Dive into the complete episode list for Star Wars Music Minute. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
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27 May 2022
Solo 14: Romance Roller Coaster (Minutes 66-70 with Crystal Beth)
01:19:18
"Lando's Closet" is the horniest cue on the Solo soundtrack, Y/N? Crystal Beth joins me today for a discussion about minutes 66-70 of Solo: A Star Wars Story!
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
02:32 - Cue naming conventions.
10:02 - Secrets theme 6x buildup.
12:43 - Horniness of this cue. Roller coaster.
14:38 - Narrating the roller coaster of the full cue.
17:16 - Buzzkill version in the film.
22:25 - Wanting to be sold on Han + Qi'ra's passion. Why this scene perhaps doesn't feel "true."
25:34 - Why it's harder to talk about music than other aspects of film.
32:02 - Xanthe's mic goes AWOL... back at 32:18.
39:07 - Thoughts about musical fan service, appreciating the Easter eggs
42:54 - Too soon for a Han movie? Desensitization.
50:08 - Fav Star Wars books?
53:30 - Comedian's perspective on L3-37 vs. K2SO vs. Peli Motto vs. Poe. Dryness, grounded-ness, casualness, improvisation.
59:15 - Crew of Solos?
1:02:01 - The "business" of a scene (in relation to L3 and Qi'ra's private chat).
1:12:15 - Rundown of musical themes and soundtrack titles from these minutes.
In this episode, we discuss the Dejarik pieces (voiced Ben Burtt himself), TIE fighters (elephants + cars), Chewbacca (whose vocalizations match with the costume), and more from minutes 61-65 of Star Wars! Nani, Gus, and Moe from Triad Of The Force podcast join me.
Timestamps:
0:00:00 - Hello there!
0:03:22 - Listening to the opening clip
0:07:25 - Interactions with non-humans (wookiee, droid)
0:13:51 - Generic sci fi synth sounds vs. Star Wars
0:16:05 - Dejarik sound design (it's Ben Burtt making noises)
0:23:10 - Chewbacca love fest, how to interpret his language, subtitles vs no subtitles, Chewie sound design
0:29:27 - Foreshadowing human vs. computer chess fascination
0:35:45 - Artoo's dome rotation, underrated sound
0:41:03 - Lack of music brings a gravitas to the scene
0:51:35 - Analyzing Threepio's character
1:03:03 - Han Solo as a useful foil, vocalizes the audience's skepticism
1:12:16 - Listening to the Death Star conference room
1:16:20 - Darth Vader is a human with machine qualities; droids are machines with human qualities.
1:19:02 - The Empire is all about control, living in space, manufactured environments, ration bars, etc. Remember those dorm room designs from that made the news?
1:24:20 - Hilarious asteroid sounds (are they corny?)
1:33:37 - TIE fighter sound design
1:39:02 - "That's no moon..." dum dum duuum
1:46:01 - SWMM Questionnaire
Things Mentioned:
Suzy Rice designed the original Star Wars logo, but it went through a couple changes.
Solo 17: Adagio for L3 (Minutes 81-85 with Lacey Gilleran)
01:33:30
Lacey Gilleran from Resistance Broadcast is here to talk about the music in Solo minutes 81-85! We discuss the tragic scoring of L3's death, the gravitational pull of pedal points, musical depth of field, and, of course, #MakeSolo2Happen.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
00:54 - MakeSolo2Happen
09:50 - Swashbuckling adventures.
15:53 - Young Han Solo's Searching theme, ascending
21:40 - Music as a strong guiding hand.
24:44 - Gravitational pull of the pedal point, Lando's denial, stratospheric strings.
34:19 - Sound mixing when Lando is in the shock-grief bubble.
38:42 - Is this a reference to Han and Leia?
52:12 - One of Lacey's favorite shots in Star Wars.
59:39 - Things sound different on the Falcon because of the room change.
1:02:31 - Rebel Fanfare offers heroic glimpses into the future while the Young Han Heroic theme represents Han settling back into himself for now.
1:04:42 - Listening to L3's death, tragic strings, solo trumpet like military funerals.
1:13:20 - How the Solo novelization depicts L3's death (including from her POV)...
1:22:19 - SWMM Questionnaire
1:30:49 - Goodbye and where to find Lacey Gilleran and Resistance Broadcast.
Very beginning of "Reminiscence Therapy" and "Kessel Run in Less Than 12 Parsecs (5M32-33A-B-C)"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Emotional. Sweeping. Adventure.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
How do composers figure out what a character sounds like? Ex: How did John Williams decide what Rey and Yoda sounded like?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Howl's Moving Castle (composed by Joe Hisaishi), Pirates of the Caribbean (composed by Klaus Badelt and produced by Hans Zimmer), Pride and Prejudice (composed by Dario Marianelli), Coco (composed by Michael Giacchino with original songs by various artists), Tron: Legacy (composed by Daft Punk).
ESB 25: Empire Strikes Back Season Highlights (Minutes 121-125)
02:43:14
Chrysanthe covers minutes 121-125, answers listener questions, and shares their 30 takeaways, trends, surprises, and highlights from The Empire Strikes Back season of Star Wars Music Minute. This is part 1 of a 2-part season finale!
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
ESB answer: Filigree, fanfares, flow.
SOLO answer: Intricate orchestral storytelling.
ANH answer: The Cosmic Force.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
ESB answer: Is there an internal "sonic style guide" at Lucasfilm or Skywalker Sound that's specific to Star Wars? I mean even things like relative loudness of music and dialogue, a specific protocol for mic'ing or looping in aliens, etc. Especially curious if there's anything in the Star Wars style guide that goes against current industry norms.
SOLO answer: The working relationship between the composer and music editor.
ANH answer: I'm curious about how other people experience and engage with the music of Star Wars, on both a macro and micro level. I want to know how other people are making sense of it or analyzing it with frameworks different than mine. Basically, I'm interested in doing what this podcast already gives me the excuse to do -- talk to people about Star Wars music.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Solo 4: Mouthy on Mimban (Minutes 16-20 with Darth Choco)
01:21:16
Darth Choco returns to the show! This time, we're talking about the music and sound in minutes 16-20 of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which starts with Han meeting Beckett and ends with Han getting thrown into a cell with a hungry beast...
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
ESB 8: Asteroid Feelings (Minutes 36-40 with Dennis Hamm)
02:44:07
We're getting into the Asteroid Field with Thundercat pianist Dennis Hamm! In this episode, we explore the complex harmony, emotion, and triumph in this cue that John Williams once called "a ballet of flying spaceships and asteroids colliding." Dennis also administers a fun listening test toward the end that you'll want to stick around for (there are no wrong answers). This is The Empire Strikes Back minutes 36-40.
Timstamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
3:59 - Listening to the minutes.
10:13 - Leia's themes touching on Lydian mode.
11:36 - Thinking in chords vs. melodies.
16:17 - Modal modulation. David Huron. Acoustic Ethological Model (AEM).
22:05 - A theory on why Han and Leia's theme sounds melancholic. (It involves overtones.)
29:48 - Four quadrants.
37:28 - Triumphant splash. More lydian talk.
45:14 - Beginning of 4M3 The Asteroid Field.
51:15 - "A ballet of flying spaceships and asteroids colliding."
ESB 24: Reverse-Engineering Artoo (Minutes 116-120 with Justin Leo Kennedy)
02:55:36
Justin Leo Kennedy is back for another sound design deep-dive! 🎉 Today, it's all about R2-D2. Using a virtual ARP 2600 synth emulator and a recording of his baby crying, Justin attempts to reverse-engineer Ben Burtt's iconic Artoo beepspeak, teaching us a lot about sound synthesis along the way.
We also discuss minutes 116-120 of The Empire Strikes Back, which feature two of Justin's other favorite sounds –the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive failure and Artoo's scream.
Check out the YouTube version of this episode to follow along with the live demonstration! https://youtu.be/4crbLjDl5zg
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
10:48 - You may recognize this music from when we were on Hoth.
18:19 - Added Vader scene that cuts into a cue.
39:37 - Little motifs and punctuation sprinkled throughout the orchestra.
44:37 - Cloud City visual comparisons. (This is the timestamp I promised, audio listeners!)
46:43 - Hyperdrive malfunction sound design.
53:47 - Semiotics.
1:03:23 - Band Batch shoutout.
1:14:50 - R2D2 sound design deep dive begins.
1:19:42 - Introduction to the ARP 2600 and ARP 2600 plugin/emulator (It wasn't showing up on screen yet).
1:29:25 - It's showing up now!
1:30:00 - Tour of the virtual ARP 2600.
1:39:43 - Recording of Justin's baby crying.
1:49:03 - Closer examination of the modular synth, patch cable routing, oscillators. Justin's 3 attempts at making the R2 sound.
1:58:41 - Justin's third and best attempt at making the Artoo sound.
2:00:38 - Modulating the speed of the sample and hold with a low frequency oscillator (LFO).
2:09:30 - Shoutout to anyone who is still listening.
Video of Ben Burtt demonstrating Artoo's sound, but it's not zoomed in: "How sound designer Ben Burtt made Star Wars’ iconic sound effects" (Roadtrip Nation) https://youtu.be/WBKKXjNf1sE
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New answer: mrrrm mrrrm mrawww. R2D2 beeping sounds.
Previous answer: pwsh vrrrrum shhpt
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New answer: More about the recording sessions. What kind of relationship did John Williams have with the engineers? What was it like in that studio? What kinds of conversations took place?
Previous answer: "Duel of the Fates" orchestration.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New answer: TRON (composed by Wendy Carlos)
Previous answer: I, Robot (composed by Marco Beltrami), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) (composed by John Du Prez), Spirited Away (composed by Joe Hisaishi)
This episode is an introduction to the music of SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, composed by John Powell and John Williams, with special focus on minutes 1-5 of the film. Xanthe discusses the scoring process, division of labor between the composers, and plays a few of the initial leitmotifs.
Solo 24: Better Call Maul (Minutes 116-120 with The Band Batch)
03:35:50
Maul's entire sound situation in minutes 116-120 of SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY is absolute wildness. James Waterman and Justin Scheid (from The Band Batch) are here with Xanthe to discuss!
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
01:31 - Our extremely cute matching outfits.
08:04 - Analog sword fighting.
11:00 - Space pirate polyrhythms + a tangent about notating polyrhythms.
20:26 - Cool accents on beat 2 during the heroic end of the fight.
24:04 - Is Han's theme almost "the lick?"
26:09 - Powell's blend of classic + modern elements, cinematic toms, electronic drums
32:59 - Clap for James's joke.
35:04 - Beginning of Qi'ra and Han's romantic (?) scene.
37:39 - How do Justin and James feel about the "Secrets" theme.
43:56 - Han & Qi'ra's wistful piano theme = a unique moment for a Star Wars score.
53:08 - Giant interval leaps associated with yearning, longing, romance.
58:40 - The weirdest line: "Smile."
1:01:54 - Qi'ra's motivations.
1:08:44 - Darth Maul.
1:16:00 - Time warp.
1:26:30 - Maul's position in the sound mix, microphone technique, speakers, and why does he sound like that? 😩
1:53:23 - Duel of the Fates.
2:03:58 - The original key of Duel of the Fates is maintained here. Does that matter?
2:25:35 - Beckett and Han scene begins. Difference between soundtrack version and film version of score.
2:46:15 - Rundown of musical stats (should the Rebel Fanfare count or no?) with a brief introduction to what Frank Lehman calls "associative progressions."
2:50:42 - Answering listener questions (from Alex C.) about our own experiences composing for film.
3:05:59 - Will there always be a place for "conventional" and/or orchestral film scores?
Mono (film by Sangam Sharma, collaboratively scored by Chrysanthe Tan and 5 other musicians). Xanthe composed "Still," "A Darkroom," and "Void" (from 35:00-48:17) - https://vimeo.com/149306826
TLJ 25: Motifsplosion! (Minutes 121-125 with Alex Damon)
00:57:05
How many motifs can you spot during the Battle of the Crait? Hint: there are more than 10! Alex Damon from Star Wars Explained is here with me today to break down the music and action in Minutes 121-125 of The Last Jedi.
Discussion topics/Highlights:
Alex finally figures out the theme he's had stuck in his head.
Finn's musical fake-out. Music as a manipulator, extra narrator.
The scoring process for this film.
What goes into making a balanced sound mix. The music + dialogue + sound design can't compete for the same crowded frequency ranges.
How the Battle of Crait "rhymes" with the Battle of Hoth, Empire Strikes Back, and the bomber run from the beginning of The Last Jedi.
Set-piece themes, like the Asteroid Field, and their role in Star Wars.
Chat about the past, present, and future of the rebellion.
Brief round of Star Wars music trivia (in which Alex wins)
Motifs (in order of appearance). I've included the numbers/names in case you want to follow along in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of Star Wars Themes.
Solo 18: Powered By Thirds (Minutes 86-90 with Jeremy Sawruk)
02:02:55
Jeremy Sawruk returns to the show to talk minutes 86-90 of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Today, we're getting into the Kessel Run, which features familiar themes from the Asteroid Field, Here They Come, and more. On the soundtrack, you'll find this cue in "Reminiscence Therapy" and "Kessel Run in Less Than 12 Parsecs."
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
07:17 - Listening to the beginning of these minutes and comparing them to A New Hope.
14:35 - Thirds, avoidance of chordal resolution
17:08 - Does this chord progression sound inevitable? Deceptive cadences. Search: "chromatic mediants composition secrets."
22:40 - How L3's theme is building tension.
27:37 - John Powell glue, "Corellia Chase," adding momentum by raising the bottom note.
31:05 - The parameters that composers can tweak to raise intensity: louder, faster, add instruments, make notes go higher, etc.
ESB 4: Snowspeeder Macroharmony (Minutes 16-20 with Jenn Harding)
01:51:54
Music theorist Dr. Jenn Harding joins Xanthe for an analysis of minutes 16-20 of The Empire Strikes Back. We talk about textural shifts, snowspeeder sound design, macroharmony, musical structure, spectrograms, math, intonation, the Leia-Han-Luke love triangle (and what the music has to say about it), and more!
Solo 19: The Kitchen Sink (Minutes 91-95 with Jon Solomon)
02:00:57
Talking about the music and sound in minutes 91-95 of Solo: A Star Wars Story with Jon Solomon! This set of minutes features a giant space tentacle monster, which, in part, is brought to life by the score and sound design. We talk about tension-building, our perceptions of musical "fastness," and a mysterious howling sound that Xanthe and Jon are now mildly obsessed with.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
08:39 - Placid chord when Lando says the L3 is part of the ship now.
18:37 - Stellar screen displays.
37:30 - Is this music as fast as music gets in Star Wars? What does "fast" mean? Strong beats? Density of notes?
43:53 - The difference between a smooth cross-country flight and a spaceship flying through a maelstrom with a giant multi-eyed creature in the middle of it.
46:41 - Loud MRI machines.
53:38 - What's up with this howling noise?
1:05:06 - Familiar themes but with a note tweaked to make it off-kilter.
1:09:27 - Cue vs. track vs. composition vs. score vs. recording vs. leitmotif vs. theme. Natural variation in themes. Skeleton vs. soft tissue, etc et. (I know, I know, how many times must I go on this spiel? Sorry!)
1:18:39 - Natural water filtration analogy.
1:25:18 - Multiple interpretation of the same howl/screech/alarm-ish sound.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
Solo 29: Interview with Baraka May (Singer on ”Chicken in the Pot”)
01:39:57
Baraka May has recording vocals on over 500 films, TV shows, video games, commercials, and albums. Today, we're discussing her work on "Chicken In the Pot" in Solo: A Star Wars Story! 🐔 Baraka reflects on the recording process, talks about how she approached the Huttese dialect, and talks about how she and John Powell experimented with pitch and speed-shifting in order to land on the unique "Chicken in the Pot" vocals.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
04:20 - How did Baraka get called in to sing "Chicken in the Pot?"
11:09 - Baraka's training as a singer, actor, and voiceover artist. Becoming a "utility singer."
17:30 - Brazilian Bossa Nova + breathy + nasal.
19:27 - Recording the original demo in Sith, then changing it to Huttese.
23:11 - "Chicken in the Pot" vocals were recorded in a fast tempo, then slowed down. John Powell and Baraka May played around with lots of approaches.
31:39 - The pitch bending was Baraka's own improvisation + flavor. There are no microtones notated.
37:10 - Baraka's friend Reid Bruton ended up singing the bass backup vocals for the film version.
41:00 - "Chicken in the Pot" lyrics and translation confirmed!
45:00 - The high-pitched backup vocal was achieved by singing in a character voice in a slightly lower pitch, then pitching it up a little. "Sprechstimme" = speak-sing.
57:35 - How did Baraka remember her vocal placement when she went back to the studio for re-records?
1:00:41 - Maintaining vocal health with a full schedule of session work.
1:12:12 - What kinds of voices and styles are trendy? Baraka's favorite vocalists to emulate.
1:21:31 - What was Baraka's first "Chicken in the Pot" take for John Powell like?
1:26:16 - Posh Huttese.
1:28:51 - SWMM Questionnaire
1:35 28 - If Solo 2 happens, would Baraka be down to reprise her role as Aurodia Ventafoli ("CITP" singer)?
A NEW HOPE minutes 96-100 take us from the TIE fighter attack to the Rebel base on Yavin. Composer and music/sound editor Nick Norton joins Xanthe for a discussion about jungle soundscapes, downtime in the cockpit, and the 5 categories of sound in film.
Note: I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/
Soundtrack stuff:
Last minute of "Ben Kenobi's Death/TIE Fighter Attack"
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SWMM Questionnaire:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Original space opera.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
More about Ludwig Göransson's process. How is/was the work divided (between Göransson and Joseph Shirley) in The Book of Boba Fett? How do electronics and sound design feed into the sound of The Mandalorian?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Blade Runner 2049 (composed by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch)
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If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
Solo 21: Shades of Revelation (Minutes 101-105 with Alex Cunningham)
01:50:43
The "Secrets" theme can be easy to miss, but not in minutes 101-105 of Solo: A Star Wars Story! The veil of secrecy is lifted as the "Secrets" motif cycles through a progression of revelatory chords leading to Crimson Dawn. This is one of Xanthe's favorite musical moments in the film. Alex Cunningham returns to the show to nerd out about it!
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
03:14 - Visual preview of these minutes.
11:33 - What makes the buildup to the Crimson Dawn reveal so interesting?
14:56 - Same pitch collection as Enfys Nest theme.
17:29 - Is the instrumentation gendered?
20:57 - How the harmony contributes to the buildup and reveal (plus some sweet, sweet Major 7th action).
30:12 - Timbral interaction between bass singers and bass flute.
32:06 - Addressing the whole Augie's Municipal Band and Emperor's Theme thingy.
