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Rey's Theme – John Williams' Best Theme Yet?

BLUMENKOHL

By BLUMENKOHL
in JOHN WILLIAMS

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Rey's Theme – John Williams' Best Theme Yet?   

104 members have voted

  1. 1. Rey's Theme ? John Williams' Best Theme Yet?

    • YES! Sweeping, malleable, chameleon, fresh, beautiful, and perfect!
      38
    • NO! It's terrible!
      6
    • Maybe, it's too early to tell, but it keeps growing on me!
      40
    • I'm a Communist and believe all themes are equal, though Rey's Theme is more equal than other themes.
      15
    • I don't have any opinion yet
      4

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Arpy

Arpy 4,145

Posted
Posted

I think everyone was really hit by setting their expectations so high, they were beyond belief. In time, people will understand that what they're denouncing is really something very special. The consensus is that KOTCS was a poor score, yet it is still magical music from Williams nonetheless. You can find great pieces in that score.

 

Initially I was hit by setting my expectations too high but with repeat listenings and seeing the film, my love for the score has grown tremendously, it's really my favourite score of the year now.  

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Loert
Loert

I couldn't find a link on Youtube, so I had to resort to Spotify, which is less than ideal because not everybody has access to Spotify. But I wanted to get at least some people to hear the reference.

Cerebral Cortex
Cerebral Cortex

I have found that since release my appreciation for Rey's theme has only continued to grow and grow, as I continue to marvel at how well it works in quiet and large moments, in scenes of darkne

Loert
Loert

After a lengthy period of intense research and discussion, scientists from institutes across the globe backed by multi-national corporations have arrived at the consensus that the best version of Rey'

Unlucky Bastard

Unlucky Bastard 7,782

Posted
Posted

I was frustrated by how the score seemed drowned out in the film, and consequently I left the cinema not remembering a note of any of the new music. All I really remembered was the Burning Homestead retread. So I listened with no expectations from the TFA score on album, but I was surprised by how many eargasms it unleashed. Rey's Theme was pretty but felt like it whispered by in my listening sitting, so again I forgot about it. So I thought fuck it, I'll listen to Tracks 2 and 6 over and over again just to hear what everyone in this thread has been banging on about, and hopefully gain some appreciation for it.

My conclusion: it's lovely, has a yearning quality to it, but wouldn't have been out of place in a Harry Potter score.

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Datameister

Datameister 2,041

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, Taikomochi said:

Don't worry.  You'll hate it first.  Then love it.  Then hate it again.  And then love it again.  Who needs consistency in opinions anyways?

 

Doubt it. I was paying attention to the music during my first two viewings of the film. I know the sort of score I'm in for. It's a different approach to Star Wars, but I don't mind. Post-2005 Williams was never going to churn out something in the vein of either the prequels or the OT. This is something new.

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Taikomochi

Taikomochi 1,136

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, Datameister said:

 

Doubt it. I was paying attention to the music during my first two viewings of the film. I know the sort of score I'm in for. It's a different approach to Star Wars, but I don't mind. Post-2005 Williams was never going to churn out something in the vein of either the prequels or the OT. This is something new.

 

Fair enough.  I was just more making fun of everyone's rubber banding opinions at the initial release of the score, including my own.  

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mrbellamy

mrbellamy 6,278

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Drax said:

I was frustrated by how the score seemed drowned out in the film, and consequently I left the cinema not remembering a note of any of the new music. All I really remembered was the Burning Homestead retread. So I listened with no expectations from the TFA score on album, but I was surprised by how many eargasms it unleashed. Rey's Theme was pretty but felt like it whispered by in my listening sitting, so again I forgot about it. So I thought fuck it, I'll listen to Tracks 2 and 6 over and over again just to hear what everyone in this thread has been banging on about, and hopefully gain some appreciation for it.

My conclusion: it's lovely, has a yearning quality to it, but wouldn't have been out of place in a Harry Potter score.

 

Though of course there are things in the Potter scores that wouldn't have been out of place in Star Wars...

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Not Mr. Big

Not Mr. Big 4,639

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, Quintus said:

 

 

I keep reading about this supposed widespread YouTube negativity here and after again spending some time reading the comments there myself (the VEVO version), I saw pretty much nothing but positivity and appreciation for the theme. 

 

I think you guys are guilty of feeding a self perpetuating myth because of some sort of misplaced John Williams anxiety, knock it off . 

All of the negative comments disappeared.  Yesterday, nearly all of the top-rated comments were mixed.  

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armorb

armorb 9

Posted
Posted
15 hours ago, Quintus said:

 

I think you guys are guilty of feeding a self perpetuating myth because of some sort of misplaced John Williams anxiety, knock it off . 

 

No, pretty sure my point about the Youtube comments as humanity's cesspool still stands...

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Gruesome Son of a Bitch

Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488

Posted
Posted

I really don't understand how a score grows on you, but whatever. I usually know on the first listen. Many scores I've tried re-listening to for years to see if they'd grow on me, but it never happens. You know, like KOTCS and Munich. I still feel like jumping off a bridge by the end of those.

