Leaderboard

An anonymous tipster has sent JWFan some information that I can share with you now! The information is a list of cues that appeared in a cut of the film dated November 11th, 2019. Remember, the final day of recording sessions didn't happen until November 21st, and even by this cut some of the cues JW had written had already been dropped or replaced, so consider this a PARTIAL cue list: 1M01 Main Title 1M022 The Ninth Beginning 1M05 Rey Trains 1M06 Ren's Entrance 1M08 Approaching The Nursery 1M09 Rey Wakes Up 1M13 Tell Me What They Are 1M15 Vader's Castle 1M20 Rey Training 1M24 Meditation 1M26 Spy's Message 1M26 Lightspeed Skipping 2M01 Cockpit Dialog 2M02 Fixing The Helmet 2M03 The Wisdom of Maz 2M04 The Emperor Lives 2M06 The Medal 2M07 Ship Trip 2M20 The Forge 2M30 Rey's Mission 2M32 Quicksand 0M01 Children's School 3M00 Lando 3M01 Before The Chase 3M03 No Title 3M06 Knights of Ren 3M07 Ochi and the Dagger 4M01 Rey Senses Ren's Approach 4M02 Rey's Incredible Hand 4M04 Zucini? 4M05 To The End 4M05B Good Ship, Bad Ship 4M06 He Won't Remember 4M07 Rey's Grief 4M10 Red Eyes 4M11 Poe and Girlfriend 4M12 Ship Walk and Talk 5M01 Meddling and Poe's Crush 5M03 Hallway Shooting 5M05 Rey Sees Mother 5M06 Hard To Get Rid Of 5M07 I'm The Spy 5M08 Geneology 5M10 Landing At ? 5M12 Off The Waterfront 5M30 Under a Blanket 6M02 Rey Climbs Pipes 6M02A Climbing 6M04 Daisy In A Veil 6M05 Leia Lies Down 6M07 Stop and Start 6M08 Healing Wounds 6M12 Six Twelve 6M13 Rey's Trip To P 6M20 Sabre Toss 7M01 Seven One 7M02 Rey Meets Luke 7M03 Luke's Advice 7M04 The Meeting 7M05 March Of The Resistance 7M08 Father Knows Best 7M10 Leia's Sabre 7M12 Seven Twelve 7M12A Horses #2 7M20 Approaching The Throne 7M21 Parents 7M30 More Action 7M32 Make The Sacrifice 7M36 Dunkirk 7M38 I Am All The Sith 8M04 Psalm of the Sith 8M05 Jumping The Chain 8M07 Big Ship Blows Up 8M08 On Their Knees 8M10 Success and Sliding 8M11A Dropping The Sabre 8M14 Ben to Rey 8M15 Horn Solo 8M16 End Credits 9M03 Bows 9M05ALT Return to Tattooine The list also contains the two source pieces not composed by Williams: 2S35 JJ Festival Music 3S35 JJ Bar Source As well as the cue names from prior scores that were tracked into this cut: 13M2 from Ep.6 Vader's Death 7M03 from Ep.3 The Birth of the Twins 7M05 from Ep.3 Plans for the Twins 3M26R from Ep.7 You're Han Solo? 4M36R from Ep.7 I Ran Into You 5M46R from Ep.7 Kylo Stalks Rey 6M50R from Ep.7 Han and Leia Reunion 6M55R from Ep.7 Council Meeting 6M56E from Ep.7 Ren In Cockpit 8M77 from Ep.7 March Of The Resistance 4M36 from Ep.8 Luke and Rey

Here's my piano arrangement of the glorious track "The Rise of Skywalker": I tried to respect the various orchestral subtleties, though listening back to it now I think I may have over-egged it in places!

