While I was on my road trip and traveling to multiple Civil War battlefields, I had a theme from the score from Gods and Generals in my head, so as I was driving, I listened to the full score several times. What a fantastic score written as a tribute to the events and the men depicted in the film and in the larger war and era.
Gods and Generals is a 2003 film based on the Jeff Shaara novel of the same name. Jeff Shaara’s novel is a prequel of sorts to his father Michael Shaara’s novel “The Killer Angels,” which the 1993 film Gettysburg was based on. Gods and Generals covers the Battles of First Manassas, Chancellorsville, and Fredericksburg (three of my road trip stops). Gettysburg featured a score by Randy Edelman, who employed an obvious and distracting array of synthesized instruments in place of a fully orchestral score. Edelman returns in Gods and Generals for a few tracks, but the majority of the work for the film is done by John Frizzell. Both composers thankfully use an entirely orchestral ensemble.
Not having seen the film, I am unaware of what or who themes in the score represent, but from a purely musical viewpoint, the score is remarkable.
The score begins with the titular track, “Gods and Generals.” The theme introduced in this track is an emotional heartbreak of a theme appropriately set in minor key.
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The theme returns elsewhere in the score, notably in the track “Loved I Not Honor More” in an almost haunting rendition.
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The second major theme of the score is introduced in the track “You Must Not Worry for Us” with a beautiful horn solo.
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This theme is a beautiful companion piece yet absolutely opposite of the first theme. The most extraordinary performance of this theme is the track “To the Stone Wall.”
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Other tracks of note include “Lexington is My Home” which gives listeners a delectable taste of the South.
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“The School of the Soldier” is a fitting military period piece.
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Finally, “These Brave Irishmen” pays tribute to the Irishmen that played a large role in these battles with a moving piece with ethnic instrumentation.
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Gods and Generals is a powerhouse of an emotional journey from start to finish. Frizzell remarkably captures the essence of what one might think a Civil War score should sound like in the 21st century. His themes are somber and heart-wrenching, hopeful and heartwarming. For film score and history enthusiasts alike, I can’t recommend this score any higher. Absolutely a five-out-of-five score.
