The Force Awakens 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' SCORE speculation

[KK 3,307]

Lol yeah, sorry I was just wondering about the qui gon material itself.

But yes, it's an absolutely lovely phrase. Was my favourite part of Qui Gon's Funeral anyway.

I really have to listen to these scores again. The examples you've been posting Sharky sound more sublime than I remember....I may not have been giving ROTS enough credit.

[RedBard 71]

I want to say that that rising and falling Lydian appoggiatura on the harp is echoing an earlier theme or narrative element, but I'm not too sure.

It's been a while since I've heard the entire score.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

I really have to listen to these scores again. The examples you've been posting Sharky sound more sublime than I remember....I may not have been giving ROTS enough credit.

Anakin's Betrayal/5m3 Lament is my favourite cue of the entire prequel trilogy, and for that reason alone I prefer ROTS to the others. Wonderful stuff.

[KK 3,307]

The whole cue has a bit of Gorecki/Part vibe to it (among other things) doesn't it? 2:20 especially makes me think of Part's Cantus in Memorium for some reason.

[karelm 2,913]

The whole cue has a bit of Gorecki/Part vibe to it (among other things) doesn't it? 2:20 especially makes me think of Part's Cantus in Memorium for some reason.

Yes, I can see that. Those long sustained suspensions that slowly resolve downward are common in both. Very elegiac.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I hope they go for a rougher, more brass heavy rendition of the main theme in the vein of the OT. The version used in the prequels was great but it feels a little too "polished".

And I hope the LSO returns. I don't want another woefully underpowered performance of a classic John Williams theme (Indy 4, JP3)

You're right. The digital age hasn't been kind to Williams' music. The brass hasn't sounded right for quite some time now. I feel like even a strong performance by the LSO for the Prequels was neutered in the recording/mixing process. Blame Shawn Murphy, poor performances, digital technology, whatever, but regardless of who or what is to blame, I find many Williams recordings from the 2000s pretty lackluster.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Donna who?

[RedBard 71]

Donna who?

Donna Reed.

[Marcus 390]

Any ideas on the opening chord? I'm getting E5-F5-Ab5-C6-D#6-E6-G6. It's like an FmM9 with secundal bristling.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

Any ideas on the opening chord? I'm getting E5-F5-Ab5-C6-D#6-E6-G6. It's like an FmM9 with secundal bristling.

Close, but there's a very subtle difference...

G6

E6

D#6

C6

B5

G#5

F5

E5

[BloodBoal 7,538]

You sunk my battleship!

[gkgyver 1,645]

[Muad'Dib 1,802]

Can't wait to hear BB-8's theme.

[Faleel 5,346]

Ahem, Droid Motif.

[gkgyver 1,645]

Repurposing themes now, are we?

[Faleel 5,346]

BB-8 is a droid!

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I like how the images are filtered on those cards. Looks more Star Warsy.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Ahem, Droid Motif.

Is that the one that appears exclusively in ESB, mainly on Hoth?

[Jay 37,351]

Yes, exclusively in TESB.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

It's spotlighted in Crash Landing, one of my favorite cues.

[Faleel 5,346]

Ahem, Droid Motif.

Is that the one that appears exclusively in ESB, mainly on Hoth?

Yeh.

It appears in ESB in 2 scenes.

More like sequences (atleast Hoth)

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Yeah, I'd love to see that theme make a reappearance.

[Jay 37,351]

I dunno what I was thinking before

It appears in:

The Ice Planet Hoth

The Wampa's Lair

Beneath The AT-AT

Arrival on Dagobah

Betrayal At Bespin

Deal With The Dark Lord

Hyperspace

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I don't think it should return because it wasn't in Return of the Jedi. It's something unique to Empire, keep it that way.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

I don't think it should return because it wasn't in Return of the Jedi. It's something unique to Empire, keep it that way.

Good point. I'd rather have more new material anyway.

[Marcus 390]

I had no idea I'd actually posted in this thread, but I'll chalk it up to ghostly activity on behalf of my (still somewhat intimidating) new smart phone...

Anyway; looking at the quoted information, I'll rush to add that for a very short while, again courtesy of my far too sophisticated

phone but its startlingly less than stellar speakers, I kept interpreting the opening cluster as E5-F5-Ab5-B5 (vn2 div á 4) and C6-E6-F6-G6 (vn1 div á 4), at least for a couple of listens...

Now, what's absolutely brilliant,is the music that follows!

