Popular Post Fabulin 3,510 Posted November 13, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2020 Hello, it's not the professor here this time. Just me I will try my best though, because this track is awesome! My Hello, what have we here? / You are imagining things section: 0:00-0:26 violins of quiet tension, to my ears slowly whispering the Anthem of Evil, with little counterpoint, but close to the end the counterpoint imitates the closing notes of the theme 0:26-0:27 a moment of music "taking notice" that something is not right, with a TROS-signature pronounced harp. Now the middle strings add some pedal tension. 0:27-0:44 some meandering counterpoint nebulously related to the Anthem of Evil (?) 0:44-0:57 horns enter end the music slowly grows to an orchestral swell and 0:58-1:25 what follows is a beautiful, marche funebre statement of the Anthem of Evil, which stylistically reminds me of lyrical Southern Slavonic folk tunes, such as those used at the beginning of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 and Tchaikovsky's Serbo-Russian March. And... you know... Chopin and Mahler. 1:25-1:45 some harmonic transitions related to the Anthem of Evil (?), strongly driving towards a mightier re-statement of the theme. - 1:25-1:30 marvelously orchestrated moment of boiling emotions, with tension rising through the tremoli and the foregrounding of higher and higher pitched instrumental voices. - 1:30-1:45 brooding aftermath of the turnmoil, with some wave-like motion of the strings and the harp, pulsation of figures, and the entrance of strings hinting at encroaching madness in the Psycho language. 1:45-2:05 a dominating brass statement of the Anthem of Evil, with a combined accompaniment of the "boiling" and the "pulsation" ideas. 2:05-2:38 This is tough. Unless I am missing something big, it sounds like a melodic combination of a suffocated semitonal March of the Resistance(?) with a dark and regal spelling of Jedi Steps, and then 2:19-2:22 the Force Theme trying to get through. Then 2:22-2:38 is a prolonged reprise of this composite melody. In this section I am especially impressed by the playing of the LA musicians. Marvelous. 2:39-2:50 Rey's Theme rising in an ambiguous fanfare full of tension. The decision to embrace the Dark Side in the air. 2:54-2:58 Whether it's a bass trombone, a contrabass trombone, or just a plain old tuba, it's playing a part of the Anthem of Evil 2:59-3:22 action music related to the Falcon adventure at the beginning of the film ensues. - 3:15-3:16 A quick and nice Kylo Ren motif 3:22-3:30 Rey's Theme, followed by the same style of imitative counterpoint as the Anthem of Evil at the beginning of the track 3:30-3:38 an atmospheric ending on a note of darkness not being quite done yet What a little masterpiece ins, Smaug The Iron, Bellosh and 11 others 9 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellosh 3,398 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Next to Rey's Theme, it's my favorite cue from the sequel trilogy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeltington 1,436 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Thanks for your analysis, I'll listen later while reading. I LOVE this track, it's one of the ones I listen to most on its own, apart from the rest of the score. I especially like the Anthem of Evil stuff early on, and I love the buildup to the shot of Rey in the film reacting to the news. The music gives you a feeling of horror, that SOMETHING'S WRONG! in that moment. Also the mention of prominent harp as a TROS trademark is spot on, that's another thing I love about this entire score. When will Sith lords stop saying to join them though it never works... already didn't work in the last movie! I guess Kylo didn't watch that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,319 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Interesting, I can't say I noticed prominent harp, I'll have to pay more attention! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,510 Posted November 13, 2020 Author Share Posted November 13, 2020 28 minutes ago, Jay said: Interesting, I can't say I noticed prominent harp, I'll have to pay more attention! . Falstaft and Jay 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrotherSound 2,242 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 1 hour ago, Albus Percival Wulfric said: - 1:30-1:45 brooding aftermath of the turnmoil, with some wave-like motion of the strings and the harp, pulsation of figures, and the entrance of strings hinting at encroaching madness in the Psycho language. 1:45-2:05 a dominating brass statement of the Anthem of Evil, with a combined accompaniment of the "boiling" and the "pulsation" ideas. 2:05-2:38 This is tough. Unless I am missing something big, it sounds like a melodic combination of a suffocated semitonal March of the Resistance(?) with a dark and regal spelling of Jedi Steps, and then 2:19-2:22 the Force Theme trying to get through. Then 2:22-2:38 is a prolonged reprise of this composite melody. In this section I am especially impressed by the playing of the LA musicians. Marvelous. 2:39-2:50 Rey's Theme rising in an ambiguous fanfare full of tension. The decision to embrace the Dark Side in the air. 2:54-2:58 Whether it's a bass trombone, a contrabass trombone, or just a plain old tuba, it's playing a part of the Anthem of Evil Fantastic stuff, and a true highlight of a score with many wonderful moments! (Wish I could say the same of the film…) Interestingly, 1:30–2:58 was either tracked or repurposed and written into this cue from music originally meant for much later in the film, 8M4 Psalm of the Sith. He did something similar in The Force Awakens, where those tense, repeating, oscillating string figures that accompany Han’s death were originally written for the firing of Starkiller base, in 5M40 (New Ending) The Beam Is Released, before Sunbeam Strings (‘The Starkiller’) was written to take its place. Fabulin and Falstaft 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,510 Posted November 13, 2020 Author Share Posted November 13, 2020 2 minutes ago, BrotherSound said: Fantastic stuff, and a true highlight of a score with many wonderful moments! (Wish I could say the same of the film…) Interestingly, 1:30–2:58 was either tracked or