Short, incidental Williams melodies

[Pelzter 0]

I think this is really something, Williams is great at. In most or all of his scores, he's constantly coming out with lovely, gorgeous melody snippets, mixed in with his mostly non-themated underscore. A good example of this (other than the For Gillian melody I mentioned in another thread) is in the main theme to Seven Years in Tibet, where, in the middle section of the theme, a new, brief melody comes in at the 2:17 mark, played first by cello and then by orchestra, before the original melody returns at about the 2:40 mark. This is the most beautiful, incidental melody I have ever heard in a John Williams score, although there are many wonderful Star Wars examples also, including where the ship departs Coruscant in Episode II (the Stargate-like melody). There are countless other examples, these just sprung to mind. Thoughts on this?

--Pelzter.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

I agree on that incidental SYIT melody . . . I was really disappointed to not hear it in the movie after knowing it so well from the main themes suite.

Ray Barnsbury

[Chris ChrusherComix 46]

These secondary melodies are often better than other composer's first! LOL

-Chris, Bias... but for a reason...

[Albaicin 0]

Here are some of my favourites.

In 'The Starship scapes' from 'Superman: The Movie', the music starting at 1:20, and especially the trumpet solo starting at 1:34.

Also in 'Superman: The Movie', in 'The Fortress of Solitude', the music that starts at 4:30, particularly the theme started at 6:35.

In TESB, the music that plays when the Millennium Falcon approaches the Cloud City.

The "Cover-up" March from 'Close Encounters', which appears only twice in the Collector's Edition, and could have been arranged alla 'Flag Parade' from TPM.

In 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', the theme used when Indy and Elsa approach Castle Brunwald.

[King Mark 3,631]

i have to think of some.

for now I'll say i like when the "middle" part of Williams Main themes appear in the actual scores(Indy March,SW,Superman),which is sort of rare(example middle part of Raiders march in Portuguese Coast in LC).There's a cool version of the middle segment of Superman in Superman 4 i remember.

K.M.

[fommes 153]

Indeed, 'To Castle Brunwald' is one! I used to play only that fragment of the film and put the volume up.

'To the Plaza, Presto', the melody introduced at 1.00, which returns throughout that cue.

[Pelzter 0]

Yeah, "Castle Brunwald"! AMAZING!

--Pelzter.

[Chris ChrusherComix 46]

Don't forget "The Cross Of Coranado"!

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

(I think this belongs on the thread or the hidden gems thread, but this thing is not hidden)

I can´t believe everyone has forgotten perhaps the most famous of these cues that doesn´t have a major theme, if any at all. Star Wars. In the opening sequence, when R2D2 and C3PO escape in one of those lifeboats, the music is magnificent, and I think very well know. In the "special edition" soundtrack appears in the track titled "Imperial Attack" at 4:29 - 4:54, although this magnificent passage, I would say, starts at 4:21.

Music from Star Wars

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

London Symphony Orchestra

John Williams

[MSM 126]

I think one of Williams best secondary melodies is the one, at 0:47 I think, from Escape from Venice.

Of course also the heroic theme in The Shark Cage or so.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

The Tauntauns have special music as well. I'm not sure whether I would call it a theme, or even a motif, it's just a bit of music that seems to be repeated several times in the beginning of TESB. One of the places from the top of my head where you can hear it is Han riding out into the blizard looking for Luke. I think it's shortly before Ben appears, but I'm not sure. I love how Williams just throws a bit like that in. One of those things that makes TESB great.

- Marc, 8O The Empire Strikes Back

John Williams - Destruction Of Krypton from Superman: The Movie

[Pelzter 0]

Empire... When Han and Luke are discovered by the speeders, there is a wonderfully trimphant string movement.

Jedi... The Sail Barge blows up and the ships rocket off into space

Indy 3... Just after the action sequence with the boats in Venice, a wonderful, sweeping, very italian string motif appears just before a similarly italian statement of the grail theme.

Jaws... The eerie melody which underscores the discovery of Ben Gardner's Boat

Just some more examples, off the top of my head. There are still countless others.

--Pelzter

[Adam 1]

One example that comes to mind is Jurassic Park - After the crew first sees the dinasaurs and they're driving back in the jeep (about 7:30, track 4). Its a brief brass motif that has a kind of mad scientist flair as we're about to find about how the dinasaurs have been created. He does stuff rythmically and harmonically that makes me think JW can be, dare I say, kind of hip.

