Musical motifs in New Who

Doctor Who - New New Music...

Below is some information and explanation about the music and especially the motifs composed and used by Murray Gold in the New Series of Doctor Who. Information is categorized and presented... as I hear it.

Index to the below...

Hot news
Music to Buy
Music in Words
Notation (wee bits of sheet music)
My tables of the motifs/cues/themes

Short-term special news!

April 9-July 27 - There will be a "Doctor Who" BBC proms concert on Sunday, July 27! Murray Gold's music for Doctor Who will feature, naturally! More info at the BBC Proms (concerts) website for Prom 13: Doctor Who Prom. Tickets are sold out, but the proms events are also broadcast.

Murray Gold's music was honored this spring with a nomination for a BAFTA Craft award in the category of "Original Television Music;" it was his 4th nomination for the prestigious UK award, but the first for his Doctor Who music.

Music to buy!

The new Series 3 CD soundtrack was released on November 5, 2007 - and again is available direct from Silva Screen or from your favorite CD retail sources or from iTunes (as enhanced "iTunes Plus" selections).

The first CD soundtrack for Series 1 and 2 was released in December 2006, and is also available from Silva Screen or from your favorite CD retail sources, or from iTunes.

Music in Words

I put together a (long!) essay about the Series One and InterSeries 2005 music; "Gold-en Music: the New Series of Doctor Who" (circa January 2006) is hosted at UNITNews.

The June 2007 issue of Sound On Sound has an extensive interview with Murray Gold which is now free-access.

My Series 3 article "The New Gold Standard" was published in Whotopia's Spring Special issue as of March 2008.

Music in Notation

I give some brief, skeletal examples of a few key melodies, on my Notes page. I mean a few notes of sheet music (charts)--and no audio.

You can also get to those examples by clicking on the links in the tables below.

From now on, the series will be presented most recent first...

It's probably obvious below that "●" notes a premiere motif and "○" is for one heard before. (For non-original-composition usages such as "Jingle Bells," I'm using "◉" and "◎" in the same way.)

It has been a slow process to cross-reference the motif names with the CDs' track titles. (Where my working titles diverge noticeably from the official track names, I include mine after a slash, in italics).

There is still some work to do on the Voyage of the Damned cues; there are many, many subtle bits. Probably 50+ unique cues. (Think of that as... a space I will be putting more things into...)

Series Four

		PiC	FoP	PotO	SS	PS	tDD
		Series Four episodes
action motifs	urban battles	○				○
	scaffold cable	●
	All the Strange, Strange Creatures / power *		○
	world changers		●		○	○
	stone attacker		●
	fireballs		○
	alarm			●
	UNIT				○	○
	Sontar-Ha!				●	○
	shipboard pursuit					○
	Hath clash						●
vamps	reproductive actions	●				○
	way out	●	○				○
	market hunt		●
	Pyrovile		●
	cuffed			●
	technology attack					●
	atmosphere					●
	state of emergency					●
	war marches						●
	prison break						●
emotive motifs	After the Chase	○
	space of creation	○		○
	children's futures	●	○
	Doomsday	○		○
	Doctor's Theme	○
	Wilf's triumph	●
	aftermath		●			○
	Song of the Ood (tune)			●
	Martha's Theme				○	○	○
	space threat					○
	healing Hath						●
	Peck's sacrifice						●
	the Source						●
	Jenny's death						●
dramatic motifs	Doctor Forever	○	○		○	○	○
	fated city		●
	Lucius Petrus Dexterus		●
	Cult of War		●			○
	Sontaran plots				●	○
	Messaline in turmoil						●
	This is Gallifrey						○
	Daughter of Gallifrey						●
	sky ship						○
	traffic						○
humor motifs	Donna's Theme I	○	○	○	○	○
	taxi toons	○
	geek lab				●
miscellany	Adipose ad jingle	●
	industrial espionage	●
	villainous plots	○	○
	maqam		●
	Caecilius		●
	Evelina		●
	vapors		●
	Noble prophecy		●
	messenger		●
	sisterhood of stone		●
	new prophecy		●
	Ood ad			●
	slavery			●
	Rattigan Academy				●
	Jo Nakashima				●
	ATMOS				●
	Rattigan				●	○
	family consequences				●
	solutions					●
	Martha's memories					●
	ship's technologies					○
	colony dating						●
	new heroine						●

