By Maria Mitchell
The Omen (1976, soundtrack). Composed by Jerry Goldsmith, conducted by Lionel Newman.
If you’re Jerry Goldsmith, then one day, you woke up and realized that sometimes, you have to compose the musical evocation of a malicious Black Mass of orgiastic proportions to get any recognition in film music. When it comes to the most imitated piece of film music ever recorded, three bristling contenders are Bernard Hermann’s Psycho, John William’s Jaws, and Jerry Goldsmith’s The Omen. The Omen is a score so hyperbolic with its manic Latin chanting and supremely-violent string and brass orchestration that if it were composed today, it would be too absurd to be scary. This is indicated by the many satirical imitations in film and television of its forbidding music and Latin lyrics, one famous example being in the 1998 South Park episode, “Damien”. For its time, however, it was a frighteningly bold and brash stab into the world of film composition.
The film is a slyly well-executed suspense yarn concerning the birth of Satan’s son upon the earth, who is then adopted by wealthy, loving, clueless parents. Its storyline, although slick, doesn’t give much originality to Goldsmith with which to work. The composer took a good look at the film and decided where the score would shine would be in the seriousness of its execution. Goldsmith said of the score in an interview included on the 2001 re-released version of the DVD, “I went to a friend who is fluent in Latin, if anyone is fluent in Latin these days, and asked him about what a Black Mass would sound like. He said to me, ‘Oh, you mean a Satani.'” That word is what gave Goldsmith the title of the menacing score’s first track: “Ave Satani”. Ave Satani, or “Hail Satan”, had the dubious distinction at the 1976 Academy Awards of being nominated for the award for Best Original Song. It lost to “Evergreen” from the film A Star is Born.
While “Ave Satani” failed to be recognized as Best Original Song at the Awards, The Omen still picked up the award for Best Original Score, Goldsmith’s only Oscar in his long career in film music. This is quite remarkable since horror film music is rarely awarded such distinction. Some of the score’s most frightening moments are rooted in the anticipation of what will happen rather than accompanying any horror actually happening on screen. One of the most disquieting cues is the teasing rendition of the family’s theme that plays when actress Lee Remick takes Damien to the zoo. The cue plays just before the animals start balking in horror at the hellspawn. The most vivid instruments here are the flute and clarinet piping in brash, anxious notes and the solo violin, which trills in minor chords that effectively embody malice.
It is unfortunate that Goldsmith’s original song, “The Piper Dreams”, based on the family theme and sung by his wife, Carol, was unable to be fit in the movie, but happily, is included on the soundtrack. The song is wistfully lovely and a stark contrast to the malicious tone of most of the score, which begins and ends with the “Ave Satani” number. Despite the Judeo-Christian theme of the film, the score reiterates in a very Lovecraftian way that all hope is lost and humankind will eventually be defeated by the demons of designs crafted beyond its control, thus making it one of the most darkly resonant pieces of music ever composed.
Purchase The Omen soundtrack through Amazon.com