In the Sound of the Scare Part 2, we are going to be taking a look at the soundtrack of Dario Argento's classic horror film "Suspiria."
"Suspiria" is the first movie of The Three Mothers trilogy. It is about the eldest witch of an ancient and powerful coven, Mater Suspiriorum, who is also called the Mother of Sighs. The movie's score was composed by the progressive rock band Goblin, who also did a number of other horror movies directed by Argento in the 1970s.
The main theme song for "Suspiria" starts with a simple musical idea performed with bells. The idea is a cascade of sixteenth notes in arpeggio that evokes the sounds of a music box and a dainty ballerina deftly pirouetting across the stage. The music creates waves of high and low notes leaping through the air as though it is a stream trickling down a rocky bed.
A little further into the song, a drum and an added musical idea on a dulcimer runs counterpoint to the bells, which is held together by haunting vocals. The main musical theme then moves on to the keyboard and electric guitar mid-way through the song to transform it into a rock ballad.
