Soundtrack to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Medea

By Liam Mears ‘23

This project is a culmination of a semester’s worth of work studying Greek Tragedy alongside Pasolini’s 20th century films that are themselves translations/reflections/receptions on and of several well-known tragedies. With this mini-soundtrack I attempt to translate the themes used in Pasolini’s Medea (1969) alongside themes in the original play by Euripides (431 BCE). Drawing from operatic compositions, I utilize leitmotifs and soundscape to compliment what happens on screen in a selection of scenes. The purpose of this project is to better understand the method of translation itself, as it changes with time and context. The themes I represent in this music are not a reflection of Pasolini’s intentions or Euripides’ intentions; rather they are representative of myself (to use a Greek word, my “ego”) and how my own life experience and thought process can be reflected onto Pasolini’s work, creating a translation that may be close to his own artistic vision but never the same. The following paragraphs will attempt to explain my approach to this project as well as clarify any details. 

This entire project was written by me on Garageband, and so I had to work with several limitations. The first sound heard in this soundtrack is that of a Guzheng, a Chinese stringed instrument, because it was the closest available sound to the instrument used in the opening credits of Pasolini’s film. This instrument became representative of the character of Medea as well as her homeland, an eastern and foreign place to the Greek Jason. This opening melody will serve as a leitmotif for Medea, but it won’t return until later because Pasolini’s film really begins with Jason as a young boy. For Jason’s theme, I chose to use the Epitaph of Seikilos, one of the oldest preserved melodies from Greece. This theme is hinted at on the harp, while the 

soundscape reminds the listener of a fairy tale. We then here the motif for Greece and Home, which is built similarly to Jason’s theme. Here there is a blurring of mythology and reality, as we are introduced to Chiron the centaur. The melody begins to move on, with the chords moving further from “home”, as we learn about Jason’s quest to find the Golden Fleece. The melody becomes sad as he leaves his home behind, and the melody will not resolve as Jason is on the precipice of leaving. After this we have a simple melody that moves repetitively, mimicking the rhythm of oars and rowing. It is upbeat and light, with Jason and his Argonauts taking pleasure in their journey in Pasolini’s film. This piece ends with a sad melody as they remember their home, that is resolved when they arrive in Medea’s homeland. 

This is the first time we here that motif in completion. The bassoon here reminds us of the beginning melody, and the Guzheng returns to emphasize the foreignness of this place. After this the sound of an organ can be heard, which will be used to represent Jason and Medea together because of its immense harmonic qualities. The melody rises and falls, and then we hear Jason’s theme repeated on the bassoon, but this time it is in a minor key instead of major. Jason and Medea are plotting to steal the fleece, and Medea will kill her brother and leave with Jason. The same melody (but on different instruments) that we heard when Jason left his home is repeated, and then we encounter the travelling song once again. This piece resolves when they reach Greece, marking the end of the first part of this composition. 

We are introduced to Greece through a choir, giving the place an almost holy and transcendent feel. We then hear the opening of Jason’s theme on the tuba, sounding as if someone has blown a horn announcing his return. We hear the theme of home transition to Jason’s theme played on the trumpet and French horn, before a light and simple fanfare marks the return of the hero with the Golden Fleece, successful in his quest. The next piece opens 

simply with organ and strings, and the organ once again shows Medea and Jason together. The instrumentation is light and the rhythm is slow, and the soundscape and melody remind the listener of a church or of a wedding. This is the instance where they seem to be falling in love. We hear Jason’s theme on the strings and then on the trumpet. This rises in half-steps building tension until a new version of Medea’s theme is presented on the French horn. Simply it is a variation on her theme in a major key. The next couple of measures see Jason and Medea’s theme played together in harmony. In the final bars the 1st and 5th of the chord are played continuously on both of these instruments while the organ struggles to resolve the chord playing sustained notes, until eventually it does so. We then hear Medea’s varied theme in completion on the flute backed by a quartet of strings, and it resolves peacefully. This transitions into a light waltz, a dance that could be their first wedding dance. This resolution marks the end of the second act. 

For the final act, we hear a melody played on the bassoon that begins similarly to Medea’s theme, but has trouble staying close to the resolution. The next series of melodies are played over the same chord changes, but each is slightly different in notation and in soundscape. This marks the beginning of Euripides’ play, where Medea is exiled and must decide if she will sacrifice her children to cause Jason pain. The changing melodies show her struggling with this thought process. The solo bassoon shows Medea’s isolation as she no longer has anyone to confide in. The melody is then played on strings remorsefully, before returning with a reinvigorated intensity. The bassoon duet sounds similar to the organ but harsher, as if mocking the union between Jason and Medea. We then return to somber strings as she considers what it will mean to kill her children. Next the French horn brings us to different harmonies that are clearer and more resolved, with a sustained pedal underneath both emphasizing Medea’s stability as well as her older, more “archaic” existence. It is still somber and shows us that she has clarity in her decision, but still feels remorse. 

After this we hear Jason’s theme again, sad, but also nervous. He doesn’t know what is coming, but tries to speak to Medea. We hear a new melody on the trumpet over the same chords as before, as Jason tries to converse with her. Learning what she has done, he is filled with sadness and anger, as we hear a new variation on his theme that cleanly resolves. The trumpets rise with the choir as he confronts her: he is angry at what she’s done, but also sad. He begs her to let him see his children one last time but she refuses, and the melody ends with a sinister chord. The bassoon now returns with Medea’s theme, but evolved. She has changed through this experience and her leitmotif reflects that, beginning with her original theme but with a touch of sadness and then resolution. The trumpet comes in blaringly and we see that she is content in her decision and filled with power and triumph. The melody rises a whole step as she steps into her sun chariot, surrounded by choir voices and an organ once more, rising towards the sun and away from Greece. Her theme resolves with a major chord to emphasize the completeness of the resolution. The final thing we hear reminds us that in Euripides’ play, Medea was a character who threatened the status quo and tradition, and she could be flying on her chariot to Athens as the play is happening. We hear her original theme on the Guzheng once more, ending unresolved so that you the viewer can decide what happens next.