Succession: why I deeply love the music of the hit HBO show
The cast of Succession in another brutal business meeting. Image: HBO/Warner
Iconic television shows share unforgettable title sequences that have lived on as sonic calling cards we can quickly identify.
The television show鈥檚 opening sequence has artfully evolved from the memorable tunes of bygone radio formats into an expositional bookmark that sets the tone of what鈥檚 coming in a series.
For the viewer, the opening titles draw us into a narrative world.
As a professional media composer of more than 20 years and a screen composition lecturer, I unapologetically love, tolerate or mute opening title music.
Now, at the end of its final fourth season, I hold Succession鈥檚 theme in regard.
From the first frame, it is clear craft and imagination are deeply valued throughout the show鈥檚 entire soundtrack.
Another member of the family
Accompanying the grainy 鈥渇amily videos鈥� feel of the Succession鈥檚 opening visuals you鈥檒l hear a late 19th-century-style piano piece. This is accompanied with a contrasting melody that sometimes accents dissonant notes in the theme.
Composer Nicholas Britell describes this music as聽, 鈥渓ike the family in the show鈥�.
A New York classic hip hop drum machine beat anchors the melody鈥檚 chaotic, dissonant touches, suggesting something underhand with a touch of gangster.
Britell鈥檚 20 years working in hip-hop production and film scoring are clear with his blend of hip-hop beats and classical orchestration.
Britell鈥檚 work echoes the mix of hip-hop beats and art music in Malcolm McLaren鈥檚 1984 song聽, which left a hypnotic legacy of a constant, raw hip-hop beat underpinning an irresistible melody. Bands like聽听补苍诲听聽took their audio sampling cues from McLaren鈥檚 work, and now Britell seamlessly blends these two worlds in a television format.
Broadening the instrumentation to incorporate the gravitas and lyrical timbre of strings captures the show鈥檚 themes of intrigue in the corporate media establishment.
Repeating string sequences 鈥� reminiscent of聽聽use of layered musical sequences 鈥� build intensity and allude to the turning wheels of industry.
When the strings shift into a distinctive classical form, they remind us of the show鈥檚 grand setting of this drama. Then the dissonant piano jolts us back into the court, with the jester weaving chaos.
Succession鈥檚 opening titles are a unique fusion of musical duality that embody elements of absurdity with a more profound gravitas.
Scoring the show
聽the collaborative process of finding the sound of Succession stemming from an early conversation with producer Adam McKay and the show鈥檚 creator, Jesse Armstrong, from which a chord progression 鈥渢hat felt very, very 1700s鈥� emerged.
The sound of the show echoes off the sound of the opening credits through the main theme melody appearing as variations throughout each episode.
Throughout the series, Britell鈥檚 compositional scope has musically realised scathing satire and moments of poignant emotional pull with an empathic connection which has had me, at times, in tears.
In other moments, the score suggests absurd dark humour via overblown and pompous orchestration.
Throughout each season, the soundtrack has played with different instrumental blends and subtle harmonic changes to underscore an extensive range of emotional narratives.
In season one, you might notice an聽聽that could appear on a compilation with post-punk British bassist Jah Wobble.
In season two, you could hear a Mozart-like聽.
Britell鈥檚 constant evolution of minor motifs and variations on the main theme syncs with the shape of the storyline.
The opening theme is woven through so many intimate and epic moments. There is聽聽over his perceived children鈥檚 failings. When there鈥檚 underhand corporate intrigue at hand, the score uses the theme聽聽to the dark machinations of the show鈥檚 corporate narrative.
The instrumentation and arrangement of Succession鈥檚 soundtrack nod to the Baroque and Classical symphonic movements, and the聽聽of the Russian Romantic composer Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943).
叠谤颈迟别濒濒鈥檚听听辞谤听聽could sit comfortably sit comfortably beside works such as Mozart鈥檚聽聽(K. 475) or聽.
Succession鈥檚 soundtrack has elevated the compositional benchmark that seeks to evolve television soundtracks into longer works that occupy a more lasting place as future works to perform.
As a lover and composer of both art music and beat driven electronic music, I have Britell鈥檚 score for Succession.
I鈥檒l miss the show for how the music has brought its own life force to interact with the narrative to deepen the viewer鈥檚 experience.
Dr Alison Cole is composer and Lecturer in Screen Composition at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She teaches screen composition and music production. Her research incorporates site sound to engage audiences in historical and cultural perspectives.聽
This story was first published in The Conversation as .
All photos: HBO/Warner official press images
