Having previously written a short piece on the theme song a while back, I felt that it was about time for me to write a more extensive entry on my favourite piece of non-diegetic music used in the series.
Christophe Beck is a veteran composer, and he has recorded numerous, iconic pieces for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". His compositions have been acclaimed so much that one of the albums based on music from the programme, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Score" is dedicated solely to his compositions.
Though all of his work for BTVS is sublime, there is one piece, in particular that stands out the most to me, and that is "Close Your Eyes (Buffy/Angel Love Theme)". Faint echos of it can be heard throughout season two, but it is at its most effective in the season finale, "Becoming (Part 2)".
Buffy and Angel are, infallibly my favourite heterosexual pairing from the series (sorry, Buffy and Spike fans!). A whole score about their love is bound to lend me a certain degree of bias. In saying that, it isn't just that which makes me love the music so much, it's the fact that the composition is stunning.
Mirroring the romantic relationship between the two, the song has a clear, tragic overtone. The music itself has a classical feel to it, laced with strings and a echoey piano. Indeed, the music is haunting and striking. Unlike some music in scenes that can become lost amongst dialogue and various other sounds, "Close Your Eyes" always takes the centre-stage for me whenever it is present during a scene.
Something I would suggest about this particular score is that it is a dichotomy: romantic, yet deeply sad, empty and lost, yet incredibly deep and striking. It reminds me of both characters in that respect, as both were outcasts in some way. They were also both melancholy characters who suffered from feeling constantly isolated. In some programmes, a character has a piece of music which is their theme song, "Close Your Eyes" is Buffy and Angel's.
Not once does the music ever out-stay its welcome or feel contrived. It is labeled on the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album" as being just two minutes and fourty-seven seconds long. Despite its short length, it manages to capture the heavy feelings surrounding Buffy and Angel's relationship. When it breaks off at 2:03 into a more cinematic and grandiose piece, it only lasts for around twenty two seconds before it gradually fizzles and fades out. Once again, it represents a pivotal moment for the two characters: it reminds me of the huge, dramatic fight between the pair in the season two finale. Like the music, the battle starts strong, but it eventually stops once Angel is ensouled and Buffy realises it.
"Close your eyes..." is what Buffy says to Angel just before she drives a sword through him at the end of "Becoming", so the song title is a blatant homage to that, and I couldn't think of a more apt title.
Previously, in this entry, I had briefly mentioned my thoughts on when the score was most effective. To expand on that, I think that it was used to perfection during Buffy and Angel's final kiss before she sent him to hell. The music is brilliant when it enters its dramatic segment when he gets sucked into Acathla. It is one of the most heartbreaking moments from the entire series and "Close Your Eyes" is a big part of that. If the music wasn't so evocative, the scene wouldn't have been nearly as effective.
Everything about the music evokes a blue feeling for me, I believe it to be a true masterpiece in terms of music used in the series. In my opinion, the appropriate sounds are pivotal to the atmosphere in a television series. When "Buffy" is stripped of its music ("The Body"), the atmosphere becomes entirely different.
Readers, how do you feel about this particular piece of music? If you have one, which Christophe Beck composition from BTVS is your favourite? Leave a comment below and let me know!
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Christophe Beck is a veteran composer, and he has recorded numerous, iconic pieces for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". His compositions have been acclaimed so much that one of the albums based on music from the programme, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Score" is dedicated solely to his compositions.
Though all of his work for BTVS is sublime, there is one piece, in particular that stands out the most to me, and that is "Close Your Eyes (Buffy/Angel Love Theme)". Faint echos of it can be heard throughout season two, but it is at its most effective in the season finale, "Becoming (Part 2)".
Buffy and Angel are, infallibly my favourite heterosexual pairing from the series (sorry, Buffy and Spike fans!). A whole score about their love is bound to lend me a certain degree of bias. In saying that, it isn't just that which makes me love the music so much, it's the fact that the composition is stunning.
Mirroring the romantic relationship between the two, the song has a clear, tragic overtone. The music itself has a classical feel to it, laced with strings and a echoey piano. Indeed, the music is haunting and striking. Unlike some music in scenes that can become lost amongst dialogue and various other sounds, "Close Your Eyes" always takes the centre-stage for me whenever it is present during a scene.
Something I would suggest about this particular score is that it is a dichotomy: romantic, yet deeply sad, empty and lost, yet incredibly deep and striking. It reminds me of both characters in that respect, as both were outcasts in some way. They were also both melancholy characters who suffered from feeling constantly isolated. In some programmes, a character has a piece of music which is their theme song, "Close Your Eyes" is Buffy and Angel's.
Not once does the music ever out-stay its welcome or feel contrived. It is labeled on the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album" as being just two minutes and fourty-seven seconds long. Despite its short length, it manages to capture the heavy feelings surrounding Buffy and Angel's relationship. When it breaks off at 2:03 into a more cinematic and grandiose piece, it only lasts for around twenty two seconds before it gradually fizzles and fades out. Once again, it represents a pivotal moment for the two characters: it reminds me of the huge, dramatic fight between the pair in the season two finale. Like the music, the battle starts strong, but it eventually stops once Angel is ensouled and Buffy realises it.
"Close your eyes..." is what Buffy says to Angel just before she drives a sword through him at the end of "Becoming", so the song title is a blatant homage to that, and I couldn't think of a more apt title.
Previously, in this entry, I had briefly mentioned my thoughts on when the score was most effective. To expand on that, I think that it was used to perfection during Buffy and Angel's final kiss before she sent him to hell. The music is brilliant when it enters its dramatic segment when he gets sucked into Acathla. It is one of the most heartbreaking moments from the entire series and "Close Your Eyes" is a big part of that. If the music wasn't so evocative, the scene wouldn't have been nearly as effective.
Everything about the music evokes a blue feeling for me, I believe it to be a true masterpiece in terms of music used in the series. In my opinion, the appropriate sounds are pivotal to the atmosphere in a television series. When "Buffy" is stripped of its music ("The Body"), the atmosphere becomes entirely different.
Readers, how do you feel about this particular piece of music? If you have one, which Christophe Beck composition from BTVS is your favourite? Leave a comment below and let me know!
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