SPN Episode Composer List & Interviews

[I've got a bunch of back posts that have been sitting in a word doc for weeks, which I still need to make, so 'Sorry' in advance, flist, for the subsequent spamming.]

The SPN composers Christopher Lennertz and Jay Gruska share the scoring job, usually alternating every other episode. But since more than once they have disrupted the normal "every-other-episode" scoring schedule, I wanted to create a source list to keep track of the composer on each episode.

SEASON ONE

Lennertz Episodes	| Gruska Episodes
101	102
103	104
105	106
107	108
109	---
110	111
112	113
114	115
116	----
117	118
119	120
121	122

SEASON TWO

Lennertz Episodes	| Gruska Episodes
----	201
202	203
204	205
206	207
208	209
210	211
212	213
214	215
216	217
---	218
219	---
220	221
222	---

SEASON THREE

Lennertz Episodes	| Gruska Episodes
301	302
303	304
305	306
307	308
309	310
---	311
312	---
313	314
315	316

SEASON FOUR

Lennertz Episodes	| Gruska Episodes
---	401
402	---
403	404
---	405
406	407
408	---
409	---
410	411
412	413
414	415
416	417
418	419
---	420
---	421
422	---

SEASON FIVE

Lennertz Episodes	| Gruska Episodes
501	502
503	504
505	506
507	508
509	510
---	511
---	512
513	514
515	516
517	518
---	---
---	---
---	---
---	---
---	---

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COMPOSERS SPEAK
Lennertz Interviews:
- Megan's Minions Interviews Lennertz [Wherein he reveals he's a Dean fangirlboy]
- TrackSounds 2008 Interview with Lennertz
- July '07: Winchester Journal Interview with Lennertz
- May '07: Sequential Tart's Interview with Lennertz
- Cinescape.com Interview with Lennertz (includes info on developing the SPN Sound with Jay Gruska, and Cameron Stone, the electric cellist)
- TrackSounds interviews Lennertz
- Scifi.com article on Lennertz's score and Emmy nod
- Ain't It Cool News interviews Lennertz

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QUESTIONING THE KRIPKE/SINGER INFLUENCE

The interesting thing I see when looking at the episode list is the aberrations in the regular "every-other-episode" schedule. It's been noted in several interviews that each exec had a composer he wanted to bring in on the project. Kripke brought in Lennertz whom he had worked with for years, while Singer had brought in Gruska who had been his own music man. Both times in season one, Lennertz took on a double shift for an episode depending on more of the MotW scare than the character points, (110 and 117). And in the case of the summer transition, Gruska was given both 122 and 201 for more emotional character situations. So is Singer advocating this? I've noticed, over time Lennertz has become more accepting of expressing sentiment, and started taking on the strings, though still lacking a lot of melody. But still, Gruska seems to get the eps that depend on the sentiment the most because he seems more willing to use strings to express it. But is Singer the reason? Is he the reason Gruska got the finale and the premiere to score? While Kripke was liking more what Lennertz did, but just conceded to Singer’s thoughts. Or is Kripke advocating it too? Why can't they ask this kind of stuff in interviews? Sure no one else would care but I'd be a happy camper. :D

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BACK TO THE BIG DAMN SPN S1 SCORE POST

SPN Score Motifs

Background on Motifs:

Just as literature can possess reoccurring themes called 'motifs', so can strains of music within a score of a film or television show. The tradition of the use of motifs in film score is actually an old idea which was derived from the German composers who coined the phrase, leitmotif ('leading motif') and made the practice popular. While the precise term, 'leitmotif' was first to explain the work of von Weber (1786-1826), it was Wagner (1813-1888) who is most commonly associated with popularizing their usage. His operas, which early film composers would later look to for inspiration, made liberal use of these leitmotifs, and consequently became a large part of scoring film and television.

The most common use of a musical motif ties a particular melody to a character, which is repeated in reference to that character. More complex motifs which reference feelings or ideas can also occur. They function quite interestingly on a subconscious level for the viewer to recall the visual or visuals previously associated with melody.

Motifs on Supernatural:

Because Supernatural has two composers, it is hard to keep up a truly consistent motif usage. Individually, each have introduced and used their own motifs for certain characters or ideas. It's debatable whether Gruska and Lennertz have been consciously willing to use the others motif for a specific instance a scene might relate to.

