| Lawrence of Arabia (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | 1962 |
| Studio | Shepperton Studios |
| Length | 33:21 |
| Label | Colpix Records |
Lawrence of Arabia (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is thesoundtrack album composed byMaurice Jarre for the 1962 filmLawrence of Arabia. The soundtrack garnered critical acclaim and won theAcademy Award for Best Music Score—Substantially Original in 1963.
When choosing a composer for the film, directorDavid Lean assumed thatMalcolm Arnold—who had scored Lean's 1957 filmThe Bridge on the River Kwai—would compose forLawrence of Arabia.[1] When producerSam Spiegel screened a rough draft of the film for Arnold and composerWilliam Walton, however, the composers reportedly disliked the film, calling it "terrible" and "a travelogue that would require hours of music".[2][3]
Spiegel then engagedBroadway composerRichard Rodgers to compose the film's soundtrack and young French composerMaurice Jarre—who had recently scoredSundays and Cybèle—to orchestrate it. Reportedly, Rodgers did not review any footage to compose themes for the film, and Lean and Spiegel were both extremely dissatisfied with his work, with Lean calling it "rubbish" and "nonsense". Jarre, meanwhile, had composed a piece called "The Theme fromLawrence of Arabia", which Lean liked so much that he asked Jarre to score the entire film.[2][3][4]
Jarre had six weeks to compose the film's soundtrack.[1][3][5] Because of the tight schedule, instead of orchestrating his own film music as he was accustomed to, he invitedGerard Schurmann to orchestrate.[6] Jarre had originally broughtAdrian Boult on to conduct, however, as Boult had no experience pacing the tempo of music to fit the action onscreen, Jarre conducted.[3][5] Spiegel, wanting to keep as many prestigious names on board as possible, insisted that Boult's name still be listed in the film credits as having conducted.[4] Jarre, however, is listed as the conductor on the record.[2][5]
The soundtrack was performed by theLondon Philharmonic Orchestra,[7][8] which consisted of 60 strings, 11 percussionists, two grand pianos, two harps, and threeondes Martenots.[9][10] It was recorded atShepperton Studios.[3][4]
As inThe Bridge on the River Kwai, which employedKenneth Alford's "Colonel Bogey March", Lean wished to incorporate another Alford march inLawrence of Arabia: "The Voice of the Guns".[3] The march is used in the overture as well as in fragmentary motifs throughout the film.[2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  link |
At the35th Academy Awards, the soundtrack won theAcademy Award for Best Music Score—Substantially Original.[11] At the6th Annual Grammy Awards, it was nominated for theGrammy Award for Best Original Score from a Motion Picture or Television Show and theGrammy Award for Best Instrumental Theme.[12]
The score is considered to be one of the greatest scores of all time, ranking third on theAFI's 100 Years of Film Scores list in 2005.[13] In 2013, it ranked sixth on theABC Classic FMClassic 100 Music in the Movies.[14]
Russian figure skater and Olympic gold medalistAlina Zagitova used the overture from the film's soundtrack for herfree skate during the2019–20 figure skating season.[15]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Overture (Intro: "The Voice Of The Guns")" | 4:14 |
| 2. | "Main Title" | 1:54 |
| 3. | "Miracle" | 3:08 |
| 4. | "Nefud Mirage" | 2:20 |
| 5. | "Rescue Of Gasim And Bringing Gasim Into Camp" | 5:46 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Arrival At Auda's Camp" | 2:01 |
| 2. | "The Voice Of The Guns" | 1:58 |
| 3. | "Continuation Of The Miracle" | 2:13 |
| 4. | "Suns Anvil" | 3:04 |
| 5. | "Lawrence & Body Guard" | 2:04 |
| 6. | "That Is The Desert" | 2:51 |
| 7. | "End Title" | 1:05 |
| Total length: | 33:21 | |