Songs About Terror: Tower of London by Rob Lattin Horror Music

Rob Lattin Horror Music reaches back to the Middle Ages

This song is not based on either the Basil Rathbone nor Vincent Price versions of "Tower of London". Even so, the music I created could more aptly be suitable for Price's role.

 I wanted to create a song about terror, not something that has happened or is happening, but something that is immanent. But to take this a little further, the song creates the suspense of something about to happen, then a brief lull, then worse fears realized.

 I open with bass and strings to bring the listener closer to what terror is about to strike. I use Moog sound to make a brief break and transition.

Then, in the vein of Bernard Hermann (a la Sindbad), the worse has come. The pace changes. What do you hear? You hear a bell in a tower tolling. You hear a club scraping against the bars of a jail. You hear a second set of bells to bring on finality.

During this time, I present to sympathetic violinist, who plays a sad melody for those about to die. The violin stops, then the bells stop, the song about terror stops. Execution has just occurred. Was it a beheading or a hanging? We don't know -- the song was about the terror.

Terror comes steadily and then in a fury. To offset that fury we have the melody of pity. Listen to it below. If you like this song please share it!

If you want to associate this instrumental track with either the Roger Corman version or Universal Pictures rendition, then you need to visualize Mr. Vincent Price as he was in both stories. Other classic actors in these films were Basil Rathbone (of Son of Frankenstein and Sherlock Holmes fame) and Boris Karloff (Frankenstein and numerous memorable roles.)

Also of note was the execution by beheading and drawing and quartering of St John Fisher on Tower Hill, near the Tower of London where he was imprisoned by the evil King Henry VIII. So, we have fact and we have fiction. And with my song, you have imagination - apply this soundtrack to what you think it represents.

UPDATE 2020: I will be making this song and others available on a new site so hang in there!

Related Links:

Tower of London 1939

Tower of London 1962

About John Fisher

Sounds like:

Bernard Herrmann

Robert Cobert

All artwork created by Robert Lattin. Original track (C)2015 R. Lattin.

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