Opera Singer Listens to the Halo Theme

Probably rhe most iconic song in the history of video games? And for good reason. Some things are truly timeless and in the case of the Halo theme: few songs can match the profound depths this theme provides.

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Credits:
Composer: Martin O'Donnell

[shinigamimiroku]

I remember there being a viral video a few years back where a bunch of guys were in a public restroom, one guy started humming the theme and then everyone joined in. One of the funniest things I've ever seen, but it definitely signifies the impact that the song has had on gamer culture. It's especially true of men, but everyone wants to experience an epic adventure, and this music is designed to evoke that very feeling, so even for those of us who have never played Halo, it still leaves a great impact.

[LateNightHalo]

1:25 the game is literally called "Halo" and the theme is a Gregorian chant lol Its ok to say there is an overtly religious undertone to how the music was stylized

[AWACS_Snowblind]

Martin O' Donnell is a goddamn genius of a composer. Pretty sure he wrote that gregorian chant while _on his way to work_ just a couple weeks before it'd be played live at MacWorld 1999.

Not to mention Halo _2's_ theme is the same thing, but they just added an electric guitar, because why not. Badass.

[jinxy]

The Halo theme is wonderful. However as someone who played all the bungie halos religiously, the version of this track that is forever stuck in my mind was from halo 3's final level. Named "Halo: Greatest journey". Its filled with even more emotions!

[rustle]

So from Halo 1 perspective, where this song originally appeared, the theme very much reflects the pace and the story. You start off slowly in the vast space space, a lone human spaceship escaping from hostile aliens (humanity is losing a war to these aliens, the Covenant). You start playing as the last supersoldier from an old Spartan program - awoke from hibernation, as the human ship falls to the assault you jettison into space, to a nearby unknown structure. Its a giant artificial ring - the Halo. Its a majestic, bending together nature and technology, its creators, the "Forerunners" are godly to you. The pace picks up and surviving human crew tries to uncover the secrets of this Halo - a shift, its both a weapon and a danger. The inhabiting Flood is a cursed parasite horde that takes over any living being, and Forerunners were scared of releasing it, so they made Halo's - multiple, devices that in sync would wipe the galaxy clean of organic life. Locked in a 4way between the Covenant troops, the Flood horde trying to leave the ring and Forerunner robots trying to perform the Halo wipe, you manage to destroy this specific halo, preventing the launch - now the chorus returns, Master Chief is stranded in space and so is the player back to the start, but now having lived this tale of cosmic wonders and cosmic dangers.

[Glorfindel_]

I just love how Halo is a really intense (if a bit goofy) military shooter about Humanity trying to simply exist, and yet the entire soundtrack is orchestral/choral, with a little electric guitar as a seasoning. Most games end up going with hard rock or death metal or something similar. But Halo just sounds more Human and realistic, like all the music was written by a military band to be played at events or ceremonies that look back on the Human/Covenant War.

[darthnazgul]

From what I remember, this track was composed for when the game was first revealed. The composer was told that it needed to be something "ancient, mysterious, and epic."

[Dr.Oofers]

I’m 11 months late, but you pretty much dissected the song perfectly.

The feeling of the vastness of space from the choir. The “reaching for the stars” and “discovery” like the discovery of the Halo ring. “Refuge in the stars” like humanity (or the Pillar of Autumn fleeing a covenant fleet).

[dredddlokk]

I'm actually in the camp that prefers that you haven't played Halo - it's so much more interesting to hear your interpretation on the score without being 'spoiled'. A raw and pure impression of the soundscape - I'm always impressed by your ability to deduct a soundtrack's atmosphere!

[Tolly]

I've never really cared about Halo but this theme, this THEME. It's so iconic that it kind of transcends its genre and is just known as a *really good* piece of music. It's compelling, it's strong, it's practically flawless. That male chorus, the clever vocal work by the female voice, the pitch-perfect strings... I can't say enough good things about this theme.

[rakantdarrath]

Fun fact, the vocals at 2:57 isn't a female, it's actually Marty. He said in an interview at some point that he was just messing around with those sounds and felt silly while doing so, but ultimately that's what they went with.

[wazkangz]

The Halo Theme is one of those pieces of music that, those that grew up with it, will extract some tears due to how awesome and beautiful this is.

[Multimanplayer]

This song pfff so memories just by hearing this. As a halo fan, it's incredible thinking what all this franchise has gone through, maybe his golden age has passed, but it is and always be a legend in gaming.

[EricMalette]

This theme was otherworldly when it came out, and rightly so. I always got the sense of something ancient and mysterious blended perfectly with something wild and untamed. I can't really describe what this game felt like other than unadulterated wonder and astonishment, and the music was such a viral component.

[MrPerson]

Martin O'Donnell revealed at one point that the bits of the woman singing in the OST were actually just him making singing notes and pitch shifting them up, which I found rather funny

Also I get chills every time this plays, and I've heard it hundreds of times since I first played myself around 2004

[ThaBeatConductor]

The fact that this plays on the main menu of the first Halo game with just a shot of the Halo as the backdrop really made one wonder what they were about to get into with the game. When Halo released we had never really seen anything quite like it before and the soundtrack really helped with that.

Also, you're spot on with the theme in this song and Halo in general. Halo is a mash of exploration, wonder, terror, and survival with a sprinkling of pure bad-assery.

[SerathDarklands]

I remember being twelve when Halo CE came out, and I got to the title screen, heard this iconic operatic masterpiece, and immediately thought to myself - "this isn't just another game - this is going to be something special."

[gabrielv]

There isn't a single piece of music in existence that evokes a stronger sense of nostalgia in me than this one!

[EyeOfKings]

A true classic that hasn't aged a day. I still remember the first time I booted up Halo at my cousin's house and being mesmerized by this song as it played on the main menu. It's such a mysterious feeling that can't really be replicated.

[Aranneas]

If you're interested in a piece from the series you probably haven't heard, my absolute favourite from the franchise is Rain (Deference for Darkness) from the ODST soundtrack. You can still hear notes of the original theme but the feel is completely different.