Recordings in Series Four episodes:

Partners in Crime
- Could it be Magic / Take That (Barry Manilow)
- Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa / Dusty Springfield (Burt Bacharach and Hal David)

Live performances in Series Four episodes:

Planet of the Ood
- Song of the Ood (Song of Captivity, Song of Freedom) / composed Murray Gold

Inter-Series episodes 2007

		CiN	VotD
		Inter-Series 2007
action motifs	fireballs		●
action motifs	shipboard pursuit		●
vamps	Clockwork TARDIS	○
emotive motifs	Martha's Theme	○
	Astrid's Theme		●
	a different planet		●
	Van Hoffs romance		●
	Bannakaffalatta secret		●
	flying		●
dramatic motifs	What?!	○
	Doctor Forever	○	○
	Stowaway (tune)		●
	wheels battle		●
	sky ship		●
humor motifs	cricket and celery	●
	red 6-7		●
	Hope and Glory		◉
	God Save the Queen		◉
miscellany	synth flashbacks	●
	Jingle Bells		◎
	ship's bridge		●
	Max Capricorn ad		●
	Van Hoff introductions		●
	ship's technologies		●
	villainous plots		●
	ship rescue waltz		●

Live performances in the InterSeries 2007 episodes:

Voyage of the Damned
- Stowaway / composed Murray Gold, performed Yamit Mamo (and band).
- I Wish it Could Be Christmas Everyday / composed Wizzard (Roy Wood), performed Yamit Mamo (and band).
- Winter Wonderland / composed Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith, performed Yamit Mamo (and band).

As in the previous Christmas specials, the characters do not hear the brief references to "Hope and Glory" or "God Save the Queen;" it is only for the viewers.

On the other hand, the "Max Capricorn advertisement" is heard by the characters as a recording--but it is composed within the show and not as a real-life "track" brought into the show's world. And "Jingle Bells" is probably heard on the ship, either as a recording or an off-camera live performance (the specifics are unclear from the scene).

Series Three

		S & J	TSC	Glock	DiM	EotD	TLE	42	HN	FoB	Blink	Utopia	SoD	LotTL
		Series Three episodes
action motifs	Judoon	●
	All the Strange, Strange Creatures / power *			●	-	-		○		○		○	○	○
	urban battles	○			○	○				○
	UNIT												○
vamps	alien hunt	●
	kidnap			●
	behind you			●	○
	in the sky					○				○
	cathedral hunt						●
	universal roaming							●
	sabotage							●
	countdown							●
	jettison							●
	Blink (suite) I / lonely assassins										●
	Torchwood											○	○
	Futurekind											●
emotive motifs	Martha's Theme	●	○	○		○	○	○		○				○
	Earthlight	●
	mercy	●
	space of creation			○
	Face of Boe			○										○
	Hooverville				●	○
	space threat				○	○		○
	girl blues				●
	Laszlo				●
	Lazarus						●
	solar life							●
	Mr. Smith and Joan								●
	Miss Joan Redfern / impossible journal waltz								●
	Only Martha Knows / maid waltz								●
	Doctor's Theme / Bad Wolf								○					○
	Dream of a Normal Death									●
	Blink (suite) II / Billy Shipton										●
	Rose's Theme / home											○
	Martha's Quest / indomitable humanity											●	○	○
	trapped													○
dramatic motifs	Doctor Forever	○	○	○		○	○	○	○	○	○		○	○
	Drowning Dry		●	○	○	○
	Carrionites Swarm / portal		●
	traffic			●
	hybridization				●
	Evolution of the Daleks*				●	○
	Doctor's Battle					○								○
	Dalek opera					○
	New Adventures								○
	Smith's Choice								●
	Just Scarecrows to War / scarecrow march									●
	This is Gallifrey											●	○	○
	rocket											●
humor motifs	Pharmacy Town			●
humor motifs	Gridlocked Cassinis			●
miscellany	moon	●
	panic	●
	bubble	●
	non-human	●
	plasmavore	●
	CPR	●
	MRI bomb	●
	lute (tune)		●
	Elizabethan		●
	motorway mystery			●
	alien sounds				○	○
	high ambitions				●
	preparations				●
	pig & showgirl					●
	blender						●
	reborn						●
	empire						●
	Saxon aide						●
	LazLabs escapes						●
	urgent assistance							●
	relationships							●
	Saxon spies							●
	village waltz								●
	Family of Blood								●
	stories across time (Utopia)										●	○
	conglomeration											●
	Master Vainglorious +											●	○	○
	Master Tape +												●	○
	spoken threats												●	○