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Cerebral Cortex

Cerebral Cortex 3,357

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, armorb said:

 

No, pretty sure my point about the Youtube comments as humanity's cesspool still stands...


It seems that the YouTube comments actually go very much like our own: people were disappointed at first, but, upon repeated listens, have grown to really appreciate the score. 

 

Plus, you can't tell me that all of the YouTube comments illustrate the "cesspool" of humanity as our very own Mrbellamy has been posting some insightful comments on a couple of the tracks on YouTube. ;)

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Arpy

Arpy 4,145

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Posted

My brothers whom aren't fans of Williams' in the way most of us would ascribe ourselves, have taken to this new score quite positively. They really enjoy Rey's Theme as much as I do.

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armorb

armorb 9

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, Cerebral Cortex said:


It seems that the YouTube comments actually go very much like our own: people were disappointed at first, but, upon repeated listens, have grown to really appreciate the score. 

 

Plus, you can't tell me that all of the YouTube comments illustrate the "cesspool" of humanity as our very own Mrbellamy has been posting some insightful comments on a couple of the tracks on YouTube. ;)

 

Yeah, I don't mean the comments on this soundtrack. Just....oh, everything else on Youtube...:)

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Taikomochi

Taikomochi 1,136

Posted
Posted
58 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 

lol.

 

The sad thing is he probably heard those piano hits in the trailer, thought "wow, this is a great new John Williams theme!", saw the film, and was disappointed that there were no great new John Williams themes he could remember.

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karelm

karelm 2,912

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I consider Rey's theme to be structurally similar to "Hymn to the Fallen" from Saving Private Ryan.  The melody isn't very clear at first until you get your hands around the structure.  Otherwise you might think "was that the melody"?

 

0:00 to 0:34 Intro: Flutes and tuned percussion playing the accompaniment figure.

0:35 to 0:42 A Theme first statement (Antecedent)

0:43 to 0:47 A Theme repeated (Consequent)

0:48 to 1:02 B theme (contrasting)

1:02 to 1:22 Bridge with harmonic development and modulation (bridge becomes a sequence that culminates with a bolder/grander/fuller restatement of the theme at...

1:22 to 1:41 A theme restatement with Horns (bold and powerful but not ominous)

1:42 A Theme with fortissimo string octaves theme (richer) and expanded with more repeats and call & response building to a more excited version of the bridge.  Bridge culminates in the grandest thematic statement at...

2:14 biggest version of the A theme with counter melodies, expansions, variations, and a brass choral leading to 2:41

2:42 to the end: Coda that revisits opening material.

 

So by 2:14 we've heard that A theme multiple times with the motific hook heard a few times to implant it in our heads.  

 

One of JW's hallmarks is his finely crafted bridges.  To many composers, the bridge is an afterthought but like ET and other vintage themes of his, the bridge is a very integral part of his melodic contours.  There is more to this one track than meets the eye and in passing, it might not have registered as quickly as some of the others do.  In short, I'm a big fan of this theme and it took some time for me to catch what was actually the theme versus the accompaniment, or the B theme, bridge, expansion, etc. It is sophisticated and that is why I think it rewards repeated listening.  Once you get what's going on, it's brilliant!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nick1Ø66

Nick1Ø66 4,711

Posted
Posted
On 19 December 2015 at 10:57 AM, Stefancos said:

I never got the point of ranking themes. here are so many, and so many different types that do different things. It's really apples versus oranges.

But yes, Rey's Theme is smashing.

I found it cracking.

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Not Mr. Big

Not Mr. Big 4,639

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18 minutes ago, E.T. and Elliot said:

It would have sounded like shit.

I'm sure it would have shared the same Lost-like "emotional chord progression" as Giacchino's other drama themes.  Redditors would heap endless praise onto it, calling him "the next John Williams"

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Muad'Dib

Muad'Dib 1,802

Posted
Posted

Agreed. Not sure why he put them together. 

 

Are you trying to tell us something, skyy? Something of a half and a life and the number three confirmed? Something... illuminated perhaps?

 

What IS IT skyy?

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skyy38

skyy38 21

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Posted
20 hours ago, Michael said:

Agreed. Not sure why he put them together. 

 

Are you trying to tell us something, skyy? Something of a half and a life and the number three confirmed? Something... illuminated perhaps?

 

What IS IT skyy?

 

If you are not "sure' Mike, then maybe YOU shouldn't be here!

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aviazn

aviazn 273

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Posted
On 12/27/2015 at 3:47 AM, karelm said:

I consider Rey's theme to be structurally similar to "Hymn to the Fallen" from Saving Private Ryan. 

In the way it's constructed and layered, it's also very similar to Sayuri's theme, especially as heard in the end credits of each score. Both start with a looping ostinato on flute (and bells?) built around four notes; the main melody enters and winds its way upward and back down over several statements, each of which end on a sustained note, which is punctuated by a truncated version of that initial looping ostinato on winds, and eventually horns as the cue grows. If you listen to the end credits for each back-to-back it's really cool, and now when I replay Rey's theme in my head I sometimes mentally patch in the accompaniment figure from Sayuri's theme.

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