And here's all the info from the document, in a nice readable table! ## # Start End Title Dur Orig Old Other Old Notes REEL ONE v9DC2 1 1 00:23:20 01:50:03 1M01 Main Title 1:26 1:26 Star Wars 1:26 2 2 01:50:03 02:30:13 1M022 The Ninth Beginning 0:40 0:34 0:06 Kylo :06 3 3 02:30:13 04:34:05 1M08 Approaching The Nursery 2:04 1:53 0:11 Kylo :11 4 4 04:34:05 04:48:12 1M15 Vader's Castle 0:14 0:14 Vader :14 5 5 04:48:12 05:31:15 8M04 Psalm of the Sith 0:43 0:43 6 6 05:31:15 06:01:17 1M24 Meditation 0:30 0:18 0:12 Force :12 7 7 06:01:17 06:19:09 1M09 Rey Wakes Up 0:18 0:18 8 8 06:19:09 07:49:12 1M20 Rey Training 1:30 1:05 0:25 Rey :15 Vader :06 Kylo :04 9 9 07:49:12 08:13:10 1M05 Rey Trains 0:24 0:24 10 10 08:21:13 08:30:20 2M03 The Wisdom of Maz 0:09 0:09 11 11 08:30:20 09:23:12 1M13 Tell Me What They Are 0:53 0:53 12 12 10:07:17 12:39:01 1M26 Lightspeed Skipping 2:31 2:15 0:16 Emperor :05 Resistance :04 Falcon :07 REEL TWO v9DC3 13 1 00:08:00 02:10:00 2M30 Rey's Mission 2:02 1:22 0:40 Emperor :10 Rey :20 Force :10 14 2 02:10:00 02:52:20 2M20 The Forge 0:43 0:23 0:20 Kylo :20 15 3 02:59:05 04:50:08 2M06 The Medal 1:51 1:29 0:22 Force :22 16 4 04:50:08 06:03:13 2M02 Fixing The Helmet 1:13 1:07 0:06 Kylo :06 17 5 06:03:13 06:34:21 2M07 Ship Trip 0:31 0:31 18 6 06:28:01 07:32:10 2S35 JJ Festival Music 1:04 1:04 19 7 07:32:10 09:38:01 0M01 Children's School 2:05 1:41 0:24 Rey :10 Kylo :14 20 8 09:38:01 10:10:17 2M01 Cockpit Dialog 0:33 0:33 21 9 10:10:17 10:27:15 8M05 Jumping The Chain 0:17 0:17 22 10 10:27:15 10:56:23 3M00 Lando 0:29 0:29 23 11 10:56:23 11:40:13 5M10 Landing At ? 0:43 0:43 24 12 11:40:13 12:43:19 3M00 Lando 1:03 0:50 0:13 Leia :13 25 13 12:43:19 13:13:05 3M01 Before The Chase 0:29 0:29 26 14 13:13:05 15:29:07 3M03 No Title 2:16 2:05 0:11 Rey :11 27 15 15:41:22 16:08:00 2M32 Quicksand 0:28 0:28 REEL THREE v9DC4 28 1 00:08:03 00:43:10 3M07 Ochi and the Dagger 0:37 0:37 29 2 01:16:00 02:35:06 3M07 Ochi and the Dagger 1:19 1:19 30 3 02:51:05 04:01:03 6M02 Rey Climbs Pipes 1:10 1:10 31 4 04:01:03 04:48:04 2M04 The Emperor Lives 0:47 0:22 0:25 Rey :11 Force :14 32 5 04:48:04 05:02:08 3M06 Knights of Ren 0:14 0:14 33 6 05:02:08 05:19:18 2M07 Ship Trip 0:17 0:17 34 7 05:19:18 07:46:09 4M01 Rey Senses Ren's Approach 2:26 2:15 0:11 Resistance :11 35 8 08:48:10 09:55:22 4M02 Rey's Incredible Hand 1:07 0:57 0:10 Kylo :10 36 9 10:11:15 10:40:03 8M08 On Their Knees 0:28 0:28 37 10 10:59:11 11:37:19 1M08 Approaching The Nursery 0:38 0:38 38 11 11:28:04 12:23:09 4M12 Ship Walk and Talk 0:55 0:55 39 12 13:01:13 13:28:18 4M05 To The End 0:27 0:27 40 13 12:23:09 14:13:15 4M05B Good Ship, Bad Ship 1:50 1:50 41 14 14:13:15 14:37:19 2M04 The Emperor Lives 0:24 0:13 0:11 Rey :11 42 15 15:26:15 17:13:05 4M04 Zucini? 1:46 1:46 43 16 17:13:05 17:22:14 5M03 Hallway Shooting 0:09 0:09 44 17 17:22:14 17:39:01 3S35 JJ Bar Source 0:16 0:16 45 18 18:42:17 19:34:04 4M06 He Won't Remember 0:51 0:43 0:08 Star Wars :08 46 19 19:35:21 19:58:14 1M06 Ren's Entrance 0:22 0:22 REEL FOUR v9 DC 5 47 1 00:53:21 02:01:13 4M11 Poe and Girlfriend 1:07 1:07 48 2 02:08:07 02:40:04 4M36 from Ep.8 Luke and Rey 0:32 0:32 49 3 02:40:04 03:39:14 4M10 Red Eyes 1:09 1:05 0:04 Kylo :04 50 4 03:51:12 05:45:00 5M01 Meddling and Poe's Crush 1:53 1:42 0:11 Kylo :11 51 5 05:54:08 08:05:12 5M03 Hallway Shooting 2:11 2:04 0:07 Resistance:07 52 6 08:06:12 08:55:13 5M05 Rey Sees Mother 0:49 0:42 0:07 Vader :07 53 7 09:07:19 11:27:03 5M06 Hard To Get Rid Of 2:19 2:08 0:11 Emperor :11 54 8 11:27:03 12:58:23 5M07 I'm The Spy 1:31 1:16 0:15 Rey :08, Kylo :04, Star Wars :03 55 9 12:59:00 15:16:03 5M08 Geneology 2:17 2:09 0:08 Star Wars :04, Rey :04 56 10 15:16:03 15:44:19 4M12 Ship Walk and Talk 0:29 0:29 57 11 15:49:05 16:11:10 4M07 Rey's Grief 0:22 0:22 58 12 16:11:10 16:28:23 5M46R from Ep.7 Kylo Stalks Rey 0:32 0:32 59 13 16:28:23 17:02:07 6M56E from Ep.7 Ren In Cockpit 0:33 0:33 60 14 17:02:07 18:19:06 5M10 Landing At ? 