Hal Leonard Signature Editions

[mrbellamy 5,888]

The JW signature edition conductor’s scores are pretty much always like $50-75 for people who just wanna score study (or whatever other reason that it’s all you need.) 

 

I wonder how many people have accidentally bought the expensive performance packages with every individual part...

[NewBlueEyes 3]

Anyone else would like think up some themes that should be in the Signature Edition?

[SilverTrumpet 610]

What were people talking about a signature editions for brass? Did that ever happen?

[crlbrg 376]

1 hour ago, SilverTrumpet said:

What were people talking about a signature editions for brass? Did that ever happen?

Last I checked, Music for Brass was still pending approval from JW to be published.

[ricsim88 238]

Anyone heard anything regarding TROS?

[NewBlueEyes 3]

On 10/8/2020 at 9:02 AM, ricsim88 said:

Anyone heard anything regarding TROS?

Negative. Not a single news or announcement.

[QuartalHarmony 323]

Just got three from Presto Music: Bassoon conc, Sabrina, Three holiday songs. The concerto in particular is great to have - I find I get much more out of music (especially complex or challenging music) if I can see the score as well.

 

Put in a request for the Star Wars Suite for a Christmas present too!

 

Mark

[WilliamsStarShip2282 283]

You are talking about the concerto "reduction" right? Although, none of them are really reductions, they are versions for whatever instrument and piano that function perfectly well in their own right. Especially the Oboe Concerto. I almost like it better as a chamber piece.

[bollemanneke 3,064]

2 hours ago, QuartalHarmony said:

Just got three from Presto Music: Bassoon conc, Sabrina, Three holiday songs. The concerto in particular is great to have - I find I get much more out of music (especially complex or challenging music) if I can see the score as well.

 

Put in a request for the Star Wars Suite for a Christmas present too!

 

Mark

Question about the holiday songs: does Merry Christmas really open with that fanfare intro that's inferior to the instrumental intro on the expanded OSTs in every way?

[QuartalHarmony 323]

I don't have any of the HA2 releases, so don't know the fanfare you're referring to, but neither of the first two arrangements in Three Holiday Songs (Somewhere in.. and Star of...) corresponds with any of the tracks on the HA OST, so possibly the same goes for MC, MC. That said, the 8-bar intro in the sheet music does look quite, erm, fanfare-y.

 

Poor quality photo attached...

 

 

 

 

[bollemanneke 3,064]

Thank you. Yes, the other two arrangements are those recorded for HA2.

[NewBlueEyes 3]

It's quiet now. Too quiet.

 

[QuartalHarmony 323]

Well, I managed to get several family members (mainly the ones who always complain I'm impossible to buy for) to buy me several of them in the Presto sale that's now closed. If all goes according to plan, I'll have the Adventures on Earth and Star Wars suite full orchestral scores to spend several hours with on Christmas Day. I'm getting quite excited.

 

Mark

[bollemanneke 3,064]

Glad to know I'm not the only one difficult to buy for.

[NewBlueEyes 3]

On 11/9/2020 at 2:45 PM, bollemanneke said:

Glad to know I'm not the only one difficult to buy for.

Kinda hard to look for some from ebay and give it to your composers.

[BrotherSound 2,078]

Now closing in on a year since the release, and still no Rise of Skywalker signature edition!

[crlbrg 376]

Just now, BrotherSound

Now closing in on a year since the release, and still no Rise of Skywalker signature edition!

And the thing is that we don't know of a reason for it not to be published. It's not like there's any doubt whether it's a concert arrangement or not!

[ChrisAfonso 176]

Maybe he's working on a grand final concert suite and wants to hold it back for that... just an optimistic dream

[SilverTrumpet 610]

Or they just cut their losses on TROS stuff because Disney wants you to forget that abomination happened.

[Jurassic Shark 10,620]

They asked JW to hand over all the sheets.

[Joe Brausam 211]

I wonder if its just a case of publishers slowing down because orchestra libraries aren’t buying right now, due to pandemic and lack of performances.

