Patrick Doyle

Patrick Doyle is a Scottish composer and frequent collaborator of director Kenneth Branagh. Within the context of the Harry Potter universe, he is known for composing the musical score for the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He was the second composer to work on the film series, succeeding John Williams. (film)

Patrick Doyle's involvement in the Harry Potter series was for the fourth film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, released in 2005. He was brought onto the project by the film's director, Mike Newell, with whom Doyle had a long-standing professional relationship. (film) Doyle was tasked with following the iconic work of John Williams, who had established the primary musical language of the series. While Doyle retained Williams's famous “Hedwig's Theme” to ensure musical continuity, he composed an entirely new set of themes to reflect the darker, more mature, and action-oriented tone of the fourth story. His score is often described as more romantic, dramatic, and at times ominous, capturing the adolescent turmoil of the characters, the grandeur of the Triwizard Tournament, and the dramatic return of Lord Voldemort. (film) His work on the film was succeeded by Nicholas Hooper for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Patrick Doyle's score for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is notable for introducing several memorable themes and musical pieces that are unique to the fourth film. (film)

• Notable Musical Cues:
  • Hogwarts' Hymn: A stately and emotional piece intended as a new school song for Hogwarts. A particularly interesting detail is that the lyrics sung in the film (“Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, teach us something please…”) are taken directly from the Hogwarts School Song described in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
  • Potter Waltz: A classic, grand waltz written for the Yule Ball sequence. It is the first piece the students dance to before the performance by the Weird Sisters.
  • Harry in Winter: A gentle and melancholic theme that often represents Harry Potter's moments of introspection and the budding romance between him and Cho Chang.
  • Hogwarts' March: A bombastic and percussive march used to accompany the arrival of the students from the Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
  • Voldemort: A dark and terrifying theme that underscores the Dark Lord's return in the Little Hangleton graveyard.
• Collaboration for the Yule Ball: For the rock performance by the Weird Sisters at the Yule Ball, Doyle collaborated with musician Jarvis Cocker. A “supergroup” was formed to perform the songs “Do the Hippogriff,” “This Is the Night,” and “Magic Works,” featuring Cocker on vocals, along with Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway of Radiohead, Steve Mackey of Pulp, and Jason Buckle of All Seeing I. (film)