1:17 1:17 REEL FIVE v9DC3 61 1 00:51:18 01:15:04 4M36R from Ep.7 I Ran Into You 0:23 0:23 62 2 01:15:04 01:41:13 2M06 The Medal 0:26 0:12 0:14 Force :14 63 3 01:41:13 02:45:11 5M12 Off The Waterfront 1:03 1:03 64 4 02:57:01 03:31:14 6M02 Rey Climbs Pipes 0:34 0:34 65 5 03:52:03 04:20:08 6M02A Climbing 0:28 0:28 66 6 04:20:08 05:05:23 13M2 from Ep.6 Vader's Death 0:45 0:45 67 7 06:59:16 07:49:13 6M04 Daisy In A Veil 0:50 0:50 68 8 07:49:13 07:55:17 6M05 Leia Lies Down 0:06 0:06 69 9 07:55:17 08:18:20 6M50R from Ep.7 Han and Leia Reunion 0:23 0:23 70 10 09:52:05 11:17:23 6M07 Stop and Start 1:26 1:20 0:06 Kylo :06 71 11 11:34:21 13:36:13 6M08 Healing Wounds 2:02 1:52 0:10 Force :10 72 12 13:36:13 14:37:13 5M30 Under a Blanket 1:01 0:11 0:50 Leia :50 73 13 15:15:19 16:56:12 7M08 Father Knows Best 1:43 1:43 74 14 16:56:12 07:14:23 1M08 Approaching The Nursery 0:18 0:18 75 15 17:14:23 17:34:04 1M06 Ren's Entrance 0:19 0:19 REEL SIX V9DC5 76 1 00:08:04 00:47:01 6M12 Six Twelve 0:39 0:39 77 2 01:05:13 01:25:21 7M03 from Ep.3 The Birth of the Twins 0:20 0:20 78 3 01:25:21 02:15:00 7M05 from Ep.3 Plans for the Twins 0:49 0:49 79 4 02:20:02 02:51:12 7M01 Seven One 0:31 0:31 80 5 02:51:12 03:10:21 7M02 Rey Meets Luke 0:19 0:19 81 6 03:10:21 03:17:04 6M20 Sabre Toss 1:45 1:29 0:16 Rey :06 Force :10 82 7 04:05:17 05:03:02 7M03 Luke's Advice 0:57 0:30 0:27 Rey :13 Force :14 83 8 05:03:02 07:33:22 7M10 Leia's Sabre 2:31 1:15 1:16 Leia :15 Star Wars :15 Yoda :46 84 9 08:21:03 08:36:23 3M26R from Ep.7 You're Han Solo? 0:16 0:16 85 10 08:36:23 08:46:01 5M10 Landing At ? 0:09 0:09 86 11 08:46:01 09:39:03 6M55R from Ep.7 Council Meeting 0:53 0:53 87 12 09:39:03 10:08:23 7M04 The Meeting 0:30 0:30 88 13 10:08:23 10:46:00 7M05 March Of The Resistance 0:37 0:37 Resistance :37 89 14 10:46:01 11:10:08 8M77 from Ep.7 March Of The Resistance 0:24 0:24 90 15 11:10:08 11:42:02 6M13 Rey's Trip To P 0:32 0:32 91 16 11:42:02 12:00:07 7M03 from Ep.3 The Birth Of The Twins 0:18 0:18 92 17 12:00:07 12:56:21 1M26 Spy's Message 0:56 0:56 93 18 12:56:21 13:36:23 1M08 Approaching The Nursery 0:40 0:22 0:18 Emperor :18 94 19 13:37:01 14:57:05 7M12 Seven Twelve 1:20 1:06 0:14 Star Wars :04, Force :10 95 20 14:57:05 15:33:18 7M12A Horses #2 0:36 0:23 0:13 Force :13 REEL SEVEN v9 DC7 96 1 00:08:00 02:34:09 7M20 Approaching The Throne 2:27 2:27 97 2 02:34:09 04:09:16 7M21 Parents 1:35 1:35 98 3 04:46:01 06:52:07 7M30 More Action 2:06 2:06 99 4 06:52:07 08:36:01 7M32 Make The Sacrifice 1:43 1:43 100 5 10:59:06 12:41:10 7M36 Dunkirk 1:42 1:42 101 6 14:04:12 17:12:20 7M38 I Am All The Sith 3:08 3:08 102 7 17:12:20 18:08:21 8M07 Big Ship Blows Up 0:56 0:56 103 8 18:08:03 18:46:13 8M10 Success and Sliding 0:38 0:31 0:07 Falcon :07 104 9 18:46:22 19:37:15 8M11A Dropping The Sabre 0:50 0:20 0:30 Rey:30 REEL EIGHT v9 DC5 105 1 00:16:00 04:32:00 8M14 Ben to Rey 4:16 4:16 106 2 04:32:00 07:50:05 9M03 Bows 3:18 1:15 2:03 Star Wars :08, Force :19, Yoda :40 Rey:13 Luke &Leia :43 107 3 08:00:15 09:42:15 9M05ALT Return to Tatooine 1:42 1:42 108 4 09:48:04 10:21:21 8M15 Horn Solo 0:33 0:33 Force :33 109 5 10:21:12 22:37:00 8M16 End Credits 12:00 10:30 1:30 Star Wars :30 Rey 1:00 Total Music in Film 2:03:56 Total Thematic Material from Eps. 4, 5, 6 10:31 Total Thematic Material from Ep. 7 6:00 Total Cues from Previous Episodes 6:08 Total Source 1:20 Total Original Music (80.55%) 1:39:50

