‘Rosaline’ Composers On Mixing Renaissance and Modern Instruments for Shakespearian Score

Hulu’s “Rosaline” (streaming Oct. 14) puts a rom-com spin on Shakespeare’s classic love story “Romeo and Juliet.” With that, composers Drum & Lace (Sofia Hultquist) and Ian Hultquist put a similar spin on their musical approach to scoring.

The film stars Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline, the story’s jilted ex-lover.

Drum & Lace and Ian integrated traditional instruments of the time, such as harpsichord, lute, wooden flutes, renaissance drums and more, into a score with a pop sensibility.

But for the composers whose credits include “Dickinson,” scoring comedy was more of a challenge than scoring drama. Sofia Hultquist said, “You have comedic timing to keep very much in mind. For ‘Rosaline,’ we tried to find very strong themes that we could use often so as to build a familiarity with the characters as well as play up the emotional arcs that were happening on-screen.”

The “Scheming” theme can be heard throughout the film. It is comprised of staccato and pizzicato motifs.

“We were able to time around dialog in a way to enhance the comedy and to keep out of the way of jokes landing. The romantic side of the music that can be heard in more cinematic and sweeping cues such as ‘Horse Escape’ lends itself well for the montages and long-shot scenes in the film,” she adds.

Aside from recurring themes and motifs, the duo got to rework tunes by Robyn, Enrique Iglesias and Roxette, and by using their Renaissance-era instruments, it gave those known pop tunes an edge that sonically sits somewhere in between the comedic and more romantic music moments.

Singer Anna of the North, who also lends her vocals to the score, said the film gave her a chance to show her music in a different light and give her unique spin to Robyn’s hit “Dancing On My Own.” She said, “I joined the filming in Italy and saw first-hand the incredible costumes and set designs that help bring the film to life.”

The second group of instruments was the string ensemble. Ian Hultquist says, “We worked with a more intimate ensemble of 15 strings, which we recorded in NYC.”

Contemporary instruments such as analog synths, drum machines, soft synths, pianos and affected and layered vocals (sung by Sofia) were also integral to “Rosaline’s” sound and the film’s sonic palette.

“Rosaline” Tracklist below:

1. A Really Long Time Ago (1:23)
2. The Behemoth (0:30)
3. You Teach the Torches (0:54)
4. Can I Tell You a Secret (0:40)
5. Dancing On My Own (3:57) †
6. It Must Have Been Love (1:36) ††
7. Escape (3:30) †
8. Thanks For That & only That (1:00)
9. Lover’s Detour (1:30)
10. All By Myself (0:52)
11. Sweet Little Juliet (0:56)
12. Croquet (0:56)
13. You’re Not the First (0:55)
14. Ros & Juliet Montage (2:36)
15. You Need to Go (1:05)
16. You Marry Her (1:38)
17. The Boy is Mine (2:20)
18. The Note (0:46)
19. I Don’t Need an Escort (1:03)
20. Vineyard Chase (0:35)
21. Barracks Fight (0:44)
22. Horse Escape (1:29)
23. Dario Leaves (1:09)
24. You’re Friend, Rosaline (1:35)
25. The Daughter I Wish You Were (0:35)
26. Mind The Fish (2:11)
27. A Montague & A Capulet (1:51)
28. You Can Wake Up Now (1:11)
29. Setting Sail (1:04)
30. Kiss on the Dock (1:18)

†Performed by Anna of the North

††Featuring vocals by Drum & Lace