The definitions of "recordings" and "performances" are stretched a bit in this series. If a piece is not composed for the series, and not performed live, I am describing it as a recording--whether the characters hear the results or not. If people are singing or shown playing instruments onscreen, I am accepting the audio results as a performance--even though some of the performances are of the composed music.

Recordings in Series Three episodes:

Smith and Jones
- Sunshine / Arrested Development
Daleks in Manhattan
- Happy Days Are Here Again / Milton Ager, Jack Yellen (perf. Ben Selvin Orchestra)
- Rhapsody in Blue / George Gershwin
- Puttin' on the Ritz / Irving Berlin (perf. Harry Richman)
Human Nature, Family of Blood
- To Be A Pilgrim (or, "He Who Would Valiant Be" - hymn)
Sound of Drums
- Voodoo Child / Rogue Traders
Last of the Time Lords
- I Can't Decide / Scissor Sisters

Live performances in Series Three episodes:

Shakespeare Code
- lute (song) / composed Murray Gold
Gridlock
- The Old Rugged Cross / composed George Bennard
- Abide With Me / words Henry Francis Lyte, music William Henry Monk
Daleks in Manhattan
- Angel (My Angel Put the Devil in Me) / composed Murray Gold, performed Miranda Raison.
Lazarus Experiment
- Martha's Theme (as done by the string players)
- String Quartet in C major, K.465 ("Dissonance" Quartet) / Mozart (thanks to Steven Cooper of OG!)
- "sonic organ" music / composed Murray Gold?
Human Nature
- village (dance) waltz / composed Murray Gold
The lute "song" reappears in an instrumental arrangement as incidental music; conversely, the village waltz is first heard as incidental music, then is performed at the dance.

* - "All the Strange, Strange Creatures," the primary action cue for Series 3, plays in the action climax of Gridlock as well as 42 and Family of Blood. The motif's latter part is also the underlying vamp which is overlaid with choral work in the broadcast version of the "Evolution" motif first heard in Daleks in Manhattan. Since the piece is introduced here with another "song on top" so to speak, and because Evolution of the Daleks has so many extensions, variations, and distinctions of both the choral and instrumental aspects, I am listing it as a separate motif. (To take the linkages even further, the "urban battles" and the "power" action motifs share a lot of melodic resonance [but offer rhythmic differentiation]. The two motifs followed each other to great effect in the two-stage Hooverville attack in Evolution of the Daleks.)

+ - The "Master Vainglorious" is not just one motif (from Utopia through Last of the Time Lords). It is a group of cues, all connected with the character. They could be subdivided into the "psychotic Mas-ter fanfare," the "RTD alarm clock" (those 4 beats within a 6/8 rhythm), a swirling ostinato, as well as the 'techno' music played for Martha's capture. (And, for that matter, it could include his final scene.) Beyond that track, a particular "swaggering" cue for the Master in Sound of Drums is represented (a bit beyond the broadcast episode!) by "Master Tape."