repurposed and written into this cue from music originally meant for much later in the film, 8M4 Psalm of the Sith. He did something similar in The Force Awakens, where those tense, repeating, oscillating string figures that accompany Han’s death were originally written for the firing of Starkiller base, in 5M40 (New Ending) The Beam Is Released, before Sunbeam Strings (‘The Starkiller’) was written to take its place. What I did not mention in the OP was that thematically this track made me immediately think of Ian McDiarmid saying "Empress Palpatine" and pointing towards the throne. I even gave a nickname to this track - "Empress Palpatine". How little did I know! BrotherSound 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverTrumpet 638 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Two notes about this track: The section at 2:05 I don't think is supposed to be anything. It's meant to sound like it's going to end up being something but isn't, like the characters are thinking all these partial thoughts but unable to form anything complete. It's just emotions flying all over the place. Rey's theme not long after that? Every time I hear it in the track, it sounds like it's going to be Palpy's theme instead. Brilliant use of the similarities. Falstaft 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falstaft 2,132 Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 Well done, @Albus Percival Wulfric! I'm 100% with you in hearing shards of the Force Theme in that interesting composite melody at 2:19 and 2:28 -- very similar to a comparable pair of moments in TFA's "Torn Apart" at 2:32 and especially 3:02 of that track. Williams really knows how to nail these moments of shattering realization, doesn't he? -- the most obvious counterpart being "Losing a Hand" from ESB, of course. Fabulin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,510 Posted November 14, 2020 Author Share Posted November 14, 2020 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwig 1,120 Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 7 hours ago, Albus Percival Wulfric said: 2:05-2:38 This is tough. Unless I am missing something big, it sounds like a melodic combination of a suffocated semitonal March of the Resistance(?) with a dark and regal spelling of Jedi Steps, and then 2:19-2:22 the Force Theme trying to get through. Then 2:22-2:38 is a prolonged reprise of this composite melody. In this section I am especially impressed by the playing of the LA musicians. Marvelous. Isn't this Williams' beloved Ludlow Motif, or what @Falstaft in his catalogue calls "Tension"? There, @Falstaft notes another instance of it in "Hallway Shooting" from TROS, so it's elsewhere in the score. It's kind of cool how at 2:05 and 2:22, it appears over a single chord like usual, but then at 2:32, it appears a third time, now each note of the motif harmonized with a different chord, sounding twisted and forced into a new mould. Fabulin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellosh 3,398 Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 9 hours ago, Bellosh said: Next to Rey's Theme, it's my favorite cue from the sequel trilogy. wow I responded to this on mobile earlier, and thought it was for the title track, TROS, not Join Me. I take back what I said, I like 'Join Me'. Just not that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,510 Posted November 14, 2020 Author Share Posted November 14, 2020 9 hours ago, Ludwig said: Isn't this Williams' beloved Ludlow Motif, or what @Falstaft in his catalogue calls "Tension"? There, @Falstaft notes another instance of it in "Hallway Shooting" from TROS, so it's elsewhere in the score. It's kind of cool how at 2:05 and 2:22, it appears over a single chord like usual, but then at 2:32, it appears a third time, now each note of the motif harmonized with a different chord, sounding twisted and forced into a new mould. So it's actually Ludlow's Motif, but super slow mo? Wow... sounds much better than the annoying buzzsaw it usually is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwig 1,120 Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 47 minutes ago, Albus Percival Wulfric said: So it's actually Ludlow's Motif, but super slow mo? Wow... sounds much better than the annoying buzzsaw it usually is. The Ludlow motif is different from other themes because it lacks an explicit association. It's more of a basic outline, something like Horner's danger motif, that can be hammered into different but closely-related shapes for a generalized feeling of tension. Call this one a different name if you like. The point is that its notes follow the same outline as the other things we call the Ludlow motif. This one, being slower, is like the Desperation motif from TLJ, which is also Ludlow-based. And even with that theme, the association is much more vague than with other themes, following the pattern of Ludlow motifs throughout Williams' scores. Falstaft and Fabulin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post crocodile 7,988 Posted November 14, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted November 14, 2020 I absolutely adore this track. One of the best cues in the new trilogy. It's grand and epic in the best Star Wars tradition. It's some serious space opera melodrama shit. Karol Smeltington, crumbs, Falstaft and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obi 404 Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 This track is a highlight in the Star Wars history, i love every seconds of it. Falstaft 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crlbrg 381 Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 20 hours ago, Albus Percival Wulfric said: TROS-signature pronounced harp No idea what he does here but I love it (tuning? playing with nails?) Jay 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Parker 3,040 Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 16 hours ago, Obi said: This track is a highlight in the Star Wars history, i love every seconds of it. Yes! It gives me huge The Fury vibes, and is an amazing example of how Williams developed Rey's Theme and matured it over the course of the trilogy. Falstaft and Obi 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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