Star Wars Theme

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  • Created by: cieran_10
  • Created on: 31-08-18 12:29
What earlier style of music inspired John Williams to compose in his style?
The Romantic Era.
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What was different about this piece and other film music of the time?
John Williams ensured that the only musical resource that he used was to be a large symphony orchestra.
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When was Star Wars released?
1977.
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How many movies are in the Star Wars sequence?
9.
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What is the Star Wars series about?
The fight between the evil Galatic Empire and the Rebel Alliance, who are trying to restore democracy.
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What are leitmotifs?
They are musical ideas accosiated with a certain charecter, object or event and can be transformed to suit a certain situation.
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What technique did Williams use from the 19th century Wagner operas?
Leitmotifs.
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What does the leitmotif (starting from the upbeat of bar 4) portray? What charecter is this connected to?
Heroism and adventure. Luke Skywalker.
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What six musical features make the heroic leitmotif heroic?
The loud dynamic, the trumpets it uses, the use of the two most important notes of the key of B flat major, the strong rising intervals, triplets and the syncopated accompaniment.
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What are the two most impirtant notes of the key of B flat major?
The tonic (B flat) and the dominant (F.)
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Why is this song so important to the Star Wars series?
As it is basis for all of the Star Wars title music, but is it altered slightly throughout all of the films.
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What leitmotfi is introduced during the final 10 bars of the piece?
The Rebel Blockade Runner.
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When is the Rebel Blockade Runner theme used?
When the Rebel Alliance is trying to outrun the Evil Empire.
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What mkaes the Rebel Blockade Runner similar to the leitmotifs of Wagner?
The minor 3rd's.
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How many players are in the symphony orchestra for this piece?
90.
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How many woodwind players are there?
10.
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How many brass players are there?
11.
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How many percussion players are there?
6.
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How many string players are there?
60.
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What etherial sounding instrument is used in the piece?
The harp.
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In what format is the anthology socre printed in?
Short score.
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Name one violin-based decoration used throughout the piece for tension?
Tremolo.
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Who orchestrated the score for the New Hope?
Herbet. W. Spencer.
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Name three musical features of the scoring of the music?
Thickly scored, lots of doublling between parts and very few solo lines.
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What largely determines the structure of the whole piece?
The action on screen.
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What is the overall structure of the piece?
29 bars of an introductory fanfare and then ternary form.
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What key is the first half of the piece in?
B flat major.
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Name the two different pedal notes used to reinforce the key during the first half of the piece?
Inverted tonic pedal note on B flat and a dominant pedal note on F.
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What do the phrases in the first half of the piece end on and what type of cadence does this create?
A dominant F chord, creating an imperfect cadence.
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What does the music begin to become during the second half of the piece?
Atonal.
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What two things begin to happen (in terms of tonality) during the last 10 bars of the piece?
Bitonality and dissonant chords (A flat minor clash with the rhythmic ostinato on a C pedal.)
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What type of harmony is built- by Williams- during the first seven bars of the music?
A quartal harmony.
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What type fo chords, which are often used with added notes, dominate the first section of music?
Root position chords.
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What type of chords (between bars 33 and 35) create little sense of key?
The unrelated chords.
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What chord patterns illustrates the void of space seen on screen?
The interval between the augmented 5th and the A flat and E natural.
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During the final parts of the second half of the music, what happens to the chords?
They become even more dissonant.
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What shows that the return of the parallel triads instead of the dissonant chords for the last four bars of the music?
The hammering of C-D flat - G clusters during bars 46-50.
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What part of the music inspires section A?
The opening fanfare.
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Specifically, what two elements of the opening fanfare feature in section A?
The 4th and 7th intervals and the triplet quaver rhythm.
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What does the B section aim to do to the music?
Contrast the first section of music.
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What three features make the B section contrast the A section?
The fact that it is scored for violins in octaves, its less forceful dynamics and its conjunct movement: giving it more elegance.
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What four rhythmic features give the piece a march-like feeling?
The 4/4 metre, brisk tempo and the triplets in the first three bars of the music and the fact that it is sacred for brass.
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What rhythmic feature give the whole piece excitement?
Syncopation.
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Rhythmically, from bar 33, what happens?
The pulse becomes less obvious.
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At bar 44, what does the metre change to?
Triple metre.
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Between bars 47 and 50, what happens to the tempo?
It slows gradually.
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What happens to the tempo during the last 10 bars of the music?
It becomes quicker.
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What is the main texture of the music?
Homophonic.
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Give an example of imitation in the music?
The trumpets and trombones during the opening fanfare.
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What notes is the basis for the ostinato pedal from bar 51 to the end of the piece?
C.
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What is the name given to the texture of the block of chords used from bar 44 to bar 55?
Homorhythmic.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What was different about this piece and other film music of the time?

Back

John Williams ensured that the only musical resource that he used was to be a large symphony orchestra.

Card 3

Front

When was Star Wars released?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

How many movies are in the Star Wars sequence?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What is the Star Wars series about?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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