Film score identifying instrument

[Nikephoros]

Hi everyone. I'm writing an essay about the sound-image relationship in the 1981 film Excalibur. I'm trying to figure out what instrument is used at 1:33-2:08. It sounds like a digital piano, but I'm not sure if digital pianos were commercially available in 1981. Any suggestions?

 

[Maura N.]

The quality of the sound is not very clear but I think you are correct. It could be a piano.

 

[István Kovács]

I think I listened to it 10 times. Could it be an orga? Or a synth?

 

[Atlantis]

I hear swelling brass/strings/woodwinds (in that order). But I do not hear a piano.

 

[Cathbad]

The music in the video is from the prelude to Richard Wagner's opera, Parsifal. It's scored for symphony orchestra, with a couple of additions for onstage dramatic purposes: church bells and thunder machine. But no electric pianos, which were indeed available in 1981 but not in 1882...

Parsifal is based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's 13th century poem Parzival, and tells the story of Sir Percival's quest to find the Holy Grail.

 

[Maura N.]

The music in the video is from the prelude to Richard Wagner's opera, Parsifal. It's scored for symphony orchestra, with a couple of additions for onstage dramatic purposes: church bells and thunder machine. But no electric pianos, which were indeed available in 1981 but not in 1882...

Parsifal is based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's 13th century poem Parzival, and tells the story of Sir Percival's quest to find the Holy Grail.

You solved the mistery!

 

[Cathbad]

Excalibur also uses the prelude from Tristan and Isolde and the Funeral March from Götterdämmerung, both by Wagner. And various bits of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.

The music written specifically for the film was by Trevor Jones. It's mainly orchestral but a few cues use historical musical instruments. Fairly sure there's no EP, but it's many years since I saw the film so I can't be sure.

 

[Fightdesigner]

1981... it's synth. Keep in mind, this is the year before Blade Runner came out.
Edit - I stand corrected. There's an almost stereo-chorus-effect quality to it, but I guess it's just the orchestra (woodwinds and whatnot).

 

[Cathbad]

1981... it's synth. Keep in mind, this is the year before Blade Runner came out.

No it's not. See my post #5 above.