Gosford Park (soundtrack)

Album by Patrick Doyle

Gosford Park

Soundtrack album by

Patrick Doyle and Ivor Novello

Released| 15 January 2002
Genre| Soundtrack
Label| Decca Records

Gosford Park Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2001 film Gosford Park.

## Production

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The director of Gosford Park, Robert Altman, discussed the direction the film's soundtrack would take with composer, Patrick Doyle, suggesting that the soundtrack should not attempt to direct the audience to any particular part of the film, but to support it nonetheless.[1] Another potential issue in the soundtrack's composition was the integration of Ivor Novello songs with the overall score. Altman noted that both of these aspects were handled well by the composer.[1] Doyle used the film's main character, Mary, as a focal point for his composition, taking influences from her Scottish nationality and incorporating them into the score. He described the collaboration with Altman as "one of the happiest of my career."[1]

## Performers

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### Original Score

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Patrick Doyle's score was performed by ensembles of six to twelve members (the exact size depended on the piece) conducted by James Shearman. The arrangements utilized a six or seven piece string section, two woodwinds, piano, harp, classical guitar, and accordion, playing in various combinations. For swing and musette arrangements, a rhythm section of acoustic guitar, bass, and drums was added to the orchestra. On the swing pieces, guitarist John Parricelli played the Django Reinhardt-style acoustic lead guitar and Jamie Talbot played saxophone solos. The title piece is a piano solo performed by Brian Gascoigne.

Doyle's daughter Abigail sang two songs composed by Patrick Doyle, "Only for a While" and "The Way It's Meant to Be".

The original score's orchestrations were done by Doyle, Shearman, and Lawrence Ashmore.

### Ivor Novello Songs

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Actor Jeremy Northam, who portrayed English composer and musical theater performer Ivor Novello in the film, recorded several Novello theater songs for the soundtrack. In the film, Novello (as played by Northam) is featured singing four of these compositions while accompanying himself at the piano during a dinner party. For the soundtrack recording, Northam was accompanied on the four dinner party songs by classical pianist Christopher Northam, his older brother. In addition, Northam recorded Novello's song "The Land of Might-Have-Been" for the soundtrack in an orchestral arrangement that also featured Christopher Northam's piano.

In addition to the vocal performances, Christopher Northam recorded Novello's "Waltz of My Heart" as a piano solo for the soundtrack.

## Critical response

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The film review website SoundtrackNet reviewed the soundtrack positively. The critic, Glenn McClanan, praises Doyle's scoring as "effective and surprisingly well-developed."[2] He goes on to say that the score was intended mainly for two purposes: to give the audience a sense of the film's setting and to impart to the audience a sense of emotion, and that the film is successful in both endeavours.[2]

## Track listing

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All music composed by Patrick Doyle, except as follows:

* 1, 6, 10, 11, 19, and 24 are songs with music composed by Ivor Novello and lyrics as noted in credits below.
* 16 and 20 are songs with music composed by Patrick Doyle and lyrics as noted in credits below.

Jeremy Northam's vocal performances are accompanied by Christopher Northam, piano.

No. | Composition | Artist

|
|

1 | Waltz of My Heart (Ivor Novello / Christopher Hassall) | Christopher Northam, piano (instrumental)
2 | Mr. Parks | orchestra
3 | Gosford Park | orchestra
4 | Bored to Sobs | orchestra
5 | The Shirt | orchestra
6 | And Her Mother Came Too (Ivor Novello / Dion Titheradge) | Jeremy Northam, vocal
7 | Walking to Shoot | orchestra
8 | No Smoke Without Fire | orchestra
9 | Scherzo in G | orchestra
10 | I Can Give You the Starlight (Ivor Novello / Christopher Hassall) | Jeremy Northam, vocal
11 | What a Duke Should Be (Ivor Novello / Clifford Grey) | Jeremy Northam, vocal
12 | Inspector Thompson | orchestra
13 | Pull Yourself Together | orchestra
14 | Life Goes On | orchestra
15 | Secrets to Hide | orchestra
16 | Only for a While (Patrick Doyle / Robert Altman) | Abigail Doyle, vocal with orchestra
17 | Rather a Pasting | orchestra
18 | Love Jam | orchestra
19 | Why Isn't It You? (Ivor Novello / Christopher Hassall) | Jeremy Northam, vocal
20 | The Way It's Meant to Be (Patrick Doyle / Abigail Doyle / Robert Altman) | Abigail Doyle, vocal with orchestra
21 | Carpe Diem | orchestra
22 | Good Luck | orchestra
23 | Your Boy's Alive | orchestra
24 | The Land of Might-Have-Been (Ivor Novello / Edward Moore) | Jeremy Northam, vocal, Christopher Northam, piano, with orchestra

## References

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1. ^ a b c Doyle, Patrick; Altman, Robert. "Gosford Park". Decca Records. Archived from the original on 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
2. ^ a b McClanan, Glenn (2003-08-30). "Review". SoundtrackNet. Retrieved 2008-04-26.

* v
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World Soundtrack Award for Soundtrack Composer of the Year

2000s|

* John Williams – A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
* Patrick Doyle – Gosford Park (2002)
* Elliot Goldenthal – Frida (2003)
* Gabriel Yared – Cold Mountain (2004)
* Angelo Badalamenti – Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2005)
* Alberto Iglesias – The Constant Gardener (2006)
* Alexandre Desplat – The Queen /  The Painted Veil (2007)
* James Newton Howard – Charlie Wilson's War / Michael Clayton / I Am Legend (2008)
* Alexandre Desplat – Cheri / Coco avant Chanel / The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / Largo Winch (2009)

2010s|

* Alexandre Desplat – Fantastic Mr. Fox / The Ghost Writer / Julie & Julia / The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2010)
* Alexandre Desplat – A Better Life / The Burma Conspiracy / Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 / Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 / The King's Speech / The Tree of Life / The Well Digger's Daughter (2011)
* Alberto Iglesias – The Monk / The Skin I Live In / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2012)
* Mychael Danna – Life of Pi (2013)
* Alexandre Desplat – Godzilla / The Grand Budapest Hotel / Marius / The Monuments Men / Philomena / Venus in Fur / Zulu (2014)
* Michael Giacchino – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes / Inside Out / Jupiter Ascending / Jurassic World / Tomorrowland (2015)
* Carter Burwell – Anomalisa / Carol / The Family Fang / The Finest Hours / Hail, Caesar! / Legend (2016)
* Jóhann Jóhannsson – Arrival (2017)
* Jóhann Jóhannsson – The Butcher, The Whore and the One-Eyed Man / Last and First Man / Mandy / Mary Magdalene / The Mercy (2018)
* Nicholas Britell – If Beale Street Could Talk / Vice (2019)

2020s|

* Hildur Guðnadóttir – Joker (2020)
* Daniel Pemberton – Enola Holmes / Rising Phoenix / The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2021)
* Jonny Greenwood – The Power of the Dog / Spencer (2022)
* Hauschka – All Quiet on the Western Front / Memory of Water / War Sailor (2023)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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