The Devil's Interval in John Williams' music

[Quintus 5,399]

AKA "The Devil's Chord", what great examples of its usage can you think of in the scores of JW? Link to YouTube links and timings where you can

[Jay 37,369]

The what?

[Quintus 5,399]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritone

And (googley google)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foCs3T454tg

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

CE3K is full of devil's interval

for example: 0:14

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDteTzuVU5I

[MSM 126]

Right at the beginning, first interval of the Skull motiv, repeated several times:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EISp8jLLXbs&feature=related

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

CE3K is full of devil's interval

for example: 0:14

Ah yes, the search motif, or whatever you want to call it. It basically IS that interval.

[scissorhands 16]

Right at the beginning, first interval of the Skull motiv, repeated several times:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EISp8jLLXbs&feature=related

Actually it's the first two intervals. The Skull's motif is one of the clearest examples of Williams' use of the tritone to evoke the mystery of the unknown. It's cool how it dissonates with the melody later on as the theme unfolds.

[Quintus 5,399]

Continuing with Indiana Jones, could the trained confirm whether or not I hear a splendidly epic version during The Penitent Man Will Pass? As Indy takes his leap of faith, I mean.

[Datameister 2,044]

I don't recall any real use of the tritone in that passage, no.

But still continuing with Indiana Jones, the Ark theme puts the interval to even more awesome use. The interval between the second and third notes is a tritone, and more importantly, the first and second chords are separated by a tritone.

[TownerFan 4,983]

The "carnivore motif" from Jurassic Park is also based on an augmented fourth (i.e. tritone).

[airmanjerm 78]

Much of the "Jaws" score uses two chords that are related by tritone. (E-flat major and A major in the main title track).

0:56 or so til about 1:10, most of the harmonic shifting is just going back and forth between those two chords:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw00IqWZCAU

Not the "melodic" interval I'm sure you meant....the most obvious to me is that opening of "Call of the Crystal."

[King Mark 3,631]

it it the same thing as the Napoleon interval?

[Datameister 2,044]

...you mean a Neapolitan chord?

No.

[Henry B 50]

I do have to point out that the tritone has been a fundamental part of Western music for 400 years. These examples are just the most obvious melodic uses of it.

[Hlao-roo 389]

John Williams invented the tritone.

[indy4 155]

John Williams invented music.

[MSM 126]

Right at the beginning, first interval of the Skull motiv, repeated several times:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EISp8jLLXbs&feature=related

Actually it's the first two intervals. The Skull's motif is one of the clearest examples of Williams' use of the tritone to evoke the mystery of the unknown. It's cool how it dissonates with the melody later on as the theme unfolds.

Yes of course, thanks I think it's the most obvious example to date in JW thematics.

Continuing with Indiana Jones, could the trained confirm whether or not I hear a splendidly epic version during The Penitent Man Will Pass? As Indy takes his leap of faith, I mean.

I hear just a D minor chord.

[Henry Sarton 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_VdhYCE4JA&feature=related

Timing: 0:47-0:50

You can hear 2 chords with a tritonic relation. You can hear the same relation in this Kachaturian Watlz in the seconds 0:40-0:42

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

The carnivore motif from JP's got it, though over all, it's much more common in Herrmann's scores..

[MSM 126]

The carnivore motif from JP's got it, though over all, it's much more common in Herrmann's scores..

Yes, Mysterious Island Theme comes to mind.

Btw also Voldemort's Theme (which is basically Herrmann's Mysterious Island theme) has it (the downward interval).