Just a quick warning: keep reading this, and you’re going to be stuck with that Harry Potter theme music on your brain’s jukebox all day.
To be more precise, you’ll get Hedwig’s Theme by John Williams blaring in your head. But that’s okay because a) it’s obviously one of the best themes ever, and b) you’ll soon have a new appreciation for it.
According to a musical code conjured by Youtuber Good Blood, there’s real significance whenever Hedwig’s Theme is used throughout the seven movies.
Quick summary: Hedwig's Theme is played in full during the first few films. The tune is there to indicate that the characters are in places of safety and courage. However, in the later films, the same theme is cut short, making us much more uncertain of the characters' fates.
For instance, remember in The Deathly Hallows Part 2 when Ron and Hermione return to the Chamber of Secrets? Hedwig’s Theme motif is played on its original instrument (the celesta) to make us nostalgic for the bravery Harry displayed in the second Potter film. But then the melody suddenly stops, as if Harry’s victory over the basilisk – and the message of hope it brought – has been damaged by the horrors of the battle of Hogwarts.
There’s plenty more hidden meanings in the scoresheets of The Deathly Hallows Part 2. Lily’s Theme – the music that plays when Harry’s mother Lily appears – is also played when another character is on screen: Severus Snape. It’s a classic case of musical foreshadowing, where the soundtrack reveals a connection between two characters before the plot does.
So far, so brilliant. But from the meaning of Gilderoy Lockhart’s theme to hidden Macbeth references, there’s many more magical musical theories in the video above.
