Ludwig

Great, thanks for doing this extensive work! It's really helpful to have examples at hand, complete with YouTube links. So in terms of influence, it's the kind of question that requires some deep digging into the film repertoire, and I haven't seen that kind of research done yet, but I can at least offer some observations on what I see here. In these examples, there seem to be two uses of the 1st-inversion chords. One seems to be for pathos-inducing underscore that accompanies dialogue, something like accompanied recitative in opera (though not a direct derivation, of course!). So it's like we feel sorry for the character(s) for some reason in each of these cases. Using 1st-inversion chords have an emotionally-laden sound to them with the 3rd in the bass, but because the expressive element is in the bass, it doesn't get in the way of the dialogue as something more melodic might. Here are the ones from your list that suit that purpose: ANH, 3M2, mm. 22-24 (refer to the LTP score): Amaj -> Cmaj -> F#min, all in first inversion - C3P0 says "please don't de-activate me" after telling Luke that R2 left to go on his "mission" ESB, 1M2, mm. 163-166: Bbmaj in first inversion to (Gmin11/C?) -> Abmaj in first inversion -> Abmin in first inversion - Han says "my friend is out there" when asking if they know where Luke is at the Hoth base TPM, 4M6, mm. 33-34: Ebmaj -> Fmaj -> F#min -> G#min -> Amin, all in first inversion TPM, 4M6, mm. 37-39: G#min -> Fmaj, both in first inversion - Anakin asks "are you all right" to Qui-Gon after Qui-Gon fights Darth Maul and escapes on the ship ROTS, 5M4, mm. 13-15: the harp arpeggios are Ebmaj in first inversion - Yoda says goodbye to the Wookiees when he's going into exile The second use of these chords seems to be as a scene-changing gesture. I think with these, the 1st-inversion chords simply provide a sense of something ongoing, smoothing over the break between scenes with a mid-phrase sounding type of harmony. The ones that fit this purpose from your list are these ones: ANH, 5M1 (revised), mm. 38-end: C#min in first inversion (my personal favorite) - as Obi-Wan and Luke arrive in Mos Eisley TPM, 5M3 Insert: Gbmaj -> Cmaj, both in first inversion - as the scene changes from Anakin's test to an establishing shot of the city-scape and to Amidala AOTC, 3M3, mm. 40-42: G#min/B -> Emaj in first inversion - as the scene changes from Anakin and Padme's first kiss to Kamino ROTS, 5M4, mm. 13-15: the harp arpeggios are Ebmaj in first inversion - does double-duty as pathos-inducing and scene-changer as the scene begins with the 1st-inversion chord but quickly shows that it accompanies the pathos I noted above with Yoda and the Wookiees

Could you provide some examples of this kind of thing? I tend to think of Williams' theme writing as using primarily root-position chords and pedal points, which are usually the tonic note, so kind of like a prolonged root-position tonic chord. And there are plenty of minor triads in 2nd inversion as a component of many of his action chords. When I think of his themes, 1st-inversion chords seem to result from passing motion in the bass more than anything else, like the 1st chord change in the theme for E.T., a V6 chord that begins a stepwise descent in the bass. But if you give us some examples, we can certainly discuss further!

Awesome, thank you! I've been waiting for this one to become more reasonable here in Canada and had simply written it off, but then I saw your post, so I ordered it. Thanks again!

Sure thing! See below. I'd never noticed how much the B section of Luke's theme is motivically related to the A section of the Throne Room theme, so I posted a bit of analysis in that thread to show the close relationship. Williams saying this totally blew me away too!

Yes, here's a snippet of an interview that @Sunshine Reger posted here a few years ago, where the maestro himself says he wrote that B-theme for the Throne Room then applied it to the main title afterward (the relevant portion is from 1:07 on). https://vocaroo.com/856a8uo8HcN

If you sign up as a free member (chamber level), they'll send you the link via email. Hope to see some of you guys there. I think there may be time for questions since they're trying out a shorter format for the talk portion (approx. 1 hour).

Thanks for your enthusiasm! So they do record it but the free membership level allows only highlights of the recording, so it's best if you can catch the livestream where possible. Of course we could always discuss aspects of the cue here as well if people are so inclined!

I'd say that these are thematically distinct cues, meaning there's no direct relation between them. But, I think there are broad similarities like a mostly octatonic sound to each, along with some similar melodic aspects like the atonal chord called the (014), e.g., C#-D-F in "On the Tank" vs. G-Gb-Eb for "In the Jungle", and the slow-moving melodic notes interspersed with dotted rhythms. You have a great ear to be able to hear the similarities in these things without the aid of any transcriptions!

I'm excited to announce that I'll be giving a virtual guest talk on the opening cue from Williams' score for Raiders of the Lost Ark, "In the Jungle". The talk is with the Academy of Scoring Arts this Saturday, Oct. 5th, 10am Pacific Time (they're based in L.A.). They're trying a shorter format for this one, aiming for 1.5 hours max. The talk will focus on the wonderfully strange harmony in this cue as we analyze all kinds of typical chords and harmonic techniques found in his music, especially those from octatonic scales. To attend the talk, you must be a member, but you can sign up for free on the Academy's website. Here's the link for the talk on the ASA's site (to sign up with ASA, just click "Join" on the menu in the link): https://scoringarts.com/event/john-williams-raiders-of-the-lost-ark-score-study-part-i/

Absolutely! The use of rhythm as a fundamental part of a theme's identity is one of Williams' true gifts. I always think the Indy theme is one of the best in this respect. The main short motif that starts the theme never ends with the same rhythm twice in a row. So the ordering of the motif's rhythms gives a kind of aural roadmap of the theme, making it easy to follow. Finding that balance between sameness and difference can be pretty difficult to pull off, which is probably why he says he slaves over his themes more than anything else in a score!

Yes, that makes sense. It meshes well with how Across the Stars is a tragic, minor-key "shadow" of Luke's theme.

It's definitely a full statement of the theme, it's just that it has all that dialogue overtop whereas I was looking at places where the music is the part of the sound leading the narrative since they seemed to be "bigger" moments in the story. For me, this scene has a feeling of leaving loose ends for the next movie to pick up on rather than being a plot point that initiates or resolves a major story arc. Like this is kind of in the middle of things rather than at a beginning or end, I guess is why I feel it's different even if the theme was left alone with no dialogue.

Oh totally. I think the concept works best in the context of the OT, which is how I frame it in the original blog post. So in general I agree the prequels have too much tracking for this kind of thing to be consistent. And I agree the last statement in ROTS is of course directly referencing the original Binary Sunset since we see the sunset yet again! I suppose I see AOTC differently only because it marks probably the most significant event in Anakin's trajectory in the film. I wouldn't expect we'd all agree on what these things mean, exactly. I just brought it up because I thought it's kind of cool how the AOTC statement can be seen in a broader context of these basically dialogue-free full statements being somewhat special when viewed across many of the Star Wars films, particularly the first three. But as I say, I totally agree that the idea doesn't hold up nearly as well in the prequels.

The way Anakin's and Obi-Wan's ships fly in unison during this theme makes me think that, through the full closure of the theme, Williams may have been suggesting the closeness and stability of the relationship between the two at this point so that its unraveling during the course of the film is all the more effective musically.

Yes! And the one starting Revenge of the Sith does too, where Anakin and Obi-Wan go into battle.