MUSIC BY BEAR McCREARYOtter Tooth sequences, or the action sequences that For the more ethereal required more colors, | drew/upon more exotic sounds from throughout the Americas, adding the Inuit qilaut, turtle shells played like a log drum, and the Aztec teponaztli. While these colors provided the back- bone of the majority of scenes involving Native Americans, several sequences stood out to me as needing something more Typically, the presence of vocals or choirs in Outlander was always used to represent Claire's journey, or the Stones, or “The Skye Boat Song.” This is the first time such a distinctly new vocal presence has been introduced to the score. The first such sequence occurred in “Common Ground," during Jamie's confrontation with the “bear.” This passage of the score is based on the Cherokee Bear Dance, and the vocals were performed by a talented Native American singer named Jaraneh Nova. | was utterly stunned by her unique musical personality, and was thrilled with how she integrated her sound into the score and elevated the I hope it had the same impact on audiences that it had on me! drama, After our first session, | was on the lookout for another sequence in which to feature Jaranch. That opportunity would arrive in the finale, during the scene in which Claire hears the tale of Otter Tooth: During this passage, Jaraneh’s voice returns set above the haunting texture of ambient synths, symphonic strings, and. Native “Native Americans American. percussion. are still very present in this world, although many believe us to be extinct,” Jaraneh said recently. "So, for me, having the opportunity to express ancient wisdom, language and prayer through song, in these modern times, was truly a blessing.” I never could have imagined [ would stumble upon a single project that would allow me to integrate both bagpipes and banjos, explore French baroque ornaments, fierce Afro-Cuban polyrhythms, or create a hybrid of Scottish and American folk music, set against a backbone of percussive Working on Outlander continues to be one of the most Native American rhythms exhilarating creative challenges of my career, and | look forward to seeing where the journey leads next Bear McCreary March, 2019NTN age tec Sam nee rte ere eta erent Score Produced by Bear McCreary Rrra oe TO MSL reer Recording Engineers: Vitek Kral, Ryan Walsh Orchestrators: Sean Barrett, Benjamin Hoff, Jamie Thierman Additional Music by Jason Akers, Sam Ewing, Omer Ben-Zvi, Joanna Pane aX Additional Sequencing by Nicholas Steinbach, Michael Beach ‘ Scoring Coordinator: Kaiyun Wong Scoring Assistants: Cooper Fuqua, David Matics Music Editor: Michael Baber Assistants to Composer: Marisa Gunzenhauser, Angelina ek Orchestra Recorded at Smecky Music Studio x Prague, Czech Republic \, Mastered by Pat Sullivan at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Los Angeles, CA Music Consultants: Edward Trybek, Henri Wilkinson, >. ener ‘ Orchestra Contractor: James Fitzpatrick for Tadlow Music AVresl ROC ier (acme EO Tom ent cl} J PET coer [Hen eRe ABE eg ea BP Backing Vocals; Matthew Cartsonis, Paul Cartwright, Ira Ingber ES UM ea Coe Music Creative Affairs: Tony Scudellari Music Business Affairs: Rod Davis Album Coordinator: Jaime Cyr Art Direction and Design: Jen Tindal Bear McCreary wishes to thank: Ronald D. Moore, Diana G writers, producers, cast, and crew for their unwavering creative support are also due to Edward Trybek, Henri Wilkinson and Jonathan Beard; Elicia Bessette, Toni Graphia, Chris Parnell and Tony Scudellari at Sony, as well as Chris Albrecht, Carmi Zlotnick, SET ere oa eee Rata Oe sce EAST Ke oe Oe MSOC tes Kraft, Laura Engel, Joe Augustine, Jaime Cyr, the talented musicians who brought the score to life, and to my friends and family. ViaGemriedu sein vac Reni dens ty rer aasecoy ihe estonia eh abt eerraceear(eactarend le aaaridinians URI HERTS aiaetuar tetas aie MH REGAIN eaietsatas onic Biesdlse STA TSTR PCV REHEAT SSE NUP NMAC Lane ar tee qOutlander dramatic journey: from the bustling streets Season Four chronicles a of colonial era Wilmington, across the Appalachian wilderness, to Cherokee and Mohawk lands. This journey leaps from the modernity of the 1960s to the simmering pre-Revolutionary tension of eighteenth- century America. These settings present a challenge for a composer because each era, culture, and geographical location offers potential musical influences for the score. My goal was to assimilate all these ideas into a score that helps the audience follow the various narrative threads and still supports the drama. Oh, and I wanted to use banjos now too! A large portion of the story takes place in the Appalachian Mountains, a region of America with a strong musical identity. Over the course of a few hundred years, Appalachian music developed into what we categorize as bluegrass, country and folk music today. These genres emphasize specific vocal styles: clear, sonorous vocal tones stacked in triadic harmonies, often featuring high falsettos. This music also popularized instruments such as. banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and a fretted dulcimer, used so often it became known as an Appalachian dulcimer. In the early 1920s Appalachian music began to be captured in field recordings, and in the following decades studio recordings transport it commercial would eventually around the world. Our primary time-traveling protagonists, Claire, Roger, and Brianna, would have sounds. Yes, Appalachian music was mostly developed in the early twentieth century, but it offered the musical sounds that Claire and Brianna would have associated with the region been familiar with these In fact, their nostalgic memories of the twentieth century influenced my decisions with the score. After all, | am not scoring a documentary, I'm scoring the emotional journey of our characters One of the great joys of reinventing "The Skye Boat Song" for each season of Outlander comes in making bold changes. And Season Four's "Appalachian Version" might be the boldest yet. In my first sketch, I again had vocalist Raya Yarbrough introduce the melody a cappella, and then gradually supported her with banjo, mandolin, and Appalachian dulcimer. At the B-section, | introduced an upright