Christmas 2006

The Runaway Bride
action motifs	Runaway Bride / (motorway) Chase	●
	Santa Attack II	●
	urban battles	●
vamps	in the sky	●
emotive motifs	After the Chase	●
	Doctor's Theme / Bad Wolf	○
	space of creation	●
	Bride out of Time	●
	Doctor Forever	●
dramatic motifs	Doctor's Battle	●
humor motifs	Donna's Theme I / rumba	●
	taxi toons	●
	Donna's Theme II / Clements & proposals	●
	waltz	●
	Jingle Bells	◎
miscellany	Thames rhapsody	●

Live performances in the Runaway Bride:

Wedding March (recessional) / Mendelssohn [organist]
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / [Santas]

According to Doctor Who Magazine #378 p. 16, the initial music for the episode was supposed to have been the wedding processional, but it was a production goof.

Recordings in the Runaway Bride:

Christmas / Slade
Love Don't Roam / composed Murray Gold, performed Neil Hannon

"Love Don't Roam" is a "recording" in that it is heard that way by the characters, but it is of course composed for the episode.

As in the Christmas Invasion, the characters apparently do not hear the (waltz or the) Jingle Bells tune; it is only for the viewers.

There are some notational examples included here so far, but this episode is so rich and complex in its musical motifs that I will be... writing up quite a bit about it, probably with more examples. Stay tuned...

Series Two

		NE	T&C	SR	TGITF	ROTC	AoS	TIL	TIP	TSP	L&M	FH	AoG	DD
		Series Two episodes
action motifs	Westminster Bridge / original/vars	○										○
	BoomTown (rift)	○
	Tooth and Claw II / beast inside		●							○
	hero				○				○	○
	Cybermen II / Cyber rescue						●						○	○
	Wire							●			○
	capsule								●
	Slitheen / alien crash										○
vamps	spider march	○
	Tooth and Claw I / brethren		●
	traps		●
	military			○									○
	droid attack				●
	escapes								●	○				○
	possessed								●	○
	danger								○
	Monster Bossa / camp chase										○
	Torchwood												●
emotive motifs	Rose's Theme / home	○				○	○							○
	Face of Boe	●
	beautiful	●
	Victoria		●
	Kohinoor		●
	temptation			●
	K9 (sacrifice)			●
	Madame de Pompadour / Reinette				●
	memories				●
	FD frame					○
	Father's Day / FD regrets					○							○
	emotional inhibitor						●
	fear							●
	space threat								○	○			○	○
	The Impossible Planet I / deep space								●	○
	trapped								●	○				○
	Lone Dalek / transcendence								○	○				○
	Doctor's Theme / Bad Wolf									○		○
	LINDA / Ursula										●
	Tylers													●
	Doomsday / Worlds Apart													○
dramatic motifs	intensive care	●
	pass it on	●
	mistletoe		●
	high noon			●
	schesis/skasis paradigm			●
	completed parts				●
	Cybermen (I)					●	○						○	○
	blood kin						○				○			○
	rescue								○	○	○
	Sycorax										○
	Isolus triumph											●
	Dalek opera												○	○
humor motifs	foxy	●
	hunt				●
	fifties							●
	spy tactics										●
	X-Files Victor K										●
miscellany	Cassandra's Waltz	○
	endeavor		●
	Albert		●
	ceremony		●
	Seeking the Doctor / TARDIS			○							○		○
	Song for Ten			○				○			○	○	○
	banana				●
	masque attack				●
	fireplace				●
	possession							●				○
	noir investigation							●
	"people"								●
	hug								●
	The Impossible Planet II / futures								●				○	○
	All Together											●
	Bad Dad											●
	flirting												●
	Torchwood London												●
	Rose in Torchwood												●
	hidden Daleks												○	○

Live performances in Series Two episodes:

The Girl in the Fireplace
- I Could Have Danced All Night
Love & Monsters
- The Riddle Song (I Gave My Love a Cherry)
- Brand New Key / Deana Carter
- Don't Bring Me Down (ELO cover)
Fear Her
- Kookaburra Song / Marion Sinclair
Army of Ghosts
- Ghostbusters / Ray Parker Jr.

