Falstaft

I've been summoned!
 
Exact definitions differ between theorists of course, but there is a pretty stable consensus concerning what's genuinely fugal, what's canonical or imitative, and what's just polyphonically busy. For a fugue, it's all about that incremental feeling. One voice introduces the fugue's main idea ("subject") in full, then another comes in repeating it while the first offers a countermelody ("answer"), and so on. Traditionally, these need to be at quite specific tonal levels -- the second either in ("real") or on ("tonal") the key of the dominant.  And back and forth it goes until all seperate contrapuntal strands are introduced, usually 3-4 voices in total. I'm simplifying a lot, though it's worth pointing out that Williams almost never writes fugues by completely by the "book." The key thing is that feeling of accretion, of rising intricacy, of one melodic subject chasing another, 
 
 
As breathtaking as it is, I'm afraid there's nothing fugal in the Asteroid Field. March of the Resistance's middle section includes definite but quite unconventional fugal exposition that modulates up by fifth three times, from F to D, and doesn't have a consistent countersubject. 
 
A few years ago I gave a talk on all things neo-Baroque in Williams, which included transcribing all of his fugues, fugatos, and canonic passages. It's a marvelous thing to behold. In any case, my vote is for Black Sunday. 
 

I've been summoned!
 
Exact definitions differ between theorists of course, but there is a pretty stable consensus concerning what's genuinely fugal, what's canonical or imitative, and what's just polyphonically busy. For a fugue, it's all about that incremental feeling. One voice introduces the fugue's main idea ("subject") in full, then another comes in repeating it while the first offers a countermelody ("answer"), and so on. Traditionally, these need to be at quite specific tonal levels -- the second either in ("real") or on ("tonal") the key of the dominant.  And back and forth it goes until all seperate contrapuntal strands are introduced, usually 3-4 voices in total. I'm simplifying a lot, though it's worth pointing out that Williams almost never writes fugues by completely by the "book." The key thing is that feeling of accretion, of rising intricacy, of one melodic subject chasing another, 
 
 
As breathtaking as it is, I'm afraid there's nothing fugal in the Asteroid Field. March of the Resistance's middle section includes definite but quite unconventional fugal exposition that modulates up by fifth three times, from F to D, and doesn't have a consistent countersubject. 
 
A few years ago I gave a talk on all things neo-Baroque in Williams, which included transcribing all of his fugues, fugatos, and canonic passages. It's a marvelous thing to behold. In any case, my vote is for Black Sunday. 
 

This is more or less just a canon form, that Williams uses quite often as some kind of echo of the first voice in the second voice, not a fugue.
Like here:
 
 

I've been wondering about the minimum requirements for a true fugue since March of the Resistance was released.  Let's see if this works like in the commercials:
 
Like a good neighbor, @Falstaft is there!
 
Maybe he'll appear out of thin air and explain fugues to us!

No, there's definitely a mini fugue at 0:44, but much like Setting the Trap, it's so short it's arguable that it's a "real" fugue.

I don't hear anything fugal in Asteroid chase. There's lots of counterpoint, but it's not a fugue.

It's very close to the piano performance in the movie (but not exactly), and then continues for slightly longer to properly end the second phrase. (There's a convenient repeat so you play the whole thing twice.) Simple, but that's the sort of intimate, domestic character I associate with this score and that I think a piano arrangement should strive for.
 
 
 
I guess not  -- but it does sound different to me, especially the second page, perhaps because the arrangement brings out some chord tones that are more faint in the original score and that I had never really heard (or paid attention to) before? (Actually, probably because the "Reunion" track has a lot of material not in the orchestral suite, which I've listened to so many more times!) Not quite sure. Your ears are fine, don't worry!
 
 
I do have everything that's on my website!

Yes, it's a nice arrangement. But I think there's a sort of archaic simplicity to this score that is lacking from this arrangement. I think its countermelodies tend to be too busy, and sometimes use chords that sound foreign to the harmonic language of Jane Eyre. Still, I'd be happy to hear this in concert!

Found this on YouTube -- quite a good arrangement:
 
 

@ConorPower, don't tempt me, I've got enough on my plate right now!

Was these days trying to remember where I once used to hear a similarity between Jane Eyre and Hook. Probably it is this piece and "You are the Pan".
 
This arrangement is really beautiful.
 
 

Found this on YouTube -- quite a good arrangement:
 
 

Found this on YouTube -- quite a good arrangement:
 
 

What a treat. Only strengthens my opinion that TROS is the best musical entry in the sequel Trilogy. Not just the thematic variants (though those are great too). It's all about the transitions!:
 
*The way the Force theme in Dm is flanked, first by that beautiful dissonant texture that seems to coalesce on a E♭-maj pandiatonic cluster, then a post half-cadential sustain on the ♭II(ma7) chord (also E♭). Both bookending sections have a nice rising line [G3-C4-D4-G4 before, G3-A3-D4-Eb4 after]. Kind of Mountain Motif from CE3K-esque.
 