bass and gentle brushstrokes on a modern drum kit. The rhythm section firmly roots us in twentieth century performance practice. For the final chorus, Raya is joined for the first time by other singers, the three best bluegrass singers | know: Paul Cartwright, Ira Ingber, and Matt Cartsonis.When | reflect on my experiences with this song, I have to laugh; in the first season, I was scared to even change a/word of the text! (Showrunner Ron Moore suggested we alter “lad” to “lass” to reflect the needs of the story.) Since then, have bent and adapted this song into many different styles I could never have foreseen at that time Yet, with each permutation, the integrity and soul of the song remains clear. Perhaps that is why the song itself has long endured Like all immortal folk songs, there exists something inherent to its musical DNA that allows it to change, evolve, and adapt to new interpretations, while still retaining its identity. | am grateful to this song for what it has brought to my creative life With the decision made to introduce the colors of Appalachian music, the score to Outlander Season Four was born. Outlander is a thematic score, with over a dozen important themes already established. This season required new thematic material that would come to represent new characters, locations, and story arcs. These new themes would be interwoven with older themes to create a rich musical tapestry. | believe long-standing musical connections help solidify the story for audiences, and deepen the impact of emotional moments. Of the new themes | wrote this season, none were as important as the Brianna and Roger Theme, a melody that permeates nearly every scene with either character. My goal was to compose a distinct piece that could eventually generate the kind of emotional impact over the course of multiple seasons that | believe the Jamie an@ Claire Theme has with audiences. At its purest form, this theme strongly evokes the popular folk music of the 1960s, and simultaneously fits with the Appalachian- influenced instrumental score. My hope is that this subtle sense of modernity serves as a constant reminder that these two come from a time closer to our own Season Four presents a villainous new character, Stephen Bonnet, portrayed with vile cunning by Ed Speleers. | was immediately struck by his presence, and wanted to write him a theme that was equalto his villainy. His theme is malevolent, built from recurring small intervals that give it a twisted, sinister quality. Once again drawing inspiration from the new instrumentation for the séason, | most frequently feature his theme on dulcimers and mandolin, requesting that the players leave in the fret noise, scratches, and other live performance irregularities that produce a raw sound. Bonnets theme also hints at his Irish upbringing Frequently on Outlander, I've used music to represent places as strongly as I do to This particular, Ridge, sparked a conversation about introducing an even more specific theme. We first set eyes on Fraser's Ridge at the end of the third episode, "The False Bride.” This is the place where Jamie and Claire plant roots in America, a commitment that will represent characters. season, one location in Fraser's continue to have narrative significance in the future. Ron suggested we introduce a new theme for Fraser's Ridge, and I agreed it was a significant enough moment to merit its own music. Ron and | did not intend the Fraser's Ridge Theme to replace the Jamie and Claire Theme, which still has a place in both our hearts. The idea was instead to augment their musical identity, by introducing thematic material with the sole purpose of supporting their new life in America, free from the memories of the past. season's most distinct Perhaps this musical development is the introduction of Native American instrumentation. First alluded to in the premiere’s mysterious opening sequence, | found opportunity to fully explore these sounds beginning in the third episode, “The False Bride.” What started with subtle new instrumentation during a trippy sequence where Claire first sees Otter Tooth, eventually evolves into a wholly new musical palette that virtually overtakes the entire soundtrack as the narrative dives into confligts with the Cherokee and Mohawk tribes. I felt strongly that the Native American presence in the show needed to be supported with authentic instrumentation, and so I drew predominantly from. per- cussion and woodwinds. For the majority of scenes, I emphasized drums. similar in timbre to what would have been performed by these tribes at this time, leaning heavily on double-headed pueblo style drums, shaman drums, and deer hide drums. Various rattles were used, including seed pods strung together with string, gourd rattles, and a turtle shell rattle. — iORIGINAL TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK; SEASON 4 OUTLANDER} -THE SERIES =e —— 1. Outlander - The Skye Boat Song (Appalachian Version) - feat. Raya Yarbrough 2. Brianna and Roger Theme 3. Circles 4. An American Dream 5. River Run 6. Do No Harm 7. Fraser's Ridge 8. Bear Killer - feat. Jaraneh Nova 9. The Familiar Blacksmith 10. Brianna in the Snow 11. Stephen Bonnet Theme 12. The Handfasting Ceremony 13. Fraser Family Reunion 14. Life in America 15. The Debutante 16. Welcome to the Tribe 17. Dangerous Diversion 18. The Tale of Otter Tooth - feat. Jaraneh No 19. Failed Rescue 20. Man of Worth 21. Return to Brianna ee q Per oa] Album Produced by Joe Augustine & Bear Mi eee sony ae. So p= exer Eunos iawn rin ere tee aging ree eee era ee ational Services G#9075980002 ORIGINAL TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK; SEASON 4 OUTLAN DER Se a eee R McCREARY1. Outlander - The Skye Boat Song (Appalachian Version) - feat. Raya Yarbrough 2. Brianna and Roger Theme 3. Circles 4. An American Dream 5. River Run 6. Do No Harm 7. Fraser's Ridge 8. Bear Killer - feat. Jaraneh Nova 9. The Familiar Blacksmith 10. Brianna in the Snow 11. Stephen Bonnet Theme 12. The Handfasting Ceremony 13. Fraser Family Reunion 14. Life in America 15. The Debutante 16. Welcome to the Tribe 17. Dangerous Diversion 18. The Tale of Otter Tooth - feat. Jaraneh Nova 19. Failed Rescue 20. Man of Worth 21. Return to Brianna