"In Loving Mamory of King Mork."

That was an amazing concert. I went to the 18th one. I'm generally picky with european orchestra when it comes to performance of John Williams's music, but the VSO surpassed all the other orchestras in the world. As soon as the brass came in, I was literally shocked. What a powerful sound the french horns had I honestly never heard JW's music as greatly performed as it was yesterday. Lets hope for another decade of amazing John Williams's scores

Loving these crunchy chords after Ben Solo's death with the brass chorale (what @Falstaft (hiatus til TROS) lists as "Ben Solo's Redemption" in his magnificent catalogue). The first chord of bars 1, 3, and 4 I hear as polychord constructions of DM / Eb5. Actually, the cue reminds me of "Voluntary Retirement" from Thomas Newman's Skyfall, which gives a similar brass chorale texture for Bond's "funeral". Not the same chords, but there's something similar about combining chords a semitone apart (successively in Newman, simultaneously in Williams).

Here's some updated transcriptions and timings for what I take to be the new leitmotifs in TROS. I'm still not quite sure what to title the two Rise of Skywalker themes. I like "Fellowship" better than "Friendship" or "Trio," if only because it applies more broadly than to just Rey/Poe/Finn. If Giacchino hadn't already written a "Hope" theme for RO, I think either could warrant that label too. Incidentally, how many JW themes is it now that revolve around a melodic 5-b6-#4 motif. There's the Knights of Ren, Peter Pettigrew, Chamber of Secrets, Nimbus 2000, Secret of the Scrolls, Count Dooku's little fanfare in AOTC...

(click for full 1425x1425 size)

No, but I was planning on writing one up tomorrow on my day off!

I was fortunate enough to have been able to go to both performances, and just came out of the second concert. It was equally amazing as yesterday, if not even better!!! I’ll gather my thoughts as soon as I have some time to put them down... right now I need some champagne to celebrate an amazing weekend!

A Thematic Breakdown of: THE MANDALORIAN: SEASON ONE Music composed by Ludwig Goransson Part 1 of 4 Themes in Chapters 1 & 2 (in order of appearance) Recorder Riff (original presentation) "Western" Motif "Travelling" Motif The Client * Mando Utility Motif (recently discovered) * Dramatic Utility Motif (previously known as Mando Culture) "Forge" Motif Recorder Riff (skeletal presentation) Chime Motif Dies Irae (traditional) The Child Razor Crest Jawa Motif * - utility refers to the fact that Goransson uses the theme(s) whenever he needs to without leitmotific significance CHAPTER 1 1. Hey Mando! (2:14) 0:00 Recorder Riff 0:23 Recorder Riff (increasing distortion) 1:42 Western Motif (piano w/ distorted guitar) 1:48 Western Motif (piano w/ interlude) 1:55 Western Motif (piano) 2:01 Western Motif (piano) 2. Face to Face (5:13) 0:00 Travelling Motif 0:42 Recorder Riff (variation) 1:06 Travelling Motif Recorder Riff (variation) 2:45 The Client 3:22 Recorder Riff (variation) 3. Back for Beskar (2:26) 0:00 Western Motif (piano) 0:07 Western Motif (piano) 0:15 Western Motif (piano) 0:23 Western Motif (piano) 0:32 Mando Utility Theme (high strings) 0:46 Dramatic Utility Theme Mando Utility Theme (high strings) 1:02 Dramatic Utility Theme Mando Utility Theme 1:16 Dramatic Utility Theme Mando Utility Theme 1:55 Mando Utility Theme 4. HammerTime (2:18) 0:15 Forge Motif 0:27 Forge Motif 0:46 Recorder Riff (orchestral variation) 1:18 Forge Motif 5. Blurg Attack (1:26) 0:17 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 0:29 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 0:57 Chime Motif Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 1:05 Fanfare 6. You Are a Mandalorian (3:56) 0:34 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 0:46 Recorder Riff 1:56 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 2:11 Fanfare 2:42 Recorder Riff 2:53 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 3:04 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 3:26 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 3:37 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 7. Bounty Droid (3:03) 1:23-1:55 Dies Irae (traditional) 8. The Asset (1:36) 0:55 The Child 1:23 Recorder Riff 9. The Mandalorian (3:19) 0:00 Recorder Riff 0:23 Recorder Riff (increasing distortion) 0:46 Western Motif (piano w/ distorted guitar) 0:52 Western Motif (piano) 0:58 Western Motif (piano w/ interlude) 1:04 Western Motif (piano w/ interlude) 1:09 Western Motif (piano w/ interlude) Fanfare 1:15 Western Motif (piano w/ interlude) 1:21 Western Motif (piano w/ interlude) 1:26 Recorder Riff Western Motif (triangle [?] w/ interlude) 1:32 Recorder Riff Western Motif (triangle [?] w/ interlude) 1:39 Fanfare Western Motif (triangle [?] w/ interlude) 1:44 Western Motif (triangle [?] w/ interlude) 1:50 Western Motif (triangle [?] w/ interlude) 2:09 Razor Crest 2:20 Razor Crest 2:33 Recorder Riff Western Motif (interlude) 2:38 Recorder Riff Western Motif (triangle [?] w/ interlude) 2:45 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) Western Motif (triangle [?] w/ interlude) 2:51 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 2:56 Chime Motif CHAPTER 2: THE CHILD 1. Walking on Mud (1:39) 0:15 Recorder Riff 0:45 Recorder Riff (increasing distortion) 1:18 Western Motif (piano w/ distorted guitar) 1:23 Western Motif (piano) 2. Jawas Attack (3:47) 0:00 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 0:03 Travelling Motif 0:20 Travelling Motif 0:32 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 0:40 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 0:47 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 0:54 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 0:58 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 1:12 Jawa Motif 1:20 Jawa Motif 1:27 Jawa Motif 1:34 Jawa Motif 1:39 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 1:53 Jawa Motif 2:01 Jawa Motif 2:08 Jawa Motif 2:22 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 3:12 Jawa Motif 3:20 Jawa Motif 3:35 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 3. Trashed Crest (2:19) 0:06 Recorder Riff 0:38 Fanfare (variation) 1:24 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 1:34 Fanfare 2:03 Recorder Riff 4. To the Jawas (1:36) 0:00 Chime Motif 0:12 Recorder Riff 0:21 Fanfare 0:37 Jawa Motif 0:48 Jawa Motif 0:54 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 0:56 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) Western Motif (interlude) 1:02 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) Western Motif (interlude) 1:08 Recorder Riff 1:19 Recorder Riff 5. The Egg (2:55) 0:00 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 0:17 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 0:26 Jawa Motif 0:34 Jawa Motif 0:40 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 1:00 Recorder Riff 1:17 Recorder Riff 2:22 (see 4:30 The Hangar - Chapter 5, 2:16 Nice Family & 2:05 Mando's Back - Chapter 6) 6. The Mudhorn (3:01) 2:11 The Child 2:34 Recorder Riff 7. Celebration (3:32) 0:01 Mando Utility Theme (orchestral) 0:13 Mando Utility Theme (orchestral) 0:23 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 0:30 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) 0:49 Jawa Motif 1:09 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 1:14 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 1:23 Fanfare 2:07 Jawa Motif (underlying rhythm) (percussion) 2:23 Recorder Riff 2:48 Fanfare 8. The Next Journey (2:36) 0:00 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 0:12 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 0:23 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) 0:35 Western Motif (piano) 0:44 Western Motif (piano w/ interlude) 0:49 Western Motif (piano w/ interlude) 0:55 Western Motif (piano) 1:01 Fanfare 1:22 Razor Crest 1:33 Razor Crest 1:47 Recorder Riff (variation) 1:58 Chime Motif 2:14 Recorder Riff (skeletal variation) I'm working on Part 2 (Chapters 3,4) as you read this. Any cross-referencing would be great as I am only one person and could've easily missed or misinterpreted the music at times. It takes a good deal of time, but it has been a lot of fun revisiting the albums in order so I'm happy to do it.

