nicholas hooper, engaging enchantment and suggestive melodies
- Elisa Nori
- Dec 15, 2023
- 25 min read
Updated: Dec 18, 2023
England is known as the home of numerous talents and illustrious names from many sectors, including the world of music.
In composition for cinema and television, the Anglo-Saxon land boasts a decidedly respectable list, whose genius leaves an indelible mark.
I believe that no one can forget the profound artistic sensitivity and talent of the composer Nicholas Hooper by delving into, among other countless quality works, his scores associated with the successful series of films based on the novels written by J. K. Rowling, respectively for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"; another confirmation of the enormous potential of this country is that four films in the saga were directed by David Yates and that the successful series of films is based on the novels written by Joanne Rowling, both British.
The collaboration between Yates and Hooper began long before the journey undertaken into the world of magic, in fact their strong harmony led the composer Hooper to create the soundtrack of almost all of Yates' films, including "State of Play" and " The Girl in the Cafe", thus obtaining three BAFTA nominations.
His work in Yates' TV film "The Young Visiters" earned him a BAFTA win and an Ivor Novello Award. Important documentaries from the BBC Natural History Unit are sublimated by the soundtracks of this extraordinary composer, a lover of both classical and folk music. We perceive in Hooper's path a strong connection to the roots, a wholeness and an elegance of soul which however do not diminish the ability to escape through the notes and the use of fruitful and inventive abilities.
Entering the world of the composition of the English homeland necessarily forces us not to leave out the most relevant names of the past and present, aware that we can only glorify this article through some of them; there are clearly a greater number of people leaving their signature and their "feeling".
Arthur Bliss, conductor at the royal court and named Sir by the Queen of England, is one of the first composers to be hired to write for the cinema and the soundtrack for the science fiction film "Things To Come" of 1936 is awarded as the most important British film music ever written and the most ambitious production of British 'talkie' cinema; the feature film is loosely based on the novel by H. G. Wells, one of the most popular British writers of his time and remembered as one of the precursors of this narrative genre.
William Turner Walton, English composer, conductor and actor is nominated for an Academy Award by writing the music for "Henry V", the first of three films directed by Laurence Olivier inspired by the work of William Shakespeare; he subsequently used his genius for "Hamlet", considered one of the best cinematic transpositions of the 17th century tragedy; the feature film was in fact awarded at the Oscars with the awards of Best Film, Best Actor, Best Production Design and Best Costumes.
The latest Shakespearean film adaptation by Olivier on which William Walton works is "Richard III".
Stanley Myers is certainly also considered one of the fathers of film music, whose name immediately brings to mind masterpieces of international cinema such as "The Deer Hunter" with Robert De Niro, awarded 9 Oscar nominations in 1979, winning 5 of which the one for best film; his famous musical piece "Cavatina" was recorded by John Christopher Williams who performed it on classical guitar.
We then move on to Richard Rodney Bennett, author of almost one hundred film and television soundtracks and his music and collaborations are unforgettable; with director John Schlesinger in "Billy the Liar" and "Far From the Madding Crowd" and with Joseph Losey in "Blind Date", "Secret Ceremony" and "Figures in a Landscape". With the film "Murder on the Orient Express" in 1974 he was nominated for the Oscar for best soundtrack.
Drumroll for John Barry Prendergast, also known for the soundtracks of twelve films in the James Bond 007 series; you also cannot fail to remember the magnificent soundtrack of "Dances with Wolves"... a spectacular and moving film that has entered the hearts of many, winner of seven Oscars including Best Dramatic Score.
"Born Free" in 1967, "The Lion in Winter" in 1969 and "Out of Africa" in 1986 are the films for which John Barry gloriously collected three more Oscars.
Among those who can still give us memorable notes, the names of Michael Nyman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, George Fenton, Patrick Doyle, Simon Boswell, David Arnold and Max Richter stand out...but it is also right to mention important and accredited women who through their professionalism and musical accuracy demonstrate equal skill, like Rachel Portman, Anne Dudley and Jocelyn Pook.
