Hedwig's Theme

Since being featured in The Philosopher's Stone soundtrack, the piece's main theme was further developed by Williams for The Chamber of Secrets and The Prisoner of Azkaban, and by Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper, and Alexandre Desplat for the remaining five Harry Potter films.

He just plunked out [hums Harry Potter Theme], and I thought, 'This is the guy'… It's one of those great geek moments for a guy who loves movies.

The first section is the most recognizable and is built around the titular "Hedwig's Theme", which John Williams uses as a leitmotif to represent the magical world.

[8] The third section restates part of "Hedwig's Theme" in a more intense manner than it was originally stated before leading into a coda that primarily uses material not already introduced in the piece.

The restrained triple meter, minor key, and dotted rhythms are characteristic of the siciliana style, with a particular similarity to Fauré's Sicilienne.