The Music of the Eleventh Doctor

I'm trying to psych myself up to blog about Series 6.  I just finished it the other day, and I have no desire to go back right now and rewatch them, but I do want to talk about them very badly.  In the meantime, I want to discuss something that I really, REALLY like about the new seasons:  the music. This isn't going to be a huge, in-depth assessment. If you want to listen to a really interesting podcast about the music of Doctor Who, you should check out Adventures in Time, Space and Music.

There have been a few times during the fifth and six series that I have thought, "wow, I really like the Doctor right now!" I think that it really comes down to the music.  It's very driving, it's passionate, and it's unlike anything we heard with the previous Doctors.

Here's the theme for the original series, which was created by Delia Derbyshire and Ron Grainer. According to Wikipedia, "Each and every note was individually created by cutting, splicing, speeding up and slowing down segments of analogue tape containing recordings of a single plucked string, white noise, and the simple harmonic waveforms of test-tone oscillators which were used for calibrating equipment ... Once each sound had been created, it was modified. Some sounds were created at all the required pitches direct from the oscillators, others had to be repitched later by adjusting the tape playback speed and re-recording the sound onto another tape player. This process continued until every sound was available at all the required pitches. To create dynamics, the notes were re-recorded at slightly different levels."



Here is the theme for Doctors 9 and 10, arranged by Murray Gold. As you can see, it still has that very electronic element to it, with an added orchestral sound.



And the Eleventh Doctor theme, which is a complete reworking by Murray Gold, of course uses the original theme, but also adds in even more elements, plus vocals.



The original series didn't really have any notable incidental music or character themes. However, the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Doctors all have very recognizable music. I'll talk about my favorites.

We've got the Doctor's Theme, which runs through both Nine and Ten, and is very mysterious and minor. It's my favorite Ninth/Tenth Doctor music.



Rose's Theme is very orchestral and moving.



Martha' Theme is very similar to the haunting Doctor's Theme:



Interestingly, Amy Pond also has a similar sound to her theme. It has a music box feel to it, which I think emphasizes that the Doctor is her childhood friend.



Something else I should point out is that Donna's theme is a huge departure from all of the other companion themes. I feel like hers is more of a 60's romantic comedy action sequence sound. It just feels like it could be something from a Cary Grant movie. What do you think?



This is the Eleventh Doctor's Action Theme, which tells you that Series 5 and 6 is definitely an action show. I think it is amazing and absolutely love it. To me, this adds to the show significantly.



And my absolute favorite music: The Eleventh Doctor's theme! I feel like a traitor to Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, but there you have it. I think this is fantastic! It's my favorite Eleventh Doctor music. I honestly feel that it makes me like the Eleventh Doctor more! As a matter of fact, I just ran off and pulled out my viola and played it on there. I think my sister-in-law will kill me if I add it to our ever-increasing list of viola/flute duets, but it is fun to play!



So there you have it - the one thing that I LOVE about the Eleventh Doctor. I could listen to that music all day. In fact, I think I'm going to go download it now and put it in my running playlist on my iPhone. Then I can say, "oh good, we're doing the running thing!" Okay, I wouldn't say that. Who am I kidding? I totally would, just like every time I get to the spot in The Two Towers soundtrack, I say, "they run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them!" (But not when people are around.) God, I'm a huge dork.