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Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection

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Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection
Soundtrack album by
John Lunn and Chamber Orchestra of London
Released19 September 2012
Recorded2011–2012
Length70:55
LabelDecca
ProducerJohn Lunn
Downton Abbey soundtracks chronology
Downton Abbey: Original Music from the Television Series
(2011)
Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection
(2012)
Downton Abbey: The Ultimate Collection
(2016)

Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection is the second soundtrack that accompanied the ITV historical television series Downton Abbey. Composed by John Lunn and performed by the Chamber Orchestra of London, the album consisted of 23 songs, mostly comprising the television score and four songs performed by Mary-Jess Leaverland, Rebecca Ferguson and the Scala & Kolacny Brothers. It was released on 19 September 2012 through Decca Records, two weeks after the second season's premiere.

Development

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Lunn employed a 35-piece string orchestra in contrast to the previous seasons where he employed a 33-piece orchestra, and comparatively used a piano and an instrument resembling a French horn as the sole instruments for the score.[1] The album featured the main score suite and the song based on it,[2] "Did I Make the Most of Loving You?" performed by Mary-Jess Leaverland, while another original song "I'll Count The Days" performed by Rebecca Ferguson, who co-wrote the song with Don Black.[3][4] Scala & Kolacny Brothers performed the cover of U2's "With or Without You" (1987) and The Police's "Every Breath You Take" (1983) which was featured in the album, except for their cover of "Last Christmas" (originally performed by George Michael and Wham!).[5]

Track listing

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Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection track listing
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Downton Abbey: The Suite"
7:09
2."Love and the Hunter"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
3:18
3."Emancipation"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
2:15
4."Story of My Life"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
1:58
5."Did I Make the Most of Loving You?"
4:18
6."Nothing To Forgive"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
2:34
7."Fashion"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
1:19
8."Damaged"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
5:24
9."New World"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
1:51
10."I'll Count The Days"
2:41
11."The Fallen"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
3:01
12."A Glimpse of Happiness"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
2:03
13."Elopement"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
4:44
14."Preparation"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
3:26
15."Us and Them"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
1:53
16."Patrick"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
1:52
17."Deception"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
2:51
18."A Dangerous Path"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
3:13
19."With Or Without You"
4:34
20."Violet"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
1:56
21."An Ideal Marriage"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
2:45
22."A Song and a Dance"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
1:28
23."Every Breath You Take"
  • John Lunn
  • Chamber Orchestra of London
  • Scala & Kolacny Brothers
4:27

Personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes.[6]

  • Composer – John Lunn (tracks: 1–18, 20–22)
  • Producer – John Lunn (tracks: 1–18, 20–22), Steven & Stijn Kolacny (track: 19, 23)
  • Orchestra – The Chamber Orchestra Of London
  • Conductor – Alastair King
  • Recording and mixing – Paul Golding
  • Mastering – Nick Watson
  • Piano – John Lunn (tracks: 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18)

Charts

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Chart performance for Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection
Chart (2012) Peak
position
UK Compilation Albums (OCC)[7] 83
UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[8] 7

References

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  1. ^ Halperin, Shirley (4 September 2012). "'Downton Abbey' Composer on the Show's Runaway Success, 'Happy' Future and Coldplay-Like Score (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  2. ^ Mapes, Diane (17 February 2013). "Why the 'Downton Abbey' theme song makes us drool". Today.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Downton Abbey – The Essential Collection". Amazon. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Rebecca Ferguson Records A Song For 'Downton Abbey', But Admits: 'I've Never Watched It'". HuffPost UK. 18 September 2012. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  5. ^ Glanfield, Tim (14 December 2011). "Scala & Kolacny Brothers: the secret soundtrack to your screen". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  6. ^ John Lunn; Chamber Orchestra of London. Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection (Media notes). Decca Records.
  7. ^ "Official Compilation Albums Chart Top 100 – 30 September to 6 October". Official Charts Company. 30 September 2012. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Official Soundtrack Albums Chart Top 50 – 30 September to 6 October". Official Charts Company. 30 September 2012. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.