[TownerFan 4,978]

On 11/11/2020 at 2:11 PM, Joe Brausam said:

I wonder if its just a case of publishers slowing down because orchestra libraries aren’t buying right now, due to pandemic and lack of performances.

 

I think that's the most logical reason. I guess it will be out when orchestras will fully resume activities and concerts, hopefully next year.

[crlbrg 376]

I wish we could find out the exact publishing date of the Suite from TFA and The Rebellion is Reborn, because as far as I remember, they were published quite soon after the film's release. If this had applied to TROS I think they would already have published it before the virus started to set in. But again, this whole arguments depends on my wonky memory...

[BrotherSound 2,078]

4 hours ago, carlborg said:

I wish we could find out the exact publishing date of the Suite from TFA and The Rebellion is Reborn, because as far as I remember, they were published quite soon after the film's release. If this had applied to TROS I think they would already have published it before the virus started to set in.

Hal Leonard’s TFA suite was previewed at a convention in late-December 2015, and available to order by early February: 

 

[crlbrg 376]

So my wonky memory was right and it seems that this would have been published regardless of Covid-19. But in four years company policy might have changed or something

[NewBlueEyes 3]

It's not like to score manuscripts are getting mailed to HL to get them publish

[QuartalHarmony 323]

I’ve had a very pleasant hour or so playing various tracks with my new Christmas presents - Hal Leonard editions of Adventures on Earth, SW suite and HP1. A couple of questions have occurred to me:

 

1) When was the Throne Room theme quotation added towards the end of the SW Main (bars 183-4) and End Title (bars 193-4) concert versions? It’s not on the 1983 Utah SO recording, but is on the 1990 Skywalker SO recording.

 

2) From HP1 are there any recordings conducted by JW of  The Sorcerer’s Stone or Nimbus 2000? I’ve found the Prague Phil version of the latter but no versions of the former show up on Spotify. Is it a retitled version of something on the OST?

 

Thanks,

 

Mark

[ChrisAfonso 176]

I'm fairly sure "Nimbus 2000" is identical to the version on disc 3 of the LaLaLand Harry Potter collection, and "The Sorcerer's Stone" may be the track "The Stone" on disc 2?

[BrotherSound 2,078]

6 hours ago, QuartalHarmony said:

1) When was the Throne Room theme quotation added towards the end of the SW Main (bars 183-4) and End Title (bars 193-4) concert versions? It’s not on the 1983 Utah SO recording, but is on the 1990 Skywalker SO recording.

The very first Star Wars suite was published by Fox Fanfare Music, Inc. in 1977, with five movements:

 

I. Main Title

II. Princess Leia’s Theme

III. The Little People

IV. The Battle

V. The Throne Room and End Title

 

This version used the original ending, without the throne quote, in both spots. This is the version used for the National Philharmonic/Gerhardt recording, though this recording also includes ‘Here They Come’, which was not part of the original suite.

 

The following year (1978), a revised suite was published, expanded to seven movements:

 

I. Main Title

II. The Little People

III. Here They Come

IV. Princess Leia’s Theme

V. The Cantina Band

VI. The Battle

VII. The Throne Room & End Title

 

This version retained the ending as originally written, but the final movement introduces the revised ending with the throne room quote. This is the version used for the Los Angeles Philharmonic / Mehta recording, though they did not record ‘Here They Come’. This is also the version used for the Return of the Jedi end credits, taken straight from this published version.

 

In 1997, Hal Leonard published a third version of the Star Wars suite, once again five movements, but swapping in two selections from The Empire Strikes Back, which were a part of its now out-of-print suite:

 

I. Main Title

II. Princess Leia’s Theme

III. The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)

IV. Yoda’s Theme

V. Throne Room & End Title

 

This version uses the throne room ending in both places. I believe the first recording to use this version was the Skywalker Symphony/Williams recording, so it may have been a change made at the sessions that was then incorporated when the Hal Leonard suite was first published.