36:26 - Does Frank Lehman have a list of how many variants of a theme are present in each movie?
45:32 - The chords matter in the "Secrets" theme. Otherwise, it's just 3 notes that arguably sound like Jurassic Park.
51:09 - Brief "March of the Resistance" cameo.
54:45 - Enfys Nest's accent, British accents in Star Wars for women, especially women of color.
1:02:01 - Alden Ehrenreich's performance.
1:07:02 - "Secrets" theme 7x: Cycling through the chord progression. (C Major, A half diminished 7, E minor, C minor, A7, Eb Major, C Major)
1:17:00 - Kurosawa-esque sound design on Savareen.
1:27:03 - Qi'ra's intuition about Han + the classic moviemaking time trick.
1:30:24 - Different interpretations of the harp during Beckett's goodbye.
1:33:56 - A critique about the Millennium Falcon takeoff sound.
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Previous answer: John. Ben. James.
New answer: John. Ben. James.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Previous answer: What other sound designers does Ben Burtt admire?
New answer: Who is on the foley team, and how do they think and talk about foley? Do they see themselves as sound designers, how do they approach their creative work?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Previous answer: Akira (composed by Geinoh Yamashirogumi), The Harder They Come (primarily featuring Jimmy Cliff)
New answer: Station Eleven (composed by Dan Romer)
ESB 10: Mister Rogers of Star Wars (Minutes 46-50 with Ken Plume)
02:42:10
It's finally time to meet Yoda! Joining me today is writer, producer, and Muppet aficionado Ken Plume. We break down Frank Oz's fantastic performance, including his speech syntax and the vocal qualities that define Yoda vs. Miss Piggy vs. Grover vs. Fozzie vs. Bert and Frank Oz's other classic characters. The music takes a backseat in this scene, giving the audience a chance to really meet and hear Yoda for the first time. This is THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK minutes 46-50.
Check out the video version of this episode if you want to see Ken's puppet demonstrations: https://youtu.be/RCqDQ6XCBc4
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
1:26 - How Ken's tweets made Xanthe appreciate the Muppets more.
7:25 - Listening to the start of these minutes.
13:07 - Piccolo/bassoon line when Luke lights the furnace.
17:04 - Artoo sitting back and watching everything unfold.
18:03 - Is the cue announcing the "magic has entered the room?" Kite metaphor.
27:02 - The Force theme tapping Luke on the shoulder rather than announcing when Luke has entered the room.
32:49 - This scene has Yoda's most extreme, comical vocal performance.
38:37 - Frank Oz voice comparisons. Noise-to-pitch ratio. What do Yoda, Grover, Miss Piggy, Animal, Bert, Cookie Monster, Sam Eagle, and Fozzie have in common? What is different? Grit, cleanliness, gravel, rumble, nasality, rasp, phlegm.
53:42 - Yoda syntax, pedagogy, younglings, Mr. Rogers, action words.
59:17 - Listener question: Do you think Yoda is an accent?
1:05:11 - Things in puppetry that separate amateurs from professionals.
1:10:27 - Puppet sound sync, mouth shapes.
1:17:28 - Listener question: What do you think it does for a puppet performer to portray both speech and action for a single character?
ESB 1: The First Five Minutes of Empire (Minutes 1-5)
01:20:41
This episode is an introduction to the music of The Empire Strikes Back, with a special emphasis on minutes 1-5. Welcome to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK SEASON of Star Wars Music Minute! 🎉 (No guest today; just Xanthe.)
Justin Scheid and James Waterman join Xanthe (Band Batch reunion!) in a discussion about A NEW HOPE minutes 116-120, during which Luke Skywalker blows up the Death Star, the Rebels have an awkwardly formal medal ceremony, and Artoo recovers from being zapped.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
07:19 - Listening to the start of these minutes.
09:52 - Four drum timpani part.
13:24 - Crash course in crash cymbals.
24:00 - Minor Main Theme.
29:45 - Analysis of the musical shift during the "Use the force, Luke" part.
38:02 - What is this bassline?
46:30 - Heroic descending tetrachords + us trying to figure out the beats.
51:00 - Main Theme variations and the (Not) Death of Artoo.
1:02:20 - Hard mallets vs. soft mallets on timpani.
1:05:25 - The visual interface of the war room screen.
1:10:25 - Main Theme where "all the harmonies are wrong"
1:17:10 - Death Star go boom! End of the Disney ride. Happy glockenspiel.
1:19:03 - Difference between glockenspiel, xylophone, vibraphone, marimba.
1:29:27 - Feeling stressed about Artoo getting zapped in the Battle of Yavin.
1:35:25 - The Throne Room AKA Star Wars Pomp and Circumstance.
1:43:09 - Why is the medal ceremony so formal?
1:51:15 - Is the music during the medal ceremony diegetic? A debate.
2:00:09 - B section of the Main Theme that barely gets any love.
Note: I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Where are we in the soundtrack?
"The Battle Of Yavin (Launch From The Fourth Moon/X-Wings Draw Fire/Use The Force")
"The Throne Room/End Title"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Justin: pew pew pew
James: The Band Batch
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
James: The idea that John Williams composes with pencil and paper. What is his writing process like? James wants to know all the little factoids.
Justin: How all the sound effects were made. Justin would love to be a fly on the wall while the sound designers and foley artists are doing their thing.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Justin: The village (composed by James Newton Howard)
James: Hereditary (composed by Colin Stetson)
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THE BAND BATCH = Xanthe, James, and Justin. Join us for music commentary livestreams on YouTube whenever new Star Wars shows come out!
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guests! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
ESB 2: Wampa Vision (Minutes 6-10 with Christina Ward)
01:31:51
This episode is about minutes 6-10 of The Empire Strikes Back, and composer-artist Christina Ward returns to the show to discuss! The YouTube version of this episode is here: https://youtu.be/xHuhO51iYuc
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
02:15 - Listening to the beginning of these minutes.
08:17 - Assessing the feelings behind Han and Leia's dialogue.
12:28 - Slow, awkward waltz.
16:41 - Threepio slander.
24:32 - Irvin Kershner wanted the ESB score to be spare.
29:44 - Talking through a part of the score.
36:47 - Reverse-engineering the Wampa based on how the Wampa sounds.
41:07 - Swarming, swirling strings rise up. Reminiscent of the Moldau (by Smetana).
49:27 - Getting the notes exactly right vs. "this is an effect."
"The Wampa's Lair/Vision of Obi-Wan/Snowspeeders Take Flight"
Cue Numbers and Names:
1M2B "The Imperial Probe - Part 2" aka "New Start"
1M3/2M1 "Luke's Escape"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Old answer: Heartfelt. Direct. Dramatic.
New answer: Droids. Hopeful. Dramatic.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Old answer: What are the thematic relationships that tie the dark side with Imperialism, musically speaking? Similarly, what musical relationships tie the light side with rebellion and goodness?
New answer: What the aural representation of Chiss brainwaves, particularly Sky-walkers, would be.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Old answer: Dune (music composed by Hans Zimmer, sound team led by Mark Mangini and Theo Green)
New answer: Ms. Marvel (composed by Laura Karpman) and Moon Knight (composed by Hesham Nazih)
ESB 23: First Force Foray (Minutes 111-115 with Camila Quiñones)
02:11:29
If you play The Empire Strikes Back backwards, will you hear the wind whispering "Luke?" Are the gentle climaxes on Cloud City byproducts of calculated sensory deprivation? How does John Williams convey Luke's emotional state and connect Leia to the Force? Today's guest is Camila Quiñones -- writer, host of Beings of the Galaxy podcast, and one of my favorite people to talk Star Wars with. This is ESB minutes 110-115, in which Vader delivers the father reveal and Leia senses Luke through the Force.
ESB 12: Horror With a Punchline (Minutes 56-60 with Suzen Tekla Kruglnska)
01:27:06
Suzen Tekla Kruglnska returns to the show to discuss the humorous horror and philosophical twists in The Empire Strikes Back minutes 56-60! We talk about Kubrick musical connections, Yoda's necklace/instrument, mynock sound design, and the visceral extended techniques used to elicit fear.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
5:36 - Connections to The Shining and The Muppet Show.
ESB 17: Pomp Without Circumstance (Minutes 81-85 with Alex Ludwig)
01:47:45
Musicologist Alex Ludwig (Dies Irae guru) returns to the show to discuss minutes 81-85 of The Empire Strikes Back! We talk about the form, orchestration, and rhythm of the Lando's Palace cue, the stern parenting of Yoda and Obi-Wan, and how the music paints the text.
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New answer: Stories in sound.
Solo season answer: Soaring searching strings.
ANH season answers: Triumphant brass fanfares. Ominous contrapuntal warblings.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New answer: What were the spotting sessions like for this film in particular?
Solo season answer: Who's gonna write the next paradigm-shifting Star Wars score?
ANH season answer: What it's like for new composers (Michael Giacchino, John Powell, Ludwig Göransson, etc) to play in the playground of Star Wars music -- to have all these themes at their fingertips, get to use them and take them to new places. "What is it like to get the keys to this kingdom as a composer?"
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New answer: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (composed by Disasterpeace AKA Rich Vreeland)
Solo season answer: The Matrix trilogy (composed by Don Davis)
ANH season answer: The Social Network (composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) and Sunset Boulevard (composed by Franz Waxman)
ESB 3: Snowy Spectralism (Minutes 11-15 with Jacob Jahiel)
01:09:25
This episode is about minutes 11-15 of The Empire Strikes Back with my guest Jake Jahiel -- a musicologist, Baroque music specialist, and 2022 Fellow of the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism. Today, we're talking about the Spectralist-adjacent music of Hoth, the Force theme that sprang from the petri dish, Wagner's influence, and the music that John Williams originally wrote that got cut from this scene.
TLJ 31: Listener Roundtable (Minutes 151-153 with Jay Cooper and John Bellizzi)
01:26:32
We've reached the end of The Last Jedi! Today's episode is a fun roundtable discussion with Jay Cooper and John Bellizzi, in which we listen to the rest of the end credits music and do a play-by-play commentary together. We also reflect on the season and film as a whole, share our personal music and sound effects highlights from The Last Jedi, and speculate on the future of Star Wars music.
Guests: John Bellizzi and Jay Cooper
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
02:00 - End credits music + play by play commentary
17:37 - What were our first impressions of the music in The Last Jedi?
27:13 - Open-ended question: What makes some musical themes more memorable than others?
42:28 - Things we've learned, SWMM season highlights, shoutouts to specific Star Wars Music Minute guests, episodes, and concepts that stretched us as TLJ music and sound fans.
51:45 - Topics about Star Wars music we still don't understand or would like more context around
54:40 - Our thoughts and speculation on the future of Star Wars music
56:53 - What is the "John Williams soundtrack" style?
1:09:06 - Our favorite sound effects in The Last Jedi
1:09:45 - Our favorite music things in The Last Jedi
1:15:35 - If you could encourage people to revisit one particular spot in The Last Jedi, where the music and sound design are working in "perfect symbiosis," where would that be and what should they pay attention to?
This chunk of A NEW HOPE (Minutes 56-60) begins with the Millennium Falcon blasting off at lightspeed and ends with Obi-Wan sensing the destruction of Alderaan. Ralph Attanasia joins me, and together, we tackle Tarkin's malicious trills, Leia's British accent, Han's Imperial Slugs advertisement, the sweet chaotic Force theme, and more.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
01:30 - Peter Cushing in Star Wars is like Michael Caine in The Muppet Christmas Carol. Malicious trills
05:09 - Garindan's voice is John Wayne sped up
07:45 - Bumbling stormtrooper music
09:32 - Peter and the Wolf-ness?
13:25 - "Baby's first mono-myth"
15:00 - Imperial Troops Ostinato (incidental motif) and "Imperials (motif)"
18:44 - Docking Bay 94 escape music is loud, chaotic elements competing, Force theme ratcheting up
20:08 - Force theme maneuvering on the fly
22:58 - Alternate Binary Sunset thoughts
29:37 - Inside the Millennium Falcon
31:58 - "Our passengers must be hotter than I thought." Han, what?
33:07 - Imperial Cruiser Pursuit (incidental motif described by Frank Lehman as "nervous minor horn chords succeeded by chromatic figure in strings"
33:52 - Were you obsessed with lightspeed?
38:35 - Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (if you know, you know)
38:47 - Brass sextuplets, instruments that are hard to multitask with
45:28 - Han says "Go strap yourselves in" and it sounds funny in the mix?
46:09 - Death Star motif
49:03 - Bond chord (minor major 9th)
56:00 - Metaphor fail, not shadowboxing
58:02 - Leia's British accent
1:02:07 - One of the biggest mistakes of the prequels
1:03:35 - Dies Irae? Maybe? (Paging Alex Ludwig)
1:07:33 - Pronouncing "Dantooine"
1:09:07 - Rolling R's in "Rebel friends"
1:12:37 - Death Star power up sound
1:13:24 - Disturbance in the Force
1:15:54 - No music with lightsabers...except?
1:22:21 - "Forget your troubles with those Imperials slugs"
1:23:37 - Dejarik
1:27:05 - Asking Ralph to clarify something he said on Star Wars Minute podcast
1:33:33 - SWMM Questionnaire
1:40:11 - Dunning Kruger
1:45:41 - Ukulele Force
Things Mentioned:
Prokofiev:Peter And The Wolf, Op. 67 - David Bowie, narration; Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra - https://youtu.be/9vr4JRbz8Yg
Note: I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Soundtrack: "The Millennium Falcon/Imperial Cruiser Pursuit," "Destruction of Alderaan," "Mouse Robot/Blasting Off"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Sweeping expressive proclamations
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Ralph wants to know what he doesn't know about the music, then learn that which he doesn't know.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Beetlejuice (composed by Danny Elfman)
The Addams Family (composed by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Marc Shaiman and Saxie Dowell).
ANH 25: A New Hope Season Highlights (Minutes 121-125)
02:09:09
Xanthe dissects the End Credits of A New Hope, calls 1-800-PHONE-THX, reviews the thematic census, covers trending topics from the season, and answers some epic listener questions about the music of Star Wars.
Discussion Guide:
00:00 - Hello there!
01:57 - The final five minutes of the film.
14:55 - Calling 1-800-PHONE-THX.
18:24 - Structure of the End Credits music.
22:48 - Throne Room/End Credits vs. Concert Arrangement.
32:00 - A New Hope season stats, thematic census, trending topics, recurring conversation points, highlights.
49:20 - Listener Questions/Comments
51:02 - Besides the opening crawl, does the Main Theme (B Section) show up anywhere in A New Hope? (Asked by multiple people)
55:52 - Is the oboe a heavy instrument? (Question from Jay Cooper)
59:30 - Why do "The Battle of Yavin" (Star Wars) and "Desert Chase" (Raiders of the Lost Ark) sound kind of similar? (Question from Phillip Liebold)
1:23:37 - How does transposition work? (Question from Joshua Scheide)
1:35:38 - Was there a deliberate decision not to talk much about Holst throughout the season? (Comment from Alex Cunningham that I turned into a question)
1:40:00 - Comment from Alex Cunningham about hypothetically diegetic "Throne Room" and Tolkien.
1:42:04 - Question from Tim Bobrowski about the "music of leveling up."
1:56:58 - What does Star Wars sound like? (according to all the guests from this season)
2:01:15 - Answering the SWMM Questionnaire
What Does Star Wars Sound Like? (according to all guests this season)
Majestic French horns. (Alex Robinson)
Aunt Beru's kitchen. (Pete the Retailer)
Beyond the horizon. (Element7)
California radio voiceovers. (Ender from AurekFonts)
Action, danger, romance. (Mat from Blue Bantha Milk Co.) Expansive. Dramatic. Romantic. (Aiden Feltkamp)
Star Wars Music Minute Questionnaire (Xanthe's answers):
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
The Cosmic Force.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
I'm curious about how other people experience and engage with the music of Star Wars, on both a macro and micro level. I want to know how other people are making sense of it or analyzing it with frameworks different than mine. Basically, I'm interested in doing what this podcast already gives me the excuse to do -- talk to people about Star Wars music.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
ESB 7: Musical Referee (Minutes 31-35 with Conor Power)
02:05:19
Film music PhD researcher Conor Power joins me for a discussion about The Empire Strikes Back minutes 31-35. We're finishing up the Battle of Hoth along with some shrill piccolos, rollicking pianos, an "extra minor" Luke theme, and a brass line that we both fancy for reasons we try to figure out. As the episode title suggests, the music in this cue seems to act like a referee keeping score between the Rebels and Empire (find out who the musical "winner" of these minutes is at the end of the episode). We also discuss the "Feminine Romantic Cliche" (FRC) as it pertains to Leia's theme and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
02:44 - Ben Burtt's AT-AT sound design.
08:18 - The music acting as a referee.
14:51 - Piercing shrill piccolo.
22:55 - Foreshadowing the Asteroid Field.
24:16 - Comm voices match visual cuts.
25:51 - These pianos! ❤️
34:27 - Luke's theme "extra minor."
42:44 - Stark, despondent Han and Leia scene.
45:12 - Why does this brass part stick out to us (in a good way)?
51:30 - Why the Force theme here?
1:03:08 - Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony + using spidey senses.
1:09:07 - Rebels gaining the upper hand (musically).
1:15:32 - Harry Potter comparison (joking chromatic string texture).
1:21:48 - Leia's theme and Feminine Romantic Cliche (FRC).
1:30:48 - Music + Millennium Falcon vroooom = perfection.
1:33:55 - "Captain Solo! Captain Solo!" Is Threepio's line doubled?
1:39:10 - Who actually wins the Battle of Hoth?
1:43:59 - ESB's more subtle dynamic between Han and Leia.
1:53:24 - Who wins the musical battle in these minutes?
TLJ 26: Luke and Leia Say Goodbye (Minutes 126-130 with Camila Quiñones)
01:25:08
Luke and Leia reunite, and their musical themes pull at our heartstrings. Camila, also known as BoricuaWookiee, is here with me to navigate through these emotional minutes (126-130) of The Last Jedi.
Discussion topics/Highlights:
Is Finn's impending sacrifice selfish? Thoughts on his role and actions in the Resistance.
Dies Irae when Finn is about to sacrifice himself.
Leia's uncharacteristic loss of hope, which only Luke can reignite.
The smooth progression of themes, from Force --> Luke & Leia --> Han & Leia
The melodic and harmonic connections between all of Leia's three themes.
Is the beginning of the Star Wars Main Theme outlined at the beginning of Luke & Leia's theme? (Both begin with a perfect 4th to perfect 5th)
Does Leia know that Luke is a Force projection?
How our Star Wars feelings/opinions are constantly adjusting based on new information and more conversations.
