"Cavatina" is a classical guitar piece by Stanley Myers and the theme from The Deer Hunter.
The piece had been recorded by classical guitarist John Williams, long before the film that made it famous. It had originally been written for piano but at Williams' invitation, Myers re-wrote it for guitar and expanded it. After this transformation, it was first used for the film, The Walking Stick (1970). In 1973, Cleo Laine wrote lyrics and recorded the song as "He Was Beautiful" accompanied by John Williams.
Following the release of The Deer Hunter in 1978, Williams' instrumental version of "Cavatina" became a UK Top 20 hit. Two other versions also made the Top 20 the same year - another instrumental recording by The Shadows, with an electric guitar played by Hank Marvin, released on their album String of Hits with the name "Theme from The Deer Hunter" (#9 in the UK singles charts and #1 in The Netherlands); and a vocal version (using Cleo Laine's lyrics) by Iris Williams.
The song was also recorded by Paul Potts on his debut album, One Chance.
There is a gospel version set to Cavatina called "Beautiful" the author is Billy Evmur and it appears in the "Dove On A Distant Oak Tree" collection. Another vocal version with different lyrics was recorded by Vince Hill (released on the compilation The Ember Records Story Vol. 2 - 1960-1979).
In 2011, the song was recorded by singer Joe McElderry and guitarist Milos Karadaglic for McElderry's second album, Classic.
This piece of music is also played at the end of the Battlestar Galactica episode "Scar" after Kara "Starbuck" Thrace toasts the memory of pilots who had been tragically killed doing what they loved. See also Music of Battlestar Galactica (re-imagining). Cavatina was also used to accompany "The Gallery" in the popular UK children's programme Take Hart in the late 1970s. This was a follow-on from Vision On where the same music figured. Cavatina was also used for some time in the Seventies as the close-down music when BBC radio went to sleep at 2 a.m.[1]
It has a reputation as a staple of buskers, despite its relatively high technical demands. The frequent transitions from one barre chord to another throughout the song make it difficult to sustain the melody and keep it legato.
The song featured in the 2005 film Jarhead.
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