- Adam

[MusicHunta131 0]

I really liked the theme played when Han & company are being chased through the Asteroid Field. It was amazing music that just, literally, blew me away the first time I heard it!

I also liked the small theme that appeared in Jaws. It can be heard in the main theme where the melody is played by high strings in this huge, sweeping move with horns backing it up in the background, giving off the feeling like your in the middle of this big, overwhelming storm!

[King Mark 3,631]

I can´t believe everyone has forgotten perhaps the most famous of these cues that doesn´t have a major theme, if any at all. Star Wars. In the opening sequence, when R2D2 and C3PO escape in one of  

I agree,and in the same idea,the music when E.T.'s ship takes off at the beginning of the film.

K.M.

[DU Lou 1]

I love the Droid theme from TESB

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

One example that comes to mind is Jurassic Park - After the crew first sees the dinasaurs and they're driving back in the jeep (about 7:30, track 4). Its a brief brass motif that has a kind of mad scientist flair as we're about to find about how the dinasaurs have been created. He does stuff rythmically and harmonically that makes me think JW can be, dare I say, kind of hip.

Oh yeah, that was one of the many bits that made me want the soundtrack so much when I put it on my wanted list a long time ago.

But wait a minute, haven't we forgotten one of the most well-known incidental melodies here? The Dark Side Beckons, with that awesome choral bit as Luke goes all loco on his old man. Brilliant stuff!

- Marc, who will now listen to it.

[Rogue_Leader 2]

Another good example of this is "Star Wars" is that little brief melody heard in Episode I during the scene where Padme and her entourage are being escorted by those droids and Qui-Gonn and Obi-Wan are sneaking in close above them.

[Lurker 5]

I love that little bit in Return of the Jedi on the first shot of the Rebel fleet, just before the briefing.

Neil

[Kroutchenkov 0]

Sorry for my English, I am a french native speaker.

As I seem to discover, everybody love the same incidental music, so what do you think of mine :

From 3:49 to 4:00 in the Always theme, there are some very low notes on a bariton (I think). Especially the last note at 3:57. To me, it sounds great!

From 6:47 to 7:02 in The Battle of Yavin from A New Hope, the instrumentation of the Force theme is incredibly powerful and flow with a magnificience that differs with the violence of the music that comes before.

And what bout the short excerpt from The Phantom Menace, "The racer roars to life"? When I first heard it in the theater, I wanted to die!

Thanks for those precious moments you share with us!

[King Mark 3,631]

I love that little bit in Return of the Jedi on the first shot of the Rebel fleet, just before the briefing.

Neil

and the briefing motif is very cool too(which is one of the first I noticed way back watching the movie in 83).

K.M.

[Hlao-roo 389]

I think this is really something, Williams is great at. In most or all of his scores, he's constantly coming out with lovely, gorgeous melody snippets, mixed in with his mostly non-themated underscore. A good example of this (other than the For Gillian melody I mentioned in another thread) is in the main theme to Seven Years in Tibet, where, in the middle section of the theme, a new, brief melody comes in at the 2:17 mark, played first by cello and then by orchestra, before the original melody returns at about the 2:40 mark. This is the most beautiful, incidental melody I have ever heard in a John Williams score,

Josh's recent thread on the Seven Years in Tibet theme got me thinking about this topic.

Another one for me is toward the end of "A Christmas Quilt" from Stepmom, where the violins climax in repeated statements of a simple, sentimental melody of six or so notes (unfortunately don't have the track times available). Helpfully, Filmtracks has an audio clip that encapsulates this passage. Anybody else have other examples?

[Richard Penna 3,684]

The string theme in Susan Speaks from The Patriot. The bridging bit on higher strings is also really relaxing at a high volume.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

I love that little bit in Return of the Jedi on the first shot of the Rebel fleet, just before the briefing.

Neil

and the briefing motif is very cool too(which is one of the first I noticed way back watching the movie in 83).

K.M.

Seconded and Thirded I think? Or other way around.

[Morlock 11]

Fourthed and Thirded by me.

I personally love the string melody in 'The Concierge' from Home Alone 2.

[Josh500 1,615]

A good example of this (other than the For Gillian melody I mentioned in another thread) is in the main theme to Seven Years in Tibet, where, in the middle section of the theme, a new, brief melody comes in at the 2:17 mark, played first by cello and then by orchestra, before the original melody returns at about the 2:40 mark. This is the most beautiful, incidental melody I have ever heard in a John Williams score, although there are many wonderful Star Wars examples also, including where the ship departs Coruscant in Episode II (the Stargate-like melody). There are countless other examples, these just sprung to mind. Thoughts on this?

