Titus (soundtrack)
Titus (soundtrack)
Titus is the original score for the 1999 film Titus, directed by Julie Taymor and based on Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. Composer: Elliot Goldenthal. The only piece not by Goldenthal is “Vivere,” a traditional Italian song performed by Carlo Buti.
The music is highly experimental, blending orchestral, jazz, rock, and electronica. The opening track “Victorious Titus” has a bold, martial feel with a Latin choir, and it echoes a grand march while adding ancient chanting. The score was recorded with the London Metropolitan Orchestra.
Goldenthal sometimes reused ideas from his past work, including a reworked version of “Wreckage and Rape” from Alien 3 during the dinner table fight scene. He has said the score reflects his career up to that point, exploring opposing ideas like vengeance and forgiveness, purity and defilement, the grotesque and the sublime, and a sense of irony and humor.
The composer also describes how Rome inspired him during location scouting with Taymor, imagining a blend of ancient percussion with modern sounds—hip-hop, pan flute, and more—to fit Taymor’s distinctive adaptation of the play.
In 2007, controversy arose when the score for 300 used some cues that sounded like parts of Goldenthal’s Titus. Warner Bros. acknowledged the overlaps and resolved the matter amicably.
The Titus soundtrack showcases Goldenthal’s range, from imposing martial themes to romantic cues and jazzy, party-scene music at the Imperial Palace.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:35 (CET).