It is the soundtracks composed for Peter Greenaway's films that allow Michael Nyman to achieve notoriety, in particular those for "Prospero's Books", "The Draughtsman's Contract", "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover" and "A Zed & Two Noughts".
The films "The Piano", "Gattaca - The Door to the Universe" and "The End of the Affair" contributed to his growing notoriety.
If we think of musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Evita, The Phantom of the Opera and Sunset Boulevard, represented among other things in multiple film adaptations, it is impossible not to celebrate Andrew Lloyd Webber; in his career he boasts 17 highly successful musicals.
With the name of George Fenton we can associate the soundtracks of films such as "Gandhi" directed by Richard Attenborough, who won 8 Oscars in 1983 out of 11 nominations, but also films such as "Dangerous Liaisons", "The Fisher King" and "The Zero Theorem" both directed by Terry Gilliam; "Anna and the King" and "You've Got Mail" are also unforgettable among the numerous soundtracks created by the composer.
It's the turn of Simon Boswell whose collaborations bear the name of Michael Hoffman, Danny Boyle, Dario Argento, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Clive Barker; among the soundtracks of the film "Phenomena" there is the disturbing "The Maggots", written by Boswell and his first important soundtrack. His career in cinema began the following year, again in a production by Dario Argento, "Dèmoni 2... The nightmare returns".
Gloomy and scary atmospheres are not lacking in the curriculum of this prolific musician, who has well over eighty soundtracks for cinema and television to his credit, with an ability to range between multiple genres and very different projects in doing so of him a "transversal" composer.
"Independence Day", "Stargate", "Godzilla" are counted among the most popular science fiction and action films and here the name of David Arnold comes into play, whose notes also provide the background for various James Bond films made between 1990s and 2000s; his name is also associated with the soundtrack of the highly successful television series "Sherlock", for which he won the Emmy Award.
Max Richter contributed to the soundtrack of the films "Shutter Island" by Martin Scorsese and "Arrival" by Denis Villeneuve, to the more recent "Mary Queen of Scots" and "Ad Astra" but is best known for composing the soundtrack of the series HBO TV "My Brilliant Friend" and "Taboo."
She was the first woman to win the Oscar for best soundtrack, thanks to the film "Emma" and we are talking about the British composer Rachel Portman who we can clearly distinguish in films such as "Chocolat", "The Cider House Rules" and "Oliver Twist" by Roman Polańsky; her colleague Anne Dudley is the second woman to have won an Oscar for best soundtrack in 1998 with the film "The Full Monty".
The following year "American History X", with the immense Edward Norton as the protagonist, is accompanied by Dudley's notes.
Jocelyn Pook, on the other hand, is definitely recognisable, with her compositions, in the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick's film "Eyes Wide Shut", to which she contributed with the pieces relating to the masquerade ball sequence and which guaranteed her international notoriety .
We come to Patrick Doyle, of whom I mention "Thor" and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", who among his works created the soundtrack for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", then leaving the baton to Nicholas Hooper .
Abbey Road Studios are the legendary recording studios, where soundtracks from films such as George Lucas' Star Wars trilogy and the Lord of the Rings trilogy came to life and it is precisely in these studios that Nicholas Hooper conducted The Chamber Orchestra of London, for the recording of the soundtracks of the fifth and sixth films of the Harry Potter saga.
Through his style and his feeling, Hooper also addresses a different maturity of the characters themselves, who are approaching adulthood and who can forget in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Albus Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower who turns to Potter saying : "Oh Harry! You have to shave my friend...You know sometimes I forget how much you've grown, sometimes I still see the boy in the broom cupboard...Forgive my faintness Harry...I'm an old man..." Not long after, after having accompanied Dumbledore to the cave, the moment of death of the headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry does not take long and the words sound like those of a father to a son, a father who knew he would leave gone anyway. Here to sublimate the saddest moment and an unbridgeable loss is the song "Dumbledore's Farewell" by Hooper, superb and so touching that it tears your heart every time you listen to it... the same one we hear in "Severus and Lily" included by composer Alexandre Desplat, when Harry examines Severus Snape's memories in the thinking room.
