star wars

Question 1

Composer and piece

Answer 1

• repopularised the use of grand late-romantic orchestral scores from 1970s onwards
• uses leitmotif

Question 2

instruments and handling

Answer 2

• uses full symphony orchestra including: timpany, triangle, glockenspiel, vibraphone, bass clar/clarinet, trumpets, strings
• traditional symphonic/ romantic treatment of orchestra with doubling of parts

Question 3

structure

Answer 3

• intro
• main theme A
• main theme repeats A
• contrasting B
• main theme again

Question 4

Tonality

Answer 4

• This extract is in a clear Bb major for the first 29 bars
• From bar 30 onwards the tonality becomes less clear, with more unstable harmonies and
  progressions
• At bar 36 the music modulates to C Major (with added Ab)
  The music from bar 42 onwards is more based around the note C, often heard as a bass
  pedal
• More complex chords and much dissonance make some of the passage from 41-60
  almost atonal (without key) at times and the passage from 51-60 combines elements of
  bitonality (two keys at once)

Question 5

Harmony

Answer 5

• The harmony is predominantly tonal (based around a key note and its scale), but does not
  always use chords I, IV and V in conventional progressions, such as cadences
• Major and minor chords, mostly in root position and first inversion, are used as the basis for
  the harmonic style
• There are few conventional cadence points
• More complex chords and progressions are used
  o The harmonies of the opening Fanfare are use chords built up of fourths, rather than
  thirds – this is called Quartal harmony
  o In bars 4-7 almost half the chords use Quartal harmony – usually where chord V
  might otherwise have been used
  o The end of the first phrase in the A section (bar 7) features an Imperfect cadence -
  a progression landing on the dominant chord (V). However, the three chords that
  precede chord V move in parallel motion by semitone steps and the Ab major chord
  immediately before the F major dominant is not a chord within Bb major: this chord
  moves by a third downwards to the
  F major chord. (Most cadence progressions move by fourths or fifths.)
  o Another ‘foreign’ chord can be found at bar 15 beat 1, where a Db major chord
  moves to F major, this time by rising a third (tertiary relationship)
  o The harmonies in bars 33, 34 and 35 mix elements of different chords
  simultaneously to produce strange, unstable effects. For example, bar 33 mixes
  elements from C major and Db major
  o Bars 36-38 uses a C major chord ‘inflected’ by notes from C minor – an Ab, and, in
  the Piccolo melody, a Bb. This produces a rich, vibrant effect
  o Bars 39-41 the strings and brass are in different keys, the overall effect being almost
  atonal
  o At bar 44, the hammered unison chords are dissonant (clashing), with strong clashes between the two pairs of notes used - C/Db and F/G. This type of closely-
  spaced chord is called a cluster
  o Use of Tritone (augmented fourth / diminished fifth) in bar 44 – G - Db
  o The chords played above the pulsating ostinato C from bar 51 are again from a
  different key – firstly Db major and later Fb (E) major

Question 6

Melody opening bars

Answer 6

• Williams’ melodies are memorable, and are an important factor in the success of his scores
• The opening three bars use a combination of gestures commonly associated with
  Fanfares:
  o Rapid repeated notes, on the Tonic, Bb
  o Triplet arpeggio-like figures – but based around leaps of a fourth, rather than thirds
  o The notes F –Bb and Eb feature most prominently here, with the addition of Ab in
  Horn and Tuba. (This four note chord (F Bb Eb Ab) is used in the harmonisation of
  the Main Theme that follows.)
  o The Trumpet idea in bars 2 and 3 also features the leap of a (minor) seventh, from F
  to Eb, an interval that also features prominently in the Main theme (A)

Question 7

Melody main theme

Answer 7

• The Main Star Wars Theme is made up of two ideas
  o Main Theme (A) is one of the most well-known themes in recent movie history
  o It consist of a four bar idea, which is repeated to form an eight-bar phrase
  o As with most successful melodies, it uses a careful balance of stepwise motion and
  leaps
  o Bar 1 contains a rising perfect fifth idea, from Tonic to Dominant notes, which
  immediately creates a heroic feel, appropriate to the character of Luke Skywalker,
  and to the struggle of the rebels. (Williams also uses a prominent rising fifth at the
  beginning of the ‘Flying Theme’ from ‘ET’.)
  o Bars 2 and 3 are identical, with the most prominent feature being the leap of a minor
  seventh onto the Bb on beat two. The falling fourth from beat two to four contains
  the same two notes (Bb and F) as bar one, but moving downwards in an inversion
  o Bar 4 uses an auxiliary figure to reach the supertonic (2nd note of the scale) C,
  which prepares for the repeat of the idea
  o Bars 2, 3 and 4 are all based on the same rhythm, with the combination of triplet
  quavers to create excitement and the tied minim across beats two and three to
  create tension.

Question 8

melody contrasting theme

Answer 8

o Main Theme (B) is again a four-bar idea, which is repeated slightly altered and
extended on the second playing. It has a less forceful character and provides an
effective contrast
o (B) begins with an anacrusis (upbeat) figure heard first on the last beat of bar 11
o Although there is much more stepwise movement in this idea, it still has a rising
sixth, which appears in bars 12 and 14

o Triplet figures in bar 13 remind the listener of (A), as does the downward fourth in bar
15 (F-C)
o On the repeat of (B) bars 18 and 19 are changed by the use of a downward Bb minor
melodic scale and by extending the final dominant F to last two bars
o In bar 18 notice how the outer parts move in contrary motion (opposite directions)
- The rest of the extract is more concerned with Harmony, orchestral textures and rhythm
than with statements of real melodic interest. Nonetheless, there are melodic features worth
noting
o The brief Piccolo idea at bars 36-39
o The way in which Williams uses a rising and falling minor third in the chordal
material during bars 51-60
o The use of sequence, (the same basic shape/rhythm repeated starting on a higher
or lower note) for example in the string parts in bar 32

Question 9

Rhythm, Tempo and Metre

Answer 9

• The fast tempo chosen for the opening section of this extract matches the mood and genre
  of the film – this is mainly an exciting action movie and the tempo reflects this
• The 4/4 metre and the March style also reflect the ‘military’ nature of the wars between the
  rebels and the Imperial forces
• The opening three bars use rhythmic gestures typically found in Fanfares – rapid repeated
  notes and triplets – to create a real feeling of expectation
• The rhythmic feel of the main theme section supports the strong quadruple/duple pulse,
  continuing to include the triplets first heard in the introduction
• The Main Theme (A) is often accompanied by syncopated block chords, mixing offbeat
  quaver and triplet quavers with frequent rests
• From bar 33 onwards the rhythmic feel changes entirely, as the pulse becomes much less
  obvious
• The metre changes to triple time at bar 44
• The homorhythmic (rhythmic unison) chords from 44-50 create drama by mixing quavers,
  triplet quavers and crotchets with well-placed rests. The Tempo also slows down here,
  further increasing the effect of these chords. (This passage is very reminiscent of a section
  of ‘Mars’ from Gustav Holst’s ‘Planets Suite’)
• At 51 the music sets off furiously, at a very fast tempo, with a one bar Ostinato figure
  (‘Mars’ again) driving the extract to its conclusion