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martybmusic

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Posts posted by martybmusic

    The Force Awakens - Complete Score Breakdown & Chronological Order (Film Spoilers Allowed)

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    On 6/26/2020 at 2:32 AM, BrotherSound said:

    This early version of 1M5 The Scavenger is one of the very first things written for the film and dates from early December 2014, but it doesn’t appear the Rey’s Theme we all know appeared until late January 2015. This same theme also shows up briefly in 1M6 Seeing A Mother and Getting Rations, which also predates Rey’s Theme, so it seems it was considered as a theme for the character for at least a month or so.

     

    Along the same lines, the Kylo theme didn’t appear until mid-February 2015, a couple months after the First Order theme (first used December 2014), so I wonder if that could explain why it’s so seldom used: perhaps it was going to be the baddie theme for film until he thought of the Kylo motif, and he decided he just liked it better, mostly dropping the earlier theme from then on?

    Getting caught up with this fascinating discussion (as well as Pando's gorgeous early 1M5 mockup). Have been working through an analysis of the motives/development/aesthetic of TFA and the timeline of Williams' writing is fascinating. 

     

    Is this information mostly derived from sheet music or are there other sources to the sequence of events here? Just excited to learn from whatever's available.

     

    There's something about the scant fragments and unrepeated motives throughout the score that I actually really love (that hurried string motif in 'That Girl With The Staff'; the evocative woodwind theme leading up to Maz's castle; the few remnants we're left with of the First Order Theme, etc).

    While seemingly not part of the design, the finished product evokes that 'lived in' Star Wars aesthetic for me -- like how it felt to first see the odds & ends in the Jawa sandcrawler -- fragments here and there that speak to a larger world we won't actually fully explore .

     

    At any rate, the orchestra may not always sound the most bombastic of the sequels and the editing/structure may frustrate some, but I have such a soft spot for the score - just can't stop going back to it.  

    "Space Battalions" by James Brett used in Star Wars promotional videos

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Manakin Skywalker said:

    Alright. I found it on an "exclusive" section on Audio Network (you have to be a member to access this music). The track is just over 3 minutes long and is called "Space Battalions" composed by James Brett, a composer I've been somewhat familiar with for a couple years. I had actually suspected he or another composer on Audio Network had composed it, but I didn't come across it until just now. PM me if you want to hear the full track for yourself!

    Wow, great find - thanks Manakin!

    Do you think you will still be alive when complete Star Wars scores(OT,PT,ST) are released?

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    10 minutes ago, Manakin Skywalker said:

    That's not the 2016 version we were talking about. That's the partially-botched 2017 remaster. The 2016 version was more consistent and many tracks sounded better, especially TESB. And was also available in hi-res on HDTracks, before they removed it in 2017 to make way for the newer remasters.

    Ah, thank you for clarifying. That's a shame, though nice to see the OT soundtracks were available in hi-res for that final Sony master. 
    https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/112441/John_Williams-Star_Wars_The_Ultimate_Digital_Collection-FLAC_192kHz24bit_Download

    Star Wars 1997 SE track titles

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    25 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

    So...did JW come up with INNER CITY?

    In the case of INNER CITY, that was based on an original cue title (as were some of the other titles on the original LP).

     

    Screen Shot 2020-01-22 at 5.15.16 PM.png

    Of course, as we saw with the recent TROS cues, maintaining the original title is a somewhat rare case. I do love some of these spruce-up changes between cue name and soundtrack though. One from TFA comes to mind - 'That Lady With the Stick' became 'That Girl With the Staff' :) 

     

    Return of the Jedi Special Edition soundtrack sound quality

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    2 hours ago, wowbobwow said:

    If it was due to equipment miscalibration, wow.  And the waveform analyses are telling of how digital "cleaning" of the recordings did more harm than good.  I hope that there is another release of the full score with more care put into the digital transfer.