It's hard to purely quantify what the meaning of a repeated melody on the show might be. Sometimes, it means nothing. Composers on television recycle bits of score all the time. But sometimes a melody will be reused, and has a direct connection with its first use. These are the motifs I've listed below. Motifs were named purely based on the common thread that all its instances contained.

Derivatives of a theme are also commonly used in film score, where a motif is taken and manipulated in a meaningful way. For instance, flattening out the notes of a melody can illustrate metaphorically the loss of the idea that that melody previously represented.

Different forms of a theme through the use of different timbres can also be meaningful. Trumpets can be victory. Woodwinds can be warmth and safety. Violins can be the voice of a specific character.

All of this is of course hinged on the word 'can'. We can't actually know whether or not the meaning is there intentionally. These notes below are simply sketches of what was presented. Infer or not as you wish. (But really, that's half the motif fun!)

LENNERTZ MOTIFS

The YED's Theme: (the beginning of 'And So It Begins')
___________________________________________________________________
                                                  -
                                        =                   =
-                                -
      =              =          
           |     -          |                  |
____________________________________________________________________

- 1.01 - Starts as Mary gets out of bed to check on Sammy
- 1.14 - Heard again as Max tells Sam his mother died in his nursery
- 4.03 - Heard as the YED brags to Dean about his endgame
- 4.06 - Heard as Dean's hallucination of Sam as he reveals his yellow eyes
- 4.06 - Heard as Dean's hallucination of Lilith reminds Dean how he remembers Hell

Silly Brothers Theme:
___________________________________________________________________
                                         -                 -
  -         -           -          -----             -----
                              -                 -
-   - -   -    - -    -   - -    -           --   -            - -
        |          |                       |                 | 
____________________________________________________________________
- 1.01 - Electric guitar piece heard first as Dean and Sam get out of the Impala and impersonate U.S. Marshalls.
         - Heard again after they run into the REAL U.S. Marshalls a couple minutes later.   
         - One bar of this piece is heard in the later bridge scene after Sam tells Dean he "smells like a toilet"*
- 1.08 - Heard as Dean convinces Sam to squat in the model house for the night *
- 1.14 - Heard at the end of the episode as Dean cracks his Vegas joke* 
- 1.17 - Heard as a response to Sam's prank of salsa-fying Dean's radio*
         - Heard as Dean slips pepper in Sam's pants while he takes a shower* 
         - Heard again as Dean realizes his hand is stuck to the beer bottle and Sam celebrates in victory
- 2.06 - Heard towards the end after Dean drives in with the cement truck
- 4.06 - Heard as Dean is confronted by the ferocious dog that's been chasing him
- 4.08 - Heard as Sam realizes who the "ghost" in the girl's locker room was

*[thanks to stargatemouse for these finds]

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GRUSKA MOTIFS

Sam and John's Theme:
__________________________________________________________
                        -
                            -              -
-          -                    -              -
   -        -                       -              -
                -                       -              -
              
        -           -
         |            |           |           |
__________________________________________________________

- 1.04 - Heard at the end as Sam and Dean listen to John's new cell message
- 1.08 - A wavering, unsettled derivative heard as Sam tells Dean he wants to find John
- 1.20 - Heard as John tells Sam this was never the life he wanted for him
- 4.07 - Heard as Sam finishes ganking Samhain and notices Dean from afar
- 4.12 - Heard at the end of the episode as Sam makes his decision and opens up the car door to join Ruby

Dean's Family Dedication Theme:
_________________________________________________
                                     
                                        -   
        -                           -       -
    -      -       -            -              -
-              -            -
                      -  |
__________________________________________________