It is admirable for Hooper to have faced such an important transition phase and also taken responsibility for the work of two composers in the previous films of the saga, while still maintaining his imprint.
Hogwarts, a fictional educational institution, is based in Scotland, in a large castle nestled in the mountains that students reach by taking the Hogwarts Express train from platform 9 ¾ of King's Cross station in London.
I believe that Hooper is actually the one closest to having understood the nuances of a homeland that belongs to him, on the other hand the world created by Rowling is inspired by the tradition and folklore of many countries, particularly British folklore; it is mainly the union between Irish and British esotericism, Norse but also Greco-Roman mythology.
The skill of John Williams is indisputable, even if in certain cases the path of a composer and his musical inclinations can make a different contribution, as I believe Hooper managed to give.
Folk music is a component that does not abandon him and that calls him back to his origins, thus re-embracing those same roots through traditional Irish, English and Eastern European songs.
Now the time has come to reveal the areas still in the shadows and unexplored, where a Lumos spell could be useful to us, allowing us to see beyond the magical scores, stories, poems and novels of one of Europe's most important composers whose notes they traveled and made us travel and which is often accompanied by the enchanting melodies of his wife Judith Henderson (Hooper) violinist and music therapist, his partner in life and music... two souls whose profound interiority is certainly perceived; observing them while they play they really seem like two characters from the magical world.
Nicholas Hooper is an English composer, musician and author.
Born in London, he came into contact with music and writing from an early age thanks to the influence of his parents.
He began working as a musician at the age of sixteen performing both classical and folk music on the guitar.
He studied composition and guitar at the Royal College of Music, winning both the Guitar Prize and the Cobbett Prize.
After graduation, Hooper wrote music for both the students of Contemporary Dance Theater and the young artists of Ballet Rambert.
The first opportunity to compose for television came in 1988, when Central Independent Television, now known as ITV Central, contacted him to discuss the making of a documentary.
He subsequently worked on a considerable range of projects, from short films to television documentaries, including "The Time Traveler" (1993) by veteran travel writer Norman Lewis.
During these years he established a working relationship with director David Yates ("Good Looks", 1992), with whom he continued to collaborate on numerous projects throughout his career.
“Land of the Tiger,” a six-part nature documentary for the BBC, won widespread critical acclaim, leading the master to win the coveted Golden Panda Award at Wildscreen in 1998.
A year later, he becomes the first composer to win the award consecutively, receiving nominations for no fewer than three separate scores in that year's shortlist alone.
He went on to compose the soundtracks for several major BBC Natural History Unit documentaries, including "Elephants of the Sand River" from the BBC Natural World series (1999), "Andes to Amazon" (2000) and "The Future is Wild" ( 2003).
In 2000, he began working with David Yates on television series, scoring nearly all of David's films, including "State of Play" (2003) and "The Girl in the Cafe" (2005), earning three nominations at the BAFTAs thanks to their collaboration.
His work in Yates' television film "The Young Visiters" (2003) earned him a BAFTA win and an Ivor Novello Award.
He composed the soundtrack for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007) when David Yates was entrusted with directing the film; It was incredibly successful and sold over a million copies worldwide.
They again collaborated together on "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2009), for which Hooper received, among other accolades, the Richard Attenborough Classic FM Award and was nominated for a Grammy.
The soundtrack album debuted in the United States at number 29 on the Billboard 200, becoming the most successful album in the series at the time.
It remains one of the most popular soundtrack albums in the series, second only to that of the final installment.
He also collaborated with other directors by creating the soundtracks for "My Family and Other Animals" (2005) and "Prime Suspect: The Final Act" (2006), the latter of which gives him another BAFTA.
