Music Compositions Inspired by The Stormlight Archive

[StormSon87]

This is my first post to this forum. So it will come as both a posting category and introduction. I will be uploading music as I finish composing them here and there as I read and feel so inspired to make a song about a character or scene. I started reading and am only in book four currently. I fantasize this song as the background to the opening sequence of the foreshadowed Apple series of this book series. Imagine along with me here and enjoy some free music. While I have no affiliation with the brand, I dream of being found and shared with a larger audience who enjoys this series as much as I do. These books have personally been transformative for me, in only a way that other “Holy Texts” have previously been for me.

 

Comment on what scene you picture while listening to this song?

 

 

“D A L I N A R” 

I have only composed three other songs…This one is the theme I named after the character Dalinar. I wanted his theme to be something foreboding and more guitar centered with slight western feel as I view him as somewhat of a hardened cowboy at times. I channeled some themes that felt somewhat Mandalorian to me. The echo of distant sounds like a distant storm father lightning show hold the primary melody of Dalinar’s arrival. I am inspired to also make a more rambunctious and less wise or thoughtful ambient sounding song for the other moniker he is goes by, Black Thorn…  for now though, this song: ”D A L I N A R” is the wise, thoughtful, reborn man…The song I hope to comprise the notable “B L A C K T H O R N” within will hold a more intense and abrupt sound to it. This song used drop D tuning in guitar to pull in some Nirvana type sounds or feel. 

I view him standing either over the shattered planes about to head into battle in like book 1 or 2 [can’t remember currently] or him having his 1000 yd stare from one of the ledges of an outcropping of the tower at Urithuru with a great storm in the distance. 

Edited April 30 by StormSon87
Needed to separate the two songs to better show their separate meanings…should have done each song in an individual post. New to this.

[GG0z He/Him]

I love this! Welcome to the Shard.

I picture a montage of Navani’s studies with Raboniel

Since there is a SR show coming out, could you try to make a main theme. Idk if you take requests though so it’s okay if you can’t

[StormSon87]

My brother stated this song’s intro made him jump…

“O D I U M” tends to have that affect on characters I’m sure. This song contains a looming immaterialism that I believe contains the character Odium. Foreboding and mechanically passionate. I view Odium as a passionate death machine and that is what I tried to recreate in the song. The stringed portions are somewhat helter skelter implying his emotionality and embrace of the “passions” over necessarily thoughtful logic…I imagine his character as seeming “all knowing” though he is really just a shallow synthetic to the actual Almighty, only imitating knowledge of the future but instead imposing his looming passionate will as a deterministic future that must be or rather, that he so very desperately and passionately wants the future to be if only for his greatest passion to be realized — the doom of all others and his consummate appetite never being satiated by his lust for feeding on the dreadful pains of mankind… This song has opposing orchestral runs that only line up sometimes…this portion of the composition demonstrates his true character — a liar, misaligned in the most dreadfully passionate and powerful ways one can be. 

[GG0z He/Him]

This kind of seems like the Fused marching to Urithuru to take it over. 

This is an amazing composition. I don’t have the mind nor patience to compose anything good, but I do play the violin, so that’s something

[StormSon87]

4 minutes ago, GG0z said:

I love this! Welcome to the Shard.

I picture a montage of Navani’s studies with Raboniel

Since there is a SR show coming out, could you try to make a main theme. Idk if you take requests though so it’s okay if you can’t

I view the “Windrunner” song as that main theme actually. My brother responded to this song as being a great capture of the alien planet of roshar with its synthesized themes atop more knightly sounds of alethi knights…I imagine an opening scene like in the “Last of Us” with the cosmere being panned through or the shattered planes being flown over and entered into various princedoms etc. or perhaps like the opening of the show ER long ago in the 90’s lol where at the beginning of each episode where scenes of each character in action are montaged. 

I love the scene you attached it to though! I can easily see it playing during Navani’s studies! I am perhaps most excited to start doing themes for Shalan which I think could be fun, to capture each person’s bonded spren as well and of course the multi-personalities through music will be an interesting thing to try out. 

I am very young and fresh to a name that some online worship around here — Brandon Sanderson. His name has only really known my lips for a couple of months. So, I am absolutely open to requests. I love creating things like this.

2 minutes ago, GG0z said:

This kind of seems like the Fused marching to Urithuru to take it over. 

This is an amazing composition. I don’t have the mind nor patience to compose anything good, but I do play the violin, so that’s something

Thank you!

I love that imagery as well! I could very much see the fused marching to this and scenes going back and forth from them to the tower etc.…an image panning over the fearsome army flying by their red lightning as they storm Urithuru. 

