2001 : a Space Odyssey ( score ) - wikipedia 2001 : a Space Odyssey ( score ) For the film 's actual score, see 2001 : A Space Odyssey ( soundtrack ). The 2001 : A Space Odyssey score is an unused film score composed by Alex North for Stanley Kubrick 's 1968 film, 2001 : A Space Odyssey. Contents 1 Background 2 Original theme music 3 Jerry Goldsmith recording 4 Official original recording 5 Reception 6 References 7 External links Background In the early stages of production, Kubrick had commissioned noted Hollywood composer Alex North, who had written the score for Spartacus and also worked on Dr. Strangelove, to write the score of his upcoming film 2001 : A Space Odyssey. However, during post-production, Kubrick chose to abandon North 's music in favor of the now - familiar classical music pieces he had earlier chosen as `` guide pieces '' for the soundtrack. North did not know of the abandonment of the score until after he saw the film 's premiere screening. The world 's first exposure to North 's unused music was in 1993 via Telarc 's issue of the main theme on Hollywood 's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, a compilation album by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. All the music North originally wrote was recorded commercially by North 's friend and colleague Jerry Goldsmith with the National Philharmonic Orchestra and was released on Varèse Sarabande CDs shortly after Telarc 's first theme release but before North 's death. Eventually, a mono mix - down of North 's original recordings, which had survived in the interim, would be released as a limited edition CD by Intrada Records. In an interview with Michel Ciment, Kubrick explained : However good our best film composers may be, they are not a Beethoven, a Mozart or a Brahms. Why use music which is less good when there is such a multitude of great orchestral music available from the past and from our own time ? When you are editing a film, it 's very helpful to be able to try out different pieces of music to see how they work with the scene... Well, with a little more care and thought, these temporary tracks can become the final score. North, unaware that Kubrick had decided not to use the score in his film, was `` devastated '' at the 1968 New York City premiere screening of 2001 not to hear his work, and later offered this account of his experience : `` Well, what can I say ? It was a great, frustrating experience, and despite the mixed reaction to the music, I think the Victorian approach with mid-European overtones was just not in keeping with the brilliant concept of Clarke and Kubrick. '' The original three - track score masters had been kept at Anvil Studios in England as late as 1980, but were later erased when the Anvil facility closed. All that remained of the original tracks were mono fold down tapes kept by North 's family. Original theme music Alex North 's main title theme has a striking resemblance to the `` Also sprach Zarathustra '' piece that would eventually be used in the final film. The original theme was listed on North 's original score sheet as `` Bones. '' It would have been used three times in the film, once as the main title music, and again during the opening `` Dawn of Man '' sequence as an ape smashes skeletal remains ( hence the score sheet 's title ), and finally at the end of the film during the `` Starchild '' scene. This theme music made its public debut in early 1993 as part of the Telarc compilation CD Hollywood 's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and there it was titled `` Fanfare for 2001 '' ( it would therefore be the world 's first exposure to North 's unused 2001 music ). It would eventually be recycled by North for his later scores to Shanks, Dragonslayer and The Shoes of the Fisherman. Jerry Goldsmith recording Alex North 's 2001 : The Legendary Original Score Film score by Jerry Goldsmith and the National Philharmonic Orchestra Released October 12, 1993 Recorded January 26 -- 30, 1993 Genre Soundtrack, classical Length 35 : 24 Label Varèse Sarabande Producer Jerry Goldsmith Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic Shortly after Telarc 's release of the theme, the entire original North score was released to the public, also in 1993, in the form of an entirely new recording produced and conducted by film composer Jerry Goldsmith, performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra and recorded from January 26 to January 30. It was released in CD format from Varèse Sarabande Records, with the track list sequenced by co-producer Robert Tounson. CD cover art by Matthew Joseph Peak. No. Title Length 1. `` Main Title '' 1 : 37 2. `` The Foraging '' 3 : 44 3. `` Eat Meat and the Kill '' 3 : 27 4. `` The Bluff '' 3 : 01 5. `` Night Terrors '' 2 : 02 6. `` The Dawn of Man '' 3 : 14 7. `` Space Station Docking '' 2 : 22 8. `` Trip to the Moon '' 3 : 21 9. `` Moon Rocket Bus '' 5 : 01 10. `` Space Talk '' 3 : 30 11. `` Interior Orion '' 1 : 26 12. `` Main Theme '' 2 : 31 Official original recording Music for 2001 : A Space Odyssey Film score by Alex North Released January 26, 2007 Recorded 1968 Genre Soundtrack, classical Length 38 : 54 Label Intrada Producer Nick Redman In January 2007, Intrada Records issued 3000 copies of a limited edition CD featuring North 's original recording of the score from 1968. The release was authorized by the family of North, the estate of Stanley Kubrick, Dylanna Music, North 's music publishing company, and other entities ( the film 's current rights holder, Turner Entertainment, did not take part in this CD release ). The album features nine tracks from the score, as well as an alternate version of the track `` The Foraging. '' In addition, the album features three bonus tracks, all of additional takes of other tracks