Page 34 - Star Wars Insider #177

JOHN WILLIAMS

s Imperial as Erich Wolfgang Korngold and films and growing into new

stormtroopers Alfred Newman, Williams would themes that, taken as a whole,
A overwhelm steep his score for Star Wars in the provide an appropriately nuanced
the rebel
operatic traditions of the 19th-
musical portrait of this complex
forces on the century Romantics. character and her journey
Tantive IV in Identifying specifi c melodies through the galaxy far, far away.
the opening minutes of A New with individual characters in the
Hope, Princess Leia delivers a story, Williams would take those A New Hope: “Princess
small data tape to astromech motifs through various iterations, Leia’s Theme”
droid R2-D2. repeating them to accompany the After its initial, brief statement
Leia turns to leave, and the character and re-orchestrating aboard the Tantive IV, Leia’s
image is accompanied by them to reflect that character’s theme is next heard, more fully

a short, muted burst of seven emotional and physical state as developed this time, when Luke

notes, the first two of which the saga progressed. stumbles across the princess’s
are separated by six steps on a In the liner notes to the fi rst desperate holographic message for
musical scale—what’s known as Star Wars soundtrack LP, he Obi-Wan Kenobi. “I wrote a very
a major-sixth interval. Through wrote: “What I wanted to hear romantic theme for Princess Leia,”
the film, this cue will recur in a was something to do with a Williams explained in the

variety of forms, developing on character here and something to soundtrack liner notes. “I thought
each occasion and ultimately do with the same character more of it in terms of when Luke sees
becoming the theme that we developed there. I believed we her for the first time and he says

inextricably link with Leia. needed melodic themes of our how beautiful she is. It is a
This idea of having musical own which I could bend around fairytale-type princess melody.”
themes or “motifs” associated and put through all the David W. Collins is a voice
with key characters was central permutations that I would need actor, stage host at Star Wars
to writer-director George Lucas in the dramatic situations.” Celebration, and co-host of
and composer John Williams’ The motif that Williams would the Star Wars Oxygen podcast,
shared vision for the music of develop for Leia resounded well which offers a deep analysis of
Star Wars. In the vein of classic beyond A New Hope, gathering Williams’ work throughout the
Hollywood composers such additional facets in successive Skywalker saga fi lms.

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