In mythic terms, this could be viewed as a fitting musical reflection of the superhero whose job is never entirely finished. And in fact every phrase in this main title ends on a dominant-we never get to a tonic conclusion. When a phrase is deprived of this tonic closure, we feel that the music must press on in order to attain it. This dominant chord gives the music a sense of forward drive since what we really want to hear after it is a tonic to close out the phrase. It begins with a blast of B-flat tonic harmony, which then alternates with the same quartal chord on F before coming to a close on the dominant chord. Remarkably, the big tune that follows has this very same harmonic outline (as does the tune’s return after the middle section). The fanfare then sounds its last three notes on the chord of the dominant (fifth note of the scale) in B-flat major. Grouping all the notes of these lines together, what results is a chord built in fourths, or what is known as a “quartal” chord (in the diagram below, I shift the trombones’ line down an octave to make it more readable): The harmony of the rapid brass lines that follow is not sounded as a block chord but rather by sounding the notes of a chord one at a time. The fanfare of the main title begins with the mythic orchestral blast on the tonic chord of the cue’s key, B-flat major. It would seem that even during his most heroic exploits, our superhero manages to have a heart. This more compassionate setting carries over into the return of the heroic big tune, which is now likewise scored for strings but also combined with French horns, a softer version of the more aggressive trumpets we heard before. And yet, the three-note motive underpins all of this, suggesting that what we are hearing is the gentler, more compassionate side of our superhero. This time, however, the heavy brass instruments are absent and the melody is made more lyrical by being scored for strings and continuing mainly in stepwise motion. But even here, we are treated to a reordering of the three-note motive: The middle section of the main title begins with a melody that may seem quite different from all that has come before. If the opening fifth signals a hero, this second larger leap signals a superhero. In these slower note values, this larger leap has a deeper impact on us, especially being at the top of the trumpet’s range on a climactic Bb. Of course the tune’s opening leap of a fifth in the trumpets is itself a marker of heroism, but notice that the tune also makes the leap of a seventh that we saw in the fanfare. This motive then becomes a part of the big tune: But a closer look reveals that the fanfare combines two fourths (and a resulting seventh) into a three-note motive that is repeated several times: So a liberal use of them here already lets us know that this mythic tale involves some kind of hero. In terms of musical intervals, there is a predominance of fourths in its melody:Įspecially when used in the brass, fourths tend to suggest strength and heroism. Naturally, the overlapping fanfare at the start of the cue builds up our the excitement before the big tune comes in, but more than that, it provides much of the material for the music to come. So besides the superficial consistencies in its loud brassy scoring, major key, and largely consonant chords, how is it that such different sections can sound so unified and keep up the mythic feel of the music? Some answers are suggested by the cue’s melody, harmony, and rhythm, as shown in my film music analysis below. Yet somehow it all hangs together incredibly well, drawing us through from start to finish in an engaging and remarkably cohesive way. It begins with an introductory fanfare of fast and overlapping lines, then moves into a “big” tune that is slower-paced and more majestic, then sounds a gentler melody for a middle section before returning to the big tune. The cue, which functions both as main title music and as a theme for Luke Skywalker, retains this mythic feel throughout its entirety and yet is surprisingly diverse in its musical material. With its opening orchestral blast, John Williams’ famous cue tells us that we are in for is a tale that is larger than life, something extraordinary, something from the realm of myths. Ever since its 1977 debut in Episode IV: A New Hope, it has remained enduringly popular among filmgoers of all ages and no doubt played a substantial role in catapulting sales of the film’s soundtrack to over four million copies after its initial release. The main title music to the Star Wars films is probably the most recognizable cue in film music history.
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