[bollemanneke 3,064]

8 hours ago, ChrisAfonso said:

I'm fairly sure "Nimbus 2000" is identical to the version on disc 3 of the LaLaLand Harry Potter collection, and "The Sorcerer's Stone" may be the track "The Stone" on disc 2?

Correct.

[Matt S. 472]

14 hours ago, BrotherSound said:

 

 

This version uses the throne room ending in both places. I believe the first recording to use this version was the Skywalker Symphony/Williams recording, so it may have been a change made at the sessions that was then incorporated when the Hal Leonard suite was first published.

 

If I'm reading it right, the original question was about the MAIN TITLE using the Throne Room ending, in which case I think Williams' 1980 recording with the Boston Pops (from "Pops in Space") might be the first?  Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops used the same version for "Star Tracks" in 1984.

 

[QuartalHarmony 323]

Actually, it was both I was asking about - since the endings are otherwise identical, I suppose I was assuming the change would have been made simultaneously on both pieces. Obviously not! I should have checked my Boston Pops 1980 recording (on By Request), and I'd forgotten that the end credits to Jedi included it. It was clearly a change that was made much sooner than I imagined.

 

Thanks also for the HP confirmation - I've only got the single CD OST, so do I take it that my only option to have those two tracks conducted by JW is to buy the LLL set?

 

Mark

[Jay 33,663]

21 hours ago, QuartalHarmony said:

Thanks also for the HP confirmation - I've only got the single CD OST, so do I take it that my only option to have those two tracks conducted by JW is to buy the LLL set?

 

I cannot think of any release of those pieces conducted by JW before the LLL set, no.  There are probably fan-made recordings of him conducting them in concerts on youtube somewhere, though

[Matt S. 472]

1 hour ago, QuartalHarmony said:

Actually, it was both I was asking about - since the endings are otherwise identical, I suppose I was assuming the change would have been made simultaneously on both pieces. Obviously not! I should have checked my Boston Pops 1980 recording (on By Request), and I'd forgotten that the end credits to Jedi included it. It was clearly a change that was made much sooner than I imagined.

 

Mark

Indeed, thinking about how it’s inconsistently used in the Main Title recordings makes me wonder if the original published versions included it as an alternate ending.  After all, the original ending seems to be used whenever the recording also includes The Throne Room/End Title (Mehta, Gerhardt, Kojian...).  Perhaps to avoid the redundancy of identical endings?  At some point Williams may have just decided to go with the new ending for all versions.  

[BrotherSound 2,078]

2 hours ago, Matt S. said:

If I'm reading it right, the original question was about the MAIN TITLE using the Throne Room ending, in which case I think Williams' 1980 recording with the Boston Pops (from "Pops in Space") might be the first?  Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops used the same version for "Star Tracks" in 1984.

 
Hmm, interesting since these both precede the first publication of that version in 1997.

[QuartalHarmony 323]

OK, I'm trying to procrastinate and avoid some boring work I've got to do, so I've gone through all the JW recordings I can find (plus some others) to see exactly which version happens where and when:

 

1977, LSO/Williams (ANH OST): Throne Room theme not quoted on Main Title, nor on End Title.

1978, NPO/Gerhardt: no on Main, yes on End.

1978, LAPO/Mehta: no on Main, yes on End.

1980, Boston Pops/Williams: yes on Main Title, no Finale version on this recording

1983, LSO/Williams (ROTJ OST): no Main Title Suite version on this recording, yes on End ('Finale')

1983, Utah SO/Kojian: no on Main, yes on End ('Finale')

1990, Skywalker SO/Williams: yes on both

 

All recordings I can find since 1990 also consistently quote Throne Room.

 

So, depending on the recording dates (I don't have the CDs/vinyl to hand), the first example of the Throne Room quotation is either on Gerhardt or Mehta in 1978. The first time it was similarly used on the Main Title was 1980. The last version of either piece without a Throne Room quotation is Kojian's Main Title in 1983.

 

...or correct me if I'm wrong!

 

Mark

[Jay 33,663]

Interesting!

