[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bearmccreary_1644.jpg]]
Bear [=McCreary=] (born February 17, 1979) is an American composer of score and soundtrack music. He studied music at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, and his mentor was Music/ElmerBernstein. [=McCreary=] learned piano, and taught himself accordion. His style of music is unconventional compared to other scores, featuring a mix of classical instruments, ethnic instruments, rock, electronica and vocals. He has said that the smaller budgets force him to be more creative, and it shows, as he has garnered extensive praise for his music. In the summer of 2010, he married his vocalist, Music/RayaYarbrough.
In addition to La-La Land Records releasing soundtrack albums for several of his shows, he now has his own boutique record label, [[http://www.bearmccreary.com/#blog/albums/sparks-shadows/ Sparks & Shadows]]. As well as his wife Raya Yarbrough, vocals in his work have often been provided by his brother Brendan [=McCreary=], of the band Young Beautiful in a Hurry.
!!Scores composed by Bear [=McCreary=] include:
* ''Film/TenCloverfieldLane''
* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD''
* ''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd'' (the episode How The Nerd Stole Christmas)
* ''Film/AngryVideoGameNerdTheMovie''
* ''Film/{{Ava}}''
* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'': Collaborated with Richard Gibbs on the pilot miniseries before taking over as sole composer for the ongoing series.
* ''Series/BattlestarGalacticaBloodAndChrome''
* ''Series/BlackSails''
* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyVanguard''
* ''Series/TheCape''
* ''Series/{{Caprica}}''
* ''Film/ChildsPlay2019''
* ''Chillerama''
* ''Film/TheCloverfieldParadox''
* ''Series/DaVincisDemons'' (for which he won an Emmy)
* ''VideoGame/DarkVoid''
* ''Series/{{Defiance}}''
* ''Series/{{Eureka}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Forspoken}}''
* ''Series/Foundation2021''
* ''Videogame/GodOfWarPS4''
** ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok''
* ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019''
* ''Film/HellFest''
* ''Series/HumanTarget''
* ''Film/KnightsOfBadassdom''
* ''Film/TheLastVoyageOfTheDemeter''
* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'', with Music/HowardShore
* ''WesternAnimation/MastersOfTheUniverseRevelation''
* ''Series/{{Outlander}}''
* ''WesternAnimation/PawsOfFuryTheLegendOfHank''
* ''Series/{{Percy Jackson and the Olympians|2023}}''
* ''Rest Stop'' and its sequel.
* ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles''
* ''[[VideoGame/SOCOMUSNavySeals SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs]]''
* ''Film/StepUp 3D''
* ''Series/{{Trauma}}''
* ''Series/TheWalkingDead''
* ''Film/WeHaveAGhost''
* ''Film/WrongTurn2DeadEnd''
His website is [[http://www.bearmccreary.com/ here]] and his blog is [[http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/ here]]. Excellent resources for music fans.
YMMV tropes [[YMMV/BearMcCreary here]].
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!!Bear [=McCreary=] and his music demonstrate:
* AndStarring: By Season 4 of ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'', Bear's name was shown on the opening credits as tribute to his importance to the show.
* AutobotsRockOut: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Q-6E44lCc Apocalypse]]".
* BilingualBonus: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWxric37OyA Battlestar Operatica]]". Woe upon your Cylon heart / There is a toaster in your head / And it wears high heels / Number Six calls to you / The Cylon Detector beckons / Your girlfriend is a toaster / Woe upon your Cylon heart / Alas, disgrace! Alas, sadness and misery! / The toaster has a pretty dress / Red like her glowing spine / Number Six whispers: "By your command" / Woe upon your Cylon heart.
** Also the main theme of ''Battlestar'', "Wander My Friends", "[[OminousLatinChanting Kobol's Last Gleaming]]", "[[OminousLatinChanting Bloodshed]]", "Lords of Kobol", "A Distant Sadness", Baltar's theme, and others. In fact, most of the times when there are lyrics in his music, they're in some language other than English.
** Several tracks from ''Series/{{Outlander}}'' feature singing in Gaelic, including "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1RMsHX9Y9k Much Sa Mhadainn]]," which adapts the lyrics to a song from the Jacobite Rising.
