Soundtrack Snippets

Copperhead is a period drama about a family who is torn apart during the Civil War when the son runs off to join the war against the pacifist family's wishes. The film was directed by Ron Maxwell, who had also directed the Civil War epics, Gods and Generals and Gettysburg. For both previous projects he choose several unknown and obscure composers.This film was no exception.
Laurent Eyquem is a French-born composer who had only worked on several smaller-scale French productions. Hopefully his time of obscurity is over.
The music for Copperhead is lush classically written concert-like score. According to Eyquem that approach was chosen because he wanted to convey "three core ideas- emotion, melody, and subtly". He successfully achieves all three. The music melodies are really emotional and don't go over-the-top, but instead remain subtle and harmonious.
The main theme (Copperhead- Main Title) is a piano laden cue with a supporting fiddle and string accompaniment.
 Another cue, The Enlistment, takes a militaristic approach with a snare drum and trumpet then the piano and fiddle take over and the cue slows down. The cello is used in several lush cues, Ni Goes South and The World Turned Upside Down, being the two most notable. In the short cue, They Are Coming Tonight, a beautiful ethereal piano plays over desponding strings while in contrast, the cue; Sunday Morning, is driven by playful strings pushing the score along with greater tenacity.
The Dev'l Among The Tailors is a jaunty fiddle piece performed brilliantly by the Barn Dance Musicians which adds to the period feel of the score.
The album ends with a contemporary song, Slumber My Darling, tenderly performed by Marcus Bently. The song is atmospheric while a fiddle appears here and there. Throughout the cue an ethereal piano and several guitars drone on as well.
The score as a whole is a really mellow, albeit melody-driven score. The album may drag a bit near the end given it's lack of thematic material, but Eyquem has masterfully created a suitable period score. I'm eager to see what he comes up with in the near future.

Best Cue(s)

• A Poor Beggar In This World/The Mill
• The World Turned Upside Down
• Reunion