*The little idea starting at 0:28 in B-major. That quick progression, B to Bdim7 back to B, is a crucial harmonic ingredient in the Friendship Theme that comes a few minutes later.
 
*The interstitial material after Rey's theme gives us, for the first time I think in a long while in Star Wars, that wonderful Waltonian harmonic sensibility. Chords are Bma7/A♯ <=> D♭/G♭ => E♭ma7/B♭ => D♭ma7/B♭ => C/G. There are a few other patches where Williams re-channels Walton in TROS and it's just so satisfying to hear that sound return.

What a treat. Only strengthens my opinion that TROS is the best musical entry in the sequel Trilogy. Not just the thematic variants (though those are great too). It's all about the transitions!:
 
*The way the Force theme in Dm is flanked, first by that beautiful dissonant texture that seems to coalesce on a E♭-maj pandiatonic cluster, then a post half-cadential sustain on the ♭II(ma7) chord (also E♭). Both bookending sections have a nice rising line [G3-C4-D4-G4 before, G3-A3-D4-Eb4 after]. Kind of Mountain Motif from CE3K-esque.
 
*The little idea starting at 0:28 in B-major. That quick progression, B to Bdim7 back to B, is a crucial harmonic ingredient in the Friendship Theme that comes a few minutes later.
 
*The interstitial material after Rey's theme gives us, for the first time I think in a long while in Star Wars, that wonderful Waltonian harmonic sensibility. Chords are Bma7/A♯ <=> D♭/G♭ => E♭ma7/B♭ => D♭ma7/B♭ => C/G. There are a few other patches where Williams re-channels Walton in TROS and it's just so satisfying to hear that sound return.

What a treat. Only strengthens my opinion that TROS is the best musical entry in the sequel Trilogy. Not just the thematic variants (though those are great too). It's all about the transitions!:
 
*The way the Force theme in Dm is flanked, first by that beautiful dissonant texture that seems to coalesce on a E♭-maj pandiatonic cluster, then a post half-cadential sustain on the ♭II(ma7) chord (also E♭). Both bookending sections have a nice rising line [G3-C4-D4-G4 before, G3-A3-D4-Eb4 after]. Kind of Mountain Motif from CE3K-esque.
 
*The little idea starting at 0:28 in B-major. That quick progression, B to Bdim7 back to B, is a crucial harmonic ingredient in the Friendship Theme that comes a few minutes later.
 
*The interstitial material after Rey's theme gives us, for the first time I think in a long while in Star Wars, that wonderful Waltonian harmonic sensibility. Chords are Bma7/A♯ <=> D♭/G♭ => E♭ma7/B♭ => D♭ma7/B♭ => C/G. There are a few other patches where Williams re-channels Walton in TROS and it's just so satisfying to hear that sound return.

Just noticed that the Hunter Eberly recording of the Trumpet Concerto is finally available, FYI:
 
EDIT: Here is the press release from DSO:
 
https://www.dso.org/watch-listen-and-connect/newsroom-2/new-dso-recording-john-williamss-trumpet-concerto-with-principal-trumpet-hunter-eberly-on-naxos-label

TROS soundtrack album is missing music like this that flows and tells a story. I think including more of these musical moments and stuff like all the redeemed Ben renditions would dramatically improve the album.

I'm stuck! I initially thought it might be from the opening of The Last Jedi, around 4:21, but obviously it can't be that if it's earlier than Azkaban, and it also doesn't sound quite the same. The passage shared seems incredibly Williams-y though! Back to the drawing board.
 

What a treat. Only strengthens my opinion that TROS is the best musical entry in the sequel Trilogy. Not just the thematic variants (though those are great too). It's all about the transitions!:
 
*The way the Force theme in Dm is flanked, first by that beautiful dissonant texture that seems to coalesce on a E♭-maj pandiatonic cluster, then a post half-cadential sustain on the ♭II(ma7) chord (also E♭). Both bookending sections have a nice rising line [G3-C4-D4-G4 before, G3-A3-D4-Eb4 after]. Kind of Mountain Motif from CE3K-esque.
 
*The little idea starting at 0:28 in B-major. That quick progression, B to Bdim7 back to B, is a crucial harmonic ingredient in the Friendship Theme that comes a few minutes later.
 
