The Soundtrack

Season one of the anime was well known for its distinctive soundtrack, which paired an alternative rock ballad (The Light Before We Land) and a contemporary aria (Dopo il Sogno) as opening and closing themes. In between the two, the series used a variety of incidental arrangements, most named Tema I through VI, tema being the Italian word for theme. They were mostly variations on each other, revolving around a common motif. For example, Temas I, II, and III are virtually identical in arrangement, but appear as orchestra, solo violin, and solo piano renditions. V has classical organ and chorus, IV up-tempo orchestral, and VI jazz.

A large number of non Tema tracks were also heard in the first season, with Desperazione and Etereo making appearances in the multi-installment Elsa de-Sica saga, beginning in the episode lycoris radiata herb, and ending in febbre alta. Kentonesque-style jazz also can be heard in bambola and here, on the tracks named Movimento and Velocita.

Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino, along with its shift in animation and plot styles, featured a much different approach for music as well. A J-Pop ballad was used for the opening theme, and the incidental music was less theatrical, in line with the season's more action-oriented episodes. While most viewers seemed to prefer the Temas of the earlier series, Il Teatrino's recurrant (and generically entitled) Main Theme is very popular, and has even appeared online as sheet music for piano. Despite the name, the Main Theme isn't the music heard during the opening credits, but is actually the instrumental conclusion to most of the episodes, starting in Distance Between Two: Brother and Sister.

Composers[]

Other than the opening and closing themes, Japanese composer Toshihiko Sahashi handled the first season's music, and Kow Otani the second season.

Music Sampler (Season one)[]

The Delgados - The Light Before We Land
The Delgados - Woke from Dreaming
Toshihiko Sahashi - Tema I
Toshihiko Sahashi - Tema II
Toshihiko Sahashi - Tema III
Toshihiko Sahashi - Tema V
Toshihiko Sahashi - Tema IV
Toshihiko Sahashi - Tema VI
Toshihiko Sahashi - Te Amo
Toshihiko Sahashi - Desperazione
Toshihiko Sahashi - Tristezza
Toshihiko Sahashi - Etereo
Toshihiko Sahashi - Movimento
Toshihiko Sahashi - Velocita
Toshihiko Sahashi - Città
Harada Masumi - Dopo il Sogno (abridged edited version that appears in the anime)