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'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' SCORE speculation


Ricard

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I think it's a new recording. But I don't think it's Williams - it lacks any ornaments/flourishes, especially from woodwinds, during the 0:40-1:00 part. They could be going for simplicity, but it wouldn't make much sense since the trailer music really tries to "be Star Wars" during that part, and I would expect a lot more little detailes had Williams written this.

On another note, I don't think Williams has in any way lost it. Tintin had lots of brilliant stuff and I am confident I won't be disappointed by his new Star Wars score. I think he is still running circles around everybody else doing music in Hollywood.

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I'm not sure if I like the superposition of the themes at 1:20 (it's a finale, I don't know from which original cue)

I wonder if John Williams recorded that for real or of it's a montage.

If it's a montage, it's forgivable.

If John Williams recorded that as it is, that means he's not able to write new Star Wars music anymore.

Our Star Wars music expert has spoken... i have read funnier jokes

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One can be critical, but we must remain respectful.

I agree, and you should follow your own advice.

I was merely stating a personal opinion. That's not disrespectful.

You blamed the lack of inventiveness in Williams' music on his age, as if old people had nothing new to offer. Now if that's not disrespectful, I don't know what is!

That advice is for me too, it was not specifically intented to you, sorry for that! :(

I did not say an old artist has nothing to offer, quite the contrary. I just sayed that when aging, an artist tend to revisit, consciously or inconsciously, his past works. This is normal.

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If John Williams recorded that as it is, that means he's not able to write new Star Wars music anymore.

Lookout guys, it's the final revelation. All shall despair! John Williams is a failure!

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Has anybody asked the official Star Wars twitter if John Williams wrote the teaser trailer #2 music?

If they list Erskine who did nothing more than add a few epic synth booms here and there, why wouldn't they list the composer of the actual music?

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Can someone tells me where that well-known cue comes from (starting at 1:20 in the trailer)?

It's a finale from the original movies, no?

(Well, after all, the original speech of Luke about his sister, is taken from ROTJ too. Only the last sentence is new)

Disney is definitely playing with our nostalgia.

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It's like this trailer is the final judgement for people. If John Williams did compose the music for the trailer and it isn't up to his usual standards... so what? No one gives a crap about the trailer when the film comes out, the music only has to accompany the brief series of images giving a sense of familiarity to the fans.

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I don't know how anyone could have something against the trailer music! I personally do think it's 100% Williams, aside from maybe the percussion. But even if it weren't, who cares? It sounds wonderful and evokes exactly the mood that we all look for in these Star Wars trailers. Great stuff!

It's useless to be cynical and over-analytic of these things. Just take it all in and let it affect you like it's meant to.

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It's remarkable to note that the response from non-Williams' fans to the trailer music has been nothing but enthusiastic. I read a lot of talkback on the trailer this morning and noticed how often the music was mentioned as one of its strongest factors.

That's because the music is the only single element of real continuity with the previous films (especially the classic trilogy), since JW is the true connecting link. All the rest plays much more as fanservice to me, especially aimed at those 30- and 40-somethings who are sobbing in front of this piece of (surely well-made) movie advertising.

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I'm not sure if I like the superposition of the themes at 1:20 (it's a finale, I don't know from which original cue)

EDIT: Yoda and the Force @3:00, Thanks Alexander.

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It's remarkable to note that the response from non-Williams' fans to the trailer music has been nothing but enthusiastic. I read a lot of talkback on the trailer this morning and noticed how often the music was mentioned as one of its strongest factors.

That's because the music is the only single element of real continuity with the previous films (especially the classic trilogy), since JW is the true connecting link. All the rest plays much more as fanservice to me, especially aimed at those 30- and 40-somethings who are sobbing in front of this piece of (surely well-made) movie advertising.

Such a simplistic, generalized viewpoint really. The universal praise has come from a much broader audience, certainly not only from the nostalgic OT fans you're refering to.

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I'm not sure if I like the superposition of the themes at 1:20 (it's a finale, I don't know from which original cue)

This passage correspond to the Finale of the 1990 version of "The Throne Room" Theme (that we heard on the albums JW conducts the SW trilogy and Revenge of the Sith OST).

What the he** that specific passage of Throne Room Theme is doing in the Episode VII Trailer???

As far as I know, it's the fanfare from 'Yoda and the Force'.

@ 3:00.

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I'm not sure if I like the superposition of the themes at 1:20 (it's a finale, I don't know from which original cue)

This passage correspond to the Finale of the 1990 version of "The Throne Room" Theme (that we heard on the albums JW conducts the SW trilogy and Revenge of the Sith OST).

What the he** that specific passage of Throne Room Theme is doing in the Episode VII Trailer???

As far as I know, it's the fanfare from 'Yoda and the Force'.

@ 3:00.

Yes, Yoda Raises the Ship. Wonderful rousing cue.

