Of the four primary themes and additional four or five secondary ideas in War Horse, there are two from the former grouping that compete to be called the "main" theme. In the original music that Williams wrote for the trailers to the film, he referenced both prominently, and they also feature in obvious, dramatic performances during the first and final thirds of the score. What Williams likely intended to be that main identity is a friendship theme heard only after the man and the horse begin to bond and, logically, when they reunite. This theme represents the most pastoral, major-key heartiness in the score's duration, the tear-jerking tool of melodramatic loveliness carried by the usual Williams' techniques of solo French horn and layered strings. You don't hear the theme until the solo horn statement at 3:18 into "Bringing Joey Home, and Bonding," strings swirling around it shortly once again at 0:30 into "Learning the Call." A pair of brief reminders in "Plowing" includes the full ensemble formal announcement of the theme at 3:33. After another short reprise on strings before the score sharply changes focus late in "Ruined Crop, and Going to War," this friendship theme is absent from the work until several expressions in the last trio of major cues. Williams' placement of the theme's full ensemble performances late in "Remembering Emilie, and Finale" and "The Homecoming" likely denotes its status as the score's main identity, though even in these passages, the theme is flanked and obscured by Williams' supporting ideas. The other candidate to be the "main" theme of War Horse is the one most likely representing the purity of innocence that comes in the landscape of the farm's locale. This broad theme for the English countryside (and perhaps Dartmoor in particular) is an anchor of the score's pre-war sequences, raising the most vivid memories of Far and Away. It's also the most resoundingly "Williamsesque" in its obvious ensemble expressions, beginning with its full announcement at 2:09 into "Dartmoor, 1912." A pair of flute performances of this theme in the middle of "Bringing Joey Home, and Bonding" leads to another satisfying ensemble reminder at 2:25 in "Seeding, and Horse vs. Car." The usage of the theme in several places during "Plowing" culminates into a tired but noble timpani-pounding rendition at 3:57 that highlights the entire score. Unfortunately, this theme disappears by necessity until a pair of less dramatic performances in the middle of "The Homecoming" ultimately diminishes the theme's importance. Not since Patrick Doyle's Thor earlier in 2011 has such a powerfully potent secondary identity dominated an early portion of a film score only to fade unceremoniously away into the larger fabric of the rest of the work.

Mirroring the narrative arc of the theme for Dartmoor and the English location in general is the one simultaneously developed by Williams for the farming action in War Horse. Doubling for the Narracott family, this farming theme is a rhythmic woodwind identity over pulsating brass and swirling strings that contain much of the English sensibility in the score. Heard alternating with the more noble Darmoor locale theme in "Dartmoor, 1912" starting in the middle of the second minute, this optimistic, rollicking idea provides a light-hearted break from the toils of the story's drama in numerous places during "Learning the Call," "Seeding, and Horse vs. Car," and "Plowing," the pulsing brass rhythms a highlight. The theme then disappears until the very opening of "The Homecoming" and a brief reminder of the idea later in that summary cue. It some regards, the farming theme is simply a brightly colored offshoot of the more dramatic Dartmoor location theme, the two often adjoined in performance. Likewise, the main friendship theme has its own secondary motif that grows out of the deeper affection earned in the last trio of cues. Heard in the waning moments of "The Reunion," this relative grows out of a piano solo in the middle of "Remembering Emilie, and Finale" to redemptive heights later in that cue and with even greater emphasis near the end of "The Homecoming." Another interesting motif that connects a concept early and late in the picture is a woodwind identity at 2:15 into "Bringing Joey Home, and Bonding" that is reprised only on harp at the outset of "The Reunion," perhaps reflecting the meeting process between the man and horse. Similarly tied to the beginning and end of the film is an almost mystical, slightly Celtic theme again reminiscent of Far and Away that is led by solo flute and seems to serve as the foundational canvas for the entire story, maybe as a representation of fate. Opening "Dartmoor, 1912" and closing "The Homecoming," this elusive theme is suggested on strings in a couple of early cues before signing off during the tale at the end of "Plowing." Yet another theme also follows the same path, growing out of the motif of fate to represent the spirit of the horse. Opening "The Auction," this idea seemingly bridges the themes for fate and the farm, receiving extended treatment only during almost two full minutes early in "The Homecoming." As you probably can determine by now, War Horse is a completely different score in its first third than in the remainder, only shadows of the multitude of early themes reprised in the more mature, battle-weary versions at the redemptive end. In between these sections, the middle of War Horse is largely defined by the final of its four major thematic identities, that of war.

There is an undoubtedly pronounced shift that takes hold in War Horse when the trumpet call for war is first heard at 2:30 into "Ruined Crop, and Going to War." The tone of this lonely trumpet identity will, along with its supporting passages on strings, strongly suggest connections to Williams' Born on the Fourth of July. Despite the aggressive battle material in the middle of "The Charge and Capture," with challenging layers of brass and percussion over troubled beds of string rhythms that will recall War of the Worlds, the war theme remains static in its solo trumpet statements on either end. The tortured horn material later in "The Charge and Capture" resides closer to the tumultuous portions of realization in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. The most appealing war-related cue in War Horse is certainly "Pulling the Cannon," which follows a trumpet call of the war theme with an agonizing sequence that finally pulls the full weight of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith out for an extended period of adversity. The war theme is finally juxtaposed with this rhythmic action material late in "No Man's Land," which explodes in its latter half with impressive snare-ripping action. Williams poignantly closes out "Remembering Emilie, and Finale" with a final echo of this theme. Overall, these themes produce consistent lyricism and maintain listener interest in all cues during which they perpetually intermingle. A distinct maturation process exists in War Horse by necessity, but those seeking the enthusiasm and playfulness of the early sequences, the ambitiously rhythmic battle portions in the middle, or the grand sweep of the redemptive melodrama at the end will be left concentrating on only those parts of the score. The lack of one overarching, truly dominant thematic identity causes these thirds of the score to feel strangely disconnected despite Williams' best efforts to carry over half a dozen identities from the first act to the third. Thus, from a thematic standpoint, War Horse is a slightly disappointing, overly-complex package of pinpoint precision that loses general appeal at some points. Had all the themes for the English location (including fate and farming) been merged and offered alongside the friendship, bonding, and affection-related themes as two definitive answers to the war theme, War Horse would likely have benefitted greatly. Still, being a Williams score, this music relies on the intelligence of its constructs to succeed, and in that regard, the composer continues to prove that he is at the top of his game. Rather than worry about the difficultly he faced when being forced to abandon all of his many themes halfway through the picture, enjoy each portion of War Horse for its inherent saturation with Williams' trademark sensibilities. While not among the best from the composer's storytelling capabilities, it is satisfyingly close to that level.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download