Popular Post Ludwig 1,120 Posted December 16, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted December 16, 2020 Hi all, Here's the second video in my series on John Williams themes, this one on the Star Wars main title. It argues that one of the reasons the cue is so powerful is that it's highly unified by melody, harmony, and rhythm. Enjoy, and if you like it, please subscribe! TownerFan, Fabulin, Bellosh and 10 others 7 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellosh 3,320 Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 Nice work, Ludwig. Ludwig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheUlyssesian 2,467 Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 So erudite and knowledgable! Ludwig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,505 Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 Thanks for another informative video (and the 5:16 moment of goodness pure and cute ). This unity through a phrase introduced early on and referenced later in several great melodies sounds almost too good to be true. But since we know that this introductory segment has been written last (the rest steming from The Throne Room), maybe Williams "simply" looked for the best combination of notes common to those melodies, and created the repeated figure based on them? 9 hours ago, Ludwig said: It argues that one of the reasons the cue is so powerful is that it's highly unified by melody, harmony, and rhythm. Do you have any other examples (namesdropping would be enough) that display such unity and achieve such a stellar effect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ludwig 1,120 Posted December 17, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 17, 2020 11 hours ago, Fabulin said: But since we know that this introductory segment has been written last (the rest steming from The Throne Room), maybe Williams "simply" looked for the best combination of notes common to those melodies, and created the repeated figure based on them? Ha! I thought you might ask that since we talked about this cue's origins here. Yes, your theory seems likely, I would say, because from what Williams said in that interview you cited here earlier this year, it sounds like he meant that he only had Luke's theme and had to assemble or compose the rest for the main title. So he imported the Throne Room's B section as the main title B section, then probably wrote the opening fanfare at that point as well. What's really interesting is that the fanfare sounds a lot like the Rozsa Ivanhoe opening that was used for the temp of the main title in its orchestration and harmony in 4ths. But Rozsa's fanfare doesn't have the 4-note motive. So if Williams wrote the fanfare as one of the last things in the score, he must have fashioned it to be close in structure to Luke's theme while having the general sound of Rozsa's. That's what I find so ingenious is Williams' ability to forge a main title from no fewer than three separate sources either as temp (Ivanhoe) or pre-composed themes (Luke's and Throne Room) and make it sound as though the separate pieces were composed to go together in the first place and that they grow naturally out of what starts it all. 11 hours ago, Fabulin said: Do you have any other examples (namesdropping would be enough) that display such unity and achieve such a stellar effect? We all know that Williams loves variation as a compositional device, but another example where it's worked out to sound so organic? No, this main title is just spectacular that way. Fabulin, BrotherSound and Falstaft 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,505 Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 18 minutes ago, Ludwig said: What's really interesting is that the fanfare sounds a lot like the Rozsa Ivanhoe opening that was used for the temp of the main title in its orchestration and harmony in 4ths. But Rozsa's fanfare doesn't have the 4-note motive. So if Williams wrote the fanfare as one of the last things in the score, he must have fashioned it to be close in structure to Luke's theme while having the general sound of Rozsa's. However surprising your find seemed at first, it also makes a lot of sense, knowing Williams. The more I study the music of various masters the more I see that one can fit a lot of "information" or "interconnectedness" into music, and Williams seems to have a very high peak performance in this regard. His melodies are incredibly information-dense. For example, take Marion's Theme. The density of echoes and connections within it is comparable to Mendelssohn's Wedding March, or the Dixie song - in that one can write an analysis about it in 20 or so points. And his themes not infrequently get just as catchy as those two evergreens. Structural thinking about melody (and counterpoint at the service of the main melodic line) seem now to involve an extension of this skill. 18 minutes ago, Ludwig said: That's what I find so ingenious is Williams' ability to forge a main title from no fewer than three separate sources either as temp (Ivanhoe) or pre-composed themes (Luke's and Throne Room) and make it sound as though the separate pieces were composed to go together in the first place and that they grow naturally out of what starts it all. Upon a closer inspection, Williams the syncretist is never really gone Ludwig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now