    Yeah it's fascinating. I suppose it's possible that the quality of the tapes they transferred was poor, but what Malone suggests about Dolby NR calibration seems plausible. If not decoded properly when transferring the tapes, material recorded with Dolby NR would appear quite hissy in the top end. If you play back or transfer old tapes recorded with Dolby (have worked with some recorded with Dolby A) you'll notice it right away. Bob Margouleff talks about it here in regards to a poor tape transfer of Stevie Wonder's 'Talking Book' sessions (see clip).

     

    If this were the case with ROTJ (the only OT score not recorded at Anvil incidentally), the mastering engineer may have elected to low-pass as far as needed until the hiss was less offensive. That's a pretty blunt instrument to use in this case, but that is what the ROTJ Special Edition sounds like to me - a firmly cut-off top end, not a gradually thinning top end of more damaged tape or something. At any rate, the Anthology ROTJ selections are a dream to listen to and I know we all eagerly await an eventual Mattesino-led rerelease. :) 

     

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    Return of the Jedi Special Edition soundtrack sound quality

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    You may find Chris Malone's article the most illuminating here. Honestly, his entire piece is so well researched and such a delight to read (and frequently re-read, in my case).

     

    http://www.malonedigital.com/starwars.htm#.XihhLlNKjOQ (PDF link within)

     

    Discussion of the ROTJ top end in the 2CD Special Edition set begins at the bottom of page 28.

    The Rise of Skywalker - COMPLETE SCORE Discussion - SPOILERS ALLOWED!

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    1 hour ago, carlborg said:

    Is it just me, or is it odd that no sheet music has been released for TROS yet? No easy piano and piano solo books yet, as far as I know. Don't know how long these usually take, but other films with roughly the same release date already have sheet music published, eg. Frozen 2, Cats.

    I was curious about that as well. If memory serves, both TFA and TLJ had their piano sheet music published within a week or so of the theatrical release.

     

    || Warning || entering tin-foil hat territory... ||

     

    I've been thinking about a few interesting & at first seemingly unrelated features of the TROS soundtrack/score/production (forgive me if someone has already leaped to these conclusions). 

    • Delay of sheet music publication.
    • Inclusion of The Imperial March in a prominent position in the End Credits suite.
    • Relatively minimal screentime of the highly publicized Sith Troopers in the theatrical cut.
    • Repeated inclusion of unknown minor march in promotional material, at first in the Anthony Daniels TotalFilm tweets, then rather conspicuously at the start of the livestream of the premiere (to my ear & taste, I would've sworn this was a new Williams work and concert suite from the upcoming score). 

    Given the above, is it too wild to speculate that JW composed a theme for these Sith Troopers, but developments in the film's edit led to it being cut out entirely? Rolling with this idea a bit, the 3 or 4 brief shots in which the troopers appear all happen while other thematic material is already underway - it seems plausible to me that those short moments wouldn't include quotes of those themes and so the idea would then be left absent entirely (this is not even to grapple with the liberal repositioning of cues in the final cut).

     

    Looking at a somewhat similar situation - the score to TFA and John's motif for the First Order - with the score to Hux's speech dialed out (along with perhaps other edits), there are to my count only 2-3 appearances of the theme (as the shuttle takes Poe to the star destroyer, as the resistance discuss their battle plans, and as the x-wings come out of hyperspace for the bombing run). The motif was effectively held back from a place of prominence in the final cut and not surprisingly left completely out of the set of ongoing themes going forward in the trilogy.

     

    For the sake of argument (and again, please forgive the theorizing), let's say this is what happened - a removed March of the Sith Troopers.  For me, the above peculiarities start to fit together. With the theme making zero appearances in the final cut, JW pulls it from the soundtrack and from the other key spot where he features his new concert suite material - the end credits. The new theme is replaced with The Imperial March there (the motif of which at least appears several times in the score).

