The “Official� Soundtrack to The Isle of Devils
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Full Fathom Five (1951): Chapter III: The Isle of Devils
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Tempest, Andante con moto (1873): Chapter IV: The Globe Hotel
Felix Mendelssohn: A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Con moto tranquilo (1842): Chapter V: St. George’s
Sir Edward Elgar: Salut d’Amour (1888): Chapter VI: The Heart of the Island
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Dives and Lazarus (1939): Chapter VII: Piercing the Veil
Felix Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words, op. 109 (c.1847): Chapter VIII: A Darkening Sky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Andante Cantabile (1871): Chapter VIII: A Darkening Sky
Gabriel Fauré: Requiem, Sanctus (1900): Chapters IX & X: Murder & A Tangled Skein
Eric Coates: The Sleepy Lagoon (1930): Chapter XI: The Evidence of the Proprietress
Carl Linger: Song of Australia (1859): Chapter XXII: The Evidence of the Australian Rugby-Player
Alfredo Keil: A Portuguesa ‘Heroes of the Sea, Noble Race� (1890): Chapter XXIII: The Evidence of the Portuguese Wine-Merchant
František Škroup: Where is My Home? (1834): Chapter XIV: The Evidence of the Bohemian Physician
Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov: Turkish Fragments, Op. 62, I. ‘Caravan� (1930): Chapter XV: The Evidence of the Turkish Engineer
Ludwig van Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus Overture (1801): Chapter XVI: The Evidence of the Greek Pugilist
Thomas Arne: Rule Britannia (1740): Chapter XVII: The Evidence of the English Naturalist
Pietro Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana, Intermezzo (1890): Chapter XVIII: The Evidence of the Italian Painter
Joaquin Rodrigo: Fantasy for a Gentleman (1954): Chapter XIX: The Evidence of the Spanish Marquesa
Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring, Doppio Movimento (1944): Chapter XX: The Evidence of the American Lady
Claude Debussy: Claire de Lune (1890): Chapter XXI: The Evidence of the French Solicitor
Sir Edward Elgar: Enigma Variation 9, ‘Nimrod� (1899): Chapter XXII: The List of Evidence
Sir Edward Elgar: The Immortal Legions (1924): Chapter XXIII & XXIV: A Possible Solution & An Extraordinary Tale
Ludwig van Beethoven: Ode to Joy (1824): Chapter XXV: The Constable’s Dilemma
Antonín Dvořák: Goin� Home (adapted from Symphony no.9, Largo) (1893): Epilogue: The Orontes
Author’s Notes: I wanted the sound of The Isle of Devils to address two themes, the Bermudian connection to Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and the multinational aspect of the guests at the Globe Hotel. While some of the music was composed by 1880, especially the pieces played by Lucy during the hurricane (Mendelssohn’s ‘Song Without Words,� and Tchaikovsky’s ‘Andante Cantabile� from the String Quartet no.1), many of the pieces are anachronistic. But they were too perfect to pass up in favor of a less-ideal but earlier piece.
Wood’s ‘Fantasia on British Sea Songs� seemed like a great choice to open the tale, as Watson journey from the base hospital in Pakistan towards his home in England, with a minor but significant detour in idyllic Bermuda. The next several works have obvious Shakespearean connections (‘Full Fathom Five� is a song sung by Ariel in �The Tempest�), and then Elgar’s ‘Salute to Love� seemed like a good choice for Watson and Lucy’s walk in Somers Garden. Vaughan Williams� ‘Dives and Lazarus� may be a bit of an odd choice for the meeting of Watson and Dumas, but it’s a lovely work, and one of the greatest Requiem’s of all time, by the Frenchman Fauré seemed to fit the death of the Frenchman Dumas.
Most of the country-specific music was very easy to choose. Some national anthems seemed perfect, such as Linger’s fantastic ‘Song of Australia,� Keil’s ‘A Portuguesa,� and Skroup’s ‘Where is My Home?� One conscious exception was that I purposefully chose not to go with ‘God Save the Queen� (since to an American’s ear, the tune has been appropriated for the song ‘My Country, ‘Tis of Thee�), and instead went with ‘Rule Britannia,� which I think still works well.
Other ones were trickier. As a Commonwealth nation, Bermuda does not have its own anthem, so I went with Coates� ‘Sleepy Lagoon� as a musical description for sleepy St. George’s, the home of Mrs. Foster. Ippolitov-Ivanov’s ‘Turkish Caravan� seemed perfect for Mr. Bey, while Mascagni’s famous ‘Intermezzo� from Cavalleria Rusticana was a better fit for Signore Aicardi than the actual Italian anthem of the time. Rodrigo’s ‘Fantasy for a Gentleman� is a great piece that may be a bit too fast-tempo to perfectly fit the Spanish Marquesa, but it was too wonderful to leave out. Debussy’s gorgeous ‘Claire de Lune� appeared perfect for the pretend Frenchman Hector Dubois. The hardest was the music for Mr. Delopolous, the Greek pugilist, but I finally hit upon Beethoven’s ‘Creatures of Prometheus� and decided that the theme of the Greek myth was close enough. Copland’s ‘Appalachian Spring� is definitely anachronistic, but since the Shaker theme that he used dates back to 1848, and because I believe that it is the most beautiful piece of American music ever composed, I just had to use it for Lucy’s Theme.
For the chapter in which Dunkley and Watson debate the clues to the mystery, what could be better than Elgar’s magnificent ‘Nimrod� from ‘Enigma Variations� (a piece that has its own )? And while Elgar’s ‘Immortal Legions� is actually based upon a poem by Alfred Noyes (1880 � 1958) about the English armies dead, I thought it could work as a stand-in for the dead of the French Foreign Legion.
The Immortal Legions
Now, in silence, muster round her
All the legions of her dead.
Grieving for the grief that crowned her,
England bows her glorious head.
Round the ever-living Mother,
Out of the forgetful grave,
Rise the legions that have saved her
Though themselves they could not save.
Now the living Power remembers,
Now the deeper trumpets roll.
Are there worlds beyond the darkness?
Worlds of light beyond the darkness?
And a voice beyond the darkness
Whispers to her stricken soul:
Mother of immortal legions,
Lift again thy glorious head.
Glory honour and thanksgiving,
Now, to our victorious dead.
Watson’s joy at the end of Chapter XXIV, when all has been made clear, can only be summed up by the greatest piece of music ever written, Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy,� from a poem by Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759 � 1805):
Oh friends, not these tones!
Rather, let us raise our voices in more pleasing
And more joyful sounds!
Joy! (Joy!)
Joy! (Joy!)
Joy, beautiful spark of the gods*
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter, drunk with fire,
Heavenly one, your sanctuary!
Your magic reunites
What custom strictly divided.
All men become brothers,
Where your gentle wing rests.
Whoever has had the great fortune
To be a friend’s friend,
Whoever has won a devoted wife,
Join in our jubilation!
Finally, ‘Goin� Home,� the theme from the second “Largo� movement of Dvorak’s ‘New World Symphony� is the perfect sound by which to send Watson back to England onboard the Orontes. There he will settle in at 221B Baker Street and find the friendship of a lifetime.
