Composer
John Williams
Release
1977
Instrumental featurs
Tremolos in the opening bar
Pizzicato in bar 33
Flite trill in bar 36
Structure
Ternary form
Dynamics
Opening fanfare is ff - string military feel and emphasises the call for attention
Contrasting B section is mf - suggests film will feature other themes
Piccolo melody is p
During codetta leitmotif is played at ff again
Melody
Leitmotif sounds heroic as it is performed with leaping intervals, triplets, ff
Texture
Melody-dominated homophony
Opening fanfare includes imitation between lower and upper brass
Metre and rhythm
4/4
100bpm
Military/marching feel
Syncopated block chords
Harmony and tonality
Bb major, reinforced by and inverted tonic pedal (violins) and dominant pedal (lowest instrumental parts).
Imperfect cadences
Quartal harmony - unresolved sound adds drama and suspense to the piece
Chromatic notes in bar 7 as parallel chords
Cluster chords in bar 46