on the album. The music is conducted by Henry Brant. Brant had helped North with the orchestration in 1967 - 68, as North had to be taken to the recording session in an ambulance due to muscle spasms and back pain brought on by the stress of completing the score. The CD also includes liner notes and precise cue points as to where the music would have been found in the film so that viewers can properly track these cues in sync with the DVD / Blu - ray. No. Title Length 1. `` The Foraging '' 3 : 11 2. `` The Bluff '' 2 : 38 3. `` Night Terrors '' 1 : 47 4. `` Bones '' 1 : 41 5. `` Eat Meat and Kill '' 4 : 00 6. `` Space Station Docking '' 5 : 22 7. `` Space Talk '' 3 : 47 8. `` Trip to Moon '' 3 : 04 9. `` Moon Rocket Bus '' 5 : 19 10. `` The Foraging '' ( alternate version ) ( aka The Dawn of Man ) 3 : 08 Bonus Tracks No. Title Length 11. `` Eat Meat and Kill '' ( take 7 -- wild ) 1 : 03 12. `` Space Station '' ( take 4 -- partial ) 2 : 11 13. `` Docking '' ( take 2 ) 1 : 15 Reception In The Art of Film Music George Burt writes that North 's score is outstanding and Kubrick 's decision to abandon it was `` most unfortunate '', even though Kubrick 's choice of classical music does have merit. On hearing the score as it might have been in the film, film scholar Gene D. Phillips argued that `` it is difficult to see how North 's music would have been an improvement on the background music that Kubrick finally chose for the film. '' In his notes for the Jerry Goldsmith recording ( see below ), however, Kevin Mulhall argues that `` there is no doubt that 2001 would have been better if Kubrick had used North 's music. Even if one likes some of the choices Kubrick made for certain individual scenes, the eclectic group of classical composers employed by the director... resulted in a disturbing melange of sounds and styles overall. '' Roger Ebert notes that Alex North 's rejected score contains emotional cues to the viewer while the final music selections exist outside the action, while uplifting it. With regard to the space docking sequence, Ebert notes the peculiar combination of slowness and majesty that it has as a result of the choice of Strauss 's Blue Danube waltz, bringing `` seriousness and transcendence '' to the visuals. Speaking of the music generally, Ebert writes : When classical music is associated with popular entertainment, the result is usually to trivialize it ( who can listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger ? ). Kubrick 's film is almost unique in enhancing the music by its association with his images. North himself admitted : Well, what can I say ? It was a great, frustrating experience, and despite the mixed reaction to the music, I think the Victorian approach with mid-European overtones was just not in keeping with the brilliant concept of Clarke and Kubrick. References Jump up ^ Time Warp -- CD Booklet -- Telarc Release # CD - 80106 Jump up ^ LoBrutto, Vincent ( 1998 ). Stanley Kubrick. London : Faber and Faber. p. 308. ISBN 0 - 571 - 19393 - 5. ^ Jump up to : George Burt ( 1995 ). The Art of Film Music. Northeastern University Press. p. 126. ISBN 978 - 1 - 55553 - 270 - 3. Retrieved October 16, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Kubrick on Barry Lyndon : An interview with Michel Ciment ''. Archived from the original on 4 July 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2006. ^ Jump up to : CD insert booklet, Alex North 's 2001 : The Legendary Original Score ( VSD - 5400 ), Varèse Sarabande Records, 1993. Jump up ^ Steven McDonald. `` Alex North 's 2001 : The Legendary Original Score ''. Allmusic. Retrieved 2013 - 05 - 29. Jump up ^ the album cover mistakenly lists the album length as 39 : 02, while its actual run time is 38 : 54 Jump up ^ `` 2001 : A SPACE ODYSSEY - THE ORIGINAL SCORE ''. Intrada. Archived from the original on 11 February 2007. Retrieved 2007 - 03 - 10. ^ Jump up to : `` The Kubrick Site : Alex North on ' 2001 ' ''. Visual-memory.co.uk. Retrieved 2013 - 05 - 29. Jump up ^ Phillips, Gene D. Music in 2001 : A Space Odyssey. Castle, Alison ( Editor ). The Stanley Kubrick Archives, Taschen, 2005. ISBN 3 - 8228 - 2284 - 1 Jump up ^ Roger Ebert. `` 2001 : A Space Odyssey ( 1968 ) ''. Chicago Sun - Times. Retrieved 16 February 2011. External links 2001 : A Space Odyssey - The Original Score ( official listing ) -- Intrada Records Jerry Goldsmith 's recording of Alex North 's 2001 at AllMusic Eternal - recurrence - Alex North 's 2001 : A Space Odyssey CD cover Limited Edition Arthur C. Clarke 's Space Odyssey series 2001 : A Space Odyssey project Films 2001 : A Space Odyssey 2010 : The Year We Make Contact Books 2001 : A Space Odyssey The Lost Worlds of 2001 2010 : Odyssey Two 2061 : Odyssey Three 3001 : The Final Odyssey Comics 2001 : A Space Odyssey Marvel Treasury Special # 1 - 10 Short stories `` The Sentinel '' `` Encounter in the Dawn '' Elements HAL 9000 Discovery One List of spacecraft Clavius Base Ganymede City Monoliths Related Interpretations of 2001 : A Space Odyssey Technologies in 2001 : A Space Odyssey 2001 : A Space Odyssey in popular culture 2001 : A Space Odyssey soundtrack Alex North 's 2001 : A Space Odyssey score Poole versus HAL 9000 ( chess game ) Machine Man Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(score)&oldid=838719011 '' Categories : Films scored by Alex North Science fiction soundtracks Space Odyssey series 1993 soundtracks 2007 soundtracks Varèse Sarabande albums Intrada Records soundtracks Alternate soundtracks Jerry Goldsmith soundtracks National Philharmonic Orchestra soundtracks Alex North soundtracks Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 28 April 2018, at 21 : 40. 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Question: who wrote the music for 2001 a space odyssey
Answer: Alex North