Harry Potter Soundtracks-the Best of the Best

*Harry's Wonderful World:This is one of the more fantastical-sounding pieces that John Williams created for the movies and I think it really fits the mood of the first two movies in which it appears.

As much as this film set the pace and tone for the first three films, this is, besides Hedwig's theme, which I have placed in the second film, really the only major standout piece. The rest of the music is rather functional, in my opinion.

*Hedwig's Theme: This appears in all the films in one form or another and I would consider this the definitive piece of music from the movies. It *is* Harry Potter.

This soundtrack is really a continuation of the first one, much of it being functional music as well.

*Buckbeak's Flight: While this soundtrack was composed by John Williams like the previous two, it also represents a departure from the first two films, in both cinematic style, as well as musical style. The grandeur of this music shows how the movies are growing up along with the characters.

*A Window to the Past: A hauntingly beautiful, yet simple piece of music.

*Secrets of the Castle: I really like the lullaby-style of this piece of music. I think it's quite enchanting.

*Mischief Managed: One of the best finale pieces of the entire series in my opinion. It encompasses all the other pieces of music in the entire soundtrack in one shot.

Glaringly absent from the soundtrack: The piece of music playing in Lupin's classroom during the Boggart scene. This is really sad that it's not on here.

Before I had the chance to listen to all of the soundtracks to date, this was definitely my favorite of the first three. John Williams really stepped away from the childish, magical quality of the first two films, which was appropriate seeing as that's exactly what happened with the filming style.

*Neville's Waltz: Simple, magical, and I can't stop listening to it.

*Harry in Winter: This is, without a doubt, the most beautiful piece of music created for any of the Harry Potter films. It literally takes your breath away and brings tears to your eyes.

*Potter Waltz: A very fast-paced waltz, it's no wonder Harry had trouble with it in the movie.

*Magic Works: These films are not known for their songs, but this one, used for the Yule Ball, is the best of the three.

I feel that this particular soundtrack is the most cohesive of the entire series, as well as the most moving. It's ironic, because it's my least favorite of the movies. This is the first soundtrack without John Williams at the helm, and I think it was exactly what we needed to have as a listening audience. As much as I adore John Williams and his music, it was time for a change, and they made the right choice with Patrick Doyle.

*Professor Umbridge: If you ignore the subject of the music, it's quite enchanting and fun. One of the more light-hearted pieces of music we've heard in a few sountracks.

*Dumbledore's Army: Again with the enchanting music. It fits the scenes perfectly.

*Possession: Eerie and very emotional. A lovely piece here.

*Flight of the Order of the Phoenix: This piece got a lot of airtime in the trailers and commercials, but it's a great piece of music. There's a quality about it that reminds me of epic American westerns which is really unique for these movies.

This is probably my least favorite of the soundtracks. The fact that it is out of order really doesn't help and I might have to take the time to reorder it on my ipod and see if that makes a difference. The other problem is the music itself. This book was the hardest to tell in a visual format so it makes sense that the music would struggle as well. There's not much cohesion to it, and perhaps a more seasoned composer would have done a better job. Nicholas Hooper had done primarily tv movies and shows up to this point, so it must have been a huge undertaking for him.

*In Noctem: A very unique piece of music for the world of Harry Potter, but because of this it really stands out in your mind.

*Ron's Victory: We haven't seen Quidditch since the third film, and I really like how Hooper took the Williams piece from Prisoner of Azkaban, and while keeping the essential sound and tone, turned it into something completely his own. It's a nice nod to the past.

*Harry and Hermione: I'm not a fan of these two as a couple, but this is a great piece of music. It's essentially the same as When Ginny Kissed Harry, but this one uses the harp while WGKH uses guitar. I think the harp is something we haven't heard much of in these soundtracks and this piece is a bit stronger emotionally because of it.

*Farewell Aragog: This gets my vote for the piece of music that's not nearly long enough. It's even shorter in the film, but it's just lovely. Nice Celtic sound.

*The Drink of Despair: One of the eeriest pieces of music in all the films. I recommend listening to it in a silent setting to really hear all the details like the voices calling out in it. Really well done.

What an amazing turnaround! Nicholas Hooper managed to create an absolutely brilliant soundtrack with this one. I might rate this as my second favorite of them all. If you listen to them back to back, you'd hardly know it was the same composer.