I can understand the Lando Arrives cue not sticking out as special from seeing the film, with everything else going on and all the dialogue and sound effects, etc. However, I hope if that was the case for you, you are willing to set aside 106 seconds and listen to this, preferably with headphones on, trying to ignore the dialogue and sound effects and just listen to the music: This is more than just another re-recording of the main SW theme, this is a true reworking of the theme by JW for the climactic heroic moment of the film. This is a cue worth having.

Some of the TLJ is clunky and all. Some of the plotlines aren't as resolved and/or as clear as they should have been. But at least it is the most character-focused film in the franchise. People say nothing happens but almost all the major characters go through a major change. And all these things are consistent with each other as well and, I would argue, with storylines established in the previous films. I hear that Johnson supposedly "ignored" everything but I would beg to differ. I think he paid very close attention actually. I don't particularly "love" this film but it felt like the most enjoyable one, having seen all three three times each at the cinema. It is also much better shot and edited film. It has a clear rhythm. And the music mix is among the best in the franchise. My sister decided to make me a "surprise" last night and invited me to cinema last night. It wouldn't go to see TROS again but we live in different countries and watching SW films together is our long-going tradition. The film seems to improve with repeat viewings but it's also painfully unimaginative. I was glad to hear the score again in context and spot even more details. Karol

Really though?

The second one was even better if possible. John is in so good condition, that I hope he will do this again. I will definitely be there, so wonderful!!

Ready to board the plane! Here I come Vienna and John! #excited😅

Wholly undeserved. Its nice lip service from the Academy, which has no credibility remaining.

Hello there! So recently I've been infatuated with the covers done by @Chewy (I believe) a year or so ago with the Star Wars logo done in different colors for episodes 1-6 so it would look uniform to the official soundtrack releases for the Disney movies. If anybody is interested, I changed the colors on a couple of them so the color would align with last year's recent Blu-Ray rerelease. I also thickened the font so it would look a little more similar to the font used on the Disney soundtrack releases. Thanks to @Chewy for the wonderful idea and doing most of the work (I just had to change the font and swap some of the colors).

Thanks! I think I'm going to retitle this one "Sith Artifact," since it seems to apply equally to the wayfinder, the dagger, and Palpatine's idiotic plan in general. When you ignore the variable melodic line above it and concentrate just on that underlying harmonic prorgession [two minor triads a semitone apart, e.g. Dm<=>Ebm and variants], it becomes more clear this is motivic. Got some other updates in store, including a few new incidental themes in TROS, and a promotion of Kylo Ren's redeemed main theme to full-blown leitmotivic status. Stay tuned.