"Luke & Leia" reminiscent of "Make Our Garden Grow" from Leonard Bernstein's Candide (operetta).
Rose as a future Resistance leader.
Leia, the bedrock of Star Wars. The rock of the Rebellion. The rock of the Skywalker family.
The repetitive F minor chord that makes us feel like we're waiting for something to happen.
Themes Referenced (in order of appearance):
13) Dies Irae
55a. Rose (A Section) in Db
3. Force in Em
21. Luke & Leia in E
11a. Han & Leia (A Section) in F
103) Luke's Last Stand in Fm
Where we are in the soundtrack: "Battle of Crait" and "The Spark"
Want more? Check out Chrysanthe's Patreon for weekly practice/composing/music analysis livestreams.
12 Aug 2022
Solo 25: The Raconteur (Minutes 121-125 with Star Wars Lawyer)
01:15:43
In minutes 121-125 of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Beckett dies, Qi'ra leaves, and we reunite with Lando the Raconteur in his fancy jungle room. Star Wars Lawyer (Kris) returns to the show for a discussion about solemn death music, Lando's themes, Lando cosplay, and more!
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
07:17 - How do you feel about Han and Qi'ra's romance?
10:26 - Death and solemnity in Star Wars.
17:19 - Death of the dream (Qi'ra and Han's)
21:21 - Yacht sound design, a dirty rumble.
26:18 - Star Wars audiobooks.
30:24 - Why does Enfys Nest call Han a "leader" and a "warrior"? Is he, really?
35:59 - This is where the fun begins.
40:10 - Diegetic music: "Lando's Jungle Room."
45:55 - Non-diegetic music: "Sabacc Rematch"... but something about it almost sound diegetic?
52:58 - Lando's music throughout the Star Wars saga (Empire Strikes Back through Solo and Rise of Skywalker). Speculating on what Lando's themes might sound like in the future.
59:33 - What do you want in a Lando show?
1:05:51 - SWMM Questionnaire
1:12:28 - How Kris discovered that he could do the Vader voice.
"Dice & Roll" & "Sabacc Rematch / To Tatooine (7M47-48)"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
A galactic symphony
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New answer: Deep dive into John Williams's mindset when he wrote his love themes: "Across the Stars," "Han Solo and the Princess," and "Princess Leia's Theme."
Previous answer: A deeper dive into the Star Wars themes (motifs, etc)
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New answer: The Prince of Egypt score and soundtrack (by Hans Zimmer and Stephen Schwartz), How to Train Your Dragon (composed by John Powell)
Previous answer: Interstellar (composed by Hans Zimmer), Tron: Legacy (composed by Daft Punk), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (composed by Michael Giacchino)
Solo 26: Lightspeed to End Credits (Minutes 126-130 with Star Wars Minute)
02:00:37
Today, we're obsessing over the transition to the end credits in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Pete and Alex from Star Wars Minute are here to join me! (Ring theory.) We compare the Solo credits to The Empire Strikes Back, The Phantom Menace, and more.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
05:26 - How Solo transitions to the end credits.
17:46 - End credits transitions in saga films vs. Star Wars Story films.
25:45 - Sooo that's how the Solo soundtrack ends?
37:03 - Is Solo the most "prequel-ly" of the Disney-era films? What does that even mean?
44:09 - What do Pete and Alex think of John Powell's Solo score overall?
55:00 - What does Xanthe think of the score overall?
57:21 - The two versions of the Solo soundtrack and what their differences are.
1:01:35 - Han and Qi'ra's love theme.
1:08:29 - Does the Solo Deluxe soundtrack have multiple versions of the same cue?
1:12:32 - The Leia to Han & Leia to Han & Qi'ra to Marion pipeline.
1:20:22 - Is jaunty music appropriate for the droid rebellion?
1:32:40 - Discord questions.
1:40:31 - Which guests would Pete and Alex like to hear on Star Wars Music Minute?
1:47:10 - SWMM Questionnaire
Things to Check Out:
ANH 1: The First Five Minutes of Star Wars (Minutes 1-5 with Pete and Alex from Star Wars Minute) - https://youtu.be/8jvjTESH1XE
Solo 7: Powell’s Fresh Take (Minutes 31-35 with Frank Lehman)
02:10:32
Let's get into that "Train Heist" cue with Dr. Frank Lehman! In this episode, we discuss the sheer density of the Solo score, modulation as an effective tool to generate intensity (Frank counted 21 key changes in 5 minutes), Powell's dramatic usage of driving percussion, and the orchestration details that feel like "Williams's unique fingerprints but with a Powell filter." Then, we dig into what is arguably the most surprising part of this entire score: the music for Enfys Nest, which features Bulgarian singing. Needless to say, there are tons of musical happenings in minutes 31-35 of Solo: A Star Story!
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
01:21 - What stands out to you, on a big picture level, in these minutes?
03:22 - 21 key changes
07:34 - Listening to the beginning of the train heist scene
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
In minutes 101-105 of A New hope, our rebel friends attend a briefing, rev up their engines backstage, and get ready for showtime on the Death Star. Today's guest is Alex Cunningham, who raises interesting questions about the diegesis of Obi-Wan's voice, the timing of the PA voices, and General Dodonna's accent.
Discussion Guide:
00:00 - Hello there!
10:14 - Does Luke literally experience Obi-Wan's voice?
18:57 - Subjectivity and objectivity in music/language.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
ESB 5: Weeds of the Reeds (Minutes 21-25 with Stephanie Manning)
02:24:18
In minutes 21-25 of The Empire Strikes Back, Vader sets course for the Hoth system while the Rebels prepare to defend their base. Joining me today is Stephanie Manning, a bassoonist, writer, and 2022 Fellow of the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism. We talk about the Imperial March, the contrast between Rebel and Empire music, and the bassoon's role in the orchestra.
Sidenote: Stephanie is the first bassoonist I've had on the show, so it was high time for a thorough introduction to this often-overlooked but very present instrument that's part of the Star Wars scores.
Check out the video version of this episode if you want to see the bassoon visuals. Once Disney accepts my copyright dispute, it will be right here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2abkoRqBMwQ (Maddeningly, the video is currently blocked at the time of initial release. 😵💫)
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
8:20 - Quickie Lesson: Primer to the Instruments of the Orchestra
13:55 - Hard to imagine hearing the Imperial March for the first time.
17:26 - "Pay attention to me" melodies.
24:31 - Imperial March vs. Chopin's Funeral March.
30:52 - Imperial March vs. John Philip Sousa marches.
39:17 - Bassoon show and tell (range, embouchure, double reed, height comparison, how the keys work, how sound is produced)
48:03 - The part where I promised there would be a timestamp.
54:01 - Bassoon playing demonstration.
1:00:02 - How to mic a bassoon.
1:02:08 - Orchestrating bassoon.
1:08:48 - What made Stephanie choose to play the bassoon? (It's not a commonly chosen instrument.)
1:24:55 - Standout bassoon moments in orchestral literature.
1:29:10 - End of bassoon tangent (lol) and back to the buildup of strings to the Imperial March drop.
ANH 19: Run, Luke! Run! (Minutes 91-95 with Father David and Trevor Mowry) https://youtu.be/9FZgc1x5slg <-- Oboist Trevor Mowry also got into the weeds of the reeds.
Solo 28: Interview with Iain Farrington (Pianist for Solo: A Star Wars Story)
01:40:17
Iain Farrington played piano and celeste for the Solo: A Star Wars Story soundtrack! In this episode, we listen to some of our favorite piano moments from the Solo soundtrack, and Iain talks about what it was like to record those cues. He also shares stories from the recording sessions and gives us insight into how he approaches different types of piano cues.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
00:39 - Why was the Solo score recorded in London?
04:08 - "Meet Han" (piano solo toward the beginning of the film).
10:55 - When Ron Howard came to the sessions.
13:46 - Watching John Powell write the Elgarian Imperial March arrangement during lunch, then recording different versions.
23:11 - How did Iain "get the call" to do this gig?
26:16 - "L3 and the Millennium Falcon" - What it was like to play the Star Wars Main Theme on the celeste (when we meet the Millennium Falcon in the movie).
41:14 - How does Iain approach recording piano with an orchestra vs. recording for a solo piano project?
51:07 - "Dryden's Long, Long Fight" (romantic piano solo during Han and Qi'ra's last scene together).
1:02:23 - Xanthe's random, specific questions about the recording process (how many days? headphones? what was in his monitor mix? challenges?)
1:15:13 - How does Iain balance his work as a composer, arranger, and performer?
Solo 9: Chicken in the Pot Iceberg (Minutes 41-45 with AurekFonts)
03:45:05
An analysis of "Chicken in the Pot" with Ender Smith from AurekFonts. We cover lyrics and language, talk about pronunciation, notation, genre, string samples, harmony, tuning, and quite a bit more. Finally, we field listener submitted questions about "Chicken in the Pot" and discuss the rest of minutes 41-45 of Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
11:03 - How did "Chicken in the Pot" get its name?
15:39 - Luleo Primoc and the legendary musician Louis Prima
28:30 - Why do the Huttese lyrics sound French?
42:20 - What are the lyrics and translation to "Chicken in the Pot"?
45:45 - Is the chorus about hunger or is it a thing?
52:45 - Boss Baby meme, points of contact with certain musical genres, categories, the varying efficacy of tropes.
59:12 - What genre or style would you consider "Chicken in the Pot"?
1:14:28 - Strings sound sampled from the 60s or 70s.
1:27:33 - Are the strings diegetic or part of the score? Where are the strings coming from?
1:37:19 - Microtonality, tuning systems, and musical notation. Strap in!
2:17:45 - Why does this song absolutely slap?
2:28:24 - Hot take: Max Rebo is not canonically famous.
2:38:18 - Do you prefer the version with the high voice or the low voice (like on the film)?
2:45:57 - Other music and sound observations in Solo minutes 41-45.
"Chicken in the Pot (3M18S)", NOT "Chicken in the Pot"
"Han & Qi'Ra Reunite (3M19)"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Actually close enough. (to John Williams)
(Previous answer: California radio voiceovers)
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
How musical notation works in Star Wars. What does Bith notation look like for the Cantina Band? How about Max Rebo's charts? Does he read sheet music or play by ear?
(Previous answer: the making of one musical cue from start to finish)
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
The Village (composed by James Newton Howard)
(Previous answer: Knives Out - composed by Nathan Johnson)
Bonus question: What would you encourage listeners pay closer attention to on their next watch of Solo?
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
Solo 22: Herrmann Over Jaws (Minutes 106-110 with Suzen Tekla Kruglnska)
01:53:33
Suzen Tekla Kruglnska is here with me to discuss minutes 106-110 of Solo: A Star Wars Story! We talk about auditory illusions, the coaxium motif, John Powell's flowing scene transitions, and a potentially awkward music edit.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
04:13 - Beckett's "wheel spinning" music.
08:33 - Cliche or trope? In the ear of the beholder.
16:36 - Is there an abrupt edit here?
26:53 - Paul Bettany as Dryden Vos.
34:33 - Dryden is a villain. Why doesn't he have a musical theme?
45:46 - Everybody's faking it!
53:50 - Coaxium motif at the beginning of "Double Double Cross"
1:06:34 - Bernard Herrmann over Jaws.
1:12:31 - DSCH, Dies Irae motif (hi, Alex Ludwig), people holding axes in movies.
1:20:58 - Ta-da music during the big reveal.
1:27:57 - A spot where the music gets playful.
1:33:27 - Suzen's final thoughts about Solo and Star Wars music in general.
Witness movie clip (Samuel finds a picture of the murderer in a framed newspaper clipping, and Maurice Jarre's score kicks in) - https://youtu.be/LmdcbtSwX6Q
Want to continue the conversation on Discord? All patrons have access to the Friends of Xanthe Discord server, where we chat about all things Star Wars and music! The server is patron-only, for any level of support. https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan
The Falcon gets pulled in by the tractor beam, our heroes don disguises, and Obi-Wan tells Luke that his destiny lies along a different path. Brandon Wainerdi from Talking Bay 94 joins me to discuss the soundscapes of Star Wars minutes 66-70.
Note: I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Soundtrack: "Inner City"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Ben. John. James. (Ben Burtt, John Williams, James Earl Jones)
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
More behind the scenes stuff about the music and sound design in the Disney-era stuff.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Kris AKA Star Wars Lawyer joins me in a discussion about the music and sound in the infamous cantina scene of Star Wars: A New Hope! This takes place during minutes 46-50 of the film.
04:55 - How the upbeat music in the cantina goes against some expectations.
05:39 - The upbeat swing music was George Lucas's idea.
09:38 - Benny Goodman's influence ("king of swing")
13:21 - Comparison of "Cantina Band" (A New Hope) and "Canto Bight" (The Last Jedi)
19:06 - Cantina Band soundtrack recording versus what we hear in the film.
21:09 - Worldizing (sound technique)
24:33 - How realistic is this scene in terms of portraying musicians and live music?
28:14 - First time we get to see a lightsaber being used in action.
32:59 - Weird cut in the music
37:55 - Han Solo being a blowhard. What makes him sound so ?
43:42 - Greedo's voice
43:48 - All the random sounds we hear in the cantina.
53:57 - Band shoutout! Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes play kloo horn, fanfar, ommni box, bandfill, and Dorenian Beshniquel
1:00:45 - Actual instruments for the recording were 2 saxophones, trumpet, clarinet, Rhodes piano, steel pan drums, drum kit, percussion, and an ARP synthesizer
1:01:30 - The difficulty of syncing movements and music onscreen in the diegetic context.
1:05:02 - Ben Burtt's creation of alien voices/languages.
1:07:09 - Background babble of voices = the editors on helium.
1:08:43 - Kris's personal favorite sound effects and music in Star Wars
1:12:14 - What is Finn's theme?...
1:21:00 - SWMM Questionnaire
1:23:58 - Theme list, soundtrack list, Shazam test
ESB 18: Glory of the Cloud Car (Minutes 86-90 with Nic Tan)
02:00:42
As Yoda says, "There is another." Today's guest is my brother, Nic Tan! We delve into minutes 86-90 of The Empire Strikes Back, which naturally begs discussion about the toys, Boba Fett, Yoda's golden nuggets, cloud cars, negative musical space, changes to film scoring over the decades, how Lando's theme diverges from John Williams's traditional hero themes, questionably un-porcine ugnaught sound design, and why growing up in the prequel era was the golden age of Star Wars fandom (sorry, it's just facts).
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
3:57 - The toys (and Star Wars-branded plastic material).
9:35 - Why Yoda is, without a doubt, the best character in Star Wars.
15:43 - Are Obi-Wan and Yoda equals?
22:12 - Force theme with X-wing sound on top.
24:30 - "They don't make movie scores like they used to" + Phantom Menace memories.
34:13 - Analog synths vs. virtual instruments/sample libraries. Hans Zimmer.
42:15 - Establishing shots of Cloud City with transitional music
43:36 - What makes Boba Fett and cloud cars cool.
47:30 - Demure Main Theme on flute and oboe + harp flourish.
49:23 - Han and Leia theme that trails off with a perfect 5th (with "you're as good as gone").
53:04 - Huge noise contrast when we cut to Chewie in the droid boiler room. Do the ugnaughts sound porcine?
59:57 - Incessant elevator chime.
1:04:13 - Start of cue 9M2 "Vader Shows Up."
1:06:31 - How Lando's theme diverges from John Williams's traditional hero type of theme.
1:14:35 - Who is more powerful: Vader in ESB or Anakin in ROTS? Shadows of the Empire.
ESB 20: Neapolitan Emergency (Minutes 96-100 with Star Wars Minute)
02:12:54
Pete the Retailer and Alex Robinson from Star Wars Minute join me to discuss the music and sound in minutes 96-100 of The Empire Strikes Back. Han gets frozen in carbonite! John Williams's dramatic, emotional score moves us through the action. In this episode, we also listen to the original footage from the carbonite freezing scene before music was added.
6:50 - Is this the first time someone says "buddy" in Star Wars? (No.)
13:14 - Threepio = superego, Chewie = id.
17:22 - A subtle Han & Leia moment that's easy to miss (visually and musically). Pan and scan technology.
20:15 - Does the first bar of the Imperial March loop an extra time here?
31:02 - Footage of the carbonite freezing scene before music was added + footage from the original spotting session (!)
41:58 - Breakdown of the music from pre-kiss to post-freeze. (Han & Leia in B => Han & Leia in E => Neapolitan Emergency with Chewie's moans => Dramatic dotted triplets => Wailing Imperial March => Funereal themes).
50:29 - Memorable rhythmic feel of the Neapolitan Emergency (with visuals).
56:14 - Dom, filigree check?
1:02:06 - Cool whistle sound. Ben Burtt's sound design secret.
1:08:53 - Meter discrepancy between the soundtrack and film (2 beats cut out).
1:14:10 - Is this the Imperial February? (No.)
1:19:00 - Night on Bald Mountain-esque chromatic violin line.
1:27:07 - Is this the Imperial February? (Yes. Bespin Dirge theme 1.)
1:34:41 - Bespin Dirge part 2. Delicious chords over C pedal.
1:40:22 - "It's a trap!" with Yoda's theme. What's the significance of that?
1:45:30 - Strings/piano call & response.
1:52:01 - Yoda's theme harmony goes D => Db (instead of D => E).
1:55:38 - Speculating on how the carbon freeze calipers were sound-designed.
Solo 6: Valachord Envy (Minutes 26-30 with Ralph Apel)
01:28:25
Ralph Apel from Live Action Star Wars joins me in a conversation about the music and sound in Solo minutes 26-30. We discuss flying/soaring music, the musical foreshadowing of Enfys Nest, Rio's voice mixing, and engage in some "educated speculation" about what the valachord might sound like (based on concept art).
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
04:44 - Listening to the beginning of the minutes.
05:31 - Grooving percussion in "Flying with Chewie."
09:31 - Flying and soaring music in film.
34:45 - "Flying with Chewie" vs "Soarin' Over California"
41:00 - Hint of Enfy's Nest theme 1
56:00 - There's no Han & Qi'ra theme when Han brings up Qi'ra.
1:00:07 - Valachord! A speculative deep dive...
1:12:53 - Nitpick about the line "you are tone deaf"
Valachord (according to Wookieepedia): A valachord was a musical instrument, played by tapping on keys. The tone of the keys could be described as "a melodious tone tinged with a faint mechanical susurrus behind it." https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Valachord
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
Solo 13: Millennium Pop Anthem (Minutes 61-65 with Dan Golding)
01:46:28
Dan Golding is back, and ahhh OKAY, we need to talk about the fact that Luke's theme plays like a pop anthem when Han lays eyes on the Millennium Falcon (!!!) In this episode, we examine the musical devices that contribute to that epic reveal, discuss John Powell's internal logic, evaluate Powell's underscore, talk about nostalgia in the Star Wars franchise, and more. Turns out there are lots of great conversation starters in minutes 61-65 of Solo: A Star Wars Story!
