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Favorite short musical moments in Williams scores?


Balahkay

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Two Williams moments that I think are particularly great are these two from Schindler's List: first from the Main Theme, starting at 2:29 of this video

And this portion of Remembrances, where the orchestra comes in sublimely at 1:10

He says so much with so little.

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1:52 - 2:18 - My favourite rendition of the Raiders March!

Yes! I just love the cuivré horn figure and pizzicato low strings near the beginning of the rendition.

Great minds think alike! ;)

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Yep, I love the lead-in! And what really makes the moment for me is the descending crotchets in the low brass, which gives it that "march" quality you would typically hear from a marching band (which you don't get in the concert version of the Raiders March).

I just wish it wasn't a short musical moment!

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Exactly, the descending low brass figures make it sort of seem like a Throne Room/Raiders March crossover. Reminds me of Silvestri's Captain America March, too.

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I love this moment from E.T. when we realize E.T. is alive. Just after the moment Spielberg shows the flower as fully alive again and Williams raises the emotion and excitement to such a degree that in childhood I would scream with happiness on seeing the plant and much of it was due to how the music leads me on. And it is just 10 seconds!

2:49-2:59

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2:02 - 2:07 - love the interplay of the piano and orchestra here, creating a sort of comic effect

 

Also 2:18 - 2:28, which sounds like the orchestra going: "Oh sh*t, oh SH*T, OH SH*T, OH SH*T, OH SH*T, OH SH*T!...............well, f***"

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/23/2015 at 7:12 AM, someonefun124 said:

I love this entire piece, but 2:32-2:39... :lovethis:

 

https://youtu.be/65As1V0vQDM?t=2m31s

Damn, you beat me to it!

I love the heroic (yet still bittersweet) resolution that statement acts as.  

 

Another notable moment for me is the triumphant restatement of the primary thematic idea of "Rey's Theme" (via key change) at 3:33 of "Jedi Steps & Finale".

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I love the end of Jedi Steps and End Credits when Williams' dances Rey's Theme around the Force Theme. It's such a multifaceted theme that's stood the test of time for nearly 40 years.

 

All the more impressive considering its beginnings; he could never have predicted he'd go on to write 6 sequel scores filled with newer themes that compliment it so effortlessly.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUBUlKgsNK8&feature=youtu.be&t=7m28s

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On 30/07/2015 at 0:12 PM, peter.anschutz said:

I've always liked the part of Imperial Attack where the droids escape in the pod (4:20-4:55).

 

That note at 4:47 (play from about 4:40 to get the idea) as they cut to Tatooine is beautiful. This kind of brassy chord appears lots in older movies on the last shot before a scene change, examples Horatio Hornblower and John Wayne movies like Flying Leathernecks. I wish more modern movie scores had these kinds of notes.

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14 hours ago, crumbs said:

I love the end of Jedi Steps and End Credits when Williams' dances Rey's Theme around the Force Theme. It's such a multifaceted theme that's stood the test of time for nearly 40 years.

 

All the more impressive considering its beginnings; he could never have predicted he'd go on to write 6 sequel scores filled with newer themes that compliment it so effortlessly.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUBUlKgsNK8&feature=youtu.be&t=7m28s

 

I was happy that he went with something more original. I was expecting either a concert theme copy/paste job or a quote of one of the previous end credits. We got neither!

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Yet another moment from The Force Awakens but I can't help it!  This score is full of riches around every corner!

 

The dramatic build-up at 1:36-1:40 of The Abduction and the sweeping statement of a certain theme afterwards, particularly in context with the

Spoiler

shot of Kylo Ren carrying Rey onto his ship is classic Star Wars.

 

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I love how he harmonizes the quartal 'War' theme - Bb - Bbmaj7 - Ebadd2/G - etc. (the last chord here is voiced as a perfect quartal triad over a bass note a seventh under the root, forming a perfect quartal pentad on G without the C. When completed with the C, it could also be seen as an 11th chord, Cmin9(11), with dropped ninth, a 'musical pet' of Williams, North, etc.) Not sure if it's in the same tonality here, but it sounds like it is.

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That was my favorite unreleased cue during the film, and I immediately felt sad knowing it wasn't on the album.  I am stoked it appeared on the FYC.  Just a beautiful cue all around that supports the visuals perfectly.

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On 1/12/2016 at 5:46 PM, Mr. Big said:

The woodwind music at 0:44-0:52 of "Finn's Trek".  It (and the rest of the track) might be one of my many favorite moments of the score.  

 

 

Wouldn't be out of place on Tattooine in ANH!

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I like the bit during Anakin Is Free at 1:30 that sounds (to me) exactly like the Battlestar Galactica theme. Homage, rip-off, coincidence? (probably the last one) Who cares, it sounds cool.

 

 

And here's the Battlestar Galactica theme (erroneously and hilariously attributed John Williams by this Youtube poster) for comparison:

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

At first I'd like to say that I particularly love this topic, it has some incredible short musical examples in it, I hope it will stay afloat.

 

Here's one of my favourite moment, it's the little brass-only music in the Werewolf Scene track ( 2:49 - 3:06 ) from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

 

 

 

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Some cool bits from KOTCS:

 

 

2:01 - 2:28: Love everything about this, from the ascending strings, to the cute clarinet solo, to the minimalist percussion, to the quirky pizzicati in the strings.

 

 

2:17 - 2:29: Really like those low DUUUH notes. The tonic here is F, and the DUUUH notes are E, i.e. the leading tone. It sounds very unstable and unsettling!

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