He created the soundtracks for two films for Disney Nature ("African Cats", 2011 and "Chimpanzee", 2012) and a series of films and television dramas, including "Enid" (2009, with Helena Bonham-Carter in the role of author Enid Blyton), "Mo" (2010, with Julie Walters as Labor MP Mo Mowlem), "Birdsong" (2012, with Eddie Redmayne), "The Escape Artist" (2013, with David Tennant) and "Winter Thaw " (2016, with John Rhys-Davies).
In 2015, he was invited to compose the music for a special production of WB Yeats' beautiful poem, "The Song of Wandering Aengus", read by none other than Michael Gambon (Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series).
For the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016 he composed "Spirit of Athene", accompanying Sophie Christiansen and her incredible horse as they wowed the judges in a carefully choreographed performance that earned her yet another gold medal to add to her impressive collection her.
He collaborated in 2001 with the violinist Judith Henderson (now his wife), and together they regularly perform at popular festivals and concert halls.
In 2018, Henderson:Hooper released an album titled "Pete's Trees", of largely self-written tunes in various traditional folk idioms; the album marks the story of their collaboration both as musicians and as a married couple.
Having returned to his roots, he currently works on a large number of projects and with talented musicians; joined forces with singer and bassist Susanna Starling, they form "The Boot Band".
In 2017, the maestro began playing in concert with the legendary guitarist Gordon Giltrap.
In June 2018, the solo guitar album of traditional Irish songs, "6 Strings", was re-released by Angel Air Records.
His guitar playing and his collaboration with Irish singer Mick Henry and Irish poet Bernard O'Donoghue can be seen on YouTube.
Since 2013 he has also written and self-published books: Above the Void – a novel; three crime novels: The Occasional Gardener, The Mirror in the Ice Cream Parlor, and The Wisdom of Old Oak; and a children's book Bird Being, which is also an audiobook. In 2002 Wymer Publishing published Scattered Chapters, a book of short stories inspired by the musical album of the same name by Gordon Giltrap and Paul Ward.
The Maestro is now working on an innovative series of poems and musings – each one being
accompanied by its own piece of music. The series is called Dawnings and is shortly to be released on varies media platforms.
Maestro Hooper, you have dedicated a whole life to music from a very young age and your love for classical and folk music has allowed you to have different experiences, ranging from independent projects to works performed for important television series, documentaries and films...
In your decidedly rich and prolific experience, what were the most important moments and consequently also the compositions that most marked your memories and your education?
Nicholas Hooper - At the age of two I developed a passion for Mozart’s Don Giovanni and repeatedly asked my mother to play the records. From there I came to love Bizet’s Carmen but had to hide behind the sofa during the frightening ‘Ace of spades’. These are early memories supplemented by what my mother told me later and they point to a fascination with the darker side of music.
For my part my first love of creating my own sounds was by playing the inside of our upright piano, enjoying the resonances caused by pressing the sustain pedal and stroking my fingers across the strings. I grew up with the growth of popular music and the Beatles and Bob Dylan made the biggest impact on me.
But it was when I went to a local music school at the age of seventeen that I heard the most influential piece of music of my life: the head of music made me sit down with a gramophone speaker to either side of my head, handed me a musical score, and put on the record of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. It was electrifying and was a complete experience of image, story and sound, and curiously, it lit the spark of an idea of how film music could relate to this kind of visual scoring.
You studied with the great guitarist John Christopher Williams and you both come from the Royal College of Music in London; Williams enjoyed worldwide success with his recording of Stanley Myers' Cavatina, used as the soundtrack to the Academy Award-winning film The Deer Hunter. How was your love for the guitar born?
Nicholas Hooper - When I was nine, my parents took us on holiday to a small fishing village in Spain. At that time the coast of Spain was largely unspoilt but things were changing and just up the road was a night club and it was there that I heard flamenco guitar for the first time. I was astounded that one player could make such complex music from just one instrument with only six strings. I demanded a guitar for my tenth birthday but when it arrived I found it too hard to play and sold it to my sister. It was only later in my teens that I realized the social advantage of being able to play the guitar, so I bought it back and learnt such songs as ‘The House of the Rising Sun’. That developed into playing the blues, until my father suggested I had ‘proper’ lessons and I went to a guitarist called Charles Gregory who introduced me to the playing of Segovia and, of course, John Williams. I was hooked and practised for hours every day.
