yoda1

So, I was just wondering if anyone gets as into the Music of Star Wars as I do? I've always felt the music is such a big part of these films, and I remember my heart pumping at the opening credits of ROTS and then sinking when I heard "Anakin's Betrayl" music as the jedi are dying and Vader has a tear coming down his cheek as he slays a buncha people. Obi-Wan and Anakin's battle, after Vader says "I Hate You" Then to hear Luke and Leia's original theme from A New Hope after Padme's mournful funeral music, gave me chills and really gave some agony on my heart to get excited and sad and excited and back again over and over.
But then again, I notice music a lot more than most people that I've noticed get into it, but I just got Episode III 's soundtrack(guess ya can tell) and wondered if anyone else had any comments?

kahuna415

The music style is called leitmotif. John Williams uses this style often in his movies and can found in most of his movies. For example, whenever there's a scene with Vader, there will be the Imperial March playing in the background. Luke going down the trench, you will hear his theme. Leia in Cloud City with Han Solo, you will hear her theme. Leitmotif can very subtle at times and can be heard throughout the movies. Luke, Leia, Padme, Anakin and Vader all have their own themes

Leitmotif can also be used for foreshadowing. A couple of times that Yoda speaks of vader, like the scene where Yoda tells young Obi-Wan he doesn't like the idea of teaching Anakin, but agrees to it in the end, you will hear Vaders theme for a few seconds, giving the scene a forebidding tone.

Once you start listening for it, scenes will start to make better sense and the movies will have much more depth than before. Enjoy.

leitmotif \LYT-moh-teef\, noun:
1. In music drama, a marked melodic phrase or short passage which always accompanies the reappearance of a certain person, situation, abstract idea, or allusion in the course of the play; a sort of musical label.
2. A dominant and recurring theme.

Rogue588

Sith's soundtrack was a helluva lot better than Clone's. However, as i've stated in other posts around the forum, Lucas' decision to reuse "Duel Of the Fates" during Yoda and Sidous' duel annoyed me. Since that theme is so identifable with the Qui-Gon/Maul/Obi-Wan duel, that's what I always think of when I hear it [Lucas also recycled it for Clones too].

Star Wars Guy

I agree that Duel of the Fates was misused in AOTC, but wished it would have been used more in ROTS, especially during the Anakin vs Obi duel.

Michael Corvin

I am a big fan of the soundtracks. That being said, I think JW let us down for the prequels. Other than "Duel" I can't think of a defining theme(new) from all three films. I've only seen Sith once though, so that may change on repeat viewings.

Overall, I found them lacking. Duel of the Fates is up there with the Imperial March for me. Pure masterpiece.

yoda1

I always noticed (in many movies) there are themes for certain situations and characters and how they are used, but I never really thought there was a technical term for it. But I learn something new everyday!
This isn't the first Star Wars soundtrack I've bought, I just wanted to comment how it really drew emotion into the movie. And while I agree "Duel of the Fates" is hard to beat, I think timing of the music in certain scenes makes me favor it too. As I said before:when the original "Luke and Leia" theme is presented after Padme's death, it gives a feeling true to the title of Episode IV; there is A NEW HOPE

dhmac

While I like "Duel of the Fates" a lot, I don't think it holds a candle to the "Imperial March".

But I think "Across The Stars (Love Theme from Attack of the Clones)" is a very good theme, almost as good as "Princess Leia's Theme" from the original ANH score.

Overall, though, the prequel scores - and ROTJ's score for that matter - aren't nearly as great as the scores for ANH and TESB, which are two of the best movie scores ever written. John Williams was in an amazing creative zone from the mid-'70s through the early-'80s that he hasn't been able to match since.

dhmac

The term comes from Opera, where it is used quite a bit. (I think the first to use the term was German composer Richard Wagner, who stylistically also seems to be a great influence for John Williams.)

Terrell

I can't agree with that at all. I don't judge sountracks and film music by it's humm-able quotient. I judge the music in and of iteself, and how well it fits the films they are created for, and the tone of those films or it's scenes.

John Williams music for the prequels is at worst, very good, and at time pure greatness. They're just different. My only quarrel is the hack job that Ben Burtt did to the scores in AOTC and ROTS, probably because Lucas changed the film after the scores were laid into the film. Or perhaps because he wanted to reuse music from the previous movies, which is pointless.

I can! Duel of the Fates from TPM, Across the Stars from AOTC, and Battle of the Heroes from ROTS.