     

    Continuing with all this speculation, whenever this change was made it was soon enough to hit the release window for the digital and physical versions of the soundtrack. But is it possible that the sheet music publication had to operate within a different window and Hal Leonard weren't able to correct the physical books in time? We already know that the Art of TROS book as well as the novelization have both been delayed (along with the sheet music, much later than the releases for TFA and TLJ). 

     

    Take this all in the spirit of wild conjecture :) Looking forward to the piano arrangements, and hopefully the Signature Edition concert score for 'The Rise of Skywalker' whenever it is they're eventually published. 

    The STAR WARS Main Title

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    On 7/27/2018 at 6:55 PM, Jerry said:

    Wow. Star Wars Spotting Session Part II was fantastic. I did it all in one sitting, paired with the interlude on Princess Leia's Theme, which you worked through so beautifully. I do like your approach to the types of episodes you do (your spotting sessions are my favourite). I am looking forward to the commentary and I might even plan to watch the film in unison with your audio. Looking forward to a brilliant conclusion on your Star Wars episodes, and to the next project likewise!

    Thanks Jerry! The next episode is live as well:

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    The STAR WARS Main Title

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    1 hour ago, rolltide1017 said:

    I have been listening to your podcast for a while now and I love every episode.  The E.T. series and Vertigo have been my favorites and, the spotting session episodes are my favorite ones.  I have also really enjoyed these Star Wars episodes, including the one just released about Leia's theme.

     

    I have to be honest though, compared to your other spotting session episodes in the past, there seems to be something missing from the Star Wars one.  Your past ones had plenty of back and forth discussion between the 2 of you but, that was not present in the Star Wars episode.  It felt like you guys were mostly reading from a script and some of how you played off each other in past episodes was not present.

     

    Don't get me wrong, I still loved the episode and thoroughly all the information provide.  I have no musical training but still find all the technical break down fascinating.  I hope you are not offended because of my constructive criticism, keep up the create work, it is very appreciated!

    Thanks so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it! The difference is very much intentional - we're experimenting with ways of distinguishing the spotting session episodes from the commentary, etc so are trying more of an editorial approach with these and then embracing more informal conversation for the other episodes. I hope it'll feel like a sort of balanced meal once the whole series is finished, but we definitely want to get feedback on how it's coming across. Thanks so much!

     

    This week's episode is a brief little intermission between our 2 part cue-by-cue analysis:

     

    The STAR WARS Main Title

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    On 7/15/2018 at 10:45 AM, Jerry said:

    So last night I downloaded a few of these. I started listening to the Spotting Session for Star Wars, thinking I'd do half an hour before bed and then finish it off today. I ended up listening to the whole thing-it was awesome. You guys have some nice insight, great commentary (all the volume and sound works great-well put together show!), and you really keep the storyline moving through the score- something which I love to try and piece together as I listen to my favourite soundtracks! It is also a very knowledgeable breakdown which delves deeper without exaggeration or romanticizing the score. It was a fun and holding listen, and I can't wait for Part 2! 

     

    On 7/17/2018 at 10:28 AM, Jerry said:

    This podcast is one of my favourite listening experiences for a score ever!

     

    I appreciate SW '77 so much more now, which is crazy because I've always favoured it.

    You're musical and cinematic connections are helpful for someone like me. 

     

    8 minutes ago, Jerry said:

    I listened to the interview with Conrad Pope last night. Very well done. A great chat with a knowledgeable and experienced orchestrator, conductor, and composer. Many words of wisdom and plenty of fun. Great work @martybmusic!

    Wow, thanks so much for listening & sharing Jerry! Excited to share some of the upcoming episodes - cheers!

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    The STAR WARS Main Title

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    8 hours ago, TownerFan said:

    Marty, congratulations for your podcast, which I'm thoroughly enjoying. This is the kind of in-depth musical analysis that I think is worth when discussing the work of John Williams. It's lovely to see more and more people sitting down and studying up the scores. Film music studies need people like you and I hope more will follow.