- 1.22 - Heard through Dean's "Things I'm willing to do" speech inside the cabin
- 2.01 - Episode Theme (small strains are heard throughout the episode)
               - The pure form heard as John sits by Dean's bedside while Dean yells at him to do something
               - A distorted form heard as Tessa is revealed as the reaper and tries to convince Dean to let go
               - A piano and flute version heard as John's "You did that" speech to Dean
               - A higher octave flute w/ backed orch. version heard as Sam finds John dead
- 2.09 - An acoustic version heard throughout Dean's "I'm tired" speech
- 2.11 - Same acoustic version heard as Dean watches Drunk!Sam go to sleep after he made Dean swear to kill him if he goes dangerous.  
- 2.20 - Flattened form heard when Dean realizes Sam and him don't get along in Wishverse*
- 2.21 - A brass form of the full theme heard as Sam dies in Dean's arms 
- 3.08 - A messily disguised derivative heard as Little!Sam gives Young!Dean his Christmas present
- 3.16 - The full theme heard as Dean tells Sam they cannot keep making the same mistakes over again
- 4.13 - A underdeveloped variation of the theme heard as teenage Dean announces he's a hero
- 4.15 - The full theme heard as makes his Dean confession to Tessa
- 4.15 - An eerily sharpened derivative heard as Dean critizes Alistair for his choice of murder tools
- 4.21 - The full theme heard as Sam defiantly walks out the door against Dean's protests

*Score by Lennertz, so it's debatable whether its an intentional strain of Gruska's motif or not


DEAN THEME ANALYSIS:
Season Two Perspective
This theme could be heard in emotional scenes throughout the season, possessing a strong sense of meaning and purpose, adding dimension to the scenes it accompanied, and overall pulling the season together from bookend to bookend. After first appearing in Devil's Trap (1.22) to accompany Dean's speech fears for the things he is willing to do for his family, it becomes the major musical theme of the season two premiere, In My Time of Dying (2.01). In here, it is most notably paired with John and his silent decision to sacrifice himself to save Dean, suggesting his sacrifice was for Dean in response to everything Dean had given him and Sam over the years. Furthermore, its accompaniment to The Secret tells us of John's belief in Dean and power to watch over his family. As it is carried throughout the season, the theme references not only Dean's responsibility to keep Sam safe, but also the burden of The Secret, and marks Dean's weariness with this life, both in Croatoan (2.09) and Playthings (2.11). During Dean's Wish World in What Is, Lennertz quite brilliantly (whether intentional or not) references this theme in a flatten form of the theme's melody right as Dean realizes that the Sam in this world does not like or need him, and signifies the loss of that responsibility. Probably most memorable is its use at the end of All Hell Breaks Loose (Part 1) (2.21), as Dean holds a stabbed Sam and watches him die in his arms. This use all at once invokes the whole season and all of Dean's dedication towards his family right before your eyes, helping the viewer to mourn with Dean his complete loss of the most important people in his life and subsequent loss of purpose.

Season Three Perspective
In season three, the theme resurfaces exactly twice. In the flashback of ‘A Very Supernatural Christmas’, a messy disguised derivative of this theme begins as Little Sammy gives Young Dean his Christmas present (the amulet), effectively signifying the passing of responsibility of Sam from John to Dean. Existing not in the purified form which would characterize Dean’s dedication to his family almost twenty years later, but as this disguised derivative in which the core melody remains hidden beneath numerous filler noters surrounding it, perfectly characterizes the moment as the beginning of the dedication which would later result in the Dean we know today.

The purified theme is resurrected in the Season Three Finale, ‘No Rest For The Wicked’ as Dean tells Sam that they cannot keep making the same mistakes over again. The version used is identical to that first heard in the theme’s introduction during Dean’s “Things I’m Willing To Do” speech, which appropriately references back to that speech two years before, and with it, brings the accompanied imagery of the last three years, particularly family’s mistakes marked by John’s and Sam’s death, to the current scene at hand. Moreover, it stands to subvert that which was once considered sacred: The Dedication of the Winchester Family, as Dean explains to Sam how they need to stop being martyrs and making the same mistakes over again, bringing the theme and the idea behind it completely full circle. Perhaps we should have been calling this theme the Winchester Family Dedication Theme all along, but since Dean restates his role as the protector of the Winchester Constitution in the next breath, I feel confident in keeping it as is.