The Live Music Now program hired you as a guitarist for four years to play in prisons, hospitals, schools, care homes and communities across the UK. Cinema, like television, are additional means through which people communicate, but I believe that for a musician, human contact, contact with the public and with the energy it emanates is always priceless. Music is not "decorative" as we often make the mistake of thinking when we associate it with TV or cinema, but it ennobles and elevates consciences by improving the quality of life of those who listen to it; if it supports, strengthens and helps even better. I guess that for you the use you make of it is important rather than perfection as an end in itself... tell me more...
Nicholas Hooper - The connection between music and an audience has always seemed magical to me. When performing either in old people’s homes, schools or prisons, or in more normal settings, the attitude of the audience is essential in giving a good performance. Sometimes a piece that I played would have a special connection for a member of the audience. And there’s always that wonderful quietness when you know you’re getting through to people in a way that can never quite be repeated. Curiously, because there is no direct interaction, another unexpected way in which my music has changed people’s lives has been through Harry Potter – I get many emails saying how my music has helped people through difficulties. ‘Dumbledore’s Farewell’ seems to be top of the list.
You and your wife Judith Henderson have long played in a folk violin and guitar duo – Henderson:Hooper. You also play in a folk trio, The Boot Band, performing covers, folk songs, traditional English and Eastern European tunes.
You perceive a deep bond with your land but above all with that part freer from technical constraints and rigidities. Did this also help to bring you back to your roots?
Nicholas Hooper - Yes. After working on films for over twenty years, I felt the need to play music that came from the traditions around me and I started writing short tunes for Judith in a, broadly speaking, folk style taking from the traditions of Scotland, Ireland, England and also eastern Europe. I have always loved folk music and in my teens I was resident guitarist at a local folk club. So I would say this was definitely going back to a part of my musical roots that I had left behind when I became immersed in the technical professionalism of film music. I think differently now as a result and love the way many film composers call on other traditions and the gritty feel of traditional music.
Your novel Above the Void is a splendid example of sensitivity and a willingness to communicate a message, an exploration of what it might feel like to be someone in a similar situation to yours; Your daughter, Rose, was born with an underdeveloped part of the brain that controls movement and therefore has difficulty both walking and talking. You also wrote and recorded a guitar piece inspired by your debut novel and your wife has worked as a music therapist, helping both children and adults with emotional, learning and physical difficulties. The importance of music in these circumstances I think is absolute...Many take too many gifts for granted, perhaps because when we have them it is as if the right to possess them were implicit, but the duty is above all to help and support those who have not had the same fortunes...even if I think that people with difficulties and obstacles to overcome are much more useful to people with a seemingly normal daily life. I believe the strength is also perceived through your art with which you love her in a pure way... what binds you is a dignity and a sensitivity worthy of mention. Would you like to tell me more about how you feel about this?
Nicholas Hooper - I think you have already put this very well. Trying to understand what it must feel like to be unable to easily do the things that most people take for granted is so important if you are going to help someone close to you who is experiencing this. Our experience with our daughter has brought home to us what a privilege it is to be able to speak and walk and move easily, and how hard won these skills can be when there is a neurological obstacle in the way – this is something that most people never think about.
Above the Void was my first published novel and I am proud of that aspect of it that puts the reader inside the sufferer’s head.
I know that even before composing for the two films of the Harry Potter saga, you were already a fan, that you would have liked the opportunity to work on the saga through your music and that by "law of attraction" you found yourself called to be part of this extraordinary world, which has left a considerable number of enthusiasts with dreamy eyes.