* BluesRock: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6N_XXK6cns Dirty Hands]]". Appropriate as a theme for the [[UsedFuture futuristing blue-collar workers]].
* TheCastShowOff: Alessandro Juliani sings "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY3gY48pxjA Gaeta's Lament]]" in BSG and part of "Capricoperatica" in ''Series/{{Caprica}}''. Kandyse [=McClure=] hums her own theme music in "Funeral Pyres".
* CreatorCameo: The dwarf Raeb you meet as part of the mainquest and a post-game side quest in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok'' is an InkSuitActor of Bear, as Bear voices Raeb.
* CultSoundtrack: Bear's music is very distinctive, especially the ''Battlestar Galactica'' score.
* CyberPunkIsTechno: Not ''Series/{{Caprica}}'' itself, but the virtual world of New Cap City. And also his score to ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles''.
* EchoingAcoustics: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EQXEIoZrZE Something Dark Is Coming]]."
* EpicRocking: Lots of examples. A few particularly noteworthy ones (seven minutes or longer):
** From ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'': "Assault on the Colony" (15:09), "Something Dark Is Coming" (8:55), "Prelude to War" (8:26), "Storming New Caprica" (7:50), "Among the Ruins" (7:45), "Violence and Variations" (7:35)
** From ''Series/BattlestarGalacticaBloodAndChrome'': "The Last Battle of Osiris" (8:39)
** From ''Series/{{Caprica}}'': "Capricoperatica" (8:42)
** From ''Series/{{Defiance}}'' (TV series): "Battle of the Volge" (8:33)
** From ''VideoGame/{{Defiance}}'' (video game): "Mount Tam" (7:50), "Theme from Defiance (Extended Version)" (7:03)
** From ''Series/HumanTarget'': "Flipping the Plane" (10:54), "Skyhook Rescue" (7:05), "Confronting Baptiste" (8:51), "Gondola" (8:44), "Bertram" (7:00)
* EverythingsLouderWithBagpipes: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8CDqX85rm4 Battle on the Asteroid]]," "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so10dKbhorI Storming New Caprica]]," "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuXd5Qooubk Assault on the Colony]]."
** Throughout ''Series/{{Outlander}}'', obviously, which is set in 18th century Scotland, but especially prominent in ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooYkvC_yBrU Charge of the Highland Cattle]]'', as well as much of the latter half of season 2, which features battle scenes set to bagpipes.
* FadingIntoTheNextSong: "Colonial Anthem" -> "Baltar's Dream". "Reuniting the Fleet" -> "Roslin Confesses". "Key to Coexistence" -> "Goodbye Old Friend".
* GangstaRap: "Voices of the Dead" from ''Series/{{Caprica}}''. Since the Taurons are similar to Greeks, their rap song is in Ancient Greek. Awesome.
* GenreMashup: Bear is an expert at mixing genres.
* LastEpisodeThemeReprise: The ''Series/BattlestarGalactica1978'' theme appears in the finale in "The Heart of the Sun".
* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn: "Kara Remembers".
* {{Leitmotif}}: "For a show that set out to avoid themes, ''Battlestar Galactica'' has certainly ended up with quite a few" (Bear in a 2009 interview). These are also seen in ''Caprica'', ''Series/HumanTarget'', and ''VideoGame/DarkVoid''.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhNJAVaDl4M Number Six's theme]], later used as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkOjeYY6vxc the BSG prologue music]].
** The Opera House theme.
** The Adama family theme.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYsy6Ip67q0 Starbuck's Destiny]].
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAeL6o4LWzM metal percussion of the Cylons]] contrasted with the traditional drums of the humans.
** The religious theme, used for Roslin, Kobol, and anything associated with them.
** ''Series/{{Outlander}}'' has several, most notably renditions of ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF0ZYnvFXRk The Skye Boat song]]'' (both with and without lyrics), Jamie and Claire's theme (heard triumphantly for the first time in ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbHQ8hP9Rbs The Wedding]]'', and later, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77GYIfI5L4U Brianna and Roger's theme]]''.
* LonelyPianoPiece: "Battlestar Sonatica", "Elegy" and "Dreilide Thrace Sonata No. 1". The 2011 2-part album ''The Music of Battlestar Galactica for Solo Piano'' is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, and features pianist Joohyun Park playing rearrangements of Bear's score.
