‘Downton Abbey’ season 3: A new look behind the scenes
So what makes “Downton Abbey” the series that it is? Rather than this being about just one single aspect of production, it is really the sum of all of their parts that has made ITV’s program successful, whether it be the writing of Julian Fellowes, the performances, or the costume and set design that establish the post-World War I environment in Great Britain.
On this particular occasion, we are looking specifically at an aspect of the show that often does not get the attention it deserves: the music. The themes are soft and yet classical, and the really bring the storylines together and carry over the emotion that the actors are placing into the scenes. So how does composer John Lunn come up with these creations? In a recent post on the show’s official Tumblr, he does his best to describe some of his musical influences, and what he specifically listened to in order to make it as believable as possible.
“I like to think that the music in Downton is less about individual characters than about the relationships between them so there are themes for Matthew and Mary, of course, Bates and Anna, Sybil and Branson etc.; the one notable exception being the house itself. The house has its own theme, its own character, and it is the seed from which all other themes emanate. It is, of course, the title music.
“In order to prepare myself for Downton Abbey, I did listen to a lot of English music of the period c.1912, mainly Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro, the Serenade and the Enigma variations; Vaughan Williams’ 5th Symphony; Holst’s St Paul’s Suite, The Planets; and Delius’, A Song of Summer and The Walk to the Paradise Garden.”
Viewers in the United Kingdom have already experienced the opportunity to hear plenty of this music already this year, and they will have yet another opportunity to do so courtesy of the show’s upcoming Christmas special on ITV. Meanwhile, fans in America are still eagerly awaiting the season 3 premiere on PBS January 6.