I still remember when the saga ended, that already nostalgic and melancholy people felt almost lost... Cinema has the potential to grow together with human beings, it often helps us to face life; a message if well finalized can definitely help. Fantasy, more specifically, has the ability to teach using metaphors, symbols and allegories.
What was your impact on the script and how did you experience your entry into this adventure?
Among all the songs composed for the two films of the Harry Potter saga, are there some in particular that you consider better than others and if so, which ones are you particularly fond of?
Nicholas Hooper - I wouldn’t be able to tell you whether I had any impact on the script in any strict sense – work on the script was done between the writer, director and the producers. The aim of my music was to support the story in any way that I could.
If you mean how did my music affect the audience’s perception of the script, then I would hope that it did by heightening the emotions and subtly coloring the way the audience would experience the film.
This leads me into the second part of your question: when Harry was possessed by Voldemort near the end of The Order of the Phoenix and Harry cast him out with love – the piece is called ‘Possession’ – it was one of the most fulfilling moments of my film-scoring career. I remember conducting it in the recording session, and the feeling that spread through the orchestra, it was like gently trying to keep the lid on something that wanted to boil over, so that when the moment came and I let the lid off, the music had its full effect.
The other piece that comes to mind is ‘Dumbledore’s Farewell’. It took ages to come up with this and both David Yates and David Heyman asked me to dig deeper. In the end the answer was a simple descending bass line with music that built and swelled to the vanquishing of the Dark Mark – another expulsion of Voldemort. I know this piece has affected many and I am so thankful that I have been able to write something that has helped people.
There are lots of other pieces that I could mention: the action pieces: ‘Fireworks’ and ‘Ron’s Victory’, the magic cues: ‘Dumbledore’s Army’ and ‘Living Death’. But there’s one piece that never got into the film: ‘In Noctem’, a song with words written by Steve Clunes which should have been sung by the school choir shortly before Dumbledore’s death. The sequence was taken out of the film in order to speed up the action but the DNA of that music remained throughout the Half Blood Prince and appeared in most sequences between Dumbledore and Harry – notably ‘Journey to the Cave’. The tune to ‘Carry my soul…’ from In Noctem is played on the cello at the beginning of ‘Dumbledore’s Farewell’. Nothing was wasted in this film!
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince": I think you have shown respect and competence towards the previous films and compositions, being right in the most important transition phase, also with regards to the story itself... In the films you directed musically, we have the loss of two extremely important and reference figures for Harry Potter... Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore even if we will later discover the true character who has always protected him, Severus Snape. You composed for both moments the songs "Death of Sirius" and "Dumbledore's Farewell"; I don't fail to tell you that "Dumbledore's Farewell" I think it is one of the most beautiful pieces if not the most beautiful of the entire saga... that every time I listen to it makes me cry. I would like to know more from you... When you found yourself in the writing and recording phase, how did you deal with these two pieces of music, both of which are crucial? What inspired you and led you to structure them?
Nicholas Hooper - The Death of Sirius was difficult to get right. In the end we decided that understatement was the key, leaving the pain to be shown in Harry’s eyes. In consequence the Possession piece which happens later, that I mentioned above, had that much more impact. I have already explained about how Dumbledore’s Farewell came about, but if you think about it, both the big emotional pieces come after the death of Harry’s loved ones, after Harry has tried to take revenge and shown his anger, not at the time.
Not only a lover of fantasy but also of detective fiction in general, so much so that you have already published two books in a series about Inspector Arnold Rackham, which you created.
Even in your bio you state that "you used to write music for other people's stories and it was time to write your own." Director David Yates found himself faced with the fantasy genre coming from a background of thriller, crime and drama. Do you think that having collaborated with him for a long time has somehow influenced your stylistic choices in writing?
Being that writing, like composition, requires a lot of dedication and care, tell me how you got into it, what kind of different satisfaction it gives you compared to music and how both things are intertwined.
Nicholas Hooper - For me, writing music for film has always been about the story. The story decides the structure and framework of the music. It decides the length of each cue. It decides the themes and tone of every piece of music written for it. So when I took on the job of composing music for a film the first step was always to read the script. If I didn’t like the script I wouldn’t take the job.