We’ve sorta circled back to 2006. He’s done with Star Wars and the main thing we’re looking forward to is the vague promise of a new Indiana Jones plus whatever concert works and one-offs happen to pop up.

My favourite imitation was done by Clint Bajakian for the video game Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb. Not only did he convincingly imitate JW's various stylisms but he also managed to capture the playfulness of Indiana Jones music in particular. Some examples: This imitates JW's "Nazi" style to a tee (brass in octaves, snare drum etc.) (SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT) I have tried to imitate JW in the past, mostly unsuccessfully, but I think my most successful attempt was with this Prequel-style action track:

Maybe I'm naive or down to earth, but this is totally what I expected a soloist at such mixed concert to do. But yes, ASM was great in conduct in every way. She played great, and when a bowstring broke, she corrected the bow between notes and played flawlessly till the end of the piece despite the dangling bowstring. She also clapped for Williams (so did at least one more musician as well) and even did a little "woo" at one point. Can't wait for some description in what ways will the concert today (it started 10 minutes ago) differ, whether in playing or audience reception. P.S. The one thing I still cannot wrap my head around is that Williams conducted for over 2,5 hours yesterday, all standing. At the age of 88! And he did it with so much energy as if he was middle-aged again. The fact that it started snowing beautifully right before the concert reminds me of the story of a thunderstorm when Beethoven died. Only this time, it was real!

A 96-year old friend of mine died in October, half a year after he'd released his memoirs. He told me "Now I have said everything I've wanted to say. Now I can go quietly." I believe with "The Fall of Gondolin", Christopher Tolkien had seen every major piece of his father's writings through to publication. An astounding achievement. He, too, could now go quietly, I guess. They don't make 'em like CJRT anymore. Namarië!

Regular folks thinking - 6 nominations for the same song?

Complete cue list for The Post, courtesy of the BMI database. The only FYC track that isn't represented here is FYC 'Ben's Living Room' (which is the same cue as OST 'Scanning the Papers'). Having verified with the film the cue list is in correct order (and no cues went unused) but the split between the final 3 cues (and the contents of 'Redo') remains unclear. I could only find one "courtroom" cue before Court's Decision and End Credits, which is partially included on the OST at the end of The Presses Roll. Music on the FYC or OST is delineated green. Film Cue List Papers Various Presidents Reading the Paper Richard The Base First Class Seat Scanning the Papers McNamara Photo Wild About Harry Let's Publish Lawyer Talk Dad's Note Setting the Type Presses Roll Courtroom to Court Building (partially released) More Courtroom (unclear) Court's Decision and End Credits Redo OST Tracks Nixon's Order (which is the cue Reading the Paper) Mother and Daughter (which is the cue Dad's Note) Deciding to Publish (which is a microedited combination of Wild About Harry, Let's Publish and Lawyer Talk) Two titles struck me as the missing source cues. Anyone with a better musical knowledge who might understand what For Chester with Love is referring to? Source Music Booth at Chasens For Chester with Love Oak Room 1971 Two Martini Lunch

Based on all the passionate praise Williams repeatedly gives Daisy Ridley on his interviews, it is fair to assume he must have refused to provide a love theme for her with another man.

Williams almost certainly chose Sanskrit for Duel of the Fates (which is an action cue, not one depicting evil) because he described it as being like watching a religious ritual. And Sanskrit is a mainly liturgical language. It's also a very old language (over 3000 years), appropriate for religious-style events that supposedly happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. @artguy360 is right that the main baddies' music in the saga is in the European tradition. I would also add that their harmonic language is also forged in western techniques of the 20th century, namely octatonic, hexatonic, and Hungarian minor scales as the raw materials that contrast with techniques from major scales, minor scales, and modes for the good guys' music. Also consider source music in the OT - swing music plays in the seedy cantina, and rock music and baroque music inhabit the underworld of Jabba's palace, and those musics are western constructions as well. So no, I don't believe there's any glaring issue with the bad-guy music in Star Wars. @Falstaft (hiatus til TROS)'s Post article was miles ahead of this one.

Not official ones. I am not sure if these covers will work for you, but I did them following the TFA and TLJ exemples.

Well, basically, find a copy, then put your hands on it.

Rey took Leia's lightsabert to the desert planet (whatever it's called) so her spirit could be at peace with the place where she was a giant slug's sex slave. You know, closure and stuff.

I've updated my blog today, so now you can have an extended look at the full size versions of all TROS covers (and a few others). Here are the links: https://hqcovers.net/2019/12/28/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-by-john-williams/ https://hqcovers.net/2016/03/19/star-wars-target-exclusive-collection-by-john-williams/ https://hqcovers.net/2016/02/16/star-wars-the-deluxe-editions-by-john-williams/

I don't know if it's just a guilty pleasure, but I actually enjoy the TROS end credits a lot more than it seems most others here do. Some of it feels almost like an "encores" track, taken from a JW concert. Which makes sense, considering this is his last one: a sensible way to close out the saga, imo. I thought it was actually nice to get (truncated) performances of "The Imperial March" and the main theme. But first and foremost, the presence of the Rise of Skywalker Theme and We Go Together automatically puts this one towards the top of my list. These two themes are some of my favorites that he's written in years, and having them share a credits suite with Rey's Theme?—couldn't really ask for more. The one thing I really feel is missing is the inclusion of Kylo Ren's Theme: But overall, a great credits suite. Also, funnily enough, the Anthem of Evil material in this track is more interesting to me than the track of the same name.