As has already been pointed out, it's a very clever transformation of the opening accents of "Sail Barge Assault", but extending the tension for another few measures, as well as building an entirely new, albeit star wars-ian shadowy scherzo, the harmonic gist of which would be: D (with boiling D-C#-Eb cluster), C# (frenetic activity centered around D and E), C (vs.Eb minor, as well as melodic activity on G, C#, D# and E), Bb (w/E minor, as well as continued melodic activity on G, C#, D# and E), and Fmin/A, before settling on a unison F# (and subsequently launching the ominous low E in horns (?)).

At any rate, I'm thrilled Williams invested the time and energy to revisit as well as revitalize this old cue, and I find his fertile re-imagining inspiring!

Any ideas on the opening chord? I'm getting E5-F5-Ab5-C6-D#6-E6-G6. It's like an FmM9 with secundal bristling.

Close, but there's a very subtle difference...

G6

E6

D#6

C6

B5

G#5

F5

E5

Yes!

[Incanus 5,714]

I don't think it should return because it wasn't in Return of the Jedi. It's something unique to Empire, keep it that way.

RotJ had its own comedic droid motif in the opening scenes on Tatooine. I wonder whatever made them abandon the first one from TESB.

[Wojo 2,453]

Maybe because aside from that moment on Tatooine, the droids weren't together much. Most of their scenes in Jabba's palace were unscored or using source music. Endor provided opportunities but the action music overruled.

[Incanus 5,714]

Second fiddle for the supporting cast!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Yeah, I'd love to see that theme make a reappearance.

Said in 83, 99, 02 and 05....

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I hope be brings back the Imperial/Death Star motif from Star Wars for the clone army!

[Balahkay 627]

I hope he brings back Duel of the Fates!

[Once 605]

I hope there's room left for some new stuff..

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I actually hope he brings back that brief archaic Sith music from the Palpatine/Anakin scene in ROTS.

[Faleel 5,346]

I actually hope he brings back that brief archaic Sith music from the Palpatine/Anakin scene in ROTS.

Timestamp? (I think I know what you are referring to)

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

No timestamp since it's unreleased, but you probably do. We've discussed it on here before.

[Faleel 5,346]

No timestamp since it's unreleased.

Well, there are videos on Youtube.

This scene?

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Williams did a bunch of minor one-off motifs for the Anakin/Emperor scenes in Sith. There was Palpatine's Big Pitch, I Am the Senate, Palpatine Instructs Anakin and Anakin's Dark Deeds (the hologram music). All of them were awesome.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Ah yes. 0:20. The whole scene is excellently scored though.

It's such a simple little phrase, just a cadence really, but it's perfect.

[Faleel 5,346]

I am not going to argue the point very far, (since I am not prepared) but I think some of those motives appeared in more than just those cues.

Ah yes. 0:20.

I wonder if its a development of the same motive we hear at the end of Grievous Speaks to Lord Sidious.

There is a short recurring device that Appears in Goodbye Old Friend and Riding the Lizard too.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Hey, as long as the score is as entertaining as the Prequels and we (hopefully) get some action music on the level of, say, The Boys Continue with incredible fucking fanfares the likes of which Williams hasn't done since, I'll be satisfied. I just hope it doesn't end up being a boring piece of crap like Crystal Skull. I'm drunk, but I'm right.

[Faleel 5,346]

Hey, as long as the score is as entertaining as the Prequels and we (hopefully) get some action music on the level of, say, The Boys Continue with incredible fanfares the likes of which Williams hasn't done since, I'll be satisfied. I just hope it doesn't end up being a boring piece of crap like Tintin

Fixed.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

That too!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

The stopped horns at 0:38 do sound similar to something in Grievous Speaks To Lord Sidious, yeah.

[Faleel 5,346]

The stopped horns at 0:38 do sound similar to something in Grievous Speaks To Lord Sidious, yeah.

Well, I mean 1:28 of GSTLS compared to 0:20.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I don't hear much relation there, unless I'm listening to the wrong version of that cue.

[Faleel 5,346]

I don't know, the up and down-ness I guess seems similar.

Hard to describe.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

It sounds to me like an extension of Grievous' material.

[Faleel 5,346]

Compare 0:53 of this:

With the strings at 1:27 of this :

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

In Revenge of the Sith, Williams really nailed that villainous sound to musically embody the dark side, while, of course, utilizing the existing Imperial March and Emperor themes to great effect. It just goes to show that he can not only reuse existing themes in awesome new ways (see: Vader's theme at the end of Padme's Funeral, which sounds fucking amazing and on the level of its appearances in the original films), but also come up with a crapload of awesome new material for each successive scene. I mean, the guy was inspired and I think Sith was his last really good score for this style of film. He hasn't really let loose like this since.