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This Way, Mary: Quartet Expands John Barry's "Mary, Queen of Scots"

April 18, 2023 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Mary Queen of Scots OST

BUY NOW FROM QUARTET RECORDS

Today, we're continuing our ongoing look at a recent crop of soundtrack releases!

The life of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) has proved ample fodder for filmmakers over the years, from 1936's Mary of Scotland with Katharine Hepburn to 2018's Mary, Queen of Scots with Saoirse Ronan.  Mary was just six days old when her father, James V of Scotland, died and she inherited his throne.  She married Francis, the Dauphin of France in 1558, becoming queen consort of France.  When she returned to Scotland as a widow in August 1561 in the wake of the Scottish Reformation, she was greeted by political tension and turmoil.  That was just the beginning...she had two more husbands, the third of which might have murdered the second.  She was imprisoned after an uprising, and forced to abdicate the throne.  Mary fled to seek protection from her first cousin once removed, Elizabeth I of England, but as she had once claimed Elizabeth's crown as her own - she was a great-granddaughter of Henry VII - the monarch confined her for eighteen years.  After being found guilty of a plot to assassinate Elizabeth, Mary was beheaded.

Of the many cinematic explorations of her brief but tumultuous life, the most well-regarded might be 1971's Mary, Queen of Scots starring Vanessa Redgrave as Mary and Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth.  British director Charles Jarrott (Anne of the Thousand Days, Lost Horizon) always had a keen ear for music, and over the years worked with such luminaries as Georges Delerue, Michel Legrand, Henry Mancini, Ron Goodwin, Maurice Jarre, and Burt Bacharach. But one of the finest scores to come out of a Jarrott picture was from John Barry, composer of Mary, Queen of Scots.  Now, the Quartet label has reissued the Academy Award-nominated score in a deluxe, expanded edition premiering the restored original film score and bonus tracks alongside the original soundtrack album.

The film, produced by Hal Wallis (Casablanca, True Grit), surrounded Redgrave and Jackson with a stellar supporting cast including Daniel Massey, Patrick McGoohan, Timothy Dalton, and Ian Holm.  Wallis insisted on shooting as much on location as possible, and a rich score was needed to accompany the rich visuals.  Three-time Academy Award winner John Barry was a bit of a specialist in historical drama, having scored The Lion in Winter (one of his Oscar winners) and The Last Valley.  He would supply a score overflowing with melody and splendor befitting the grand scale as well as the humanity of the oft-told tale.  Barry recorded his sumptuous music at London's CTS Studios, lushly writing for brass, strings, voices, and even bagpipes to bring the era to vivid and powerful life.

The original stereo soundtrack album (reprised as Tracks 1-14 here) preserved many of Barry's central cues including the liltingly delicate yet haunting "Mary's Theme," the melody of which would become the basis of the song "This Way, Mary" (recorded by Matt Monro and Johnny Mathis, among others) with lyrics by Don Black.  It appears in various cues including "Mary at Chartley."  The stoic "Vivre et Mourir," based on a poem written by the real-life Mary, was sung by Vanessa Redgrave in the film and on the soundtrack.  Black adapted the melody into another song for Monro, "Wish Now Was Then."  A strong brass and percussion fanfare, "But Not Through My Realm," introduces one of Barry's recurring themes.  Another heard throughout the score is a commanding, regal motif for Elizabeth ("Journey to Scotland," "Journey to England").  Though the album was designed for the listening audience - the opening and closing versions of "Mary's Theme" are unique to the LP presentation - there's no shortage of suspenseful and dramatic cues including the ominous "Black Night," "Death at Kirk O'Fields," and the appropriately solemn "The Execution."

The 1971 soundtrack album is followed by the complete original score, as sourced from a newly-discovered mono tape from the Universal vaults.  It nearly doubles the amount of original Barry music available from the movie, as the soundtrack LP presented a little more than half of what he wrote and recorded for Mary.  The rest is, unsurprisingly, every bit as strong and varied even if many of these additional tracks are more atmospheric than richly melodic.  The pensive "Queen of England by Right/Message for the Queen," bold "Letter to Elizabeth" fanfare, unsettling "Mary and Darnley Ride on Beach," and jarring "Murder of Riccio" are among the many key additions here, which also encompass further recurrences of the familiar motifs and more choral music.  Four source cues also appear to round out this complete program.

The 20-page booklet has wonderfully informative liner notes from Barry biographer Jon Burlingame as well as numerous stills from the film as well as alternate cover artwork on page 20 (so the booklet can be flipped within the jewel case if that artwork is preferred).  Chris Malone has beautifully restored and mastered the audio.

As well as it works within the film, John Barry's score to Mary, Queen of Scots is also a compelling listening experience on a purely musical level, filled with historical color, excitement, and drama.  Quartet's Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is available now at the link below.

John Barry, Mary, Queen of Scots: Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Quartet QR504, 2022)

The Original Soundtrack Album (Decca LP DL 79186, 1971)

  1. Mary's Theme
  2. Vivre Et Mourir
  3. But Not Through My Realm
  4. Journey to Scotland
  5. Black Night
  6. Escape with Bothwell
  7. Mary's Theme
  8. Journey to England
  9. Death at Kirk O'Fields
  10. March to the Castle
  11. Mary at Chartley
  12. The Execution
  13. Vivre Et Mourir (Reprise)
  14. Mary's Theme (Reprise)

The Restored Film Score (Mono)

  1. Vivre Et Mourir
  2. Queen of England by Night.../Message for the Queen
  3. Bring Him to Trial/Mary's Prayer
  4. Francois' Death
  5. Letter from Elizabeth
  6. Journey to Scotland
  7. Arrival on Beach
  8. Dudley's Return
  9. "Scottish Queen!" - Arrival at Holyrood
  10. Mary and Darnley Ride on Beach
  11. She Must Marry Darnley and I Have Won!
  12. Pray for Me, Davie!
  13. Jealous
  14. Hawking Sequence
  15. Darnley Is Abducted
  16. Signing of Murder Bond
  17. But Not Through My Realm (Film Version)
  18. Murder of Riccio
  19. Black Night
  20. Escape with Bothwell
  21. Birth of the Prince
  22. Reconciliation of Stuart, Darnley and Bothwell
  23. Darnley Is Drugged/Mary's Theme
  24. Darnley Wakes and Finds Mary's Letter/Bury Your Dead
  25. Death at Kirk O'Fields
  26. The Lords Surround Hermitage/Abdicate
  27. I Thought You Were Dead
  28. Journey to England
  29. Mary at Chartley
  30. Lord Bothwell Died Insane
  31. Irrefutable Proof/Now We Have Her/And Now My Lord?
  32. Arrival at Fotheringay
  33. Dudley Enters
  34. The Execution
  35. Vivre Et Mourir (Reprise)

Source Cues

  1. Lament for the Children
  2. Antic Hay - Quick Dance
  3. March to the Castle (Film Version)
  4. Mary's Song

Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Soundtracks Tags: John Barry

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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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Comments

  1. Shawn C. says

    April 18, 2023 at 11:33 am

    Huge John Barry fan here. Excited about this release. Attempted to purchase via Quartet site, but shipping to the US was higher than the CD itself. It is available on Amazon, if interested, for much lower shipping rates..

    Reply

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