Simply don't open any threads you don't want to read. And please be polite if you have any requests.

How is OST "botched"? It's a good album.

So far I've watched the following pre-2010s films with my daughter: Star Wars (1977) The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Return of the Jedi (1983) The Phantom Menace (1999) Attack of the Clones (2002) Revenge of the Sith (2005) Superman: The Movie (1978) Superman II (1980) Superman III (1983) Supergirl (1984) Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) Superman Returns (2006) The Karate Kid (1984) The Karate Kid, Part II (1986) The Karate Kid, Part III (1989) Pinocchio (1940) Planet of the Apes (1968) Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) Logan’s Run (1976) Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Back to the Future (1985) Back to the Future Part II (1989) Back to the Future Part III (1990) Le Huitème Jour (1996) Grease (1978) Xanadu (1980) Mary Poppins (1964) A Hard Day's Night (1964) Help! (1965) Magical Mystery Tour (1967) Yellow Submarine (1969) Toy Story (1995) Toy Story 2 (1999) Toy Story 3 (2010) The Dark Crystal (1982) Duck Soup (1933) Be Big (Laurel & Hardy, 1931) The Wizard of Oz (1939) WarGames (1983) Gremlins (1984) The Never-Ending Story (1984) The list will go on!

They changed the program again! *Sigh* I suppose Williams finally embraced his true legacy.

Reposting from Twitter a little analysis I cooked up of this extraordinary piece of music: "Rise of Skywalker" concert arrangement based on two distinct but emotionally simpatico themes, a hymn (A) that's stated in full in the first minute (first woodwind choir, then strings), and a more lyrical, striving melody (B) that is stated over the next minute in strings and horns. The middle the piece is essentially a development section that sequences and composes out the B theme. Midway through, it becomes based on the music from the aftermath of the final battle in the movie.There's a big arrival back on the A-theme at 2:50, now much more fully orchestrated (in the film there's also chorus). This has some developmental qualities too (internal modulation to Db maj before returning to Bb), but overall serves a climactic & recapitulatory formal function. There are a few cadential delaying tactics before the very end, including a great brass chorale that evokes the conclusion of Rey's Theme nicely and a little rebel-fanfare-esque chromatic planing. The final bars make a brief, transformed statement of the B theme. The unusual structure of this piece -- bithematic ternary with some light rotational and developing-variational features -- is characteristic of I guess you could call "late" period Williams SW concert arrangements. "Rebellion is Reborn" and "Galaxy's Edge" work similarly. Watching the way his approach concert arrangements have evolved over time is fascinating. The developmental, dare I say sonata-principle-esque, impulse seems to be getting stronger and stronger the older Williams gets. In terms of melody & harmony, there's a nice mix of old and new here too. The A theme has a Lincoln-y quality, and the B-theme a War Horsey vibe (those tearjerking IV<=>iii progressions!), but I also get some ET, Amazing Stories, Midway, Spacecamp, even Close Encounters...I also hear Williams channeling Brahms quite strongly in the opening section, and echoes of Franck, Saint-Saens, and Prokofiev in the B-theme. As far as connections with Star Wars music, there seem to be some passing echoes of Rey (esp. her chimes), Rebel Fanfare, Jedi Steps, and March of the Resistance in there, plus Yoda/Young Anakin/Rose by dint of the lydian disposition of both A and B themes. Overall -- and my opinion will surely evolve over time -- I think it's an intensely beautiful, well-balanced, & sophisticated piece of music with a direct, heartfelt sentimentality that Williams does so well. Up there w/ Rey's theme as the best concert arr. of the ST.

Not that many films. FORBIDDEN WARRIOR is one that I love; there are some Williamsesque moments in that too. But he's done a low of "show pieces" for various events, and that's where he gets to show off his skill. One that I particularly like is his music for a BATMAN amusement park ride, which sounds like Danny Elfman's score as if it had been 'reimagined' by Williams:

I actually thinks this works pretty well! It's not a parody or anything, but an honest attempt to turn Williams' theme into the chorus of a popsong. I find it captivating, endearing and creative at the same time.

So, no jaws. The only disappointment. Besides that, marvellous beyond words. I would have preferred less Muller and more Williams.

