6. Star Wars by John Williams - BASICS

John Williams' style

fanfares, battle music, marches, soaring violins, large orchestra and leitmotifs

Metre

4/4 military march style until bar 44 then 3/4

Tempo changes

1. mostly fast (crotchet = 100)

2. few rallentandos/ritenutos before main ideas appear

3. massive slow down leading to pause in bar 50

4. codetta is very fast (160bpm)

Rhythmic features in opening fanfare

triplets and repeated notes

Section 1 rhythmic features

1A = syncopated block chord accompaniment

1B = triplets & dotted rhythms

Section 2 rhythmic features

- Violin triplet / sextuplet / demisemiquavers

- Pounding crotchets in bass

- war-like triplets from b42

Main texture

Mostly homophonic

Structure overview

Intro - Section 1 "Main theme" (A B A1) - Section 2

Melody (general)

- bold, clearly defined (features of JW's style)

- fanfare passages

- leitmotifs (Skywalker & Rebel Blockade)

- sequences

Fanfare melody

- rapid repeated notes

- triplet arpeggio-like figures

- 7th leaps

Melody theme A

4 bar Skywalker leitmotif on trumpet featuring rising 5ths, wide leaps of 7ths, triplets & syncopation.

Melody theme B

elegant and conjunct 4 bar idea on violins

Section 2 solo instrument

piccolo

Instrumentation (ensemble)

- Full symphony orchestra (almost 90 players)

- Much doubling of parts (thickly scored)

- No electronic effects or synths

Instrumentation details

10 woodwind

11 brass

6 percussion

harp

60 strings in 5 parts (1+2 violins, violas, cellos & double basses)

Intro + section 1 tonality

Bb major

Section 2 tonality

Eb, then chromatic (b33), hexatonic (b36), ambiguous C major (b42). Becomes less clear, almost atonal with the coda bitonal (C + Db)

Harmony (general)

- mostly tonal harmony with lots of major chords

- frequent complex chords and unusual progressions

- influence of quartal harmony (especially intro)