--Pelzter.

I agree, this is also one of my favorite moments! But I don't think this is necessarily incidental... this is just the B section of the main theme, so to speak, or the "bridge." Many such "bridges" are wonderful compositions in their own right, like from Across the Stars, Fawkes the Phoenix, Raiders March, and Becoming a Geisha. (Some of my favorites.)

[pete 907]

I love that little bit in Return of the Jedi on the first shot of the Rebel fleet, just before the briefing.

Neil

Making that its own cue starting with the Princess Leia quote just before it was the first thing I did when I bought editing software. Great snippet!

Another is from AI, the toy bear gets a brief playful melody .. sorry, can't think of the track or tinings, it's not on the single disc OST.

[Red 75]

"Remembering Childhood" at around 1:57 to 2:12.

Home Alone's end credits - 1:38 to 1:51.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

The 13 first seconds of Love theme from superman (and continuing background) is nice. I have some childhood nostalgia when i heard this. But i dont know if its for superman ( i remember seeing the movie as a child severla times, but they never put the end credits on TV...) or maybe there is some cartonn film that has similar music (fievel and the new world comes to mind?)

[ASW 0]

That motif in Return of the Jedi that's heard whenever ships are approaching the Death Star II, heard after the main titles, and later on during the Battle of Endor when the squadron leaders are all reporting in, has always been a favourite.

There's also a sort of militaristic motif heard in the action music at the start of "The Tide Turns/The Death of Darth Maul" in TPM: UE that's also kinda cool. If I'm not mistaken, this motif was used much more extensively before all the crazy editing/butchering Lucas did to the film before its release, but I'm not entirely sure about this. Either way, it's an awesome little motif.

oh, and the Panama Hat guy has a neat little motif as well in The Last Crusade

ASW

[Joe Brausam 214]

Into the Trap?

I love that one, it's a fun and effective melody.

[King Mark 3,631]

The little retro melody in the Superman The movie Prologue is great. Ken Thorne uses it as a fanfare somewhere

[Greggeth 1]

okay.... in no particular order ....

1. The unaccompanied cornet solo at beginning of "For Mina" DRACULA soundtrack. haunting (also the string melody - just after said cornet solo. lovely!)

2. French horn solo/melody in Phantom Menace "Jar Jar speaks with Boss Nass" (or whatever his name is)

3. Trumpet solo - Death of Jonathan Kent - SUPERMAN

(not normally such a huge brass fan.... those just jumped out.... from memory here)

John Willams is truly a master of the melody. He not only excels in his "main themes" but also all the wonderful melodies found within each of his scores. His music is not just "background chords/rhythms" that other composers seem to resort to - John always seems to have something to "say" via a melody line. i'm convinced he could write an opera if he wanted, as his melodies are so singable.

[pete 907]

I love the melody that starts around 1:10 into "Road Trip!" from The Incredibles

I think that's the only track that melody is heard in.

[King Mark 3,631]

I love the melody that starts around 1:10 into "Road Trip!" from The Incredibles

I think that's the only track that melody is heard in.

I think it's a rip off of Barry's 007 Theme

[nicholas 1]

The solo oboe tune in Stepmom from "Taking Pictures."

The opening of "Audience with the Holy Father" in Monsignor - a lovely question/answer motif with such subtle harmonies.

God, the man's a genius.

[steb74 53]

Trumpet solo - Death of Jonathan Kent - SUPERMAN

Yep, splendid choice

Another personal fav of mine is the short string passage in TESB just before the Falcon detaches itself and floats away with the Imperial garbage.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

I love the melody that starts around 1:10 into "Road Trip!" from The Incredibles

I think that's the only track that melody is heard in.

I think it's a rip off of Barry's 007 Theme

Homage.

Rip-offs are more blunt.

In fact i consider this version the best redition of the 007 theme.

Barry's is very jarring and repetitive sometimes.

[stuttersteps 1]

The incidental melody I always find myself humming is from Christmas at Hogwarts from the first Harry Potter film. At the 1:32 mark there's this wonderfully lyrical melody that captures the quiet yet magical spirit of the track's namesake.

I also find the very beginning of the track to be quite indelible.