It’s worth saying here that my mother – Muriel Hooper – was a children’s book writer and when growing up, I was as influenced by her and the literary background she gave me as I was by my father and his love of music.
There was a point in the struggle to come up with my best ever score when composing for The Half Blood Prince when I said to myself, ‘Why don’t I write my own stories?’ To be fair, the influence to write words rather than music didn’t come from my friend and creative partner, David Yates, and the work we did together, but from my background which was always grounded in books and stories.
As a child I was probably dyslexic and found writing excessively hard, so when the possibility of taking the musical route to creativity arose I leapt at it. I got a place at the Royal College of Music with only two O’levels to my name – I was hopeless at exams – but from there my music career took off. But all the time I was reading books as much as listening to music. Then, having scored the two Potter films, I had the time to try to write as a part of me had always longed to do. After some experimenting I found that writing on a computer with all the correcting and editing skills it gave me, enabled me to write my first story, then my first book! I remember crying with pure joy as I wrote the final sentence! To get down the structure of a whole novel gave me something that music didn’t. But there was a long way to go – there still is. Composing music comes from somewhere inside me that has had plenty of practice and resources – a lot of what comes is already almost fully formed. With writing words there is always more that can be done, my experience is far less, and I find it harder to assess whether something is finished or not. Words are slippery things and can mean so many different things to different people. I’m still earlier on this journey but I get a huge amount out of it after ten years of grafting.
At present, every morning before breakfast, I am writing short musings or poems and improvising (and recording) a short piece of music to go with them. A very satisfying start to the day!
You have created compositions for documentaries for the BBC Natural History Unit, for Disneynature and therefore the relationship with animals and nature is vivid.
To accompany the images of the terrestrial beauty that surrounds us and for which man often does not have the right respect, an introspective journey and a receptive capacity are needed such as to remember that we were born on a planet of which we are not masters of anything, only of ourselves. What kind of work is required when it comes to following and supporting the documentary genre? Have you undertaken journeys that have allowed you to obtain the right inspirations?
Nicholas Hooper - I have always been enthralled by nature. To write music for films about it was the most natural thing for me. The soaring flight of a bird and the feeling of freedom it gave me needed a musical expression. I worked in Natural History for over ten years writing scores for numerous films. I had the chance to travel to India to research the music and to experience the wildlife first hand which resulted in my score for the BBC Series Land of The Tiger. I went to South America to get inspiration for the BBC’s Andes to Amazon. All life-changing and music-changing experiences. And now I enjoy birdsong – these creative little creatures giving me music from another sphere.
What is your relationship with Italy? Do you like music, cinema and art from our country?
Nicholas Hooper - Monteverdi’s Vespers made a huge impact on me when I was studying music. It has such a strong architecture – the opening feels like massive pillars of sound that create the entrance to a great building where the vespers can be heard.
I have visited Italy and loved its way of life that is so different from ours. There is a freedom there. I hope in the future that we can visit a friend of my wife’s – Simone who lives in Volterra, an Etruscan town. It sounds like a stunning place.
Also, interestingly, my wife Judith has a connection with Italy that goes back through the generations. Her mother studied and taught Italian at Edinburgh University and later in a girls’ school; Judith’s grandmother did an Italian degree later in life, and used to welcome young Italian women into the family home to live amongst them for extended periods of time, and some of those friendships became lifelong. Judith visited Tuscany with her family several times as a child, and came to study Italian at Florence University’s Centro di Cultura per Stranieri in the autumn of 1989. During that time she studied Italian Renaissance Art at the British Institute in Florence. So Italy has been a thread in her life that I am happy to hook into.
The power of writing, whether musical or literary, is a vivid message that emerges from Master Hooper's words, reminding us how these two arts are equally important even if they have different purposes; the same Word & Note that identifies the site and the projects of Nicholas and Judith Hooper is a clear demonstration of this.
