeles Times. January 9, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ . Broadcast Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
- ^ . HFPA. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
- ^ "Grammys 2014: The complete list of nominees and winners". Los Angeles Times. December 7, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Adam, Ryan (December 15, 2012). "Lincoln leads Houston Film Critic Society Awards with eight nominations". AwardsDaily.com. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ^ IFMCA (2013). "2012 IFMCA Awards". IFMCA. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "17th Satellite Awards Nominations". International Press Academy. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
- ^ "The 2012 WAFCA Awards". Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. December 10, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.