Found a phrase from the "Adventures of Tintin" score in "The force awakens"!

[JacksonElmore 69]

Was listening to the tintin score, more specifically "introducing the thompsons and snowy chase" and heard a little string theme that is used in "the falcon" from the force awakens. In case the time-stamp link doesn't work, the motif is heard at 2:32 in the tintin track and at 1:48 in the star wars track. here are the links.

 

 

Tintin

 

 

 

Star Wars

 

 

 

[Jay 37,361]

Turned your links into embeds for you.  In the future, just press Enter after pasting in each link and it should auto-embed - including to the specific timestamp.

[Loert 2,511]

Yeah, there are these little fragments of melody which Williams sometimes recycles over his scores. They're always a little different but have similar "roots".

 

Here are just a few more "self-plagiarisation" examples in The Falcon:

 

-> 1:11 & 1:29 in The Falcon

 

 

Compare this track from 1:01, with 1:56 in The Falcon (pay special attention to the modulation at 1:08 in the KOTCS track and 1:59 in The Falcon)

 

-> 1:37 in The Falcon

 

Now...

...compare this, with 2:39 from Zam The Assassin, with 0:48 in The Whirl Through Academe, with 1:16 in The Falcon, as well as the clarinet flourish at 2:52 in The Falcon

 

And finally, compare the ending of 1941's "Kelsow in Barstow" (from 3:23):

 

with the ending of The Falcon (from 3:23).

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

It's one of the modern Williams action music phrases.

[EdwardHall 30]

I noted the similarity too. I have been a champion of "The Falcon" since day one. Williams' expertise at composing scherzos is only increasing with time.

[Loert 2,511]

It always upsets me when I read people saying that tracks like this are "just noise". It takes a tremendous amount of skill, effort, and above all confidence, to write music like this; to achieve balance within the orchestra, to make all the different ideas flow together. Besides, I love the energy and excitement Williams' action tracks convey. It's the kind of music I can play over and over again, discovering something new with each listening.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

But there are no themes! Not like in The Asteroid Field, or Adventure On Earth.

[Loert 2,511]

Yes, there are, and even if there weren't, who cares? Music doesn't need "themes" to be good! 

[JacksonElmore 69]

yeah i agree, there are themes man. Theres the rebel fanfare theme literally throughout the whole track, and theres finn's theme

[Ricard 2,245]

 

2 hours ago, loert said:

Yes, there are, and even if there weren't, who cares? Music doesn't need "themes" to be good! 

 

Exactly. But I wonder if the score's most devoted fans are willing to accept the possibility that many people don't like it so much regardless of the apparent lack of memorable themes (other than Rey's).

[JacksonElmore 69]

i accept the possibility, sure. But I think that there are at least two very memorable themes from this movie, rey's, and kylo ren's. Plus the march of the resistance, which besides rey's is by far the most popular from this soundtrack, i mean it has close to 1.3 million listens on spotify alone, and for a theme that's used only twice in the movie thats a lot. Although i agree this is not nearly the most exciting star wars score that has been released, i think it is very underrated. Whether I like it or not i can understand a casual listener not liking "the falcon" or "the rathars!" but "rey's theme" "march of the resistance" and kylo ren's main theme is enough for me to consider this a great score

[Muad'Dib 1,802]

There's also a bit in the Falcon chase from Tintin that shows up in TFA's Falcon cue, maybe it was even done as an intentional joke on Williams' part.

 

2:21

 

 

[mrbellamy 6,286]

While we're at it, I still laugh whenever I hear the little "Duel of the Fates"-sounding figures at both 2:28 and 2:38. You gotta wonder about some of these things.

 

 

[DominicCobb 194]

1 hour ago, mrbellamy said:

While we're at it, I still laugh whenever I hear the little "Duel of the Fates"-sounding figures at both 2:28 and 2:38. You gotta wonder about some of these things.

 

 

What about at 1:12 here?

This track also features a "The Droid Battle" quote at :34

[crumbs 14,315]

It's amazing how on first listen to my ears, TFA didn't seem to cut the mustard as a Star Wars score. Yet having lived with it for 4 months, it feels just as at home with the other 6 films as any other SW score.

 

The only reason I probably still rate ROTS above TFA is because Williams' wrote Abrams a sublime supporting score, whereas his score for ROTS does basically all the heavy lifting (because Lucas sure as hell couldn't convey much with his direction). The total lack of subtlety is part of what makes the prequel scores so enjoyable, but I probably appreciate his writing for TFA more.

