Emperor's theme appreciation thread

[mxsch 115]

I can't even describe how much I love this theme.

And The Senate himself too.

It is so simple but yet so powerful and so suiting for the character.

I love it even over Imperial March.

I like TPM arrangements, but ROTJ ones are of course the best and most grandiose, esp. cue when he dies.

What do you think about it?

[Arpy 4,145]

00:00 - 00:27 Perfection...

[Smeltington 1,436]

I love those slimy strings he likes to layer behind the theme, all the way from RotJ to TRoS. It's so effective at making you feel a sense of dread whenever Palpy appears. Anyone with musical vocabs want to explain this technique? It seems like there must be a tradition for this kind of writing, that Williams was tapping into.

[Henry Sítrónu 494]

19 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

I love those slimy strings he likes to layer behind the theme, all the way from RotJ to TRoS. It's so effective at making you feel a sense of dread whenever Palpy appears. Anyone with musical vocabs want to explain this technique? It seems like there must be a tradition for this kind of writing, that Williams was tapping into.

Depends which cues you refer to exactly. The first time the theme is used in TPM (UE Disc 1 Track 4) the violins are playing harmonic glissandi.

 

 

 

 

famous example in Stravinsky's Firebird:

 

 

[Smeltington 1,436]

Cool! Thanks for sharing, that's an interesting technique. Not sure if it's the same thing or not. Here's a good example, 3:38 of TRoS track 1:

 

 

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

 

Revenge of the Sith *really* applies the Emperor's theme in some fantastic dramatic settings, particularly here with what is surely one of the heaviest, most stretched out statements in the saga. Also interesting to note that it flows into some Ludlow-esque strings at 1:52.

[mxsch 115]

1 hour ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

 

Revenge of the Sith *really* applies the Emperor's theme in some fantastic dramatic settings, particularly here with what is surely one of the heaviest, most stretched out statements in the saga. Also interesting to note that it flows into some Ludlow-esque strings at 1:52.

Yeah, ROTS use of the theme is very good too. Second after ROTJ of course.