Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of those famous orchestra scores you just do not forget. The music was composed by John Williams and has that lush, complex sound he is known for. As he has done in Star Wars, and in countless other movies, John Williams relies upon leitmotif in scoring the music where the characters are represented by melodic phrases.

The best known part of the score is the Raiders March, that first piece of music introducing us to Indiana Jones. It is instantly recognizable and famous unless of course you never heard of Indiana Jones, who? Throughout the soundtrack, we become witness to Jones’ exploits through variations of his theme.

The CD sound quality is pretty good. Here are some selections from the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Track 1, The Raiders March
The music is brassy, and triumphant with the Indiana Jones theme at its core. At first, the music is pretty soft; trumpets, and kettle drums can be heard. But the music is clearly celebratory; it is like being at a parade, you can hear the hero way off in the distance. The music slowly builds in complexity and in volume; violins, snare drums, more violins, more trumpets, then a little bit of everything else. The music finally reaches full volume and a rousing conclusion.

Track 2, Main Title, South America, 1936.
Indiana Jones and crew are in South America somewhere doing some nefarious stuff like breaking into a cave. The music is quiet; low, furtive notes from various instruments indicate the level of danger here. A touch of ethnic instruments add to exotic locale.

Track 3, In The Idol’s Temple.
It’s quiet, a few long drawn out notes here and there can be heard in the music. The violins begin playing in such a way to create a disturbing, sickly feel. Where is Jones? He finally finds the treasure, the idol he is going to steal. The music builds in tension as he prepares to remove it. He fails! Jones has to flee for his life. The music has great fun following him around as Jones escapes. In the end we hear trumpets, and a variation of the same passage in Star Wars, “Imperial Cruiser Pursuit” where immense alarm is sounded when the underdogs glimpse death approaching; in this case, in the form of a gigantic rock rolling toward them.

Track 8, The Basket Game.
There is a playful mood in this cue, the music sounds like laughter the way the instruments are used. Like a game of cat and mouse, tubas chase around flutes as Jones and Marion evade capture from German agents and spies all around them. Finally, the music ends with dramatic flair with Marion’s capture, and Indy’s escape.

Track 9, Map Room.
Jones, medallion in hand, sets about his task, various instruments quietly follow his footsteps. Harp undertones effectively recreate the feel of the hot desert sun, and desert wind. Jones locates the map room. The music is tense. Violins and chorus capture the mood of discovery as the hot desert sun moves slowly across the map. The music builds in tension, suddenly, it explodes as the answer is revealed.

Track 12, Airplane Fight.
There is a military feel to the piece with drumming in the background. Heavy trumpet bass notes underscoring the danger of it all. Jones is at this point in a hands-on fight of his life. The Jones theme is briefly heard here and there, but not clearly. No instrument dominates throughout the piece, as the outcome of the battle is uncertain. Then in the end, Indiana Jones triumphs, and the Jones theme is heard clearly at the end on trumpet.

Track 14, Marion’s Theme.
A lone flute introduces us to Marion. The piece has a decidedly sentimental feel, and it sounds quite feminine. Some violins and other instruments build in intensity toward the end, but stop short before some ominous disturbing melody toward the end.

Track 17, The Miracle of the Ark.
In this cue, the ark is setup, and it is being opened. Nothing unusual happens at first, but then there is a swirling in the ark reflected in the music by effective use of violins and horns to create an ancient, supernatural effect. The violins and trumpet innocently build up but suddenly we hear wooden sticks and violins used in an effect reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho, “Murder” cue. Along with a bit of chorus, the result is quite supernatural. The music continues dramatically until, like the whirlwind in the movie, subsides and stops.

Track 18, The Warehouse.
This is where the scene where the ark is being moved to storage, an anonymous box hidden among thousands. The music is wistful sounding, with the sad feel of trumpet, then violin. We do not grasp the situation until the camera retreats to show us the enormity of the warehouse, literally hundreds of thousands of boxes, the shock captured with loud trumpets sounding the final notes.

Track Listing:
01 The Raiders March
02 Main Title/South America, 1936
03 In the Idol's Temple
04 Flight from Peru
05 Journey to Nepal
06 The Medallion
07 To Cairo
08 The Basket Game
09 The Map Room-Dawn
10 Reunion and The Dig Begins
11 The Well of the Souls
12 Airplane Fight
13 Desert Chase
14 Marion's Theme
15 The German Sub/To the Nazi Hideout
16 Ark Trek
17 The Miracle of the Ark
18 The Warehouse
19 End Credits


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Reading or Studying