Jay's playlist: Battlestar Galactica (strings)

Welcome to my playlist, where I discuss the music which is currently entertaining me. Below you will find a video, press play to begin the song and then read my feelings on the album.

Today's playlist is string music from the series Battlestar Galactica:

The music of the TV series Battlestar Galactica is fantastic and varied. A majority of the four seasons' music consists of percussion-heavy battle pieces and an emphasis on unusual instruments (an orchestra was rarely used). But occasionally a string ensemble was used to create a somber atmosphere. Due to the heavy contrast of the strings pieces when compared to the rest of the music, the few string pieces stand out both emotionally and musically.



The motif performed most often in the fashion came to be called "The Shape of Things to Come" and usually appeared during emotional scenes of tragedy or prophetic scenes of splendor. One of its best uses was during a mostly silent montage involving a boxing match, a suicidal woman, a sensual (sexual?) case of mistaken identity, and a rogue shooting. Each scene shows a different emotion but all are tied together by the beautiful passacalgia linked above. You can watch the scene here immediately after the "previously on Battlestar Galatica". (Warning, the video will try to open ads in new browsers before you can play the video, open at your own risk).



This final piece is literally that: the final piece of the entire series (ignoring the short epilogue which takes place hundreds of thousands of years later). It being with the more "non-traditional" musical styles found throughout the series, then segues into the now-familiar "Shape of Things to Come" theme as the prophesized "things" finally do arrive on screen, then ends the piece (and the series) with the traditional bombastic percussion finale. A great end to a great series and soundtrack!