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
03:56 - Listening to the beginning of the minutes.
09:43 - Do various Solo themes all kinda sound the same?
17:36 - Harry Potter + Nightmare Before Christmas vibes when they're walking up to the Millennium Falcon.
24:43 - Listening to the Millennium Falcon reveal moment.
25:38 - Luke's theme (the Star Wars Main Theme), John Powell's internal logic in using it, reminiscence therapy.
31:50 - Pop chords, The Rise of Skywalker trailer.
38:12 - The Solo trailer.
41:26 - Anthemic Main Theme. Augmented melody, metrical shift that emphasizes strong beats, simple harmony, suspensions, violin tremolo upper pedal point, choir "ahhh"... it's full bore!
45:16 - Dan's out-of-the-box personal choir, ongoing debate in film music re: mixing real instruments in a way that purposely makes them sound like digital instruments.
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Nimble orchestral nostalgia.
Previous answer: Mythic orchestral memory
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
What will Natalie Holt's soundtrack for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series sound like? (this episode was recorded prior to the Kenobi premiere)
Previous answer: Given all the new directions that various Star Wars scores have gone since John Williams was at the helm (ex. Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, etc), will we ever return to the original sort of orchestral sound? If so, how will we get there? It takes a specific set of talents to make this kind of music. Trying new things is great, but will Star Wars ever be able to return to the sound in that same way?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Watership Down (composed by Angela Morley)
Previous answer: Vertigo (composed by Bernard Herrmann)
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
Composer, writer, and Art of the Score podcast co-host Dan Golding joins me in a breakdown of the music in Star Wars: A New Hope minutes 86-90. While Luke and Leia swing across the chasm crossfire (after a kiss "for luck"), John Williams's swashbuckling, unabashedly heroic rendition of Luke Skywalker's theme plays -- B section included! In this episode, we talk about the throwback nature of this particular cue, "Mickey Mousing" vs " composing to frame," the underrated Imperial motif, musical onomatopoeia, orchestration magic (vibraphone and flutes have a moment), and so much more.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
40:10 - musical onomatopoeia
43:36 - Is John Williams "Mickey Mouse-ing" here?
52:33 - Underrated Imperial motif.
1:04:17 - slide analogy
1:15:00 - First time hearing the B part of the Main Theme since the opening crawl.
Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (piece that uses an orchestra like an organ) - https://youtu.be/e6pEIHtffqQ
Themes:
1a. Main Theme (A Section)
6b. Imperials (Ostinato)
6a. Imperials (Motif)
5) Imperial Troops Ostinato
1b. Main Theme (B Section)
4. Leia
Note: I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. I highly recommend this resource, which you can download for free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Soundtrack:
"The Tractor Beam/Chasm Crossfire" (track almost ends)
"Rescue of the Princess" (track almost ends)
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Mythic orchestral memory
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Given all the new directions that various Star Wars scores have gone since John Williams was at the helm (ex. Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, etc), will we ever return to the original sort of orchestral sound? If so, how will we get there? It takes a specific set of talents to make this kind of music. Trying new things is great, but will Star Wars ever be able to return to the sound in that same way?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Steele Saunders is really, really stoked to talk about the trash compactor scene in minutes 81-85 of Star Wars! We cover the sound design, the unused dianoga cue, and of course, the accidental head bump.
Things Mentioned:
It's true, there was originally no noise for the stormtrooper hitting his head.
Designing the Sound of The Bad Batch - David W. Collins Interview (Star Wars Explained) - https://youtu.be/YCFzzVHe7Lo
Note: I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Soundtrack stuff:
"The Walls Converge"
"The Trash Compactor"
"Shootout in the Cell Bay/Dianoga"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
The heroes win.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
David W. Collins's experience doing sound editing for The Book of Boba Fett (and other current Star Wars media)
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
CB4 (1993 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis, starring Chris Rock)
Jaws (composed by John Williams) - especially the main theme
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (composed by John Williams)
ESB 11: Free-Floating Motivic Particles (Minutes 51-55 with Frank Lehman)
02:38:45
In The Empire Strikes Back minutes 51-55, Han and Leia share their first kiss and we meet the Emperor for the first time. Joining me (for the 4th time!) is music theorist/film musicologist Frank Lehman. We discuss the lineage of musical love themes, John Williams's distinctive Lydian signature, the strange proto-Emperor cue, and he gives us a sneak peek of the major updates he's making to the Star Wars Thematic Catalogue.
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New answer: My lifelong obsession.
Solo season: Vaguely remembered music.
ANH season: Dissonant pedal notes. Minor planing triads.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New answer: What was going on in the scoring of Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Solo season: Who will be main composer for the Kenobi series?
ANH season: What are we musically in store for as Star Wars moves onto the next chapters of its development? What was the actual score to Episode IX supposed to be (before changes)?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New answer: White Lotus (series) (composed by Cristobal Tapia de Veer)
Solo season: Severance (series) (composed by Theodore Shapiro)
ANH season: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) (composed by Jerry Goldsmith)
TLJ 29: From a Violinist’s POV (Minutes 141-145 with Lorenz Gamma)
00:59:02
With a final swell of the Force theme, the orchestra pulls us into the credits. Today, I am pleased to speak with Lorenz Gamma, violinist on The Last Jedi score. We talk nitty gritty details -- including what it was like working with John Williams, what the orchestra spent the most time rehearsing, the importance of inaccuracies, and how The Last Jedi score is like "a rich wine that goes with a rich meal."
Timestamps:
00:00 - intros
01:43 - Lorenz's history with Star Wars
04:41 - What's the difference working for John Williams versus other Hollywood composers?
07:00 - craft, intricacy, painting
11:18 - orchestration, synthesizers, nitty gritty details in string writing
16:49 - dynamics: are they performed live or mixed later?
20:43 - touching quotes from John Williams about the Los Angeles recording orchestra
26:20 - no click track
29:10 - descending bass line + ascending melody
33:57 - difficulty of John Williams music (to play)
35:10 - funny anecdote about the Harry Potter score
36:35 - "wash of sound," how inaccuracies are part of a desired effect, patina
42:33 - advice to young composers
43:08 - how Star Wars is like a Wagner opera
45:00 - delaying the perfect authentic cadence
48:46 - classical music recommendations for listeners who like Star Wars scores
51:18 - Richard Strauss, programmatic music, Alpine Symphony
56:37 - rundown of the motifs from these 5 minutes, where we are in the soundtrack
Musical Themes/Motifs (in order of appearance, using Frank Lehman's names):
3. Force with descending lament bassline
41a. Kylo Ren 1 (Aggressive) with march snares as Kylo is walking out, overhead shot
42. Kylo Ren 2 (Hesitant) after Rey shuts the door on him and the dice disappear
50. Poe when Rey and Poe meet
45a. Rey 1 (Theme) mixed with 3. Force
2. Rebel Fanfare
1a. Main Theme (A Section) on celeste
3. Force when broom boy looks up at stars
1a. Main Theme (A Section) in credits
55a. Rose (A Section)
Soundtrack: "Peace and Purpose" and "Finale"
Other episodes with musicians from The Last Jedi soundtrack:
Lorenz Gamma is a violin soloist, chamber musician, faculty member, Artistic Director of the Borromeo Music Festival in Switzerland, and Hollywood recording veteran who played on The Last Jedi score, as well as The Rise of Skywalker, Solo, Rogue One, and 70+ other films.
TLJ 28: Legend of Luke Skywalker (Minutes 136-140 with Darth Choco)
01:09:53
Behind every legend is a person. In this episode of Star Wars Music Minute, Darth Choco joins me in a heartfelt discussion of the music, lore, and legacy surrounding Luke Skywalker's final act.
00:00:00 - Intro + In this set of minutes, Luke and Kylo face off, Rey uses the Force to lift the heavy rocks obstructing their path, and Luke says "See you around, kid."
00:01:44 - How the cinematography and music complement each other during the face-off.
00:03:55 - Luke and Kylo's contrasting combat styles, lightsaber sounds, and motivations
00:05:25 - How the Force theme escalates throughout Luke's "I will not be the last Jedi" speech
00:10:00 - The wordless choir and ascending strings when Rey lifts the rocks
00:12:50 - How Star Wars (including The Last Jedi) plays with our scale perception
00:15:00 - Do or do not.
00:16:32 - Minor perfect authentic cadence (PAC)
00:23:02 - Villain mental health
00:26:47 - How Rey telegraphs Kylo Ren's lightsaber moves!!!???
00:29:35 - Kylo's super rage-y music followed by furious, futile arpeggios
00:32:54 - Luke's built different
00:35:02 - "I thiiiink I'm eeeevil"
00:42:48 - Legacy vs. blood
00:46:23 - "I am a Jedi, like my father."
00:51:20 - What it means to be a Jedi and to divest from one's attachments
00:56:40 - Luke dies, and the Force theme sends him off
00:57:47 - How Luke impacts the galaxy, Rey impacts Luke, and Luke gives Rey permission to be human
🎵 THEMES: Force, Rey's Power (incidental motif), Kylo Ren
🎵 SOUNDTRACK: "The Last Jedi" and "Peace and Purpose"
Solo 10: Stormtrooper Karaoke (Minutes 46-50 with James Hewlett)
01:15:04
Minutes 46-50 of Solo: A Star Wars Story with James Hewlett from Live Action Star Wars! Today, we're talking about musical pivot points, the operatic nature of Solo, the romantic Han and Qi'ra theme, and some new stormtrooper karaoke headcanon.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
08:35 - Is the music for Han and Qi'ra too romantic and sentimental?
11:20 - Han Solo as an opera or musical. The music flexibly goes with the drama.
17:57 - Dialogue mixing.
22:05 - Fuzzy diegetic/non-diegetic boundary.
25:38 - Stormtrooper karaoke + flute headcanon.
30:12 - Ominous music paired with polite dialogue.
34:00 - Dies Irae when Dryden gets angry and says "Trust me?" (Paging Alex Ludwig.)
49:00 - Beckett says "we will simply steal it from somewhere else" lmao
52:15 - Listen for the way the music flatlines when Han mentions unrefined coaxium.
55:56 - Pattern recognition and why musical themes slip under the radar sometimes.
59:30 - Final thoughts about the music and sound of Solo minutes 46-50.
1:03:15 - SWMM Questionnaire
Things to Check Out:
Star Wars the High Republic: Mission to Disaster (by Justina Ireland)
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
Solo 8: Dolby Atmos Train Heist (Minutes 36-40 with Klaudia Amenábar)
02:05:19
Minutes 36-40 of Solo: A Star Wars Story with Klaudia Amenábar from RuPalp's Podrace! In addition to Powell's train heist scoring, we talk about the Dolby Atmos sound mix, stories from the production of Solo, and the purpose of Star Wars moviemaking in general.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
ESB 9: Dagobah Piccolo Workout (Minutes 41-45 with Samantha Tripp)
02:29:06
Flutist & Star Wars music researcher Samantha Tripp returns to the show to talk about the rich sonic environment of Dagobah! This is EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Minutes 41-45.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
4:27 - How do you feel about the Asteroid Field concert arrangement?
16:15 - Violin articial harmonics at the end of the Asteroid Field.
20:12 - Flute harmonics.
29:20 - Semitonal Slip.
36:22 - Muted trombones.
43:07 - Two layers of glissando.
48:03 - The can-can?
50:45 - Dagobah reverb. The rich sonic environment of Dagobah.
54:21 - The music telling us not to be worried about Artoo.
59:35 - Ridiculously high piccolo tutti that would be hard to do in tune. Smart orchestration choice that brings in the Eb clarinet.
1:07:30 - Sinewy, slurred string line that makes the 16th notes sound like syncopated 8th notes.
1:13:18 - An added rest in the Droids theme.
1:27:12 - Tritone at the end of the Dagobah music foreshadowing/leading into the Imperial March.
1:35:20 - Music demarcating the status difference between Vader and Piett.
1:41:48 - Imperial March and the flat submediant.
1:48:48 - The Imperial March's invariance.
2:00:50 - Listener question about potential bias toward British composers.
2:14:10 - Ben Burtt's Dagobah sound design.
2:19:54 - Recap of the 4 sections in these minutes.
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New answer: Texture. Motion. Thematic.
Solo season answer: Powerful, evocative, grandiose
ANH season answer: Powerful, evocative, grandiose
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New answer: More about the behind-the-scenes people: recording engineers, music editors, orchestra librarians, contractors, etc.
Solo season answer: Musician stories from recording the sequel films, particularly The Rise of Skywalker.
ANH season answer: What was it like for the musicians recording the original trilogy, particularly the first film? Did they realize that they were playing something so iconic?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New answer: The Shape of Water (Alexandre Desplat)
Solo season answer: The Shape of Water (composed by Alexandre Desplat)
ANH season answer: Spider-Man: No Way Home (composed by Michael Giacchino)
---------------
Guest: Samantha Tripp
Recursive References and In-Universe Instances of the Imperial March (MaMI conference presentation by Samantha Tripp and Frank Lehman) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYV7O3uSZn0
First Darth Vader appearance in all of Star Wars. First Force theme appearance in all of Star Wars (but it's different than we expect). First stun gun. First droids on Tatooine... Element7 (Pep) joins me in a discussion about the music & sound in minutes 6-10 of Star Wars!
Discussion Highlights:
0:00:00 - Introduction
0:03:45 - Start talking about the minutes
0:06:15 - Is scoring done chronologically?
0:10:43 - First instance of the Force theme, but some notes are missing
0:11:52 - Discussion on score vs. lore
0:15:27 - Our introduction to C-3PO, R2-D2, and their sound/language
0:18:03 - Underscore and the relative softness of the music in the mix
0:22:00 - Darth Vader without the Imperial March
0:33:12 - Seamless transitions in and out of music, like an airport conveyer belt
0:35:00 - How this choreography and set feels like a black box theater
0:40:24 - The first stun gun moment in Star Wars
0:41:28 - How does loud, prominent music make us feel as opposed to softer or background music?
0:46:30 - Launching from the escape pod, and the music says "this is where it all begins"
ESB 19: Mayor of Circuit City (Minutes 91-95 with James Waterman and Justin Scheid)
01:48:46
James Waterman and Justin Scheid from The Band Batch are here for minutes 91-95 of The Empire Strikes Back. We talk about Threepio's analog rejuvenation, the timpani doom roll, and what happens when Star Wars voice actors are overdubbed in later editions (like how Jason Wingreen was replaced by Temura Morrison). We also get to hear Justin's favorite sound and what James considers the funniest line in this movie.
James: Pew. Vrooppf. Rrrrrr. (Previous answers: Bum bum bum. The Band Batch.)
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Justin: Who makes the decision to replace dialogue? (Previous: How is all the foley done?)
James: When original voice actors are replaced by new people, what are those industry conversations like? Is there something in the actors' contracts about the possibility of being replaced? What about SAG, legal specifics, etc? (Previous: What is on-set sound like? What is John Williams's writing process like?)
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Justin: It Follows (DisasterPeace). Previous: Stranger Things (Kyle Dixon/Michael Stein), War of the Worlds (John William), The Village (James Newton Howard).
Xanthe wraps up coverage of Solo: A Star Wars Story (minutes 131-135) by taking a closer look at the music and sound credits. What do sound editors, music editors, orchestra contractors, and re-recording mixers do? We'll also review the nine new leitmotifs that Solo added to the Star Wars oeuvre.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
01:27 - Music and sound end credits and what the various roles do.
1:01:54 - The nine new leitmotifs from Solo.
1:24:30 - Final thoughts on the film, score, and season.
1:37:58 - What does Star Wars sound like (according to all the Solo season guests)?
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New answer: Intricate orchestral storytelling.
Previous answer: The Cosmic Force.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New answer: The working relationship between the composer and music editor.
Previous answer: I'm curious about how other people experience and engage with the music of Star Wars, on both a macro and micro level. I want to know how other people are making sense of it or analyzing it with frameworks different than mine. Basically, I'm interested in doing what this podcast already gives me the excuse to do -- talk to people about Star Wars music.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New answer: Moonrise Kingdom.
Previous answer: There Will Be Blood (composed by Jonny Greenwood)
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Music theorist Dr. Lauren Crosby is here to help us take a closer look at the original Boba Fett theme. We compare the pitch material of John Williams's theme to Ludwig Göransson's Boba Fett theme (which debuted in The Book Of Boba Fett), theorize about the relationship between them, and discuss other things from this action-packed set of minutes too!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
10:53 - When did you become aware of Boba Fett having a theme?
14:02 - Characteristics of the Boba Fett theme.
16:57 - Side by side comparison of Frank Lehman's Boba Fett theme transcription (Bb octatonic) and Lauren Crosby's transcription (C# minor). Same theme, same notes, conceived in different ways.
25:26 - Foreshadowing all the Dies Iraes in these minutes.
31:14 - Comparing John Williams's theme to Ludwig Göransson's Boba Fett theme.
44:09 - Did Ludwig Göransson reference John Williams on purpose?
50:38 - Hypothesizing about the break point of the Dies Irae in Boba Fett's two themes.
58:53 - Attacking a Star Destroyer motif, which also appears in John Powell's SOLO score.
1:04:54 - Satisfying engine sound that melds with the music.
1:09:18 - Carmina Burana moment.
1:10:16 - Dies Irae moment (paging Alex Ludwig).
1:16:02 - Guessing a theme based on two notes.
1:20:04 - Remaining part of the action through the soundscape.
1:23:43 - Upward steps with lower decorations evoke Luke struggling to learn the lesson.
1:26:40 - Organic vs. non-organic sounds on Dagobah. Natural habitat punctuated by Artoo's vocalizations.
1:30:55 - Paging Ender Smith (re: Artoo beeps).
1:33:57 - Ascending scale with ascending ship. The scale is somewhat familiar but sounds unresolved.
ESB 13: Spooky Insecurities (Minutes 61-65 with Ender Smith)
03:31:56
Talking cave visions, glissando lizards, synthesizers, The Magic Tree, magnets, and more with Ender Smith (of AurekFonts)! This is The Empire Strikes Back minutes 61-65.
12:27 - Die Hard director on the purpose of dialogue in films.
16:11 - We love Threepio's scream.
20:27 - Loading up the musical slingshot before jumping to lightspeed.
22:38 - Comparison to the Battle of Hoth.
29:18 - Threepio's backseat piloting. (Is there a supercut of C3PO saying "We're doomed" throughout the 9 saga films?)
32:44 - Space slug!
36:59 - Listener quiz! I play something; you tell me where it appears in the film.
44:31 - Glissando lizard and other Ben Burtt Dagobah creations.