Actually, the cluster at the beginning of the trailer sounds more like the one at the start of that cue.

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Exactly what I was thinking earlier - forgot to mention it.


The movement appears to be the same (the cluster first goes downward, then upward) but the notes are different.

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As far as I know, it's the fanfare from 'Yoda and the Force'.

@ 3:00.

You are right, my mistake. It looks like the Throne Room Finale too, but that's not exactly the same.

I will wait for the OST and stop commenting the trailers. :P

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Yeah, I'm not sure why you're taking this is an indication that Williams will reuse pieces in the final score Bespin.

It's a trailer, playing heavily on the nostalgia factor, so Williams approached it by re-working classic musical moments from the OT.

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Yeah, I'm not sure why you're taking this is an indication that Williams will reuse pieces in the final score Bespin.

It's a trailer, playing heavily on the nostalgia factor, so Williams approached it by re-working classic musical moments from the OT.

I hope this won't be on the album, but meanwhile, this fanfare and now this trailer.. well, they stirs our fears.

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The imperial parade/celebratory gathering could lead to an awesome musical cue. I hope it includes a new bad-guy march.

Me, too. They'll need a First Order March.

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The imperial parade/celebratory gathering could lead to an awesome musical cue. I hope it includes a new bad-guy march.

Agreed. Perhaps we'll finally get a choral accompanied rendition of the Imperial March...

Me, too. They'll need a First Order March.

While that would be great, it seems relatively unlikely.

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I truly hope Williams will not take up too much space in the score with old stuff, and instead go for something decently new. How many variations on the Imperial March does one person need?

Williams always seems to be very conscious not to get too steeped in nostalgia, only really revisiting older stuff when appropriate. You see this both in The Lost World or Prisoner of Azkaban where he very easily could have referenced prior themes more frequently than he did but rather opted for writing something new entirely. The Phantom Menace was made up of mostly all new music. The only recent exception I can think of is Crystal Skull, which seems to have the most equal ratio of new to old music. While that is a more recent score from him, the movie itself is pretty referential to the older films, so that can be possibly justified.

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Well can we take Giacchino's approach to the new Star Trek movies (assuming it was at Jr's request), which didn't seem to use any existing franchise music until the end credits (but for that brief snippet before Kirk boards the Enterprise)? The characters need to earn the established Williams music over the course of the first film?

I hope not.

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(but for that brief snippet before Kirk boards the Enterprise)?

And for the statement when Kirk and McCoy's shuttle takes off, the statement when Spock is beamed back onto the enterprise before Nero blows up, and the statement at the end of the unused version of K and MC's shuttle taking off.

I truly hope Williams will not take up too much space in the score with old stuff, and instead go for something decently new. How many variations on the Imperial March does one person need?

Williams always seems to be very conscious not to get too steeped in nostalgia, only really revisiting older stuff when appropriate. You see this both in The Lost World or Prisoner of Azkaban where he very easily could have referenced prior themes more frequently than he did but rather opted for writing something new entirely. The Phantom Menace was made up of mostly all new music. The only recent exception I can think of is Crystal Skull, which seems to have the most equal ratio of new to old music. While that is a more recent score from him, the movie itself is pretty referential to the older films, so that can be possibly justified.

And ROTS.

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Unused versions don't count.

It may not when you are watching the film, but it does when listening to the score!

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Unused versions don't count.

It may not when you are watching the film, but it does when listening to the score!
Split hairs if it gets you off. My point was probably a silly one, it'd be like JJ requesting a MI score that doesn't include the classic MI theme until the end. I'm no MI expert.
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I find it funny that a lot of people are afraid to commit to liking the trailer music because of how nebulous our certainty is of its origins. They don't want to be caught liking something that might not be Williams so they lie in wait with their "get out of jail free" card:

Scenario 1: See, I new it was him, terrific music. Long Live Williams!

Scenario 2: See, I new it wasn't him, never liked that trailer music, had that fraud stink all over it!

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I find it funny that a lot of people are afraid to commit to liking the trailer music because of how nebulous our certainty is of its origins. They don't want to be caught liking something that might not be Williams so they lie in wait with their "get out of jail free" card:

Scenario 1: See, I new it was him, terrific music. Long Live Williams!

Scenario 2: See, I new it wasn't him, never liked that trailer music, had that fraud stink all over it!

I wouldn't like the second bridge (the one in between the statement of the force theme and the Yoda fanfare) even if it were written by John Williams. The "religious music" sounds good though.

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Did it get the goosebumps raised, the nerd tears flowing, and the giddiness there? I wouldn't care if an autistic three handed she-gibbon wrote it. It served its purpose.

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I liked everything except for that standard sounding cadence during the lightsaber bit that sounds totally isolated from the music around it. If I had to guess I'd say that's Mr. Erskine's contribution.

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