What is the relationship between the theme songs in Sherlock Holmes (2009 movie) and Sherlock (BBC series)?

What is the relationship between the theme songs in Sherlock Holmes (2009 movie) and Sherlock (BBC series)? - Couple silhouettes walking on narrow passage of modern building

I've just started binge-watching the BBC series Sherlock. The first episode aired 7 months after the release of the movie Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. The theme songs for the movie and the series were composed by different people - Hans Zimmer for the movie, and Michael Price and David Arnold for the series. Yet both theme songs include a rarely-used instrument, the hammer dulcimer. The hammer dulcimer melodies are reminiscent of each other as well.

Were Michael Price and David Arnold influenced by Hans Zimmer's score? Did Zimmer, Price, and Arnold collaborate or compare notes? Did an executive at the BBC insist that the theme songs should have similar elements? Is there any explanation for the similar, unusual instrumentation of the two themes?

Sherlock Holmes theme song, by Hans Zimmer:

BBC's Sherlock theme song, by Michael Price and David Arnold:



Best Answer

They were not influenced by Zimmer

Michael Price and David Arnold answered this in an interview:

How much of an influence was Hans Zimmer's score from the Sherlock Holmes movie?

Regarding the film...I suppose it's not unusual to have a violin-led approach to the character of Sherlock. It's not unusual for composers to come up with a similar approach to a character, and he was a high-functioning drug user, so there's a bit of madness involved. When we were working on the music for and after the pilot, the Sherlock Holmes film hadn't come out, so it was just one of those things.

Also, about the Hammered Dulcimer:

In "Discombobulate" from Hans Zimmer's score for Sherlock Holmes, the dulcimer doubles the melody, giving it a sharp timbre and adding to the Eastern European folk flair of the music.

So, it's just a coincidence that they use this same exact instrument.




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What is the theme of Sherlock Holmes movie?

What Sherlock Holmes teaches is that the power of observation creates knowledge that leads to more power. Every Holmes story is a recurring motif of the knowledge that can be gained about a person or situation by doing nothing more than actually looking rather than merely seeing.

Does Sherlock Holmes have a theme song?

There really is no quintessential theme for Sherlock Holmes, though the recent BBC version is solidifying its position. This gap has allowed the massive flock of Sherlock imitators to distinguish themselves from their predecessor in a way the Baker Street detective would find amusing.

Where did the Sherlock Holmes theme song come from?

The theme songs for the movie and the series were composed by different people - Hans Zimmer for the movie, and Michael Price and David Arnold for the series. Yet both theme songs include a rarely-used instrument, the hammer dulcimer. The hammer dulcimer melodies are reminiscent of each other as well.




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