New Alexandria
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New Alexandria is the eighth track (Disc 2 Track 1) included in Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack, and plays mainly in the Halo: Reach campaign level New Alexandria. It is composed of Wing and a Prayer (0:00-1:38), Fall from Grace (1:38-2:41), Triage (2:41-3:22), War Machine (3:22-4:56), Whirling Dervish (4:56-5:54), Crown Jewel (5:54-7:08), and Reflection (7:08-8:41).
Overview[edit]
Wing and a Prayer[edit]
Wing and a Prayer (1:38) is a shortened and strings-only version of Hymn for Reach (from the later track Epilogue), ending with a male choir transition into next piece Fall from Grace. The piece plays in the opening cinematic, with the final phrase leading into the campaign level's opening gameplay moments.
Fall from Grace[edit]
Fall from Grace (1:03) features a somber ambience on brass and accompanied by male choir. Strings join in, playing ambiance together before ending together on a single note. The piece plays in the level's opening gameplay sequence.
Triage[edit]
Triage (0:41) is a shortened and lighter version of Keeping What I Steal (from the earlier track Nightfall), featuring a more prominent synth section and crisper piano accompaniments. The piece plays when Noble Six enters the lower floor of New Alexandria Hospital.
War Machine[edit]
War Machine (1:34) opens with synth effects (first heard in Aim to Please from the earlier track ONI: Sword Base), resembling the opening of Destroyer's Invocation (from Mausoleum Suite in Halo 2: Original Soundtrack). Male choir join in with a dissonant melody, quickly joined by low strings and brass. The synth effects fade out, allowing the strings, brass, and choir to end together. The piece plays when Noble Six lands at SinoViet Center, with the male choir section playing after Six deactivates the Covenant communications jammer within.
Whirling Dervish[edit]
Whirling Dervish (0:58) features low strings and electronic synth notes, joined by heavy percussive beats. Male choir and brass soon fade in, and the main melody ends abruptly, and the piece ends with ambience by brass and choir. The piece plays when Noble Six arrives at Club Errera in Vyrant Telecom Tower, with the male choir section playing after Six deactivates the Covenant comm jammer within. The piece also plays briefly in Invasion multiplayer games, whenever Spartans enter the second phase and when they win the round.
Crown Jewel[edit]
Crown Jewel (1:14) features a suspenseful melody by low strings, brass, and tribal percussion. The melody builds up slowly before entering high tempo and ends abruptly. The piece plays when Noble Six destroys the Rizsheda-pattern Shades around Olympic Tower.
Reflection[edit]
Reflection (1:33) cuts in with first theme of Ashes on a piano solo, then joined by strings for the second theme. The piece plays in the ending cutscene, after Catherine-B320 is shot by a Gadulo-pattern needle rifle.
Production notes[edit]
- The name Wing and a Prayer is derived from the idiom "on a wing and a prayer", likely alluding to the diminishing efforts of the UNSC during Siege of New Alexandria and, by extension, the Fall of Reach.
- The name Triage alludes to the New Alexandria Hospital.
- Whirling Dervish is named after the nickname of the Mevlevi Order, the members of which are known to practice whirling dance as a form of Islamic devotional act. The name likely alludes to the presence of the Covenant, a theocratic hegemony, inside a night club.
- The name Crown Jewel is derived from Jun-A266's description of New Alexandria in the ending cinematic.
- The name Reflection likely alludes to the glassed city in the ending cinematic.
- Similar to the campaign level itself being a homage to Halo 3: ODST, the soundtrack features music similar to the Halo 3: ODST Original Soundtrack, especially in the use of brass instruments in accompaniment with strings. Furthermore, On the Prowl (from the track The Menagerie in Halo 3: ODST Original Soundtrack) plays in the level when Noble Six escorts Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck.
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