[mrbellamy 6,286]

I've definitely grown to appreciate the whole vibe of TFA's music. I always basically expected something like Phantom Menace, another attempt to really bring back the Star Wars franchise in high style with fanfares and rousing action and emotional sweep, but the effect of this is more muted than the other six. It's Star Wars at its most sensitive, it seems like Williams was responding to the sense of hesitation and conflict and mixed feelings of the story and characters, as well as the restraint in the action and the sense of scope, at least relative to the prequels, and felt like he couldn't justify bringing out as many of the bells and whistles as before. 

 

Our buddy Cantus in the other thread I think mentioned that this score sounds like a "tamed" Williams. In a sense, maybe it's true. I adore its softer and magical qualities, but honestly there are moments that I do struggle with, like the big statement of Rey's Theme in The Abduction:

 

 

Maybe it's the mix, the brass sounding so far away, but it's like the orchestration of Rey's Theme doesn't really live up to the power and volume of that build. The strings sound beautiful playing the melody but it's like the whole thing sort of backs off, the accompaniment sounds low energy to me and lacks the sort of rhythmic drive that tends to come with those big Williams statements. It's one of those bits where I sympathize with the criticism that the score sounds weaker than the others....am I missing something?

[The Psycho Pianist 216]

25 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

I've definitely grown to appreciate the whole vibe of TFA's music. I always basically expected something like Phantom Menace, another attempt to really bring back the Star Wars franchise in high style with fanfares and rousing action and emotional sweep, but the effect of this is more muted than the other six. It's Star Wars at its most sensitive, it seems like Williams was responding to the sense of hesitation and conflict and mixed feelings of the story and characters, as well as the restraint in the action and the sense of scope, at least relative to the prequels, and felt like he couldn't justify bringing out as many of the bells and whistles as before. 

 

Our buddy Cantus in the other thread I think mentioned that this score sounds like a "tamed" Williams. In a sense, maybe it's true. I adore its softer and magical qualities, but honestly there are moments that I do struggle with, like the big statement of Rey's Theme in The Abduction:

 

 

Maybe it's the mix, the brass sounding so far away, but it's like the orchestration of Rey's Theme doesn't really live up to the power and volume of that build. The strings sound beautiful playing the melody but it's like the whole thing sort of backs off, the accompaniment sounds low energy to me and lacks the sort of rhythmic drive that tends to come with those big Williams statements. It's one of those bits where I sympathize with the criticism that the score sounds weaker than the others....am I missing something?

 

I think it was more for effect - if you compare the orchestration of the string instatement of Rey's Theme in the actual Rey's Theme track (1:40); there is much more overt rhythm and energy, and indeed pleasing harmony. In The Abduction for example, the horns play very deliberate accented dissonant chords whereas in Rey's Theme horns 1+2 double the melody whereas 3+4 play supporting, rhythmic harmony. Also there's a lack of a sense of movement as the semiquaver trumpet and viola accompaniments found in Rey's Theme aren't present either. It reflects more the mood of the film at that moment in my eyes, it's quite clever.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

2 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

I adore its softer and magical qualities, but honestly there are moments that I do struggle with, like the big statement of Rey's Theme in The Abduction:

 

Maybe it's the mix, the brass sounding so far away, but it's like the orchestration of Rey's Theme doesn't really live up to the power and volume of that build. The strings sound beautiful playing the melody but it's like the whole thing sort of backs off, the accompaniment sounds low energy to me and lacks the sort of rhythmic drive that tends to come with those big Williams statements. It's one of those bits where I sympathize with the criticism that the score sounds weaker than the others....am I missing something?

 

Really?  That's one of my favorite moments of the score!

 

The bits where I tend to sympathize with the detractors are with some of the more boring underscore sections like "Maz's Counsel" and the relatively nondescript action music of "On the Inside" and "The Rathtars".

[mrbellamy 6,286]

I think it's great in the film, the melody really soars over the battlefield, love the rhythmic alteration too. Just something about the supporting material holds it back for me when I listen, I always feel like I want more from it. There's a lack of urgency or something, like in the descending line at 1:47.

[TheUlyssesian 2,478]

Also this just reminds me that Tintin is probably a superior score to TFA. The themes are a bit more difficult to grasp but the work as a whole is more complex and denser and more spirited. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mrbellamy 6,286]

I think I do enjoy the action/adventure stuff a little more in Tintin than TFA, but the latter's emotional highlights make it no contest for me. There's nothing in Tintin as fabulous as The Scavenger, Rey's Theme, Farewell & The Trip, or The Jedi Steps & Finale.