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What Force Theme renditions haven't we heard?


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Despite over a hundred appearances across 6 films, The Force Theme remains one of the most versatile themes Williams has ever written. Yet despite so many films there surely remain renditions of the theme we all yearn to hear.

Personally I'd love to hear a completely choral rendition in TFA, or even the theme on piano.

What do fellow JWFaners hope the theme might transform into across the sequel trilogy?

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Light of the Force is probably the closest to a concert suite of the theme we've gotten, but it's definitely overdue for a proper one. It's basically the binding theme of the entire saga.

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It's basically the binding theme of the entire saga.

Just like the Force itself is for the Star Wars universe. I love this consistent use of the motif.

I think it sadly suffers from over-exposure in the mediocre TV spot and trailer "arrangements", but still I'm anxious to listen what Williams has done with it for the new movie.

In the case of a choral rendition, I'd prefer by far a subdued one, a bocca chiusa writing perhaps, at a slow tempo, because the skips of the motif are tricky to be sung with proper and beautiful phrasing.

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There we differ! I want to hear a full blown, insanely obnoxious choral rendition that basically blows the roof off the cinema. It's such a powerful theme, I'm not sure how we never got such a rendition in the prequels.

The weak interlude in Battle of the Heroes most definitely does not count.

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I want to hear a full blown, insanely obnoxious choral rendition that basically blows the roof off the cinema.

As long as is it written in a key where the sopranos will not be screeching, I'm fine with it. ;) The theme is versatile, and open to various treatments.

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Not quite a counterpoint but there's a glorious treatment of the opening bar of the Force Theme here which segues seamlessly into the first bar of Yoda's Theme. Skip to 4:25.

ESB is such a sublime score.

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Not quite a counterpoint but there's a glorious treatment of the opening bar of the Force Theme here which segues seamlessly into the first bar of Yoda's Theme. Skip to 4:25.

ESB is such a sublime score.

Ah yes, great thanks. It's a shame there isn't a direct counterpoint of the two. I think Yoda's first 4 notes would match wonderfully over the initial phrase of the force theme.

In this piece at 15 seconds in, it sounds like he's going to bring in Yoda's theme over the force, but just sustains the first note instead.

http://youtu.be/DX2mOUMLROM

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We haven't heard it as an emotional pop-ballad yet, have we? (official examples only, people)

In Love Theme from Heidi style!

Well, this could have happened only in the seventies.

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I'd love a true dark side variant of the Force theme. Those two bits in "Anakin's Dream" and "I Am the Senate" came close, but I think it could be even darker.

A rendition of the force theme in the quasi-religous style of the fellowship theme at the start of For Frodo would be anazing.

I'd love an actual concert arrangment too.

Heh. I spent quite some time looping "My Dear Frodo" trying to find a statement of the Fellowship theme before I realized that's not the piece you were talking about.

The weak interlude in Battle of the Heroes most definitely does not count.

What? I love that bit!

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A rendition of the force theme in the quasi-religous style of the fellowship theme at the start of For Frodo would be anazing.

I'd love an actual concert arrangment too.

As per the concert arrangement, you just might get your wish-

If the Force is with me!

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On 12/12/2015 at 2:27 AM, crumbs said:

Light of the Force is probably the closest to a concert suite of the theme we've gotten, but it's definitely overdue for a proper one. It's basically the binding theme of the entire saga.


Except that it relies on modulations and NOT different sections.

In other words, Bens Theme is just one, long, drawn out "A" section.

There has never been an arrangement of this, along the lines of, say, Princess Leia's Theme.

Just the same old "Eight Bars" dressed up to fit the occasion.....

All Ben's Theme needs is an INTRO and "B" Part and it's one and *done*.

John Williams has done the *rest*......

On 12/12/2015 at 3:48 AM, crumbs said:

Not quite a counterpoint but there's a glorious treatment of the opening bar of the Force Theme here which segues seamlessly into the first bar of Yoda's Theme. Skip to 4:25.

 

ESB is such a sublime score.

 

 

 

That's Bens Theme meshing into Lukes Theme at 4:25.

No sign of YODA whatsoever.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Cue idea for the pivotal scene of VIII::  Starts off as Rey's Theme in a minor mode, almost tentatively.  Out of nowhere, a contrapuntal mixture of the force theme on multiple contrabassoons and Kylo Ren's Theme.  Kylo Ren and Rey "do battle" in musical form over a bed of flourishes clipped from the force theme, rising segments if Rey gets the upper hand, falling segments if Ben does.  That last third of the cue is falling segments from the force theme played unconducted a la Lutoslawski and then... murky, low-register aleatoric winds and strings (think the end of "The Tomb of the Stewards" begin.  Occasionally you hear other instruments play brief statements of relevant themes - a bar of "Imperial March," the ostinato from "Palpatine's Seduction," vague hints at the Emperor's Theme and Snoke's Theme, what I call the "Dragon Theme" from the ROTS novelization ("It Can't Be"/similarly-sounding Kylo Ren B theme) with , all as the churning chaos at the bottom expands to include mid-range instruments as well, and the range of available notes expands as well, crescendoing to a full-blown "Dark Side" variant of the Force Theme, with an absolutely warped, ruined version of Rey's Theme playing in the background similarly to how the Force Theme and Duel of the Fates function together in "The Tide Turns."  Luke has now lost another apprentice to the Dark Side.

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