"On the Nature of Daylight" is a contemporary classical composition by British composer Max Richter. Originally released in 2004 as part of his second solo album The Blue Notebooks, the piece has since become one of the most recognizable and influential works of the 21st century.
The piece is written for a quintet of strings (two violins, two cellos, and one viola). It is characterized by its minimalist structure, hauntingly slow tempo, and a deep sense of melancholy and stoicism.
Recorded in February 2003, Richter composed the work as a protest against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, intending The Blue Notebooks to be an "anti-war" album that explored the fragility of truth and the persistence of beauty in a violent world. Richter has described the record as a quiet protest against the loud rhetoric of war.
The composition is built on a ground bass style, where a recurring bass line provides the foundation for evolving melodies.
Erin Vanderhoof of Vanity Fair stated that Richter's work has become a "modern classic" and the non-traditional melody chord progression has led to the track becoming "one of the most recognizable tunes of the 21st century". Sarah Shachat of IndieWire noted that the track is "a shortcut to heartbreak" in film and is a devastating piece of music. However some sources say that the track could be "diluted" through its extensive use in media.
"On the Nature of Daylight" is frequently cited as one of the most licensed pieces of modern classical music. The track's ability to evoke emotion had made it a favourite for filmakers and has been notably used in Stranger Than Fiction (2006), Shutter Island (2010), Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011), Disconnect (2012), Sherpa (2015), Arrival (2016), Togo (2019), Eastenders (2020), The Handmaid's Tale (2021), The Last of Us (2023) and Hamnet (2025). The track's inclusion in Arrival rendered the film ineligible for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, as the pre-existing music was deemed too central to the film's emotional impact.