51:31 - The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide.
56:53 - Yoda's words and syntax.
57:53 - Start of tangent (Yoda's teaching style, religious feelings, the Force, the Dark Side, the devil, temptation, mental health, discipline, curiosity, Darth Sidious, attachment, institutions).
1:23:27 - End of tangent.
1:23:46 - Artoo's vibe check.
1:26:10 - Cue 6M5/7M1 "Magic Tree"
1:36:01 - A specific clarinet tone.
1:37:45 - "Mariiiiia."
1:43:47 - Magic Tree waveform (visual).
1:50:39 - Dark Side motif. Flute grace note melody.
1:55:23 - New layers of animal sounds.
2:06:00 - Raiders of the Lost Ark comparison.sunk
2:12:56 - Synthesizer. (Btw, this is not the first appearance of a synth; there was one in last week's minutes too.)
2:25:54 - Visual aid (transcription of repeated string cells).
2:32:29 - Why was the synth used? Musings about the limitations of acoustically amplified orchestral instruments.
2:36:55 - Cave visions are the best part of Star Wars.
2:43:47 - Comparisons to The Last Jedi cave sequence.
2:46:50 - Start of Jedi Fallen Order spoiler.
2:47:43 - End of JFO spoiler.
2:57:44 - Spooky insecurities.
3:03:45 - Vergences in the Force, magnets, sourdough.
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New answer: Colorful, rollercoaster, crosstalk.
Solo season answer: Actually close enough. (to John Williams)
ANH season answer: California radio voiceovers
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New answer: The various vocal effects used for aliens and glissando lizards. He's like to create a plug-in for a DAW.
Solo season answer: How musical notation works in Star Wars. What does Bith notation look like for the Cantina Band? How about Max Rebo's charts? Does he read sheet music or play by ear?
ANH season answer: the making of one musical cue from start to finish
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New answer: Looper (composed by Nathan Johnson)
Solo season answer: The Village (composed by James Newton Howard)
ANH season answer: Knives Out (composed by Nathan Johnson)
ESB 16: Attack of the Envelope (Minutes 76-80 with Jeremy Sawruk)
02:10:35
Opulent violins and sci-fi vocals can only mean one thing: We're approaching Cloud City! Composer/music technologist Jeremy Sawruk returns to the show to discuss minutes 76-80 of The Empire Strikes Back.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
5:49 - Voice removal.
12:38 - Background "Morse code" sound.
16:34 - Errant horn entrance or sound design?
19:08 - Envelopes! (ADSR.)
26:25 - Open chord sound.
33:54 - Tense Han & Leia theme.
39:25 - A sharp cut in the music (visible on a spectogram).
46:34 - Methodical, meditative Force climb.
57:58 - Shroud of artificial harmonics.
1:02:03 - List of magic-evoking instruments.
1:06:53 - Another abrupt transition/cut.
1:21:00 - The best part of these minutes! (Soaring violin soli approaching Cloud City.)
1:29:08 - Sci-fi vocals.
1:35:41 - Comparing the Cloud City melody to the Sibelius Violin Concerto.
1:48:41 - Spectogram view of a busy section and R2's chirping.
Solo 23: Tension Engine (Minutes 111-115 with Alex Ludwig)
01:28:21
Alex Ludwig AKA the Dies Irae Guru AKA @Film Music Tropes is back to discuss minutes 111-115 of Solo: A Star Wars Story! Spoiler: Alex and Xanthe noticed one Dies Irae reference each in these minutes, but they were completely different spots... In this episode, we also discuss "Jason Bourne in Space," fawn over the Secrets motif progression, and give John Powell a retrospective A on his voice leading homework. 😛
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
02:28 - Alex's (Dies Irae-related) issues with this film score.
07:09 - What about Jyn's theme in Rogue One?
08:45 - Powell's clever use of the Secrets motif.
11:25 - Clarification about Dies Irae and DSCH.
15:16 - Powell doing a lot of work in the score to underline the scenic transitions.
17:47 - Paul Bettany as Dryden Vos, Michael K. Williams.
22:29 - Col legno and battuto
29:05 - Do you remember this Fakery motif from anywhere?
34:22 - Flying vs fighting music in this score.
39:20 - A good assignment for burgeoning film composers.
41:15 - Breaking down this smooth Secrets progression (we LOVE it).
45:39 - Effective voice leading.
47:06 - Xanthe's Dies Irae.
49:25 - Alex's Dies Irae is a "tension engine" (Dies Irae Type 3B = ostinato with inversions and reversals)
54:35 - Are these cue names puns? Is John Powell channeling Michael Giacchino?
57:46 - Sound/music mixing choices.
1:04:19 - Jason Bourne in Space, different flavors of action scoring
1:15:37 - Running a few Solo "Dies Iraes" by Alex.
The part in "This Is Halloween" (Nightmare Before Christmas) where they sing "In this town of Halloween" and it sounds kind of like the Fakery motif in Solo - https://youtu.be/ZVuToMilP0A?t=40
John Powell saying in an interview that he would have liked to make the music louder during the train heist scene (GoSeeTalk) - https://youtu.be/hDDrUaowGhY?t=2689
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Previous answer: What it's like for new composers (Michael Giacchino, John Powell, Ludwig Göransson, etc) to play in the playground of Star Wars music -- to have all these themes at their fingertips, get to use them and take them to new places. "What is it like to get the keys to this kingdom as a composer?"
New answer: Who's gonna write the next paradigm-shifting Star Wars score?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Previous answer: The Social Network (composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) and Sunset Boulevard (composed by Franz Waxman)
New answer: The Matrix trilogy (composed by Don Davis)
Lightsaber Sound Design: an extreme deep dive in 4 levels with Justin Leo Kennedy.
NOTE: This episode contains a plethora of lightsaber sound effects that may be jarring for some listeners. You may want to have the volume controls handy. Furthermore, headphones or a quiet environment may be helpful for part 3 (starting at the 1-hour mark) if you want to hear the details in the sound design demonstration.
Discussion Guide:
0:00:00 - Hello there.
0:00:30 - Description of action in minutes 31-35 of Star Wars.
0:17:14 - Level 1: What do lightsabers sound like in various states of operation? (ignition, retraction, hum-buzz, swing, clash, etc)
0:33:08 - Level 2: Historical/documentarian perspective. How did Ben Burtt make the first lightsaber sounds, and what were his aims?
0:59:38 - Level 3: Mega sound design nerd stuff. We break down the lightsaber sound in extreme detail and talk about how to recreate it.
1:49:31 - Level 4: Big picture discussion, the future of lightsaber sound design, why old lightsaber sounds were re-recorded.
2:18:53 - SWMM Questionnaire
Musical Themes:
12) Distress
3. Force
6a. Imperials (Motif) (when O-W is telling Luke about his father)
Note: For consistency, I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Justin followed this tutorial from Doctor Mix: How To Make The LIGHTSABER Sound: https://youtu.be/wzYO66HQAgw (From Justin: "I used his TV buzz recording and recreated the synthesized projector sound he made on his analog synth using a software plugin on my computer")
This is the interview that talks about making the new lightsaber sounds: Conversations with Sound Artists: The Last Jedi (Dolby Institute) - https://youtu.be/suuDA0ZsLbo
Today, we're digging into the music and sound of STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE Minutes 91-95 with Father David and Trevor Mowry. Ben Kenobi becomes one with the Force, our heroes escape on the Falcon, Leia consoles a heartbroken Luke, and we begin the TIE fighter attack. In this episode, we talk about the use of Princess Leia's theme during Obi-Wan's death, differences between European/British and American oboe playing, the sound mix during "Run, Luke, Run," and a lot more...
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
11:40 - Steady lightsabers and civilized duels.
16:46 - Force believers and Force atheists.
25:03 - Having a visceral reaction to the OT soundtracks, feels like you're right there with the orchestra.
27:40 - Maclunkey.
31:47 - Terminator robots vs. Star Wars droids.
38:02 - Making sense of the fact that Princess Leia's theme plays during Ben Kenobi's death. Does it match the emotion of the scene?
48:58 - Hilarious cymbal crash a la Las Vegas water shows.
50:25 - Saving up sound credits to spend later.
54:25 - "Run, Luke, run" sound mixing analysis.
1:04:51 - Shepard tone.
1:11:52 - The saddest little Force theme.
1:15:45 - Oboe deep dive: sound quality, double reeds, American style vs. European style reeds. According to Trevor, the London Symphony oboist on the Star Wars recordings plays with the hallmarks of what you'd expect from a British oboe player around this time.
1:21:15 - Oboe timbre demonstration: Force theme and Leia's theme.
1:24:42 - Hand-making reeds, "a remarkably analog process." Like a Jedi building their own lightsaber.
1:30:15 - Being an instrumentalist is a little like having a superpower or being a Jedi.
1:33:30 - Cat bomb.
1:40:37 - Listening to how the Force theme passes through different instruments. An orchestrated decrescendo.
1:50:52 - Transitioning to the TIE fighter attack. Sparkly, scintillating, oscillating string line.
2:08:40 - TIE fighter video game, spending hours listening to the TIE laser fire.
2:15:39 - SWMM Questionnaire.
2:29:48 - Recap of the themes and soundtrack information.
2:33:36 - Trevor has played under John Williams's baton and didn't mention it this whole podcast?
bitter end of "The Tractor Beam/Chasm Crossfire" and "Rescue of the Princess"
"Ben Kenobi's Death/TIE Fighter Attack"
--------------
STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Father David: Raw triumphant heroism.
Trevor: Timeless space adventure
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Father David: How much has the transition to digital sound production changed the feel of Star Wars?
Trevor: Everything about the Cantina Band, the human beings behind Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. Where did they get these people? Where did they get a steel drum player who could shred like that?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Father David: Baby Driver (directed by Edgar Wright)
ANH 8: Royal Oboe to Rebel Orchestra (Minutes 36-40)
01:22:44
This episode is about music and sound heard in minutes 36-40 of Star Wars: A New Hope.
Obi-Wan finally hears Princess Leia's message, Luke isn't ready to go to Alderaan, and Vader finds Admiral Motti's lack of faith disturbing. Today, Elizabeth Lain joins me in a discussion about oboes, Death Star sound design, sonic screen wipes, and more!
Highlights:
00:00 - Hello there!
01:53 - How sonically lean A New Hope is.
06:18 - Start of chronological breakdown.
07:45 - Leia's theme on oboe. Oboe vs. English horn vs. flute.
15:45 - Grassroots Leia theme?
17:41 - Luke and Obi-Wan reaction shots while the music fades out.
20:23 - Is Obi-Wan trying to "Jedi mind trick" Luke?
23:04 - Hero's call to action and refusal of the call (a la Joseph Campbell).
24:49 - This cue of music is so...! Where else have we heard it? For one, it sounds a lot like Jyn's theme in Rogue One. But both of those could also be interpreted as plays on Dies Irae.
27:43 - Hologram as a metaphor.
28:53 - "How am I every going to explain this?" "Learn about the Force, Luke" Cue Force theme.
32:18 - "I can take you as far as Anchorhead."
33:11 - Death Star motif accompanying the exterior shot of space/Star Destroyer. But before that, we hear what Elizabeth calls a "sonic screen wipe."
35:27 - The silent Death Star conference room.
37:33 - Jk, it's totally not silent. This is Ben Burtt's time to shine.
39:49 - How Ben Burtt designed the Death Star sounds.
44:35 - How Ben Burtt designed the ambient electronic, telemetry sounds.
46:43 - "Until this battle station is fully operational, we are vulnerable."
48:09 - What if there were music in this part? What makes the Death Star feel scary.
49:27 - Power dynamics between Vader and Tarkin.
56:04 - What keeps Xanthe up at night with regard to Vader.
1:01:40 - Back on Tatooine as Luke, Ben, and the droids discover the remains of an attack.
1:01:58 - Solo trumpet leads us into the next cue, and it builds gradually. The worldbuilding that occurs in this scene.
1:08:44 - Tempo picks up as Luke rushes to his landspeeder.
1:13:11 - A pretty bad pun, sorry.
1:13:33 - Interesting sound design thing Elizabeth noticed with the speeder on screen.
1:15:38 - SWMM Questionnaire
1:19:06 - Rundown of musical themes and soundtrack stuff from these minutes.
1:19:49 - Where to find Elizabeth, upcoming stuff, goodbyes.
Musical Themes:
4. Leia
3. Force
5. Death Star
Note: For consistency, I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Where we are in the soundtrack album:
"Tales Of A Jedi Knight/Learn About The Force" by John Williams
"Burning Homestead"
"The Return Home"
References:
telemetry: the in situ collection of measurements or other data at remote points and their automatic transmission to receiving equipment (telecommunication) for monitoring.
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
John Fucking Williams.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
A super detailed deep dive on C-3PO's voice; like, the very, very specifics of specifics, including which effects units they put on it, what the raw recordings sound like, what microphones they use, etc.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Chernobyl (miniseries) composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir
TLJ 27: The Drama of Kylo Ren (Minutes 131-135 with Mollie Damon)
00:57:49
"More! More! More!" Kylo yells, ordering every gun to fire on his uncle. Chaos, fashion, and Force angst ensue while Luke remains standing stronger than ever. Joining me today is Mollie Damon (Star Wars Explained, A Certain Point of View), and together, we nerd out on the music and sound of minutes 131-135 of The Last Jedi.
Discussion Highlights:
The silhouettes on Crait
Kylo Ren = the boss's jerk son
Our first reactions to watching The Last Jedi in theaters
Leia's proud smile and the editor (Bob Ducsay) who made that shot happen
Kylo Ren's hesitant leitmotifs
Poe's leadership and journey, guided by Leia and Holdo
Comparison of lightsaber sounds
Rey's various leitmotifs and what we can read in her themes (basically anything)
Our wishes for Finn's journey
Mollie's favorite musical moments in Star Wars
How being a Star Wars content creator affects the experience of viewing Star Wars films
ESB 6: Battle of Hoth Set Theory (Minutes 26-30 with Dominic Sewell)
03:01:35
We're getting deep into the Battle of Hoth today! This is minutes 26-30 of The Empire Strikes Back with composer/orchestrator Dominic Sewell. The quickie topic is a primer on the anatomy and function of a score.
To follow along with the visuals in this episode, I recommend checking out the video version (or just spot checking the areas you want to see): https://youtu.be/oOvHkaciOVk
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
2:10 - What stands out to you about the Battle of Hoth?
8:26 - Who is the greatest 20th century composer?
10:30 - Quickie topic: Anatomy and function of a score.
16:05 - Start of these minutes.
18:51 - Contrapuntal fudge.
28:18 - Frank Lehman's breakdown of the Battle of Hoth themes from a-z.
32:46 - Cool things about octatonic scales and John Williams's use of them.
45:42 - Military preparation theme (e)
48:00 - "One is okay, two is memorable, three is too much."
54:05 - Optimistic Walton-esque theme (h)
1:01:07 - Increasing rhythm, momentum, texture before big crescendo.
1:03:35 - Start of 3M3 "The Snow Battle"
1:10:30 - Pitch class sets, Forte numbers, using the pitch-class set calculator. 4-19, 6-z19, 5-32, 8-28, etc...
1:26:29 - “Fingers are not to be despised: they are the great inspirers, and, in contact with a musical instrument, often give birth to subconscious ideas which might otherwise never come to life.” -Stravinsky
1:29:10 - Alpha chords.
1:38:47 - What JW wrote about this cue in the liner notes ("bizarre, mechanical, brutal...")
1:49:10 - "The rub" + Why are minor seconds and major sevenths "the same?"
2:00:14 - "Into the Maw" from Solo: A Star Wars Story.
2:06:13 - Cluster splurge.
2:13:33 - Diverging outline.
2:19:01 - Filigree, frills, and trills.
2:23:41 - 6-20 classic hexatonic set.
2:31:40 - Philosophical question: how do you decide the boundaries of the set you're analyzing?
2:36:46 - The Hoth sequence contains nearly all of John Williams's action hallmarks.
"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." In minutes 21-25 of Star Wars, we see and hear Princess Leia's hologram, Lovesick Luke™, and the glorious ambience that is the Lars Homestead. Joining me for this episode is opera singer/librettist/robot dad Aiden Feltkamp!
This episode is also available on YouTube in video format.
Timestamps:
0:00:00 - Hello there.
0:02:31 - Layers of sound in Luke's garage.
0:06:59 - Luke's interactions with the droids and what that indicates about his character.
0:12:20 - Threepio introduces himself to Luke. Does he make a dirty joke?
0:17:06 - Threepio sounds so self-deprecating.
0:18:00 - Zap! Bloop! Cello. "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope."
0:19:18 - Hologram message looping but artfully mixed in and out.
0:20:30 - We discuss the "bigness"/drama of the cello entrance (sound clip example). This is "The Princess Appears" on the soundtrack.
0:21:34 - Leia's theme (and the difficulty thereof).
0:25:36 - Context matters when it comes to evaluating the impact/drama of musical cues.
0:27:54 - Parallel to Luke in his hut on Ahch-To in The Last Jedi.
0:29:00 - Cat bomb.
0:29:46 - Orchestration of Leia's theme while the hologram plays. Lots of beautiful space for the dialogue to lay on top. Orchestration as "pre-mixing."
0:35:26 - Recitative (the sung-style of dialogue in opera).
0:38:29 - Artoo is the smartest in the room.
0:39:09 - "Where'd she go? Bring her back! Play back the entire message!"
0:40:41 - The quirkiness of old robots (like R2) running on the same hardware and software. Aiden has a robot.
0:42:45 - Aiden talks about showing his robot Star Wars and how the robot tries to mimic Artoo and the soundtrack...
0:47:57 - Moving on to the Lars kitchen, comparing the ambient hums in the kitchen and garage.
0:55:00 - Our different relationships with scores/soundtracks, consumption habits, etc.
1:01:11 - Threepio name drops Obi-Wan Kenobi and Captain Antilles. Worldbuilding.
1:03:21 - Dialogue between Uncle Owen and Luke (while Aunt Beru watches and gives looks).
1:06:55 - Luke's personality, adventure-seeking, quick buy-in to the Force. Do gullible people take to the Force the most?
1:12:33 - Star Wars Minute podcast references.
1:15:54 - Shazam test.
1:17:18 - SWMM Questionnaire.
1:23:15 - Cat bomb.
Musical Themes:
4. Leia
Note: For consistency, I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
ESB 22: An Editor’s Film (Minutes 106-110 with Dan Golding)
03:33:09
Dan Golding is here to discuss minutes 106-110 of The Empire Strikes Back! We talk about Ben Burtt's frustrations, intense pedal points, a nasal brass canon, free fanfares, Empire being an "editor's film," and how the music is "meanwhile" (sounds strange, but it'll make sense when you listen to the episode). 😅
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
7:05 - Ben Burtt's frustrations, Irvin Kershner's on-set mic, David Prowse's fitness book, and other delights from Alan Arnold's Journal of the Making of Empire Strikes Back.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New answer: The unreleased music (and alternate cues, etc).