Of the media I've consumed this past year, both films and scores, this is what I came up with: FAVOURITE SCORES: 1. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker by John Williams The Mandalorian: Season One by Ludwig Göransson 2. A Hidden Life by James Newton Howard 3. How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World by John Powell 4. Marriage Story by Randy Newman 5. Pain and Glory by Alberto Iglesias 6. The King by Nicholas Britell 7. Frozen II by Christophe Beck 8. Avengers: Endgame by Alan Silvestri 9. Little Women by Alexandre Desplat 10. The Song Of Names by Howard Shore 11. Motherless Brooklyn by Daniel Pemberton 12. Jojo Rabbit by Michael Giacchino 13. Spider-man: Far From Home by Michael Giacchino 14. Joker by Hildur Guonadottir 15. The Report by David Wingo FAVOURITE TRACKS No particular order. We Go Together (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) Journey to Exegol (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) The Speeder Chase (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) Farewell (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) A Hidden Life (A Hidden Life) Once There Were Dragons (How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World) The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian) The Ponds of Sorgan (The Mandalorian) What I Love About Nicole (Marriage Story) Fire And Ice (Frozen II) FAVOURITE FILMS I normally check off all the films on my watchlist in the year after they come out when they're streaming and available physically, but I have managed to catch these mentionables this year: 1. Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach) ***** 2. Apollo 11 (Todd Douglas Miller) ***** 3. The Two Popes (Fernando Meirelles) **** 4. Shazam! (David F. Sanberg) **** 5. Ad Astra (James Gray) *** 6. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (JJ Abrams) ** At the top of my watchlist for the coming year are the following: Jojo Rabbit A Hidden Life 1917 A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood Ford vs. Ferrari The Irishman Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood Knives Out The Lighthouse HIGHLIGHTS - getting my first expanded set: La La Land's CD release of E.T. the Extra Terrestrial before it sold out in March - expanding my CD collection with dozens of beloved OSTs - plenty of films on my watch list to keep me busy for the next year - Williams final Star Wars score: a worthy finale! - watching and listening to The Mandalorian each week, made more fun with the Discord - Adam Driver's performance in Marriage Story - an actually alright DC movie: Shazam! - enjoying some films in a locally run small-town theatre, which is a simply lovely place - discovering the Art of the Score podcast, which I listened to on my walks in the summer, which was just perfect - taking advantage of numerous opportunities to make some pretty funny posts on the forums DISAPPOINTMENTS - The Rise of Skywalker I guess, but I'm not complaining - would've liked there to have been a few more stand-out scores for me this year - Intrada Jaws suddenly disappearing forever, dang it! - @Bespin's leave from the Discord Thanks for another great year at JW Fan!

Fair enough. I view all of the new themes as a full stop on Williams’ Hollywood action scoring. There’s nothing as bold or in-your-face as The Imperial March or Duel of the Fates, nor is the romance as sweeping as Across the Stars or Han Solo and the Princess. But for me, it’s one last look at those moods through a mature, often restrained lens. The dominant theme of the final film is one last throwback to the Golden Age of film scores he started in, probably the last time we’ll ever hear it from someone who lived through it. It makes me reflect, rather than feel intense emotions. That’s a great gift he has given me. EDIT - this was in response to Steef’s last comment, can’t figure out how to quote properly on mobile, it’s always so hard

Look. JJ Abrams made The Force Awakens, and wrote story outlines for VIII and IX. Rian Johnson came in and was given permission to do whatever the hell he wanted, and instead of being a director conscious of the responsibility, he threw Abrams' outline away, ignored the Star Wars saga, infused it with all kinds of questionable moral lessons, and treated it like a final chapter because he wasn't coming back for IX and put his own narcissistic urges as a director over the greater narrative of the trilogy. TLJ is written as a finale. Finn and Rose end up kissing in a dramatic way, Finn beats Phasma, Rey and Kylo kill Snoke. Rey comes to the aid of Leia as a powerful Jedi. Killing off both Phasma and Snoke, and killing off Luke Skywalker as a bitter hermit, left Episode IX with almost nothing. That Rise Of Soywoker is a bad movie, is in significant parts the fault of Rian Johnson. I heard several times that it's multiple movies in one, and that's almost entirely TLJ's fault because it ended story threads and characters it shouldn't have ended, and required Episode IX to set up an almost entirely new set of villains, while having to re-establish Episode VII, establishing a new plot, and trying to show a friendship between Poe and Finn, after the former got destroyed something fierce as a lead in TLJ. Also, Rian Johnson is clearly not a Star Wars fan. As if the movie wasn't evidence enough, he didn't even want to have spotting sessions with John Williams. The guy is a blithering idiot.

Well, I’m sorry to disagree about the Rey mystery. In TFA, Rey herself is clearly wondering about her parentage the whole time. Yes, Maz tells her to let it go and to look to Luke Skywalker instead. And that gets her through the film. However, the mystery of her parentage was obviously going to be an ongoing motivator for the character. In other words, the character was never not going to care, therefore the audience was meant to speculate about it.* Second, again in TFA, Rey displays fully-formed Force abilities without training (that we know of). Some people decried this as Mary Sueism; personally, I gave her the benefit of the doubt because I thought the sequels might provide an explanation. Which I don’t know if they have—having Palpatine for a grandfather isn’t enough in and of itself (lineage has been established as affecting space-magic propensity/sensitivity, but not bestowing superpowers per se). Are we meant to understand that she is leeching off Kylo Ren through the whole Force Dyad business? * - and honestly, I hate the idea that the audience is to blame for speculating about stuff. That post-TFA fandom was a very energetic and fun one, fueled in no small part by all the speculating and theories. I really doubt most people will be butthurt about their theories being proved false, as long as the movie is good.

There's lots of YouTube comments asking about missing music so hopefully Disney join the dots.

It's even weirder how she was incorporated into TLJ because she ends up in sick bay out of commission as if she's going to die. But she lived on despite dying in real life to...die in this one. Meanwhile everyone else is coming back from the dead. What a weird trilogy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for the logo heidl

First, the Pope must recognize that having scored the 9 SW movies, John Williams did a Miracle. Then we proceed to the canonization. After we’ll celebrate the 4th of May as the Saint-John-Williams.