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OTHER SPN SCORE POSTS:
- NEW!! Big Damn SPN S3 Score Post [Downloads]
- Season Two's Scoring Overview Meta
- Big Damn SPN S1 Score Post (IDs and Downloads)
- Dean's Family Dedication Theme [Downloads]
- List of Episodes for Each SPN Composer
- SPN Composer Interviews
- SPN Pilot: Comparing The Pre-Aired Score to Aired Version's

OTHER FANDOMS' SCORE POSTS
- Josh Kramon: Veronica Mars Score
- Greg Edmonson: Firefly Score

Big Damn SPN Score Music Post (Downloads and IDs for S1)

One of the first things that caught my attention when I first started watching Supernatural was the score. Not like this is anything strange, since I‘ve always grown to love my TV shows' scores, as some might remember my score posts for VM and FF. So imagine my excitement months ago, when I stumble on sarah_p‘s SPN music post containing a whole album worth of score cues. [originally obtained through Soundtrack Sharity]

Now I'm sure some people might be able to listen to this compilation without cue identification but I'm a bit of a nut about it. I always need to know WHAT the scores were originally made for, WHERE they came from, so at least I can put them on a playlist in some semblance of chronological order. I searched for as long as I could trying to find if someone had IDed these released scores, but with no luck. If there is someone out there who had figured them all out, my google skills obviously suck, because I was never able to find it. So I just did it myself.

I’m not sure how many people actually care about scoring enough to actually make a post for it. But at any rate, I figured it deserved its marker on the internet. Because whether people realize it or not, it really MAKES the show what it is.

Some might not find the SPN score any more special than any other show on television, which is fine. But as my poor film music class knows, I'm picky about scores. So when I find one that pleases me so, I like exploring it. In my mind, it's like...score is like salt. Add too little and your dish is bland. Add too much and you can ruin your dish completely. The skill is in adding just the right amount to accent the taste without interfering with its creation. Any composer can throw together music and take over a scene with loud swooping sounds and pull a viewer their own direction. It's the ones who know they are subservient to the source, who work with the visual material, understand it and accent importance, yes, but more importantly, who know how and when to HOLD BACK...that makes scoring such an art to me.

The difference with this show, as some of you might know, is that it actually has TWO composers. Christopher Lennertz and Jay Gruska, brought in by executive producers Eric Kripke and Robert Singer respectively, who share the composing responsibility by alternating episodes. This makes the show uniquely interesting to me. It really is amazing just how cohesive the score sounds. They both yield an eclectic sound for the show, and as the first season progressed, they were able to adopt more of each other’s style to incorporate between. I honestly didn’t hardly realize the difference between the two until I looked at it later. There is none the less a distinct difference.

So as it turns out, that score compilation (which was never officially released but leaked on the internet months ago for online viewers to obtain) was made by Lennertz containing his scores alone from the first season. I went through and identified these first, before turning to other score cues missing on the compilation.

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( LENNERTZ SCORES )

FULL ZIP of LENNERTZ SPN OST ALBUM
(Secondary DL Link HERE)

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( GRUSKA SCORES )

FULL ZIP of RIPPED GRUSKA S1 SCORES
(Secondary DL Link HERE)

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( More Lennertz Scores - Ripped )

FULL ZIP of extra RIPPED LENNERTZ SCORES
(Secondary DL Link HERE)

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NEW UPDATES (6/18/07 03/01/08):

END CREDITS: (Special thanks to starry_ice for figuring out the scheme)
- Lennertz's SPN S1 End Credits Music - This piece of score is used on the end credits of episodes scored by Christopher Lennertz (mp3 compliments of starry_ice)
- Gruska's SPN S1 End Credits Music - This piece of score is used on the end credits of episodes scored by Jay Gruska. This piece also heard at the end of 'Dean Man's Blood' and used for the S1 DVD menu.

- Silly Brothers Theme [(1)-(2)-(3)] - This is a theme used continually throughout the series during light brother moments. First heard during 101 on the bridge before (1) and after (2) talking to the cops. Later heard during 117 after Sam pranks Dean with the glued beer bottle (3).

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OTHER SPN SCORE POSTS:
- Big Damn SPN S4 Score Post [Downloads] NEW!!
- Big Damn SPN S3 Score Post [Downloads] NEW!!
- Dean's Family Dedication Theme [Downloads for all Twelve Moments of the Series] NEW!!
- List of Episodes for Each SPN Composer
- SPN's Musical Motifs
- SPN Composer Interviews
- Season Two's Scoring Overview Meta
- SPN Pilot: Comparing The Pre-Aired Score to Aired Version's

OTHER FANDOMS' SCORE POSTS
- Josh Kramon: Veronica Mars Score
- Greg Edmonson: Firefly Score