Previous answers: What will Natalie Holt's soundtrack for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series sound like? Given all the new directions that various Star Wars scores have gone since John Williams was at the helm (ex. Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, etc), will we ever return to the original sort of orchestral sound?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New answer: Fleishman Is in Trouble (composed by Caroline Shaw)
Previous answers: Watership Down (composed by Angela Morley) and Vertigo (composed by Bernard Herrmann).
TLJ 30: Musical DNA of The Last Jedi (Minutes 146-150 with Frank Lehman)
01:36:39
Frank Lehman is a music theorist, film musicologist, and John Williams scholar who created the Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. Today, he's here to help us understand the end credits and music of The Last Jedi overall. We talk about wild theorizing, erotic themes, and the technical and philosophical ideals that make up the musical vocabulary of Star Wars.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro and welcome to Frank Lehman, music theorist and film musicologist
02:50 - Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars
talking about music with non-musicians
pet peeves, hot takes, justifications
crafting theories based on music
18:55 - What's going on in this end credits music?
20:48 - Is the music in these end credits "successful"?
26:35 - "Luke in Exile" themes
32:00 - violin demonstration overlaying Luke in Exile, Jedi Steps, Rey's themes
37:15 - mythically intentional way of writing open-ended music
46:xx - pre-existing expectations, idea that meaning comes from incongruity
48:26 - underscore, benefits of focusing on 5 cinematic minutes at a time, setting up moods
50:24 - "Mirror Cave" (TLJ) in conversation with "Magic Tree" (ESB) example
51:48 - about the "Battle of the Heroes" (ROTS) quote in the opening of this film
52:40 - rarity of perfect authentic cadences in this style of Hollywood score
57:02 - thoughts on Rose's theme, lydian themes in John Williams' history in general
1:03:41 - "wonderment" as a musical aesthetic
1:07:03 - explicit eroticism in music, Leia, Han and Leia, Q'ira, Jyn, etc...
1:10:19 - Rey's theme as a complete departure
1:15:27 - more playback of the end credits music
1:19:04 - leitmotif vs. incidental motif vs. nonspecific byproduct of a writing style, Ahch-To Arpeggios, Kamino Mystery motif
1:22:03 - Kamino callback in The Bad Batch, John Williams's musical fixations and shorthands
1:27:04 - visionary aspects of the screenwriting and directing as a possible inspiration for John Williams
"Thematic Transformation and the Limits of Leitmotivic Analysis" - Talk by Frank Lehman given at Society for Music Theory, 2019 - https://youtu.be/4ZBCNK0PYrk
Solo 12: Homunculus Hans (Minutes 56-60 with Tony Thaxton)
01:46:27
Why does the music in the sabacc scene sound like a romantic comedy? What does a cortical homunculus have to do with Solo? How does The Lodge compare to the other watering holes of Star Wars? Tony Thaxton returns to the show to talk about all of this and more in minutes 56-60 of Solo: A Star Wars Story!
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
03:27 - Musical playfulness of a romantic comedy.
10:36 - Do you remember watching Solo for the first time?
18:07 - Music with room for interludes and flourishes.
If you want to support the show and join my Discord server with other Star Wars music nerds, consider becoming a patron! https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
Forget about Han and Greedo for a second. The Special Edition release of A New Hope also brought us Jabba the Hutt and his virtuosic tuba theme (which originally debuted in Return of the Jedi). Trombonist in the Disneyland Band Justin Mitnik joins me today in a discussion about minutes 51-55 of Star Wars. We talk about the cantina songs, villains, orchestration, and more.
Discussion Guide:
00:00 - Hello there!
04:12 - Cantina Band 1 vs. Cantina Band 2
09:04 - Greedo's lines in Huttese
15:49 - "Mammaloo!"
19:35 - Death Star conference room scene
21:09 - Peter Cushing, Tarkin, onscreen villains
24:25 - Daddy Palpatine's frequent flyer miles
24:54 - Breaking down a meandering woodwind line
28:01 - Orchestration, using the range of the orchestra, why does John Williams double the clarinet line, etc
39:27 - "Naive Luke" theme
43:15 - Big tuba spotlight for Jabba (added in Special Edition)
46:12 - "Crispa Greedo"
52:08 - "Jabba, you're a wonderful human being." Sarcasm?
57:39 - Significance of this set of minutes, everyone's wrapping up remnants of their old life
1:02:29 - Mos Eisley Spaceport Cantina versus Oga's Cantina in Galaxy's Edge
1:05:34 - Listening to the Disneyland Band's Star Wars Medley
Solo 2: Corellia Worldbuilding (Minutes 6-10 with Kyle Katarn)
01:27:35
Kyle Katarn and Xanthe discuss minutes 6-10 of Solo: A Star Wars Story. In this excerpt of the film, Han and Qi'ra escape from Lady Proxima's lair, get chased at high speeds through Corellia, and end up at the Spaceport. We discuss Han Solo's themes, the visual language of Star Wars, and why John Williams is the "emotional taskmaster of the movies."
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
04:00 - Grindalids
15:12 - Han starts with a Hail Mary, but when he starts to achieve success, his music grows more confident.
16:22 - John Williams wrote a couple variations of Han's theme to reflect his different states.
22:18 - How do contemporary Star Wars composers balance between being authentic and emulating John Williams?
29:24 - On Solo drama, leaks, news, public discourse in 2018.
35:05 - Is this a violin sul D or sul G in "Corellia Chase"?
48:51 - The dice.
55:59 - Silent world building during the Corellia Chase. We fly through all these set pieces showing us Imperial checkpoints, TIE fighters on an assembly line, etc.
1:02:39 - Hint of the Star Wars Main Theme... and what it may represent.
1:08:30 - John Powell getting a lot of mileage out of the John Williams themes.
Note: I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Where are we in the soundtrack?
end of "Bunk / Proxima (1M2-3)" (about the last 10 seconds)
full track: "Corellia Chase (1M4-5)" or "Corellia Chase"
beginning of "Spaceport (1M6-7)" or "Spaceport" (until about 0:57)
-------------
STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Epic. Exotic. Alive.
Pewpew! Brrrrrr! Pppphufff! (rough transcription of Kyle's sound effects...)
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
The process of crafting new sounds to represent species or technologies. What parameters or instructions are sound designers given? Is it like "I want it to sound wibbly wobbly" or something subjective like that?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Kingdom of Heaven (composed by Harry Gregson-Williams)
Bonus Question: What would you encourage listeners to pay more attention to on their next viewing of Solo?
Pay attention to what's going on in the background during fast-paced moments like the chase, because there are a lot of important world building information, Easter eggs, and references to other Star Wars media that can be found.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
A discussion about the music and sound in minutes 76-80 of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, which starts with the rescue of Princess Leia and ends with jumping into the garbage chute. Today's guest is composer & music technologist Jeremy Sawruk. We discuss John Williams's detailed underscore, which features chromatic mediants, motion in thirds, harmonic tension building, and interesting orchestration choices.
A thorough analysis of the Force theme with music theorist/film musicologist Frank Lehman. We discuss form, structure, harmony, orchestration, and John Williams's alternate "Binary Sunset" cue that didn't make it to the film.
Discussion Guide:
0:00:00 - Hello there.
0:04:33 - Luke at the Lars kitchen table. Like father, like son.
0:06:46 - Beginning of the "Binary Sunset" breakdown.
0:09:00 - Frisson and which elements are in place to nearly "guarantee" the aesthetic shivers in Binary Sunset.
0:15:28 - Unsustainability of sustained notes.
0:18:54 - Tactile quality of the London Symphony Orchestra recording, Imperfection in the film and recording.
0:25:22 - Do you think this is the Force theme, Ben Kenobi theme, or Luke Skywalker theme in this moment?
0:47:33 - We start talking about "Binary Sunset (Alternate)" version.
0:57:25 - Signs of Shostakovich all over these scores.
1:01:04 - Listening to Binary Sunset alternate again. "Dies Irae," the retained cadence, etc.
1:05:54 - Listening to the baby "Rebel Fanfare" and the flutes not playing together.
1:09:19 - In the garage with Luke and Threepio.
1:10:15 - Listening to the magical chimes and the cadence. "Thicket of sonority." Evasion of the perfect authentic cadence.
1:14:23 - Who orchestrated this cue? Frank thinks it might be Angela Morley (but Herb Spencer and Morton also worked on orchestration)
1:16:10 - Lars homestead, Aunt Beru's food processor.
1:17:15 - Landspeeder motif and why Dr. Lehman included it in the catalogue.
1:20:58 - Sandpeople motif, instrumental textures
1:28:13 - The limitations of harmonic framing (or any reductionist analysis) when it comes to representing motifs/music.
1:32:30 - Crait dragon call, special edition sound design changes.
1:37:19 - The Obi-Wan twinkle.
1:42:43 - SWMM Questionnaire
Musical Themes:
3. Force
10) Landspeeder
11) Sandpeople
Note: I'm using the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
The Jawa ice-cream truck parks in front of the Lars homestead, and Uncle Owen gets a translator droid that speaks Bocce. Today, Mat from Blue Bantha Milk Co. is here to help us dive into the music and sound of Star Wars: A New Hope! Minutes 16-20 correspond to timecode 00:15:01-00:20:00 of the film.
Timestamps:
0:00:00 - Hello there
0:02:11 - Remembering dialogue through phonetics and pitch
0:10:22 - Sound design of the Sandcrawler
0:17:11 - Stormtroopers, Imperials Motif, dewbacks, special edition changes
0:20:56 - A New Hope soundtrack, various editions, what do we seek in a soundtrack album?
0:33:00 - Precursor to the Imperial March
0:36:50 - Have you ever watched Star Wars for the first time with someone who's never seen it?
0:42:39 - Jawa oom-pahs, Ewoks, Oopma Loompas, scoring cuteness and levity.
0:51:00 - Ice-cream (droid) truck stops at the Lars homestead
0:54:20 - Guess the dialogue in this sound clip (quiz)
0:57:02 - Homespun main theme
0:59:39 - Dies Irae
1:11:00 - Uncle Owen, wannabe haggler
1:24:05 - Threepio goes in for his bath.
1:27:42 - Anakin-bomb
1:28:33 - Blue Bantha Milk Co. using AI to help generate Star Wars fan-fiction
1:42:00 - SWMM Questionnaire
1:51:48 - Themes, soundtrack info
Musical Themes (leitmotifs and incidental motifs):
6a. Imperials (Motif)
9) Diminutive Creatures (incidental)
7. Jawas
7) Sandcrawler (incidental)
3. Force
Note: For consistency, I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Where we are in the soundtrack album:
"The Dune Sea Of Tatooine/Jawa Sandcrawler"
"The Little People Work"
"Mouse Robot/Blasting Off"
"The Desert And The Robot Auction"
"The Moisture Farm"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like? Action, danger, romance.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about? What happens with unused music cues?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Tenet (composed by Ludwig Göransson)
Horizon Zero Dawn (video game) (composed by Joris de Man, and The Flight)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (composed by Ennio Morricone)
Inception (composed by Hans Zimmer)
Interstellar (composed by Hans Zimmer)
Loki (series) (composed by Natalie Holt)
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Follow Blue Bantha Milk Co!
Blue Bantha Milk Co creates Star Wars fan-fiction performances written by artificial intelligence. They call this Star Wars written by AI 'The Banthaverse'.
Solo 20: Savareen Tumbleweed (Minutes 96-100 with John Hoey)
01:28:26
The music and sound design truly form a symbiotic circle in minutes 96-100 of Solo: A Star Wars Story! John Hoey (from The Resistance Broadcast and #MakeSolo2Happen) joins Xanthe in a discussion about the striking soundscapes of Savareen.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
05:06 - Taking a listen to the beginning of these minutes.
10:31 - Lack of music leaves us guessing.
12:16 - Comparing Savareen (SOLO) with Tatooine (A NEW HOPE).
19:59 - Lando and Han's touching moment.
23:45 - John Powell's thoughts on Han and Qi'ra's theme.
34:48 - Han's lucky streak.
42:37 - Vibraphone cue bolstering the spare sound design.
47:11 - We "hear" the Cloud-riders (rumble) before we see them.
56:29 - Han unbuckling his holster is major Clint Eastwood vibes.
1:03:49 - Diagonal shot, Dutch angles.
1:10:17 - Recap of the various sound hierarchies observed in these minutes.
End of "Into the Maw" and "Kessel Run in Less Than 12 Parsecs (5M32-33A-B-C)"
"Savareen Tent (6M34)"
"Enfys' Stand-Off (6M35)" and "Savareen Stand-Off"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Endlessly imaginative adventure.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
The future of Star Wars music. Will there be one main composer that takes over for John Williams, or will it continue being more of a per project thing like it is with Natalie Holt, Ludwig Göransson, etc?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Catch Me If You Can (composed by John Williams), Psycho (composed by Bernard Herrmann), The Batman (composed by Michael Giacchino), Man of the Steel (composed by Hans Zimmer)
When Luke looks out at the Burning Homestead, we hear an overt reference to the first four notes of Dies Irae. What is the meaning of this musical meme? Where else does the Dies Irae show up in Star Wars? Alex Ludwig AKA "Dies Irae guru" joins us today to help us gain a deeper understanding of this foundational musical trope.
Discussion:
00:00 - Hello there!
03:33 - What is Dies Irae?
04:56 - "Dies Irae" Gregorian chant clip.
06:05 - Dies Irae in the "Burning Homestead" clip.
08:10 - The 3 types of Dies Irae references.
08:20 - Type 1: full chant statement.
11:13 - Type 2: four-note statement, most common type.
14:04 - Type 3: ostinato pattern
16:26 - Why is type 3 the most controversial?
17:26 - Sensitivity vs. specificity.
19:20 - Assessing the Dies Irae-ness of "Alternate Binary Sunset" cue.
21:08 - If we're steeped in modern Western tonal language (most of us are), Dies Irae can sound like it outlines a minor triad, with sadness coded into it.
24:38 - Xanthe thinks "Burning Homestead" example is hopeful, while Alex does not. (Music interpretation is subjective!)
27:36 - Rhythmic displacement and John Williams planting the seeds of tension prior to the actual Dies Irae instance.
31:39 - Does the music sound sad, or is it sad, because we are connecting it with the story? Chicken or the egg.
32:02 - Chaotic listening experiment #1: Gregorian chant edition.
34:00 - Original characteristics of Dies Irae.
37:46 - Frank Lehman shoutout. We are fans.
38:33 - Chaotic listening experiment #2: Star Wars edition. Would you consider those "Dies Irae" or not?
41:33 - Coincidences.
43:38 - Would we diagnose the music in Obi-Wan's hut with a case of Dies Irae? (listening example). Alex and Xanthe have different answers.
45:42 - The Force Awakens, Rey's journey, answering the hero's call, how Dies Irae might play in.
48:48 - Rogue One Dies Iraes.
50:40 - Multiple transformations of Dies Irae, Mozart, Verdi, Romantic programmatic music, etc. From chant to sacred setting to secular spooky piece to Hollywood.
55:13 - Late 19th century composers influenced the first wave of film composers; Dies Irae may have been passed down.
58:41 - Catholic perspectives on Dies Irae. The "Dies Irae" was actually dropped by the Vatican because it was thought to be too frightening. However, some Catholics find it awe-inspiring, as it invites them to a "deeper, more serious faith," grasping that "choices and actions have eternal consequences."
1:04:47 - Is Dies Irae a meme, a trope, or both?
1:08:48 - Do you think the Dies Irae will be played out pretty soon? Is it too cliche now that it's blown up so much?
1:09:53 - A question for listeners!
1:15:04 - Overview of the soundscape in the rest of these 5 minutes. "Close your eyes and you know exactly where you are."
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique: The Witches' Sabbath – Aurora Orchestra at the 2019 BBC Proms https://youtu.be/G2aHglwKH_I
Themes:
3. Force
13) Dies Irae
5. Death Star
6a. Imperials (Motif)
4. Leia
Note: I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Soundtrack:
"The Return Home"
"Mos Eisley Spaceport"
"Shootout in the Cell Bay/Dianoga"
"Cantina Band"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
triumphant brass fanfares
ominous contrapuntal warblings
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
What it's like for new composers (Michael Giacchino, John Powell, Ludwig Göransson, etc) to play in the playground of Star Wars music -- to have all these themes at their fingertips, get to use them and take them to new places. "What is it like to get the keys to this kingdom as a composer?"
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
The Social Network (composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) and Sunset Boulevard (composed by Franz Waxman)
ESB 26: Empire Strikes Back Soundtrack Restoration (Minutes 126-128 with Chris Malone)
03:49:39
Mastering engineer and film music restoration expert Chris Malone joins Xanthe for the season finale to talk about all things Empire Strikes Back soundtrack. We cover a ton of ground, from analog recording technology and methodology to the unique issues affecting The Empire Strikes Back releases. This episode contains many visuals, including spectogram displays that allow us to see tangible differences between various mixes.
5:08 - Do you have one of these Empire Strikes Back soundtrack albums?
12:25 - Film music is recorded to part of the film. There wasn't always an expectation to produce a separate soundtrack album.
18:04 - When, where, and how the Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back scores were recorded. Terminology: 35mm magnetic film, magnetic tape, sprockets, tape machine, magnetic oxide particles, 50Hz tone, reproducer.
24:09 - Using magnetic film for synchronization. Limitations of the tape technology.
33:51 - John Williams editing together multiple takes with Ken Wannberg.
46:05 - What is a 24-track tape? Why does the width of tape matter?
49:58 - What is a live mix, and why is it an important reference for the ESB soundtrack albums?
1:02:53 - Listening to minutes 126-128 (end of the End Title music) while looking at the spectral frequency display.
1:10:27 - Diagonal splices.
1:23:07 - Different version of the Imperial March in the End Credits.
1:37:39 - Differences between the original ESB soundtrack and the Special Edition release.
1:57:37 - Comparison example: "Hyperspace" track on the 4CD and Special Edition releases. Listening for the violin presence and spatial movement of the horns and trombones.
2:09:17 - More spectogram comparisons: "City in the Clouds" and last note of the "Main Title."
2:21:21 - Applying the Hippocratic Oath to score restoration.
2:30:00 - If something was recorded in mono, should it stay mono?
2:40:31 - When it comes to restoring a film score, which sorts of recording artifacts is the engineer trying to correct?
2:42:21 - Example of "wow."
2:48:02 - Flutter.
2:53:13 - Why Chris champions the CD as an audio format.
