Theme in Black

"Theme in Black"
Album	6
Played	"LA X, Parts 1 & 2" "The Substitute" "Sundown" "Dr. Linus" "Recon" "The Package" "What They Died For"

The "Theme in Black" plays during many scenes featuring the Man in Black during the first half of Season 6. The eight note motif is derived with melody and harmony originated from the Sarasangi scale of South Indian Classical Music. The melody notes are Eb F F Gb F A A Bb with harmony of triads consisting of Eb Gb Bb resolving to D F A in two different chord inversions.

Full list of appearances

The "Theme in Black" plays during the following scenes:

• The Man in Black cleans the knife Ben used to kill Jacob. ("LA X, Parts 1 & 2")
  • Bram drags Ben back into the statue. ("LA X, Parts 1 & 2")
• He clears away the bodies of the people he just killed. ("LA X, Parts 1 & 2")
  • The Man in Black emerges from the statue and carries Richard into the jungle. ("LA X, Parts 1 & 2")
• The Man in Black talks to Richard. ("The Substitute")
  • The Man in Black recruits Sawyer. ("The Substitute")
  • He tells Sawyer he understands pain, betrayal and loss. ("The Substitute")
  • He climbs down the ladder to the cliffside cave. ("The Substitute")
  • He enters the cave and shows Sawyer the names on the wall. ("The Substitute")
• The Man in Black nods at his new recruits from the Temple. ("Sundown")
• Ilana's group talks about what just attacked the Temple. ("Dr. Linus")
• The Man in Black's group stop for water. ("Recon")
• The Man in Black explains how he is only three people short of getting off the island. ("The Package")
  • The Man in Black tells Sawyer he doesn't like secrets. ("The Package")
• The Man in Black and Ben arrive at the well. ("What They Died For")

Influences

The theme shares elements with Locke's third theme, which in turn builds off his second theme.

Variations

"Catch a Falling Star", "Jacob's Ladders", "The Rockets' Red Glare", "The Substitute", "Richard the Floored" and "Smokey And The Bandits" use the "Theme in Black". The piece and Locke's flash sideways theme are variations of each other.