The notes in music and the words in writing, however, have the task of transmitting emotions, of stimulating our senses so that different interpretations occur depending on the person who internalizes them.
According to the Maestro, it is the story that decides the structure of the music and I completely agree; this is why I don't fail to remember the importance of a quality screenplay, to guarantee the success of maximum musical expression and therefore a memorable cinematic impact.
"When I took on the task of composing music for a film, the first step was always to read the script. If I didn't like the script, I didn't take the job."
This is an inseparable aspect for a musician, invited to strengthen every state of mind, emotion, sensation that the characters are called upon to interpret... that extension that I have mentioned several times when tackling film composition; music is linked to words, it is linked to expressions, it is linked to movements, it is also linked to silences. Faithful companion of the script, he supports it and translates it into notes allowing us to live an amplified and profound experience.
I believe that the sensitivity and touch of the musician make the difference, as in any other art form; if dialogue prepares our emotions, music does nothing but bring them out into the open... this is why while we listen to beautiful words accompanied by music that activates their expressive power, we can feel emotionally euphoric, or indignant, sad, anguished , reassured, satisfied...there are as many emotions as the different messages received by each individual person.
This is the beauty of cinema and I believe that Maestro Hooper, through his countless works, including the one carried out for the Harry Potter saga, has confirmed with finesse and delicacy of mind that music is a real medicine for the spirit and the body...a help for humanity.
The return to the Master's roots underlines even more his sensitivity towards the priceless aspects of life: belonging, creative freedom, traditions, family... the authenticity that often gets lost in the chaos of routine and the most unbridled lifestyle.
Working with several talented musicians on numerous projects, Hooper began playing in concert with guitarist Gordon Giltrap who, over the years, has worked with an exceptionally wide roster of artists, from rock musicians such as Brian May, Rick Wakeman and Midge ure to jazz virtuoso Martin Taylor, classical guitarist Raymond Burley and the London Symphony Orchestra.
In 2000 Gordon is invited to become a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats.
For those who don't know, GOWR is the oldest entertainment charity in the UK and counts among its members Brian May (Queen), John Lodge (Moody Blues), Rick Wakeman, Joe Brown and Nico McBrain the Iron Maiden drummer.
Past Water Rats include Charlie Chaplin, Sir John Mills, Tommy Cooper and many others.
Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year Honors 2019, "for services to music and charity", Gordon Giltrap confirms a spirit similar to the great Hooper: people who dedicate and have dedicated their lives to music, remembering always helping and supporting those around them.
Scattered Chapters is a dynamic multimedia project created during lockdown which sees Hooper and Giltrap collaborate on a mix of writing, music and art: albums by Gordon Giltrap and Paul Ward, along with a book containing short stories written by the award-winning Hooper and details of the singles artworks from some of the most exciting artists working in the UK today; you can read thoughts on life and death, love stories and mystical reflections.
The journey we undertake during our existence allows us to test and have experiences that shape and form our person; Hooper, alongside his wife Judith, continues to explore the beauty of music by performing together with numerous folk artists such as John Dipper, composer and teacher, who himself recorded several films including "The Hobbit" and the TV series "Poldark", the singer and bassist Susanna Starling who is part of the trio "The Boot Band", with poets and storytellers who manage to convey that magic necessary when we cooperate.
Love and respect can unite and allow the possibility to create beyond the rigor of the scene and let a return also be a more solid union; it is the opportunity to tell life in a different way and to move someone who needs to listen, to make her a message through the notes, through the words that accompany them. Through the renewal of the musicians themselves, whose mission is to grant the possibility of being reborn in different places and at different times, the public absorbs the energy and regenerates itself.
Books and stories, music and poems, freedom and roots...Hooper is extraordinarily a human person with an unsettling simplicity, who manages to fill a concert hall as well as a small room...you can perceive it in every note he gives...An entire spell is written in those notes.
CONTACTS:
Official site: https://wordandnote.com/
Comments