3:01:21 - What type of gear does Chris use when listening to/analyzing music? (Question from Alex Cunningham)
3:12:06 - Was the ARP 2600 synthesizer overdubbed or recorded with the orchestra for the Empire Strikes Back soundtrack? (Question from Ender Smith)
3:13:58 - What has the transition to digital production done for Star Wars? (Question from Fr. David Mowry)
3:18:14 - Differences between the original 1954 20th Century Fox Fanfare and the one John Williams re-recorded for ESB.
3:20:28 - Eric Tomlinson's technique for recording punchy-sounding brass.
3:25:02 - The original trilogy scores (especially The Empire Strikes Back) could sound 1000x better than they sound on any of the current releases. What might prevent it from happening?
3:28:49 - The 2018 Disney releases of the Original Trilogy (the albums that are on Spotify).
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Simply the best. Thematic orchestral richness. Well of richness.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Everything there is to learn about the first three scores (1977, 1980, 1983). How did they get to where they got? What were the spotting sessions like? What were the internal memos like?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Goldfinger (John Barry). The Lion in Winter (John Barry). Out of Africa (John Barry). Early James Bond scores by John Barry. Raiders of the Lost Ark by John Williams.
Solo 15: Do You Like It? (Minutes 71-75 with Christina Ward)
01:27:18
Composer Christina Ward joins Xanthe for a detailed listen and analysis of minutes 71-75 of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which starts with the crew landing on Kessel and ends with L3 liberating a droid.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
05:39 - All roads lead back to the Empire.
11:15 - Where the music abruptly changes, Baroque vibes, Enigma Variations, Britten, large interval leaps, unified instrument sections
22:02 - Qi'ra and the gang walk out to greet the Pykes. Music leaves space for dialogue.
24:53 - Jaws-esque half steps.
27:49 - Sparkly Main Theme for chance cubes shot.
29:30 - Rooting (but not rooting) for Han and Qi'ra.
33:48 - Buildup before they break their disguises. Contrary motion.
42:38 - The droid that steals the show!
47:35 - Composers conveying instructions to performers. How would we notate this droid sound?
55:02 - Humor, Qi'ra, "murder complete."
1:00:35 - The beginning of "Mine Mission" is curious, hopeful.
1:07:48 - Listeners with good droid ears, what do you think the droid is saying?
"Oksana Floren, yadda yadda yadda (4M30A)" - pretty much the whole track
"Mine Mission" - first 40 seconds
"Extra Deluxe Mine Mission (4M30B-5M30C-31)"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Heartfelt. Direct. Dramatic.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
What are the thematic relationships that tie the dark side with Imperialism, musically speaking? Similarly, what musical relationships tie the light side with rebellion and goodness?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Dune (music composed by Hans Zimmer, sound team led by Mark Mangini and Theo Green)
ESB 15: Yoda and the Wolf (Minutes 71-75 with Fr. David and Trevor Mowry)
01:48:44
In The Empire Strikes Back Minutes 71-75, Yoda raises the ship while Luke looks on in disbelief. Oboist Trevor Mowry and Father David Mowry return to SWMM to talk about this emotional cue (complete with the best E Maj7 chord ever), the "Peter and Wolf"-like instrumentation (are you team French horn or team trumpet?), the expansiveness of Yoda's theme, and the tactility of Star Wars sound design. We also cover a fantastic listener question from Tim B!
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Father David: Expansive real horizons. (Previous answer: Raw triumphant heroism.)
Trevor: Past, present, future. (Previous answer: Timeless space adventure)
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Father David: How much has the transition to digital sound production changed the feel of Star Wars?
Trevor: How one gets to be someone who conducts the performances of the live to picture concerts. (Previous answer: Everything about the Cantina Band, the human beings behind Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. Where did they get these people? Where did they get a steel drum player who could shred like that?)
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Father David: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Previous answer: Baby Driver, directed by Edgar Wright)
Trevor: Vertigo (composed by Bernard Herrmann)
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Trevor Mowry:
Look up "Trevor Mowry oboe" to find lots of oboe-related things online.
There's no music for our first 90 seconds on Tatooine, forcing us to reckon with the cicadas, barren landscape, and Threepio's frozen joints. This is a deep dive into the music and sound of Star Wars: A New Hope, Minutes 11-15. Guest: Ender Smith AKA AurekFonts.
Let's see if timestamps work this time (if not, I'm sorry!):
(0:00:00) - Hello there.
(0:03:49) - Fonts and motifs
(0:09:03) - Ben Burtt on creating R2-D2's voice
(0:11:48) - "Worldizing," a sound design concept by Walter Murch
(0:15:41) - Cicadas
(0:23:00) - Silence on Tatooine and what that evokes
(0:33:20) - Stravinsky Rite of Spring comparison
(0:48:00) - Sound design of Artoo in the canyon
(0:55:16) - Jawaese
(1:15:19) - Cat bomb
(1:21:20) - Tuba forum tidbits
(1:22:09) - Tour of the sandcrawler droids.
(1:24:45) - GNK droid's music debut.
(1:27:22) - PSA: Gonk droids say more than just "Gonk"!!!!!!!!!!
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
California radio voiceovers
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Ender would like to see the making of one musical cue from start to finish (similar to the documentary Star Wars Within A Minute: The Making Of Episode III Documentary). This might include things like John Williams looking at a scene, writing sketches, passing it on to copyists, all the way to editors and sound team working on the final mix.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
"Cantina Band" theme music written by John Williams, performed by Chrysanthe Tan
Frank Lehman created and maintains the Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars, a resource that we frequently reference on this show. Available as a PDF on his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/
Riley Silverman joins me to discuss the music and sound of minutes 71-75 of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. This chunk of the film starts with Ben Kenobi telling Luke "The Force will be with you always" and ends with Luke, Han, and Chewie about to find Princess Leia.
Discussion Guide:
00:00 - Hello there!
01:33 - Uniformity of the Imperial base vs. chaos of the Rebel base
25:10 - Chewbacca, shag rug of the Death Star
31:26 - Mouse droids and The Three Stooges
52:41 - Ben Burtt and his friends recorded this in a church
Note: I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Soundtrack:
"Wookiee Prisoner/Detention Block Ambush"
"Mouse Robot/Blasting Off"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Epic space magic
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
How do people go about designing music for a scene or character in the first place? Writers start with a blank page and somehow use words to convey scenes; what is the musical/sound version of that process like?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Doctor Who, which has gone through dozens of composers over the decades. The original theme was composed by Ron Grainer and realized by Delia Derbyshire.
ESB 21: Oedipally Violent Romance (Minutes 101-105 with Takeo Rivera)
02:15:11
Minutes 101-105 of The Empire Strikes Back feature extraordinary drama, peril, romance, and even some lightly comedic underscore. Takeo Rivera (English professor, playwright, performance studies specialist) returns to the show to discuss the score's function as a "warm blanket," Threepio's crush on Lando, the film's romantic aesthetics, and more.
We're getting into the Battle of Yavin today with Alex and Mollie Damon (Star Wars Explained)! We talk John Williams's frenetic score, wet and squishy X-wing sounds, comms chatter, and other soundscape details from Star Wars minutes 106-110. Don't worry -- Biggs is still alive in at this time.
Note: My mic has an intermittent crackly sound for the first 10 minutes. Sorry about that! Skip to about 10:50 if you want to avoid the robot voice.
Discussion Guide:
00:00 - Disclaimer
00:20 - Hello there!
09:30 - Can Alex name all of the Red Squadron?
10:50 - Skip to here if you don't want to hear my robot crackle voice.
23:40 - Force theme, fanfare-style
27:20 - Descending Heroic Tetrachords
39:00 - The little Imperial motif in ANH that got overshadowed by the Imperial March in ESB
41:00 - Wet X-wing blasters
1:10:40 - SWMM Questionnaire
Themes:
5. Death Star
3. Force
18) Descending Heroic Tetrachords
17) Heroic Determination
Note: I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Soundtrack: "The Battle Of Yavin (Launch From The Fourth Moon/X-Wings Draw Fire/Use The Force")
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Mollie: Hope, bravery, curiosity.
Alex: bwaaap tscheww pew!
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Mollie: The psychology behind how different chords of music make someone feel. How does sound evoke different emotions?
Alex: How Ben Burtt made the X-wing sounds.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Mollie: Lord of the Rings. (composed by Howard Shore). Also: Tarantino soundtracks, Moulin Rouge, and the new West Side Story.
Alex: Lord of the Rings (composed by Howard Shore)
01:09:30 - Xanthe brings up something that Pete said on Star Wars Minute 4 (in 2013). We talk original mono mix, special editions, de-specialized editions, etc.
01:13:08 - The hectic soundscape of the blockade runner. Various alarm sounds in Star Wars.
01:19:33 - Darth Vader's introduction. Breathing as Vader's true motif. The "not-Imperial March"
01:23:20 - Pete tries to remember the music but realizes that the sound design is burned into his memory of the soundtrack. We discuss how the soundtrack without the sound design and dialogue can sound bare at times.
01:30:55 - Inaugural Star Wars Music Minute Questionnaire
Musical Themes: (in order of appearance, using Frank Lehman's catalogue designations):
Solo 3: Imperial March Diegesis (Minutes 11-15 with Samantha Tripp)
01:10:46
What happens to the narrative when an iconic theme like the "Imperial March" becomes diegetic? What does that do to the audience? Samantha Tripp is here to help us explore this fascinating topic today. We discuss Solo, Rebels, the British Empire, the efficacy of propaganda music, and other bits and pieces from minutes 11-15 of Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
01:49 - Characteristics of the diegetic Imperial March in Solo ("Empire Recruitment")
18:25 - John Powell's own words about his diegeticization of the Imperial March.
26:30 - Comparing this to Star Wars: Rebels ("Glory of the Empire")
35:35 - Could we reverse-engineer Williams's original "Imperial March" by taking this Edwardian Pax-Britannica-style version and putting it through a filter of chromaticism?
45:01 - Does the propaganda do its job?
50:49 - David Glen Russell possibly wrote the "Glory of the Empire" theme for Rebels.
Another example of a patriotic march but for the USA: The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa - "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band - https://youtu.be/a-7XWhyvIpE
Themes:
4. Han & Q'ira
2a. Young Han Solo (Searching, comp. JW)
3. Secrets
10a. Imperial March (Theme)
1. Young Han Solo (Heroic, comp. JW)
5. The Gang
Note: I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Soundtrack:
"Spaceport" / "Spaceport (1M6-7)"
"Gonna Be a Pilot (1M8)"
"Empire Recruitment (1M9)"
"Mimban Battle (1M10A-B)"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Powerful, evocative, grandiose.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Musician stories from recording the sequel films, particularly The Rise of Skywalker. What is it like sitting in the orchestra, hearing those themes, and trying to make connections in the film ahead of time?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
The Shape of Water (composed by Alexandre Desplat)
Bonus Question: What would you encourage listeners to pay extra attention to on their next viewing of Solo: A Star Wars Story?
The juxtaposition between the Imperial March in the advertisement versus the battle. Also, the way that John Powell's score creates and plays with tension as Han and Qi'ra are trying to make their way through the barrier, then later on, as Han is hiding. Listen for the string ostinati, etc.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
For those curious, here is the full abstract for the talk Samantha is preparing. The abstract was co-written by Samantha Tripp and her advisor Frank Lehman.
The Suns Never Set on the Galactic Empire: Recursive References and In-Universe Instances of “The Imperial March”
Allowing a non-diegetic theme to slip into the realm of source music is nothing new: ever since Siegfried tooted his own horn(motif), composers of narrative multimedia have found ways for underscore to peek into the diegetic world. But while such moments of diegeticization provide yet another example of the eminently-permeable “fantastical gap,” their ramifications often run deeper than a blurring of narrational levels (Stilwell 2004, Heldt 2013). Because when fictional characters hear their own music, it can provoke a rehearing for the audience. Indeed, the recontextualized “source” of such underscore-as-source-music may turn out to reside as much in nonfictional reality as some fictional diegesis.
This presentation explores the implications of rehearing an iconic theme—John Williams’ “Imperial March”—through two in-universe instances: David Glen Russell’s “Empire Day” from Rebels (2014), and John Powell’s “Empire Recruitment” from Solo (2018). These cues both reimagine the minor-mode leitmotif as major-mode musical propaganda. Through close analysis, we demonstrate two contrasting approaches to diegeticization: parodic hyper-chromaticization of the theme’s non-functional tonality in Rebels’ ceremonial parade; and nostalgic diatonic hyper-correction for Solo’s military-recruitment ad. By cannily channeling the nobilmente style of Elgar/Walton, these cues resurface a subtextual “source” of Williams’s theme—Edwardian Pax-Britannica style nationalism—and with it the complex relation of imperial-versus-revolutionary politics in Star Wars generally (Buhler 2002, Lerner 2004). We conclude by situating the “Imperial March” at one further level of remove: out of the meticulously controlled diegetic canon of Disney-era Star Wars and into the real world of contemporary protest music.
25 Mar 2022
Solo 5: Beast to Bestie (Minutes 21-25 with Camila)
01:25:01
Camila (BoricuaWookiee) is back on the show to discuss minutes 21-25 of Solo: A Star Wars Story! Today, we're talking about inter-species communication, the hierarchy of sentience, and sound design as an unreliable narrator. Toward the end, we touch upon the psychology of flying, the different flavors of flying music in film, and of course, that god-forsaken rain showerhead.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
Solo 16: Contrapuntal Droid Rebellion (Minutes 76-80 with Riley Silverman)
01:56:21
L3 starts a revolution, Han moves coaxium containers, and the (perky, contrapuntal) music is the Force that binds us all together. Also worth considering: Is L3 a big ol' boom box? Newly minted Star Wars writer Riley Silverman is back on the show to discuss Solo Minutes 76-80 of Solo!
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
04:45 - Riley's theory of droids in Star Wars
11:06 - Didactic & diegetic
14:35 - "Mine Mission" counterpoint
29:33 - Oasis of friendship, then back to the mission
36:36 - How music scales with size and scope.
45:50 - Tense action cue while Han moves the canisters.
48:11 - Coaxium music - dangerous, delicate, destiny?
56:21 - Solo interconnectivity, Solo criticism, Kathleen Kennedy, misguided Alden Ehrenreich blame.
1:03:58 - I love old characters.
1:14:42 - the mine mission! My buddy's back!
1:19:47 - L3 is focused on her revolutionary ideals, but her revolution begins as an afterthought.
1:22:37 - Listener question: Do droids listen to music?
1:27:25 - Are droids capable of music composition? Playing instruments? Tangent about AI, art, and creativity.
Counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpoint
Imitation is the repetition of a melody in a polyphonic texture shortly after its first appearance in a different voice. The melody may vary through transposition, inversion, or otherwise, but retain its original character. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imitation_(music)
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New answer: Epic space magic.
Previous answer: Epic space magic.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New answer: How many different screams are there? (like the Wilhelm scream)
Previous answer: How do people go about designing music for a scene or character in the first place? Writers start with a blank page and somehow use words to convey scenes; what is the musical/sound version of that process like?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New answer: Gentlemen Jack (composed by Murray Gold), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (composed by Danny Elfman)
Previous answer: Doctor Who, which has gone through dozens of composers over the decades. The original theme was composed by Ron Grainer and realized by Delia Derbyshire. Murray Gold was the composer from 2005 to 2017.
---------------
Guest: Riley Silverman
Star Wars: Exploring Tatooine: An Illustrated Guide (coming August 2022 -- preorder now, if you're seeing this before then!) https://www.rileysilverman.com/books
Giulio Briccialdi (19th century Italian flautist/composer)
Soundtrack: "The Battle Of Yavin (Launch From The Fourth Moon/X-Wings Draw Fire/Use The Force")
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE (this is Samantha's second time answering it):
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Powerful, evocative, grandiose
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Solo season answer: Musician stories from recording the sequel films, particularly The Rise of Skywalker. What is it like sitting in the orchestra, hearing those themes, and trying to make connections in the film ahead of time?
New answer: What was it like for the musicians recording the original trilogy, particularly the first film? Did they realize that they were playing something so iconic? Did they realize the impact that the music would have as they were playing it?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Solo season answer: The Shape of Water (composed by Alexandre Desplat)
New answer: Spider-Man: No Way Home (composed by Michael Giacchino)
Samantha will be teaching a course on Star Wars music through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Tufts University soon.
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If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
Solo 11: Under Pressure (Minutes 51-55 with Triad of the Force)
01:56:03
Triad of the Force (Gus, Nani, Moe) join Xanthe in a discussion about the music and sound in minutes 51-55 of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which starts with Han convincing Dryden to give them a chance and ends with Han challenging Lando to a game of sabacc. We talk about musical pivot points, toxic professors, dialogue mixing, peacocks, the cue that sounds like David Bowie, and more!
44:01 - Donald Glover's voice and Billy Dee Williams.
55:13 - Han Solo, last minute hero.
59:28 - Thrawn namedrop.
1:03:22 - Lando, king of the scene.
1:12:00 - National Geographic peacocks.
1:18:13 - Discussing the "Sabacc Game (3M25)" cue. Is it diegetic? Where would the sounds be coming from? Why does it sound like David Bowie's "Under Pressure"?
1:36:43 - Final thoughts about these Solo minutes.
1:41:43 - SWMM Questionnaire
1:50:28 - Where to find Triad of the Force (they'll be on the podcast stage at Star Wars Celebration 2022!)
Triad of the Force's last appearance on SWMM: ANH 13: Fantasy Pet (with Triad of the Force): https://youtu.be/tksBD_cQtXw
Xanthe's guest appearance on Triad of the Force: Meaning & Music in Star Wars || Galactic Melodies • S2|E24 - https://youtu.be/fLvG7-s6K64
Musical Themes:
3. Secrets
5. The Gang
1. Young Han Solo (Heroic, comp. JW)
Where are we in the soundtrack?
"Dryden's Patience Is Tested (3M21-22-23)" starting around 3:10
"Card Room (3M24)"
"Is This Seat Taken?"
beginning of "Sabacc Game (3M25)"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Nani: James Earl Jones (same answer as ANH season)
Moe: Analog but magical (same answer as ANH season)
Gus: Beepbeep! Kshh-Paaa. Grrrrrwwwwwrr! (same answer as ANH season)
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Nani: The thought process, methods, and approaches to scoring new Star Wars media in the post-John Williams era. (same answer as ANH season)
Moe: How the beeps and boops were made. (ANH season: Max Rebo's Band).
Gus: The director-composer relationship and how they create a symbiont circle. (ANH season answer: How all the sounds, especially from the original trilogy, were created.)