[GG0z He/Him]

Have you read any other Cosmere books? If you’ve read both Mistborn eras, I feel like you would enjoy making a theme for the Wax and Wayne duo, as you seem to be good at composing western and cowboy music.

For Shallan, you could switch different instruments to symbolize her different personalities if you want.

[StormSon87]

8 minutes ago, GG0z said:

Have you read any other Cosmere books? If you’ve read both Mistborn eras, I feel like you would enjoy making a theme for the Wax and Wayne duo, as you seem to be good at composing western and cowboy music.

For Shallan, you could switch different instruments to symbolize her different personalities if you want.

I have not read anything else in the Cosmere. This is my literal entrance into this world of immaculate writing. I only learned that phrasing of the Cosmere like a day ago…

 

And yes I was actually looking into that for Shallan! I play a few, but don’t have access to other physical instruments so I hope to capture her well enough. I think hers will be the next song I compose.

 

 

 

“Tranqualine Halls”

This one is not one I typically do. I usually wait to record my compositions in more of a final format, but I had to share it for its capacity to bring calm to someone’s life on here. This composition “Tranqualine Halls” is a very simple composition currently and would likely remain as simple as I recorded it on my keys the other night…but I imagine this playing as one enters the afterlife, taking their seat next to other gods and goddesses with a righteously deserved rest, having done all they were tasked to do. 

Edited April 30 by StormSon87
formatting

[GG0z He/Him]

Cool! I would recommend Mistborn next, as it is a good “introduction” to a lot if things. I have recently finished the entire Cosmere, and now I can’t stop imagining a sea shanty for Isles of the Emberdark.

5 minutes ago, StormSon87 said:

And yes I was actually looking into that for Shallan! I play a few, but don’t have access to other physical instruments so I hope to capture her well enough. I think hers will be the next song I compose.

If you don’t mind me asking, what instruments do you play?

[StormSon87]

6 hours ago, GG0z said:

Cool! I would recommend Mistborn next, as it is a good “introduction” to a lot if things. I have recently finished the entire Cosmere, and now I can’t stop imagining a sea shanty for Isles of the Emberdark.

If you don’t mind me asking, what instruments do you play?

Yeah just rummaging through the synopsis of Mistborn on the site and I’m definitely gonna head that direction once I finish stormlight.
 

as per your question about instruments…I wouldn’t consider myself professionally qualified on all these instruments but I’ve played them all: I own and play piano, bass guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, ukulele, my daughters violin occasionally, don’t own a set but am somewhat decent at drums. Also record my own vocals, played clarinet for about 7 years but haven’t played it in over a decade or so, during that time played bass clarinet for fun sometimes, tried brass instruments but not proficient by any means on those. I consider myself probably best at piano or maybe finger style acoustic guitar which I plan on including more of in my music on here if it fits with the score and scene or character. Haven’t tried flute yet but I’d like to. I’ve messed with banjo a couple times too, some finger style techniques on the right hand somewhat transfer from guitar though chord structures and play style are different overall. 

[StormSon87]

“K A L A D I N”

I felt like Kaladin Stormblessed needed the soaring lines of a piano and strings as he ascends into the clouded sky; his home. I picture the opening lines of the song him ascending into the sky above the clouds entering a new world and opening perspectives of the ground which yield wonder and intrigue. And, because our boy Kal is a bit on the depressed side we find a moment in the song where conflict enters through a shift into the minor modes of the chord structures. Demonstrating more of his dark and brooding moments of pain and loss; his friends and fellow soldiers at the hands of amoram and his younger brother Tien. Or the moment on the shattered plains as he contemplated leaping into the abyss, but thankfully chose another ideal…life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination. The final two notes are a smirk of adventurous confidence on his and Syl’s face as he looks back briefly before lashing himself to the skies. 

“T R A N Q U A L I N E    H A L L S”

Ah yes. The place where all good souls go to rest. Victorious finalizing chords of pure bliss; the summation, the finish line.
 

I imagine peaceful and regal entry through the opening harmonies played by the string instruments and trumpeting lines as you approach the gates…and then!? Well, you can’t help but feel the power in the brass lines and a happy little flute melody joining a clarinet harmony line for the final end phrase which strikes the perfect balance of care free safety that has been won by resolute power (brass instruments) and a lighthearted whimsical fancy (flute and woodwind) that can only exist once evil is no more. You have entered therein…
 

                   The Tranqualine Halls. 

Edited May 2 by StormSon87
Forgot to mention Sylphrena in Kaladin’s song