''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' is the

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

for the 2004 film of the same name, the third and final score in the

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

to be composed and conducted by

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

. The score was performed by the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

with orchestrations provided by Conrad Pope and Eddie Karam. The soundtrack is a significant departure from the previous two, since the director,

Alfonso Cuarón Alfonso Cuarón Orozco ( , ; born 28 November 1961) is a Mexican filmmaker. He is known for directing films in a variety of genres including the family drama ''A Little Princess'' (1995), the romantic drama ''Great Expectations'' (1998), the c ...

, wanted the music to take a different approach. It introduced two major themes: "Window to the Past" and "Double Trouble". Two other notable themes were used to represent the Time-Turner and

Sirius Black Sirius Black is a character in J. K. Rowling's '' Harry Potter'' series. Sirius was first mentioned briefly in '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' as a wizard who lent Rubeus Hagrid a flying motorbike shortly after Lord Voldemort ki ...

's hunt for

Harry Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

. The soundtrack was performed at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music ...

in London. It was released on 25 May 2004 and charted at No. 68 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and also charted at No. 3 on the Top Soundtracks Chart. The album was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by t ...

, the

Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media The Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media is an honor presented to a composer (or composers) for an original score created for a film, TV show or series, or other visual media at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was establishe ...

, and the

World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Score of the Year The WS Award for Best Original Soundtrack of the Year is one of the three main prizes given by the World Soundtrack Academy to honour the best movie soundtracks. "†" means that the film won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Winners and ...

. In 2018, the soundtrack was released by La-La-Land Records as a 2-Disc CD set encompassing the complete score of the film as part of a limited edition box set featuring the scores for the first three Harry Potter films.

Track listing

Harry Potter - The John Williams Soundtrack Collection: Disc 6

Harry Potter - The John Williams Soundtrack Collection: Disc 7

Track details

Lumos! (Hedwig's Theme)

This is the final movie in the Harry Potter series to use Hedwig's Theme in its original, gradually building form during the opening (until the credits of Deathly Hallows Part 2). This includes a slightly more ominous celeste melody, and retains the flute melody, but features a short harp motif at the end.

"Double Trouble"

"Double Trouble" was composed by

during the film's production since he felt it to be a warm welcome back to

Hogwarts Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional Scotland, Scottish boarding school of Magic in Harry Potter, magic for students aged eleven to eighteen, and is the primary setting for the first six books in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Pot ...

. The song was sung by the

London Oratory School Schola The London Oratory School Schola is a choir for Catholic boys of the London Oratory School established in 1996 by John McIntosh CBE. The current director of the Schola is Charles Cole. The choir's patrons are Princess Michael of Kent, barrister ...

, and its lyrics are taken directly from

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'', in which they are spoken by three witches.

"Forward to Time Past"

"Forward to Time Past" is heard when Hermione and Harry use the Time-Turner to go back in time. During the whole piece a ticking sound is heard, indicating that time is running out. Loads of flourishing strings overlap the four-note motif that the brass repeats rhythmically, and lastly, the little bursts of woodwind throughout enforce the sensation of movement.

"The Dementors Converge"

"The Dementors Converge" is heard when Harry is attempting to save Sirius Black from the

Dementors Magical creatures are an aspect of the fictional Wizarding World contained in the ''Harry Potter'' series and connected media, all created by British author J. K. Rowling. Throughout the seven main books of the series, Harry and his friends e ...

. The piece mainly consists of discordant wavering strings at the beginning, but as it progresses, Williams weaves punctuating

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the s ...

s and long notes of brass that gradually build up the menacing tension. This rises to a climax where thunderous clusters of

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...

and hair-raising choir are introduced only to die back down, followed by an atmospheric flutter from the harp. The strings then lead into another extremity that uses bits and pieces from Williams' "The Patronus Light", interjected by harsh grating brass. The music appears to die off again instantly; however, the familiar sound of lush strings and

celesta The celesta or celeste , also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five- octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music box ...

(so prominent in Williams' earlier scores for these films) subdue the tension afore.

Responses and ratings

The album was well received among film music critics. Archie Watt of MovieCues highly praised the score, calling it "One of the best albums of 2004, and well worth a listen by any film music or John Williams fan."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Soundtrack) 03 Harry Potter 3 2000s film soundtrack albums 2004 soundtrack albums Nonesuch Records soundtracks Atlantic Records soundtracks Warner Records soundtracks La-La Land Records soundtracks Fantasy film soundtracks