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Nani: Atonement (composed Dario Marianelli) and Batman (1989, composed by Danny Elfman)
Moe: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (composed by Yugo Kanno)
Gus: Interstellar (composed by Hans Zimmer). ANH season answers: Hook (composed by John Williams) and Fellowship of the Rings (composed by Howard Shore)
If you enjoyed this episode and want to show extra appreciation, feel free to buy me a coffee and shout out the guest! https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
TROS 5: StabbyBoi Kylo (Minutes 21-25 with Alex Cunningham)
02:31:05
In minutes 21-25 of The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren debuts his newly repaired mask, our heroes make it to Pasaana in time for the Aki Aki Festival of the Ancestors, and we get our first piece of source music in the film. Alex Cunningham returns to the show to discuss Kylo's helmet voice, First Order dialects, stabby punctuation, and the use of diegetic music on Pasaana.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
2:58 - Stabby punctuation of Kylo Ren entrance.
7:12 - Kylo's theme vs. Knights of Ren theme.
18:22 - "I sense unease about my appearance, General Hux."
19:05 - Is Kylo's helmet voice a little clearer than it was in TFA?
27:49 - Fanboy Pryde.
32:19 - Question about the RP-accented First Order officers and if the English dialect distinctions are recreated in other language dubs.
42:31 - More stabby Kylo Ren punctuation. "I'm gonna go hunting."
44:23 - Musical sting during the transition to Pasaana. Reminiscent of Emperor and Planetary Descent.
47:50 - Thoughts on there being yet another desert planet.
59:58 - Diegetic music for the Aki-Aki Festival of the Ancestors.
1:18:44 - Source music is taken over by score, illustrating Rey's change of focus. Lydian moment!
1:30:54 - Awkward "family name" conversation.
1:38:14 - Thoughts on Leia's Jedi journey.
1:50:49 - Soundscape of Kylo and Rey's Force Skype.
2:05:54 - Kylo Ren's A Theme (Aggressive) vs. B Theme (Hesitant).
None of this music is on either soundtrack (I think?)
Shag F. Kava - "Lido Hey" (on YouTube)
---------------
STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New: Subtle, except not.
Previous: John. Ben. James.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New: Which accent/dialect choices are being made in other language dubs of Star Wars?
Previous: What other sound designers does Ben Burtt admire? Who is on the foley team, and how do they think and talk about foley? Do they see themselves as sound designers, how do they approach their creative work?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New: Spring Breakers (composed by Skrillex and Cliff Martinez), Spawn: The Album (the US Edition) (produced by Happy Walters)
Previous: Akira (composed by Geinoh Yamashirogumi), The Harder They Come (primarily featuring Jimmy Cliff), Station Eleven (composed by Dan Romer)
---------------
Guest: Alex Cunningham
BrickSteelhead on the Friends of Xanthe Discord server.
TROS 10: Dialogue Is the Melody (Minutes 46-50 with Camila Quiñones)
01:33:01
John Williams has a cameo in this set of minutes! Also in minutes 46-50 of The Rise of Skywalker, the gang lands on Kijimi, we meet Zorii Bliss and Babu Frik, and we learn more about the droid hacking thing that'll get C-3PO to translate the Sith inscription. Camila Quiñones returns to the show to talk about the sound-forward worldbuilding of Kijimi, musicality in Star Wars dialogue, anchoring and more!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
9:06 - Friendship theme into Rey's theme. Compassion and selflessness.
16:56 - Lack of music and emphasis on sound does a lot of world-building for Kijimi. Sanitizing effect of music.
22:40 - Music wants to be anchored to what (and who) is important in the story.
27:26 - Fast banter, musicality in the dialogue.
33:50 - Different dialects and speaking trends/styles in different decades of Star Wars. Polystylism.
42:41 - Thoughts on Poe as a character. Musical punctuation.
50:20 - Heroines of Star Wars (Rey, Padme, Leia) and their relationship to hope/idealism.
56:03 - Diegetic music in Oma Tres's bar. Cantina music in Star Wars.
1:02:26 - John Williams's cameo, behind-the-scenes, set decoration.
1:09:12 - C-3PO drives Camila nuts every single movie.
TROS 2: Audiovisual Acid Trip (Minutes 6-10 with Klaudia Amenábar)
01:52:14
In minutes 6-10 of The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine has a chat with Kylo Ren, Poe and Finn lose a game of Dejarik to Chewie, a spy gives the Resistance information, and the Falcon lightspeed skips to evade TIE fighters. Klaudia Amenábar of RuPalp's Podrace returns to the show to discuss the Resistance polycule, octatonic brass, Exegol sound design, and more!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
3:43 - Listening to the beginning of these minutes.
8:21 - The "Palpatine" in Rey's theme.
24:49 - Trio of characters interacting for the first time.
28:31 - David Acord and Matthew Wood explaining the sound design of Exegol.
40:11 - Exegol lightning compared to Force lightning.
49:44 - Quibble about the physical descriptions of characters in Star Wars books.
53:52 - The Rise of Skywalker polycule.
1:01:07 - Octatonic planing horns.
1:09:51 - Why do we hear the Emperor's theme when we see TIE fighters?
1:17:54 - Rebel Fanfare (planing triads), March of the Resistance, lightspeed skipping.
1:24:40 - John Williams loves/hates us (violinists).
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New: Poetic. Epic. Hopeful.
Previous: Poetic. Epic. Inspiring.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New: How are certain sound design choices made? Which decisions come from the producers vs. sound designers, etc? How is the sound design process different across the various types of Star Wars media?
Previous: The stories behind how various bits of music ended up in the films/shows. "How did that get there?"
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New: TRIGUN STAMPEDE (anime series composed by Tatsuya Kato)
Previous: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (composed by Joe Hisaishi)
TROS 12: Kylo's Gaming Rig (Minutes 56-60 with Tony Thaxton)
01:29:48
In minutes 56-60 of The Rise of Skywalker, our heroes rescue Chewbacca and Rey wanders into Kylo's creepily-sterile-looking private quarters. Tony Thaxton returns to the show to discuss "noticing vs. not noticing," deaths in Star Wars, the sound design of Kylo/Rey's Force chats, and more!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
5:18 - Not noticing the music vs. being distracted by the music.
12:57 - Would you recognize Star Wars music out of context? Or would you get it mixed up with other John Williams stuff?
14:30 - How do you feel about the completely new styles of music in Star Wars shows?
19:21 - Variant on the Friendship theme.
23:11 - What is John Williams's writing process like?
26:30 - Xanthe's experience doing session work.
34:21 - Do you find yourself a little overwhelmed the first time you see a new Star Wars movie?
40:30 - Brief, jaunty action string riff.
43:26 - Deaths in Star Wars.
47:50 - E.T. moment?
52:04 - Tension theme, March of the Resistance.
57:34 - Weird Chewie vocalization.
59:19 - Kylo's pristine living quarters, Star Wars visual language (and a challenge).
1:01:43 - Imperial March with Sith Artifacts (Dagger) motif overlaid.
1:10:24 - Sound design of the Kylo/Rey Force chats.
1:13:47 - Tony's observation/perception of the droid sound effects in the sequels.
TROS 1: Intro to the Music of The Rise of Skywalker (Minutes 1-5)
01:21:06
This is an introduction to the music of The Rise of Skywalker with an emphasis on the first 5 minutes. In the episode, I also go over my aims for this season of Star Wars Music Minute, talk about balancing meta-commentary and media-commentary, and share my favorite thing about the TROS score.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
0:50 - What to expect from this episode.
1:40 - Part 1: The first 5 minutes of TROS.
34:02 - Part 2: The Meta Stuff
41:28 - For Your Consideration (FYC) album.
48:03 - Analyzing and interpreting the media as it stands.
50:32 - Romantic music and Friendship as a major theme.
1:03:04 - Assumptions and shaky premises.
1:13:35 - Upcoming source (diegetic) music.
1:14:31 - Matching my timestamps to Frank Lehman's SW Thematic Catalogue.
1:16:34 - New intro/outro arrangement (based on "Anthem of Evil")
1:19:24 - A little perk for my Discord server (join us!)
TROS 11: Where's Babu? (Minutes 51-55 with Brandon Wainerdi)
01:39:09
In minutes 51-55 of The Rise of Skywalker, Babu Frik does the procedure, C-3PO performs the Sith translation, and Rey senses that Chewie is still alive. Returning guest Brandon Wainerdi (Talking Bay 94) joins me to discuss the usage of the Main Theme, Shirley Henderson's voice work on Babu Frik, MacGuffin mechanics, and more!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
6:07 - Significance of droids dying.
11:04 - Steven Spielberg's concern over Babu Frik.
14:25 - How do you feel about this use of the Main Theme?
21:45 - Octatonic moment.
22:55 - Babu Frik's puppet work, voice work.
27:06 - Mystery music a la Attack of the Clones.
32:37 - J.J. Abrams as D-O; are you distracted by celebrity voice cameos?
36:37 - "I think Star Wars, as a property, excels when..."
42:28 - Sly use of the Emperor's theme mixed with Imperial March; Is John Williams an omniscient narrator?
47:59 - Figuring out the mechanism of the MacGuffin.
51:03 - Brandon's weird way of consuming Star Wars.
59:47 - Shirley Henderson recorded Babu's "droid is ready" line in multiple languages.
TROS 6: Speeder Chase Shenanigans (Minutes 26-30 with Conor Power)
02:24:11
In minutes 26-30 of The Rise of Skywalker, Lando tells Rey, Finn, Poe, and the gang about Ochi of Bestoon, and our heroes encounter flying stormtroopers. Film music researcher Conor Power returns to the show to discuss "style topics," the Heroics themes, and John Williams' original cue for the speeder chase.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
3:09 - Musical scorekeeping, motifs.
5:49 - Style topics (style topos).
9:07 - Lacking the terminology to explain musical interpretations.
10:42 - Listening to the start of these minutes.
14:24 - Octatonic flute filigree.
21:01 - Optimistic suspensions, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head?
24:43 - Lando's voice through the mask.
27:21 - March Onboard Spacecraft incidental motif.
33:32 - Best line in the scene.
39:01 - Heroics (Broad) theme.
49:29 - Sinister underscore while Lando talks about Ochi.
58:21 - Strings with an anguished symphony quality.
1:03:13 - The use of Leia's theme when Lando mentions her.
1:10:27 - This part reminds Xanthe of "The Adventures of Han" from Solo: A Star Wars Story.
1:12:33 - Elephant in the room: John Williams' "Speeder Chase" cue, which didn't make it into the film.
1:24:49 - Are the beats of this action sequence hard to follow? Would the scene have been more cohesive with Williams's original cue?
1:29:53 - How to get the best work out of John Williams (speculation).
1:38:58 - Heroics theme after "they fly now."
1:47:02 - Augmented Rey's theme.
1:52:00 - Timpani sticking out.
2:04:09 - Playing John Williams's original "Speeder Chase" cue.
2:10:43 - JW "adventure-action" music; this action cue sounds like more of a lighthearted diversion than a pivotal melodrama.
TROS 7: Silent Animals (Minutes 31-35 with Sawyer Markham)
01:07:31
In minutes 31-35 of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey and the gang fall through the sinking fields, find Ochi's dagger, and encounter a snarling serpent. Sawyer Markham joins me today to talk about ambient loops, snake sounds, musical exit points, and more!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
3:06 - Sawyer's overall thoughts about the music in this film.
7:30 - Ambient loops at Disneyland.
15:04 - Why does this sound familiar? (music when they sink into the quicksand and land in the vexus's cave)
20:00 - Lightsabers in the cave.
25:55 - Unmetered music that doesn't feel strictly tied to beats.
27:49 - "Magic Tree" (from Empire Strikes Back)
35:28 - Dagger motif / How to identify musical themes.
TROS 3: Independent Jedi Study (Minutes 11-15 with Riley Silverman)
01:49:58
In minutes 11-15 of The Rise of Skywalker, we see Rey training in the jungle of Ajan Kloss under the light guidance of General Leia Organa; Kylo and Rey have their first Force chat of the film; and Rey reunites with Poe and Finn. Star Wars author and Rey aficionado Riley Silverman is here with me to discuss Rey's epic "training suite" theme, Leia's as a "lowercase j" jedi, shortcuts in music and filmmaking, and more!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
1:43 - Leia as a lowercase "j" jedi
6:40 - End of the lightspeed skipping scene.
8:51 - Shortcuts. Re-using the Martial Chords/Holst Chords from the Death Star blow-up scene in ANH.
17:56 - Peaceful soundscape of Rey training on Ajan Kloss.
20:58 - "Leia Trains Rey" – new incidental motif – a tender string line.
26:31 - Mishearing the Rey/Leia conversation in theaters.
32:46 - Rey's pump-up training suite is reminiscent of Luke's lifestyle montage on Ahch-To (in TLJ minutes 21-25).
39:33 - Imperial March and Kylo Ren's Aggressive theme with one note out of place.
44:10 - Music raising the stakes during Rey's training. Duelistic Strings (incidental motif). Kylo's intrusion.
49:46 - Awesome sound design in Rey/Kylo's concurrent flashbacks.
1:00:14 - Rey studies ancient texts. Independent Jedi Study. Continuity from TLJ to TROS.
1:10:57 - Poe and Rey bicker like divorced (but still good) co-parents.
1:22:47 - Final thoughts about these minutes and TROS as a whole.
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New: Wondrous space magic.
Previous: Epic space magic.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New: How many different people are involved in the process of putting music in the film? Who has the final say?
Previous: How many different screams are there? How do people go about designing music for a scene or character in the first place? Writers start with a blank page and somehow use words to convey scenes; what is the musical/sound version of that process like?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New: Across the Spider-Verse (composed by Daniel Pemberton)
Previous: Gentlemen Jack (composed by Murray Gold), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (composed by Danny Elfman). Doctor Who.
TROS 8: Bad Boys for Life (Minutes 36-40 with Patrick Cotnoir)
01:19:13
In minutes 36-40 of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey heals the vexis, the Knights of Ren arrive on Pasaana, Rey confronts Kylo Ren in the desert, and Chewie is captured. Today, Patrick Cotnoir (The George Lucas Talk Show, The Naboo Movie, The Great Kamino Kaper) joins me to discuss over-the-top evil music, the sound design of Kylo/Rey's desert showdown, and an ominous M7 interval.
Clarification: The "Speeder Chase" track that we talk about toward the end of this episode pertains to a scene from earlier in the movie (check out previous episode, TROS 6: Speeder Chase Shenanigans with Conor Power, for more detail about that).
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
3:08 - Rey heals the serpent, Force theme, cool sound design.
5:06 - Favorite Star Wars noises.
13:11 - Sound conveying scale.
16:15 - Over-the-top evil music for the Knights of Ren (funny).
21:29 - Patrick's Boolio story.
24:13 - Ominous descending major 7th interval. (Everything is not okay!) (Foreshadowing?)
31:30 - March of the Resistance in Ochi's ship. Insistent repeated figure (Viennese trichord).
38:42 - Patrick swears he hears Darth Vader breathing here.
41:33 - Crafting the sound world for the Kylo/Rey confrontation in the desert.
45:49 - Psalm of the Sith (Anthem of Evil)
51:33 - Kylo's TIE whisper getting closer. How are the strings making that noise?
54:26 - Sound design for the part where Rey flips and slices Kylo's wing in slo-mo.
55:55 - Music for the speeder chase (in minutes 26-30) was cut.
59:49 - The musicality of Kylo's ship spinning out of control.
1:02:57 - Return of the ominous M7 interval from before. Chewie is captured.
1:05:34 - Playing a bit of the "Speeder Chase" track that didn't make it in the film. To clarify, this track was supposed to be in an earlier part of the film ("they fly now?")--not these minutes.
TROS 4: Handful of Ostinato (Minutes 16-20 with Katharine Coldiron)
02:43:15
Palpatine has returned, and author Katharine Coldiron joins me to discuss minutes 16-20 of The Rise of Skywalker. We talk about the logic of leitmotifs, songs vs. performances, Bugs, the storytelling matrix, conveying information through image vs. sound, and more.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
4:51 - Microphone speculation.
13:55 - "Somehow, Palpatine returned."
21:34 - The logic of leitmotifs. Number of leitmotif statements in TLJ vs TROS.
29:09 - It's not just about leitmotifs.
33:30 - Song vs. performance.
35:42 - Do the generations of film composers after John Williams still listen to Tchaikovsky, Wagner, etc?
41:11 - Ostinato not on the soundtrack (was it added in a later cut of the film?). Bugs Bunny flourish.
47:14 - Force theme moment (1st time in these minutes) that Katharine isn't a fan of.
55:19 - Rey's theme and the storytelling matrix.
1:07:40 - Concert suites.
1:12:48 - Is this reminiscent of a Berlioz opera?
1:18:52 - "We Go Together" and the Friendship motif.
1:31:47 - Funny choir moment.
1:36:09 - Force theme moment that Katharine is a fan of.
1:40:14 - "70% of information is conveyed through image, whereas 30% is conveyed through sound. 70% of emotion is conveyed through sound and 30% through image."
1:46:39 - When leitmotifs do heavy information-lifting.
1:54:36 - Distributing the music, dialogue, and sound effects across the frequency spectrum.
1:55:52 - Knights of Ren theme (and why we like it).
TROS 9: Symmetrical Design (Minutes 41-45 with Dominic Sewell)
02:46:26
In minutes 41-45 of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey shoots lightning from her fingers and destroys the First Order transport that she believes Chewie is on. Dominic Sewell returns to the show to discuss symmetry in the Friendship theme, the shroud over John Williams's writing process, mus-emes (musical memes), and more!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
8:47 - Listening to the beginning of these minutes.
9:41 - Big B buildup reminds Dom of a part from Wozzeck (Alban Berg).
22:02 - Assigning meaning to pitches depending on the context.
27:53 - Music climbing by semitonal increments. Failed climb in the brass.
31:53 - Do you think this score has more in common with Revenge of the Sith and/or Return of the Jedi than any other particular film?
39:22 - John Williams thinking visually (speculation).
45:15 - The shroud over John Williams's process. Broad strokes and modalities. German/Austro-Hungarian versus Russian/French sound worlds.
52:00 - Williams will go down as one of the greatest orchestrators.
59:37 - Octatonic goodness.
1:05:15 - Descant.
1:09:08 - The recording of this film is incredible (close, clear, dry, not swathed in reverb)
1:12:34 - Symmetry in the Friendship Theme.
1:22:14 - Threepio.
1:26:12 - Interesting voicing (clarinet is buried in the brass texture).
1:33:35 - Juxtaposition of two completely different themes. Intrusive thoughts.
1:38:53 - Kamino Kaper tangent.
1:44:43 - Does John Williams explicitly engage with duality in his theme-writing?
1:49:12 - Zimmerfication of Williams?
1:55:39 - Our favorite Rise of Skywalker musical themes.
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