*The interstitial material after Rey's theme gives us, for the first time I think in a long while in Star Wars, that wonderful Waltonian harmonic sensibility. Chords are Bma7/A♯ <=> D♭/G♭ => E♭ma7/B♭ => D♭ma7/B♭ => C/G. There are a few other patches where Williams re-channels Walton in TROS and it's just so satisfying to hear that sound return.

What a treat. Only strengthens my opinion that TROS is the best musical entry in the sequel Trilogy. Not just the thematic variants (though those are great too). It's all about the transitions!:
 
*The way the Force theme in Dm is flanked, first by that beautiful dissonant texture that seems to coalesce on a E♭-maj pandiatonic cluster, then a post half-cadential sustain on the ♭II(ma7) chord (also E♭). Both bookending sections have a nice rising line [G3-C4-D4-G4 before, G3-A3-D4-Eb4 after]. Kind of Mountain Motif from CE3K-esque.
 
*The little idea starting at 0:28 in B-major. That quick progression, B to Bdim7 back to B, is a crucial harmonic ingredient in the Friendship Theme that comes a few minutes later.
 
*The interstitial material after Rey's theme gives us, for the first time I think in a long while in Star Wars, that wonderful Waltonian harmonic sensibility. Chords are Bma7/A♯ <=> D♭/G♭ => E♭ma7/B♭ => D♭ma7/B♭ => C/G. There are a few other patches where Williams re-channels Walton in TROS and it's just so satisfying to hear that sound return.

What a treat. Only strengthens my opinion that TROS is the best musical entry in the sequel Trilogy. Not just the thematic variants (though those are great too). It's all about the transitions!:
 
*The way the Force theme in Dm is flanked, first by that beautiful dissonant texture that seems to coalesce on a E♭-maj pandiatonic cluster, then a post half-cadential sustain on the ♭II(ma7) chord (also E♭). Both bookending sections have a nice rising line [G3-C4-D4-G4 before, G3-A3-D4-Eb4 after]. Kind of Mountain Motif from CE3K-esque.
 
*The little idea starting at 0:28 in B-major. That quick progression, B to Bdim7 back to B, is a crucial harmonic ingredient in the Friendship Theme that comes a few minutes later.
 
*The interstitial material after Rey's theme gives us, for the first time I think in a long while in Star Wars, that wonderful Waltonian harmonic sensibility. Chords are Bma7/A♯ <=> D♭/G♭ => E♭ma7/B♭ => D♭ma7/B♭ => C/G. There are a few other patches where Williams re-channels Walton in TROS and it's just so satisfying to hear that sound return.

What a treat. Only strengthens my opinion that TROS is the best musical entry in the sequel Trilogy. Not just the thematic variants (though those are great too). It's all about the transitions!:
 
*The way the Force theme in Dm is flanked, first by that beautiful dissonant texture that seems to coalesce on a E♭-maj pandiatonic cluster, then a post half-cadential sustain on the ♭II(ma7) chord (also E♭). Both bookending sections have a nice rising line [G3-C4-D4-G4 before, G3-A3-D4-Eb4 after]. Kind of Mountain Motif from CE3K-esque.
 
*The little idea starting at 0:28 in B-major. That quick progression, B to Bdim7 back to B, is a crucial harmonic ingredient in the Friendship Theme that comes a few minutes later.
 
*The interstitial material after Rey's theme gives us, for the first time I think in a long while in Star Wars, that wonderful Waltonian harmonic sensibility. Chords are Bma7/A♯ <=> D♭/G♭ => E♭ma7/B♭ => D♭ma7/B♭ => C/G. There are a few other patches where Williams re-channels Walton in TROS and it's just so satisfying to hear that sound return.

What a treat. Only strengthens my opinion that TROS is the best musical entry in the sequel Trilogy. Not just the thematic variants (though those are great too). It's all about the transitions!:
 
*The way the Force theme in Dm is flanked, first by that beautiful dissonant texture that seems to coalesce on a E♭-maj pandiatonic cluster, then a post half-cadential sustain on the ♭II(ma7) chord (also E♭). Both bookending sections have a nice rising line [G3-C4-D4-G4 before, G3-A3-D4-Eb4 after]. Kind of Mountain Motif from CE3K-esque.
 
*The little idea starting at 0:28 in B-major. That quick progression, B to Bdim7 back to B, is a crucial harmonic ingredient in the Friendship Theme that comes a few minutes later.
 
*The interstitial material after Rey's theme gives us, for the first time I think in a long while in Star Wars, that wonderful Waltonian harmonic sensibility. Chords are Bma7/A♯ <=> D♭/G♭ => E♭ma7/B♭ => D♭ma7/B♭ => C/G. There are a few other patches where Williams re-channels Walton in TROS and it's just so satisfying to hear that sound return.