[Tom 3,997]

I know this is going to sound dumb, but can someone give me a timestamp of where the Throne Room is quoted in the Main title--not the end, I know that one.  

[Signals 4,234]

6 minutes ago, Tom said:

I know this is going to sound dumb, but can someone give me a timestamp of where the Throne Room is quoted in the Main title--not the end, I know that one.  

He is talking about the ending of the end title, when it is combined with the opening title ala the 77 OST.

[Matt S. 472]

2 hours ago, QuartalHarmony said:

OK, I'm trying to procrastinate and avoid some boring work I've got to do, so I've gone through all the JW recordings I can find (plus some others) to see exactly which version happens where and when:

 

1977, LSO/Williams (ANH OST): Throne Room theme not quoted on Main Title, nor on End Title.

1978, NPO/Gerhardt: no on Main, yes on End.

1978, LAPO/Mehta: no on Main, yes on End.

1980, Boston Pops/Williams: yes on Main Title, no Finale version on this recording

1983, LSO/Williams (ROTJ OST): no Main Title Suite version on this recording, yes on End ('Finale')

1983, Utah SO/Kojian: no on Main, yes on End ('Finale')

1990, Skywalker SO/Williams: yes on both

 

All recordings I can find since 1990 also consistently quote Throne Room.

 

So, depending on the recording dates (I don't have the CDs/vinyl to hand), the first example of the Throne Room quotation is either on Gerhardt or Mehta in 1978. The first time it was similarly used on the Main Title was 1980. The last version of either piece without a Throne Room quotation is Kojian's Main Title in 1983.

 

...or correct me if I'm wrong!

 

Mark

 

The Main Title recording by Paul Bateman and the City of Prague Philharmonic uses the 1977 OST ending.  I'm not sure when it was recorded, though; the earliest compilation I have with that performance was issued in 1995 ("Schindler's List: The Classic Film Music of John Williams")

 

https://www.amazon.com/Schindlers-List-Classic-Williams-Anthology/dp/B000004BPY/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Schindler's+List+the+classic+film+music+of+John+Williams&qid=1609174112&sr=8-1

[Tom 3,997]

2 hours ago, Spider-Fal said:

He is talking about the ending of the end title, when it is combined with the opening title ala the 77 OST.

Ah, that makes sense.  Thanks.  

[QuartalHarmony 323]

Yes - for the avoidance of doubt, I'm talking about the passage in the concert suite version of the Main Title immediately after the strings play a heavily modified version of the Rebel Fanfare. It occurs at the following times:

 

OST (no Throne Room quotation): track 1, 5:00

Skywalker SO (with quotation): track 1, 5:16

 

Mark

[NewBlueEyes 3]

Did I forgot about if Jaws 2 be in the signature edition?

[BrotherSound 2,078]

13 minutes ago, NewBlueEyes said:

Did I forgot about if Jaws 2 be in the signature edition?

No, nothing was ever published for Jaws 2.

[NewBlueEyes 3]

Just now, BrotherSound said:

No, nothing was ever published for Jaws 2.

Okay. I thought it'd be left out

[Joe Brausam 211]

Every time I see this thread bumped my heart leaps, then I keep getting disappointed.

[ricsim88 238]

52 minutes ago, Joe Brausam said:

Every time I see this thread bumped my heart leaps, then I keep getting disappointed.

Same. 

[bollemanneke 3,064]

I say we ban everyone from posting here unless it's to announce the TROS publication.

[NewBlueEyes 3]

Does rosewood and stepmom count?

[BrotherSound 2,078]

Oddly, it’s still not Episode IX, but there’s apparently another new Signature Edition on the way, American Journey:

 

 

https://www.jwpepper.com/American-Journey/10558273.item#.YN9kEuT3bDt

 

No indication when this will actually ship, though:

 

Quote

This item is temporarily unavailable. We do not have an anticipated availability date. We will ship your item as soon as it becomes available.

There’s also no separate listing for the full score only, as there usually is with JWSE titles.