* MusicalEpisode: "Someone to Watch Over Me", featuring the piano. Weirdest MusicalEpisode ever.
* MusicalSpoiler: "Heeding the Call," "Kara Remembers" and "Kara's Coordinates."
* NonIndicativeName: He is neither a large woodland creature, nor a stout, hairy gay man.
* OminousLatinChanting: Chanting in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjPAx5-vD_A Anglo-Saxon]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9CqxkuSldY Armenian]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGcMPp7TNo4 Gaelic]], Greek, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWxric37OyA Italian]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DDs6yZ4dbs Latin]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3QJObI711U several]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMzkuKAIoL4 times]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIvppNWZUtc Samoan]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3YVq0Hvd8k Sanskrit]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eON5O5MRz5M Sinhalese]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoT2MgT2LVI Icelandic]].
* OneWomanWail: Music/RayaYarbrough has the perfect voice for wailing to Bear's music.
* OrchestralBombing: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlcUwUwjLrs Prelude to War]]" is the most famous, with "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Q-6E44lCc Apocalypse]]" coming in a close second.
* PlayingTheHeartStrings:
** The "Opera House theme" heard in "Passacaglia", "The Shape of Things to Come", "Allegro", "Violence and Variations" and the endings of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMzkuKAIoL4 Assault on the Colony]]" and "An Easterly View".
** Starbuck's theme from "Forgiven" and "Deathbed and Maelstrom".
** Starbuck and Apollo's love theme from "Violence and Variations", "Under the Wing", also briefly heard in "Deathbed and Maelstrom" and "Starbuck Disappears".
** The "Roslin and Adama love theme" heard in "Roslin and Adama", "Adama Falls", "Roslin and Adama Reunited" and "So Much Life."
** Bill and Lee Adama's theme from "Wander My Friends", "A Good Lighter", "Reuniting The Fleet", "Farewell Apollo", "Grand Old Lady" and "The Heart of the Sun".
** The "Starbuck and Anders love theme" heard in "A Promise to Return" and "Goodbye Sam".
** "Refugees Return" and "Gentle Execution".
** "The Hub" is a funeral dirge for the Cylons, who are mortal once more.
* PowerOfRock: "Lords of Kobol", "Gaeta's Lament (Instrumental Version)" and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Q-6E44lCc Apocalypse]]".
* RearrangeTheSong[=/=]CoverVersion:
** Bear remixed Music/BobDylan's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka_sHy9cVH0 All Along the Watchtower]]" into a version sung by his brother Brendan (although [=McCreary's=] arrangement is arguably just as inspired by Music/JimiHendrix's, which is used in the ending to the show).
** Bear rearranged the [[Series/BattlestarGalactica1978 old Galactica theme]] into the Colonial Anthem.
** He also had [[Music/{{Garbage}} Shirley Manson]] sing a version of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CC2skFNaQc Samson and Delilah]]" for ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles''.
** In fall 2011, he released the album ''The Music of Battlestar Galactica for Solo Piano'' where award-winning pianist Joohyun Park plays rearrangements of [=McCreary's=] ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' score.
*** Even stranger [[http://youtu.be/oPu3XBSlJyk Prelude to War for Accordion Orchestra]]
** Music/CyndiLauper's "Time After Time" gets rearranged for acoustic guitar, strings, and Music/RayaYarbrough's voice in ''Series/{{Defiance}}''.
** Every season of ''Series/{{Outlander}}'' has a different version of The Skye Boat song (sometimes more!) to correspond to the setting: in French when the action moves to France, with fifes and drums in the Thirteen Colonies, etc.
* {{Retraux}}: His [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFA1IvBkNxw soundtrack]] for ''VideoGame/DarkVoid Zero''.
* ShoutOut: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWxric37OyA Battlestar Operatica]]" quotes [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6yuR8efotI Bach's Cello Suite No. 1]], "Battlestar Sonatica" quotes Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," and "Theme from Dark Void (Mega Version)" evokes the spirit of the old ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' themes.
* ThemeMusicPowerUp: "Kara's Coordinates."
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