ruth barrett
Film and television composer Ruth Barrett often adds a touch of larger-than-life whimsy to her rousing folk and orchestral scores. After getting her start in British television, she landed on the big screen with the 2009 Michael Caine vehicle Harry Brown, whose score she composed with frequent writing partner Martin Phipps. They were later nominated for an Emmy for their music for the historical series Victoria in 2017. In the meantime, Barrett earned credits on series like Wallander (BBC), Whitechapel (ITV), and Collateral (BBC) as well as the occasional film such as 2016's City of Tiny Lights. In the 2020s, her C.V. included such hit shows as NBC's Law & Order: Organized Crime and the ITV nature series Big Beasts, whose sweeping orchestral arrangements showcased her flamboyant musical sensibilities.
A native of Roehampton, southwest London, Ruth Barrett grew up watching reruns of American TV shows like The Incredible Hulk (1977-1982), which she has cited alongside Queen's soundtrack for Flash Gordon (1980) as early musical inspirations. She took piano lessons as a child; by her early teens she was improvising compositions. Barrett went on to study music at Cambridge University and composition at the Royal Academy of Music. She eventually worked her way into a full-time position in post-production for ITV, which she followed with work for Strongroom Music Studios, where she met Martin Phipps, who would become a mentor and longtime collaborator.
Barrett earned her earliest TV composing credits on series such as What We Did on Holiday (2006), A Very British Sex Scandal (2007), and the TV movie Clapham Junction (2007), which was her first main co-composer credit with Phipps. She took sole credit on ITV's popular 2009 production of Wuthering Heights starring Tom Hardy, which saw her incorporating modern elements like electric guitar and conspicuous dissonance into its period setting and orchestral folk palette. Barrett collaborated with Phipps on the score for the 2009 film Harry Brown, an action-thriller starring Michael Caine, following it with features such as Twenty8k (2012) and
City of Tiny Lights (2016) on her own. In the meantime, she worked mostly in television, scoring episodes of such hit series as Wallander and Whitechapel. Originally airing on ITV from 2016 to 2019, Victoria, a historical drama about Queen Victoria, earned Barrett, Phipps, and Natalie Holt a primetime Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score). To finish out the decade, Barrett composed music for crime shows including Fearless and Bodyguard in addition to working on the comedy series The Durrells and another historical drama, Sanditon.
Along with continued work on Sanditon, she started the next decade with scores for the mystery miniseries The Sister (2020), police procedural Bloodlands, and, with demand for her subtly but recognizably offbeat sound on the rise, American series including Law & Order: Organized Crime and The Terminal List. With its premiere in early 2023, Barrett signed on with the Apple TV+ documentary series Big Beasts, which accompanied by a soundtrack release on Lakeshore Records.
© Marcy Donelson /TiVo
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The Terminal List (Music from the Original Series on Prime Video)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Lakeshore Records on 27 Jan 2023
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Sanditon (Original Television Soundtrack - Vol 2 & 3)
ruth barrett, Jon Wygens, David Schweitzer
Film Soundtracks - Released by Bucks Records on 17 Aug 2023
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Sanditon (Original Television Soundtrack)
Film Soundtracks - Released by NW1 Records on 20 Dec 2019
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Wuthering Heights
Pop - Released by Mammoth Screen Ltd on 10 Dec 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Big Beasts (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Lakeshore Records on 21 Apr 2023
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Bodyguard (Original Soundtrack Album)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Dubois Records on 24 Oct 2018
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Collateral
Soundtracks - Released by Dubois Records on 11 May 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Durrells (Music From The Series)
Film Soundtracks - Released by ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. on 19 Apr 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Victoria (Music from the Original TV Series) Vol. 2 & 3
Soundtracks - Released by Dubois Records on 24 Mar 2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cinematic Beauty
Soundtracks - Released by KPM Main Series on 1 May 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cinematic Minimalism
Soundtracks - Released by KPM Main Series on 11 Dec 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Durrells (Original Theme Song From The TV Show)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Abkco Music & Records, Inc. on 6 May 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Law & Order: Organized Crime, Season 1 (Original Series Soundtrack)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Lakeshore Records on 4 Nov 2022
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The Sister (Original Soundtrack Album)
Soundtracks - Released by Dubois Records on 12 Feb 2021
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Bodyguard (Paul Hartnoll Remix)
ruth barrett, Ruskin Williamson
Film Soundtracks - Released by Dubois Records on 16 Dec 2019
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The Year Is A Dancing Woman, Vol. 1
New Age - Released by Dancing Tree Music on 1 Jan 2003
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He Loves Me
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Independent on 1 Jan 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
City of Tiny Lights (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Filmtrax on 7 Apr 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Law & Order: Organized Crime, Season 2 (Original Series Soundtrack)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Lakeshore Records on 16 Dec 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chien Thang Hung Oai
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 3380353 Records DK on 14 Oct 2020
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Parthenogenesis
New Age - Released by Dancing Tree Music on 1 Jan 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo