star wars

• background info

  1977 - John Williams

  Leitmotif (heroic strong reflected in music)
• instrumentation

  full orchestra + piccolo, bass clarinet, gong, glockenspiel, cymbals, piano, harp, celeste
• structure

  AABA structure

  flows with action on screen
• dynamics

  extreme

  crescendos and diminuendos

  frequently changing
• texture

  homophonic (chordal and melody dominated)

  pedal textures (inverted tonic)
• melody

  fanfare opening

  leitmotif on trumpets + other brass

  rebel blockade section

  rapid repeated notes

  block and arpeggiated chords

  pedal notes

  ostinato

  A&B start with anacrusis

  main theme interval is perfect 5th
• harmony

  mostly diatonic

  complicated sometimes sounds atonal

  dissonance

  quartal harmony (4th interval)
• tonality

  main theme - Bb major

  bitonality

  after main theme - tonality is unclear
• rhythm

  triplets

  dotted rhythms

  both themes start with an anacrusis

  syncopated
• tempo/metre

  fast/ steady tempo

  4/4

  expect section towards end = 3/4