Classical Composer Reaction/Analysis to the ORIGINAL HALO THEME | The Daily Doug (Episode 645)

#halo #halotheme

In this edition of #thedailydoug, I'm returning to some gaming music by listening to the original Halo Theme. As I explain in the video, I recently interviewed composer Martin O'Donnell, and I decided to start my voyage into his vast catalog by breaking down the original Halo Theme. The Beatles connection is a special story from Martin. Tune in to hear all about it!

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[jimmyggs]

The Halo theme is a masterpiece. Even though I've never played the game I'm pretty aware of this song.

[lfla]

The Halo Theme, if you ever heard it as a message, it almost screams "Gondor calls for aid, and Rohan will answer" kinda thing. If you, as a gamer, heard that, you`d know exactly what you gotta do. As you belong, you will go there and sort things out.

[andrewames]

10:50 For never having played any of the Halo games, you are absolutely hitting the nail on the head! "Ancient, powerful, and bigger than oneself" describes the games to a 't'. When one looks at it from an outside perspective, it is amazing what music can bring to a game; how it can serve as the foundation for everything to follow.

[BlackMageLozi]

You should also have included the Halo 2 version, which has Steve Vai on guitar as an extra. Besides, many video game pieces are usually short, so more than one track in a video is fine xd

[bucky]

The Halo theme has to be the most nostalgic sound in the world, every time I hear it I feel both happy and sad

[horatio]

Well, guess I’m firing up the Masterchief collection again tonight…

[Jonagold-music]

Proper classic this one. Video game music especially 1-2 decades ago really was something else. Combined with all the fun and good memories one had with the game itself, its a bundle of nostalgia. My personal favurites, the Soundtracks of Ace Combat Zero and Terraria

[fastmadcow]

The audio work for the whole game is just amazing. It holds up to this day.

[almostinfamous]

20 years later it still rocks, a stunning achievement.

[donalddouds]

Halo was the first game I played (I’ve been a video game player since the Atari 2600) that the music was so profound that I could instantly recall where I was and what I was doing on the game when I hear each song from the game.

[yoehonjohn]

Game was released back in 2001. The game was ahead of its time and not with just gameplay but effects and soundtrack. It’s what us gamers call the gamers national anthem.

[KamaronConClase]

There is something so friking wholesome in seen a true profesional discovering a piece of media that we love, and to see them love it too. Great video. Goosebumps!

[jamesh]

I have played every Halo, from day one. I cannot explain enough how the opening theme on the first game just sold it to me instantly. It is an utter masterpiece that sadly has likely been dismissed by many classical music lovers purely for it being made for a computer game. Not sure whether you'd have the time, but the entire score for the first game is well worth a listen.

[taqresu]

What a nostalgic punch this track has. Halo was one of the staples of my childhood, alongside Final Fantasy 7 and Ocarina of Time. All of which have phenomenal scores. One of my fondest childhood memories was playing Halo and Halo 2 with (and against) my brother on the original Xbox.
It's a bittersweet feeling reliving those memories. They're very fond memories, but it's also an era of my life I can never truly revisit.

[saintcorvic]

An amazing composer. When I played halo the music made me feel like the one to save the entire universe. It was just the best music throughout the first 3 halos.

[sidekickmusic]

This theme will never die, because it conveys so much emotions that are important in the game. Hope, courage, devotion... And mystery. Classic.

[Felale]

2:30 I had never heard about this before. It makes sense that the game Warframe also uses a similar style of Gregorian chants—for one specific faction, very similar to the Forerunners from Halo—and Taiko drumming battle music to fit with the "space ninja" theme. The game is sci-fi and set in the far future, and you yourself with the Warframes are an ancient warrior.

I assume the composers at the start were billed with a similar the same task as the Halo composers.

[PetarSon]

Maybe someone already wrote this in the comments here, but even to this day whenever I hear that original Halo music, this specific one, I always get chills because of how awesome the music is, and what feelings it awakens in me almost instantly.

[colewalraven]

hearing this theme again after years since the last time I played a halo game actually smacked me across the face with the nostalgia, reminded me of all the years i spent playing halo 3 and reach as a teenager. some of my fondest memories and that music is no small part of it.

[heytallman]

Man, your breakdown and explanation of what's going on with the scale after the initial listen are one of the reasons why you're my favorite music guy on here.

I know I keep asking for Dancing Mad, but at this point, anything from Nobuo Uematsu would be welcome, if you're looking to focus in on another just completely prolific game music composer.