Recordings in Series Two episodes:

Tooth and Claw
- Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick / Ian Dury and the Blockheads
School Reunion
- Love Will Tear Us Apart / Joy Division
Rise of the Cybermen
- The Lion Sleeps Tonight / Tight Fit
The Idiot's Lantern
- Muffin the Mule (?)
- God Save the Queen
The Impossible Planet
- Bolero / Maurice Ravel
Love & Monsters
- Mr. Blue Sky / ELO
- Turn to Stone / ELO
- "Regresa A Mi" (Unbreak My Heart) / Il Divo [thanks to RackOff of Outpost Gallifrey!]

Inter-Series episodes 2005

		CiN	TCI
		Inter-Series 2005
action motifs	Santa attack		●
	UNIT		●
	hero		●
vamps	danger	●
vamps	weapon		○
emotive motifs	Doctor's Theme / Bad Wolf	○	○
	space threat		●
	Rose's Theme / home		○
dramatic motifs	blood kin		●
	Harriet Jones / war		○
	Sycorax Encounter		●
	Doctor's entrance		●
humor motifs	love the mole	●
humor motifs	Jingle Bells		◉
miscellany	alien sounds	○
miscellany	Song for Ten		●

Live performances in the InterSeries 2005 episodes:

Christmas Invasion
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / [Santas]

Recordings in the InterSeries episodes:

Christmas Invasion
- Christmas / Slade

Apparently the characters do not hear the Jingle Bells tune during the Santa attack in the Christmas Invasion, only the viewers.

Series One

		Rose	TEOTW	AoL	WW3	Dalek	TLG	FD	TEC	TDD	BT	BW	TPOTW
		Series One episodes
action motifs	Westminster Bridge / original/vars	●								○	○		○
	Nestenes	●
	fans		●
	Slitheen / alien crash			●							○
	BoomTown (rift)										●
vamps	Clockwork TARDIS		●
	spider march		●
	military					●				○			○
	plans							●					○
	Monster Bossa / camp chase										●
	weapon											●
emotive motifs	Doctor's Theme / Bad Wolf	●	○								○	○	○
	Doomsday / Worlds Apart	●
	Rose's Theme / home		●										○
	be my chum					●						○
	Lone Dalek / transcendence					●
	FD frame							●
	protector							●				○	○
	Father's Day / FD regrets							●					○
	Boom Town Suite II / TARDIS heart/regrets										●		○
dramatic motifs	Harriet Jones / war				●
	Dalek opera					●						○	○
	mummy								●	○
	Mother's triumph									●
	rescue											●	○
	Rose Defeats the Daleks / vortex												●
humor motifs	munchkins		●				○
humor motifs	twig		●
miscellany	Seeking the Doctor / TARDIS	●
	Cassandra's Waltz		●
	return (from lost)			●
	code 9			●
	TARDIS siren call				●
	Floor 016						●
	bombs dropping								●	○
	Nancy's work								●
	Jack's conscience									●
	Boom Town Suite I / Day in Cardiff										●
	hidden Daleks											●
	alien sounds												●

Live performances in Series One:

Dalek
- alien 'harp' (stylophone)
Empty Child / Doctor Dances
- It Had to Be You
- Rockaby Baby

Recordings in Series One:

End of the World
- Tainted Love / Soft Cell
- Toxic / Britney Spears
Aliens of London
- Starman / David Bowie
Father's Day
- Never Can Say Goodbye / The Communards
- Never Gonna Give You Up / Rick Astley
- Don't Mug Yourself / The Streets
Empty Child / Doctor Dances
- Moonlight Serenade / Glenn Miller
- In the Mood / Glenn Miller
Bad Wolf
- Big Brother theme
- Weakest Link theme
- What Not To Wear theme?

Updated as of 02/02/2008. Comments and responses to Robin LaPasha