The Tragedy of Macbeth (soundtrack)

In June 2020, it was announced that Carter Burwell would score music for The Tragedy of Macbeth, after associating in all of Coen brothers' films except Inside Llewyn Davis (2013).^[1] William Shakespeare's play Macbeth had minimal or mostly nullified music and the adapted script by Joel also followed the suit. Burwell received the script, also admitted that the film is dense with dialogue where "there wasn't a lot of space just for music",^[2] which reaffirmed when he received a part of the footage shot before production haled due to COVID-19 pandemic, and complimented Joel's decision to film it entirety in sound stages to bring the ambience and also being untethered from reality.^[3]

In order to ensure that the score should not drown out the text, he employed the cello and bass in the lowest two octaves as they were guided by the rhythm of the play, adding "Joel had written right into the script this sense of rhythm, of beats that he achieves by drips of water or blood or even hallucinations on the part of Lady Macbeth when she hears things beating in the castle [...] We spent a lot of time figuring out how to integrate that with the music."^[2] Most of the score being integrated with the action of the sequences and dialogues, that combined with the musical landscape of cello and bass.^[2] A solo fiddle also accompanied sparsely where it goes off pitch.^[5]

Recording of the string instruments and orchestral elements was proven to be challenging with restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was inspired by Bernard Herrmann's score for Psycho (1960) and thought on string players could wear masks allowing the recording process to be smoothly processed.^[4] The string sounds evoke the feel of a "black-and-white horror film" where the basses do biting attacks, and the cellos do bouncy vibratos.^[5] He wanted to develop a love theme for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth but refrained it as it would distract the film's disturbing tone.^[5]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote "The strings of Carter Burwell's score sometimes sound like birds of prey, and literal crows disrupt the somber, boxy frames with bursts of nightmarish cacophony."^[6] Odie Henderson of RogerEbert.com called it as a "great, brooding musical score".^[7] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter praised the "gut-churning sound design and powerful use of Carter Burwell's suspenseful score, full of thundering percussion and insidious strings."^[8] Justin Chang, in his review for National Public Radio, said "Carter Burwell's score sets an ominous mood, complemented by what sounds like an executioner's drumbeats."^[9]