    Thank you! So pleased you're enjoying the show :)

     

    We posted the next episode in our STAR WARS arc just this morning. It's what we call Spotting Session, where we explore each and every cue in context (today's episode is part 1 of 2). This may be where we test the limits of a more in-depth musical analysis. 🙃Enjoy!

     

    The STAR WARS Main Title

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    16 hours ago, Trumpeteer said:

    So far, I've listened to the first 30 minutes, and it's very in-depth!

     

    What I loved most in the podcast was hearing them use the word "yearning" a few times to describe Luke and how part of the main title epitomizes that. I think the "yearning" part is played in the French horn section. I always feel like the French horns are reaching/yearning for the apex of that theme in the same way Luke is reaching/yearning for a life away from Tatooine. I always get chills hearing the French horns playing it in "Star Wars," and not so much in the other films. In the sequels, the yearning is gone but the desire for greatness is still stated.

     

    I also loved how they implied that this was the theme Luke would write for himself. Now that I know music theory, I understand the concept of the perfect fifth, and it's fun to be able to follow that. Four years ago, all that talk starting around the 9:00 mark would have been gibberish.

     

    The main title from "Star Wars" will always be the best (with Empire a close second).

    Thanks for listening!

     

    8 hours ago, Stefancos said:

    Still my second least favourite of the ones used in the movies, after the nondescript TPM one. Glad Williams beefed it up for TESB.

    He must have heard the Gerhardt performance and realized the potential.

    Really interesting take! There's something about the playing in the original film (particularly the trombones) and the near-clipping of the recording on the downbeat that's always phenomenal to me.  😊And as you say, the performance & staging of the orchestra in TESB - brilliant 👏🏼

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    The STAR WARS Main Title

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    For those interested, the next episode in the series:

    The STAR WARS Main Title

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    1 hour ago, karelm said:

    There are quite a few musicians who have a different recollection which is equally fascinating. 

     

    Indeed :) I quite like Terry Johns' account as well.

    https://www.hornsociety.org/295-newsletter/991-terry-johns-interview

    Also really fascinating to hear David Cripps (principal Horn of the LSO at the time) speaking of the sessions. We wanted to speak with him as well, but alas couldn't come across good contact information.

     

    Thanks for listening!

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    The STAR WARS Main Title

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    On the latest episode of UnderScore, we sat down with Alan Snelling, assistant engineer to Eric Tomlinson on Star Wars (as well as Raiders, Superman and the rest of the original trilogy), who shared some wonderful recollections of the historic first recording of the Main Title. The remainder of the episode is a near hour-long musical exploration into the composition, orchestration and storytelling power of that infamous minute and a half of music. Enjoy! [This is the second episode in a six-part series on the score]

     

    An Evening with John Williams -- Baltimore 6/13/18

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    1 minute ago, thx99 said:

     

    Thanks for the inside info, Marty!! Love your and your brother's Underscore podcast and was very happy to see/hear it return.  Looking forward to more of your Star Wars insights. :music:

    You're too kind 😊- thanks so much for listening. We're relieved and thrilled to be back up and running. Can't wait to share what's ahead for Star Wars. We actually chatted with Alan Snelling (assistant Engineer to Eric Tomlinson) who shared some really touching moments from the session that we'll be sharing throughout the SW episodes. Hope you like it!  

    An Evening with John Williams -- Baltimore 6/13/18

    in JOHN WILLIAMS

    Posted

    On 6/18/2018 at 7:06 PM, karelm said:

     

    Damn, that is VERY good music from someone I've never heard of.  Do you know what this is during the Zachary Quinto scenes?

     

    A little late to the party, but that piece ('Out of This World') was actually composed by Benjamin Wallfisch, writing library music under a pseudonym (Lasker being an old family name - his grandmother was the great cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch). Years ago a friend had shared the score & recording (it does read Wallfisch on the conductor score). Thanks thx for sharing - I'd never been able to track down the actual library release :) 

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