karelm

Let me first say I am a HUGE fan of Star Wars music - but it is not original. You can hear what the film was temped with when you listen to Star Wars, but you can't on Empire. It is commonly known that Williams was hired on Star Wars to adapt classical music. You can hear the Korngold fanfares, Holst marches, Stravinsky alien landscapes, Walton epic battles, etc. I don't believe Williams was let loose much on Star Wars, but was given more free reign on ESB. Star Wars is still a staggering achievement and easily one of the top 25 film scores of all time and one of my personal favorites. It shows a master craftsman at work, but original it is not. what a load of bantha poodoo, it was never commonly known that Williams, who was suggested to Lucas by Spielberg, was there to adapt classical music. Sounds like you've been listening to your professionally jealous professors who don't know s*** we've heard the extremely tired argument before and its doesn't fly here. Joey, Are you nuts? What is your point based on? There are interviews where Williams himself says he was brought on to Star Wars to adapt classical pieces and felt he could do more with an original score and convinced Lucas of this. Check out the interviews of Williams before stating this is from jealous professors.

I'm not familiar with Holst, Stravinski and Walton at all, so I won't argue that. Based on what I have heard though, it is original. And I haven't really heard any Korngold in it, unless it's got Korngold in it that I'm not familiar with either. I'm not sure I understand what you are saying - it sounds like you are saying is its original based on the fact you've not heard the music it is based on which doesn't make sense. Check out Walton's "Battle of Britain" for the battle music; Korngold's "King's Row" for the main title, Holst's "Mars" from the Planets, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring (Introduction to Part II); inversion of Barry's "Born Free" for the melody - mix it all up and hand it to a skilled composer and you get Star Wars. Original it is not; but great it still is.

Let me first say I am a HUGE fan of Star Wars music - but it is not original. You can hear what the film was temped with when you listen to Star Wars, but you can't on Empire. It is commonly known that Williams was hired on Star Wars to adapt classical music. You can hear the Korngold fanfares, Holst marches, Stravinsky alien landscapes, Walton epic battles, etc. I don't believe Williams was let loose much on Star Wars, but was given more free reign on ESB. Star Wars is still a staggering achievement and easily one of the top 25 film scores of all time and one of my personal favorites. It shows a master craftsman at work, but original it is not.

I believe the difference in the scores of SW - ANH and ESB are very noticeable just like the look and feel of the films are so different. Don't forget ESB is more of a character development film than an action film and the approach to scoring reflects this. Remember that no one believed SW would be anything more than a popcorn movie that would come and go but by ESB they had a giant hit on their hands and therefore expanded the schedules, budgets, screenplay, FX, directing, etc. This change in approach is felt in the music too - the themes are more developed and at their core more expressive than SW which has more of the Korngold swashbuckling sound in it. Also, the recording budget was noticeably higher so the orchestra was larger (I believe from 88 players to up to 104) and the recording techniques more sophisticated. I think they had more time for retakes so the music is less crude in ESB. They also recorded it in a different studio (Anvil to Abbey Road). There are many reasons why the "sound" is different.