"Snow White and The Huntsman" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Snow White & The Huntsman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2012)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What does a Grimm tale sound like when it grows iron teeth? In Snow White & The Huntsman, James Newton Howard welds choral thunder and woodland lyricism to a dark fairy-tale chassis — arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse — while two vocal set-pieces bracket the journey: Ioanna Gika’s sorrowing “Gone” inside the story, and Florence + the Machine’s “Breath of Life” roaring over the end credits.

The album is primarily the orchestral score — strings like winter branches, men’s chorus like an omen — with that Florence single as its banner. According to Apple Music and AllMusic, the release collects 19 cues (≈67 minutes), recorded in early 2012, and issued via Universal Republic around the film’s late-May/early-June rollout. The effect? A score that lets Ravenna glint like obsidian while Snow’s theme threads fragile hope through ash.

How It Was Made

Composer & sessions: Howard wrote a motif-driven score recorded at the Sony Scoring Stage; Pete Anthony conducted; London Voices supplied the choral weight. Orchestrations by a veteran team (Atmajian, Kull, Trumpp, John Ashton Thomas, et al.) give the battle music a hammered-steel gleam.

Feature songs: Florence + the Machine cut “Breath of Life” — bombastic, choral, written by Florence Welch/Isabella Summers — while Ioanna Gika (of IO Echo) tracked “Gone,” the film’s funeral lament. As per the soundtrack notes and coverage, both were packaged on the official album, with “Breath of Life” released as the lead single.

Tracks & Scenes

Key cues and needle-drops from the ~127-minute theatrical cut (extended: ~131). Timestamps are approximate; “diegetic” marks in-world performance or source. We include album cue titles to anchor scene placement.

“Snow White” — James Newton Howard (score)
Where it plays: Prologue and opening passages (~00:01–00:05). A clear, plaintive theme traces Snow’s childhood and the kingdom’s fall. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Establishes the moral center: fragile, tonal, resolute.

“Escape From the Tower” — James Newton Howard (score)
Where it plays: ~00:23. Snow flees through rusted grates into the surf; strings sprint over pounding toms. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: First burst of hope-as-action; Howard’s kinetic template.

“White Horse” → “Journey to Fenland” — James Newton Howard (score)
Where it plays: ~00:31–00:40. The Huntsman’s reluctant pact flips; a ride into marsh mists. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Modal colors and low choir turn the landscape into character.

“Fenland in Flames” — James Newton Howard (score)
Where it plays: ~00:42. Ravenna’s troops raze the fishing village. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Churning ostinatos; grief without sentimentality.

“Sanctuary” — James Newton Howard (score)
Where it plays: ~01:00. The fairy-sanctuary reveal; ethereal choir and high strings as the forest “breathes.” Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A rare shaft of sunlight in a somber palette.

“White Hart” — James Newton Howard (score)
Where it plays: ~01:03. The white stag approaches; the music hushes to reverent tremolo and choral halo. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Sanctifies Snow’s claim to the land — myth made audible.

“Gone” — Ioanna Gika
Where it plays: ~01:11. Gus’s funeral in the forest. Low female vocal over droning strings; the dwarfs and Snow mourn. Non-diegetic song overlaying diegetic ritual.
Why it matters: The film’s tenderest needle-drop; grief expands the world beyond combat.

“I Remember That Trick” — James Newton Howard (score)
Where it plays: ~01:19. Ravenna’s apple ruse; Snow’s collapse. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A deceptive lull that curdles into dread.

“Warriors on the Beach” — James Newton Howard (score)
Where it plays: ~01:36. The army charges the surf toward the castle. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Hammered rhythm + choir: crusade energy without triumphalism.

“You Can Not Defeat Me” — James Newton Howard (score)
Where it plays: ~01:46. Snow vs. Ravenna — shards, ravens, iron. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Villain motif in full regalia; then fractures.

“Coronation” — James Newton Howard (score)
Where it plays: ~01:53. The crown returns; theme resolves in brass chorale. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Earned catharsis, restrained and noble.

“Breath of Life” — Florence + the Machine
Where it plays: End credits, first roll (~01:57–end). Orchestral-goth anthem with 60-voice choir.
Why it matters: The film’s exhale — a single built to echo Ravenna’s terrible grandeur, then release it.

Notes & Trivia

• Album release: late May 2012 via Universal Republic; 19 tracks (≈67 minutes) with Florence’s single included.
• “Gone” is performed by Ioanna Gika (IO Echo) and plays over Gus’s funeral sequence in-film.
• Recording personnel include conductor Pete Anthony and choir contractor Isobel Griffiths; London Voices provide the choral heft.
• The score was long-listed for Oscar consideration; “Breath of Life” was shortlisted for Best Original Song and nominated at the World Soundtrack Awards.
• Critics often singled out the somber, “hammered-steel” tone of Howard’s writing for Ravenna.

Music–Story Links

Howard maps character to texture. Ravenna gets iron and glass — low brass, men’s choir, metallic percussion. Snow’s thread is diatonic, yearning, able to bloom (“Sanctuary,” “White Hart”) without tipping into sugar. When the fairy-tale breaks — the funeral — the film allows a human voice (“Gone”) to hold the silence. And at the credits, Florence’s “Breath of Life” reclaims the villain’s enormity as a victory song for surviving it.

Reception & Quotes

Contemporary reviews praised the sculpted choral writing and atmosphere, while noting the score’s grim focus. Album capsules called it a cohesive listen that leans somber rather than swashbuckling.

“An unusually somber, nuanced full orchestral score that amplifies the film’s dark currents.” — trade reviews

“Choir and low brass make Ravenna feel carved from iron.” — soundtrack round-ups

Interesting Facts

• Florence’s single was released weeks ahead of the film with a studio-session music video intercut with footage.
• Ioanna Gika’s contribution helped spotlight her band IO Echo; the song later circulated widely in lyric videos.
• The extended edition of the film runs ~131 minutes; album sequencing still mirrors the theatrical arc.
• Howard recorded the score the same year he delivered The Hunger Games — a gritty, very different palette.
• “Sanctuary” is the score’s fan-favorite “beauty” interlude — a brief, luminous breath amid the grime.

Technical Info

• Title: Snow White & The Huntsman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2012
• Type: Film score with two featured songs
• Composer: James Newton Howard
• Featured songs: “Breath of Life” — Florence + the Machine (end credits); “Gone” — Ioanna Gika (funeral sequence)
• Label: Universal Republic (UMG)
• Recording: Sony Scoring Stage; choir: London Voices
• Runtime (film): 127 minutes (theatrical); 131 minutes (extended)
• Availability: Album streaming on major platforms; “Breath of Life” released as a single

Questions & Answers

What songs (with vocals) appear in the movie itself?

Two: Ioanna Gika’s “Gone” (in-film funeral sequence) and Florence + the Machine’s “Breath of Life” over the end credits.

Is there a separate “songs” compilation?

No. The official album is primarily Howard’s score plus the two featured songs.

Where was the score recorded and who’s on choir?

Recorded at the Sony Scoring Stage; London Voices perform the choral passages.

Does the album mirror the plot order?

Broadly, yes — from escape and pursuit to sanctuary, siege, duel, and coronation.

Any awards attention?

The score was long-listed for the Oscars; “Breath of Life” was shortlisted and later nominated at the World Soundtrack Awards.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Apple Music album page; AllMusic release overview; Wikipedia film & soundtrack entries; Discogs listing; Soundtrack Collector; Spotify listings; long-form reviews citing choir/session details.

November, 27th 2025