How Murray Gold Writes a Theme - Part 1: The Doctors

Summary

This video explores Murray Gold's iconic contributions to the modern Doctor Who series, highlighting his work across seven Doctors from 2005 to the 60th anniversary specials. Known for his melodic and emotionally rich compositions, Gold crafts themes that reflect each Doctor's personality, from the Ninth Doctor's haunting loneliness to the Eleventh's whimsical adventure and the Fifteenth's energetic heroism. The analysis delves into musical techniques, orchestration, and recurring motifs, showing how Gold’s scores enhance narrative depth, character development, and memorable moments. It offers a fascinating insight into how music shapes the storytelling and emotional impact of Doctor Who.

Takeaways

• 😀 Murray Gold has been the composer for *Doctor Who* since 2005, spanning multiple showrunners, eras, and seven incarnations of the Doctor.
• 🎶 Gold's music is known for its emotional depth, distinct style, and ability to evoke the essence of characters, settings, and scenes through melody.
• 🧑‍⚖️ Murray Gold's music is influenced by composers such as Ennio Morricone and Danny Elfman, often creating more melodic scores instead of generic background music.
• 💡 Gold intentionally avoids writing 'TV music' that simply fills space, focusing instead on memorable tunes and emotional depth.
• 🎻 The Doctor's theme is characterized by a haunting vocal melody and is often associated with the Ninth Doctor's grief, pain, and loneliness.
• 🌍 The Doctor's theme has evolved over time, with its core melody appearing in scenes for multiple Doctors, from the Ninth to the Fifteenth.
• 📈 Gold composed a more triumphant version of the Doctor's theme for the Tenth Doctor, symbolizing a shift from pain to heroism.
• 🔄 A new version of the Doctor's theme appeared in the 60th anniversary specials, representing the evolution of the character with the return of the Tenth Doctor and the introduction of the Fourteenth.
• ⚔️ For the Tenth Doctor, Gold's music became more action-oriented and adventurous, incorporating elements of swashbuckling and darker tones.
• 🎻 The Eleventh Doctor's theme, *I Am the Doctor*, is the most recurring motif, featuring whimsical, fairy-tale-like elements and adapting to different settings, genres, and tones throughout the series.
• 🌟 The Fifteenth Doctor's theme incorporates energetic and heroic motifs, with a playful and adventurous quality, often compared to Barry Gray’s themes for Jerry Anderson shows like *Thunderbirds*.

Q & A

Who is Murray Gold and what is his significance in Doctor Who?

Murray Gold is a composer who scored Doctor Who from its 2005 revival through 2017 and returned for the 60th anniversary specials. He composed for two showrunners, three eras, and seven Doctors, creating memorable and emotionally resonant music.

What characterizes Murray Gold's musical style?

Gold's style is melodic and emotionally expressive, influenced by Ennio Morricone and Danny Elfman. He focuses on tuneful melodies that evoke characters, settings, and emotions rather than simply filling background space.

How does the Ninth Doctor's theme reflect the character?

The Ninth Doctor's theme conveys grief, pain, and secrecy following the Time War. Written in D minor, it features a haunting vocal line with sparse accompaniment, including strings, piano, and woodwinds, performed with rubato to allow expressive flexibility.

What changes were made to the Doctor's theme in Series 4?

In Series 4, the theme was expanded with full orchestration, including additional strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and a choir. This transformed the original motif of loneliness and pain into a more triumphant and heroic statement.

How is the Tenth Doctor's theme musically distinct?

The Tenth Doctor's theme is heroic and adventurous, incorporating triplet rhythms, strings, woodwinds, and brass. It reflects the action-oriented tone of Series 3 and includes motifs for regeneration and epic heroic moments.

What makes the Eleventh Doctor's theme unique?

The Eleventh Doctor's theme, 'I Am the Doctor,' is written in 7/4 time, reflecting his quirky personality. It blends strings and woodwinds for a fairy-tale tone with whimsical, offbeat sections, and adapts across episodes to match different settings and tones.

How does the Twelfth Doctor's theme convey character traits?

The Twelfth Doctor's theme begins dark and tense, with a playful, fairy-tale-like melody beneath. Tracks like 'The Majestic Tale of an Idiot in a Box' merge previous motifs and reflect the Doctor's introspection about morality, using music to narratively express the character's journey.

What are the defining features of the Fifteenth Doctor's theme?

The Fifteenth Doctor's theme is energetic and heroic, featuring semiquaver marching snare rhythms, bouncy bass clarinet phrases, whimsical woodwinds, and heroic brass and strings. It evokes a playful and adventurous tone, reminiscent of John Williams and Barry Gray compositions.

How does Murray Gold use motifs across different Doctors?

Gold develops recurring musical motifs that evolve across regenerations while retaining identifiable elements. This continuity reinforces character traits and story arcs, linking different Doctors and episodes through shared musical themes.

Why are some of Murray Gold's musical choices significant beyond just sound?

Gold's music is narratively integrated, reflecting character arcs, emotional states, and thematic elements. Track titles, instrumentation, time signatures, and motif variations often mirror the Doctor's personality, challenges, and growth, adding depth to the storytelling.

What are some notable compositional techniques used by Murray Gold?

Gold uses techniques like rubato for expressive tempo, unusual time signatures (e.g., 7/4), non-standard scales or all 12 notes for a unique feel, orchestration changes for emotional effect, and vocal motifs to reinforce character identity.

How has the audience reacted to the frequent use of 'I Am the Doctor'?

While some fans have criticized the theme for overuse, it remains an effective and high-quality character motif that reflects the Eleventh Doctor's whimsical and heroic personality, demonstrating its centrality to the series' musical identity.