Leaving Calandan Analysis by Nicholas Ni

“Leaving Calandan” is a piece composed and released by German composer Hans Zimmer in late October 2021 for the movie Dune (2021.) The piece lasted 1:55 minutes and is played in the scene where characters leave a fictional planet named “Cadalan” with shocking visuals like giant waves, sunset, futuristic and mysterious characters and ships. 

The piece uses the same motif of the piece “Paul’s dream” and “Ripples in sand” starting from 1:11. The motif is a melody in the D major key with the main chords being D major and E major that swaps every 4 notes of the melody. Main instruments used in Leaving Caladan are synths instead of any physical instruments, as these synths are able to create an unusual sound that is quite muffled and have a “portamento” or glide effect to sound more eerie. The sound is similar to how a player slides their finger up and down the string when playing a string instrument, creating a note and sound between semitones instead of strictly following notes that are on a piano keyboard. The bass is also made by synths, not any electric guitar. 

In Leaving Caladan, multiple creative sound effects are used. For example in 0:21, a friction sound is made that sounds similar to a rattlesnake or the scales of a crawling reptile, which matches how the Dune franchise itself is set in a desert with significant middle eastern cultural and influences therefore snakes in the sand and a distorted, electric-like buzz is heard in 0:03 likely to increase tension.