7m2 The Themes of STAR WARS

With the exuberant Main Title still ringing in our ears, we turn our attention today to the many character themes that populate the underscore of John Williams' STAR WARS (1977). Examining this music uncovers a masterclass of melodic writing for film: from the short jingle-like motifs for the Rebel starships & Imperial soldiers to the lyrical, upward reaching anthems for Princess Leia and spiritual master Obi-wan Kenobi. We explore what each of these themes reveals of their characters, marveling at their ingenious & complementary expressions of rhythm, pitch, harmony and emotion. To help us in our discovery, we are joined by Dr. Jefferson Campbell, world-renowned Bassoonist and professor at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he continues to instruct on film music. Dr. Campbell is an authority on the music of the STAR WARS saga, frequently presenting his lecture "John Williams: The Other Star Wars Storyteller". With Dr. Campbell's help, we take a historical glance at the franchise, appreciating the seeds Williams plants in this first film - seeds he continues to water & nurture 40 years onward. We also delight in placing some attention on lesser-sung themes of this original film; equally memorable motives that never again appear in the saga (in fact, we even listen to Williams' unused first draft of an iconic character theme - a theme so appealing it found a happy home a few scores afterward). Join us as we continue to unearth John Williams incredible storytelling power in this landmark film. Listen to episode 7m2 The Themes of STAR WARS STAR WARS - John Williams - 1977 - Lucasfilm Ltd./20th Century Fox (George Lucas, dir,) Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra - John Williams Signature Edition - Hal Leonard (conductor score) IMDB ■ ■ ■ For score reductions, additional links and more, the discussion continues at: --------------------------------------------------------------------- to support the show, please visit

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7m2 The Themes of STAR WARS is an episode from UnderScore by marcato brothers network.

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This episode was published on Jul 3, 2018.

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