Page 36 - Star Wars Insider #177

JOHN WILLIAMS

wonderful starting point, they board the Falcon. Why did
because you get this round, Williams turn to Leia’s theme
SOLO FOR LEIA warm, beautiful sound. When here? “I felt it had the most
you start with a horn, it gives sweeping melody of all the
John Williams recorded the music for you somewhere to go.” themes in the score,” he writes.
the original Star Wars with the London Two particularly noteworthy “This wildly romantic music in
Symphony Orchestra (LSO) over the course
of 14 three-hour scoring sessions from renditions of Leia’s theme are this tragic setting represents
March 5 to March 16, 1977. presented as the princess and her Luke’s and the princess’s reaction
David Cripps was the LSO’s principal new allies make their way to leaving Ben behind.”
horn at the time, and at this year’s San through the Death Star toward
Diego Comic-Con, he took part in a
retrospective panel dedicated to A New the Millennium Falcon. The The Empire Strikes

Hope’s music and sound. During that first is a brief but pronounced Back: “Love Theme”
session, he recalled playing the French horn appearance immediately before When scoring The Empire Strikes
solo for Leia’s theme. Leia and Luke swing across the Back, Williams sought to build
“The Princess Leia theme is surely one of Death Star chasm—giving way on A New Hope’s foundation.
the most beautiful tunes that anybody ever
wrote,” he said. “It shows the genius of John to a trumpet fanfare as the two Quoted in Matessino’s liner notes
Williams to great effect—not just because heroes soar to safety on the other for The Empire Strikes Back
it’s a wonderful tune, but because he wrote side. Despite its brevity, Williams Special Edition soundtrack, he
it for the best instrument in the orchestra! highlighted this moment in the says: “I wanted to try to develop
“I remember it so well, even 40 years
later. We were doing sessions every day for liner notes, writing: “This music material that would wed with
a week, and it was not uncommon for us is a kind of swashbuckling the original and sound like part
to be doing three sessions in a day. So we version of the princess’s theme. of an organic whole. So, in the
would start at nine o’clock in the morning, It is a little bit tongue-in-cheek in creation of new themes and the
have lunch, do an afternoon session, have tone, with a very strong ‘Errol handling of the original material,
dinner, and do an evening session. It was

exhausting work. And for brass players, we Flynn’ flavor, like the music from the task, both in concept and
all said, ‘Why does my mouth hurt at the end a late 1930s adventure fi lm.” instrumentation, was one of
of the day?’ The second—and perhaps the extending something that I had
“There was one particular day when we most intriguing—instance comes written three years before. I had
were approaching the end of the evening
session, and at the end of the session break when Obi-Wan is struck down by to look back, and at the same
John got onto the podium and said, ‘Ladies Darth Vader, and the rebels trade time begin again and extend.”

and gentlemen, everything’s going really blaster fire with stormtroopers as Leia’s original motif does
well, but I need to get one more title in this
evening. Would you do me the favor of a
half hour’s overtime?’ Well, all of us brass “I felt it [“Princess Leia’s Theme”]
players, we were kind of groaning at the
prospect of going on for another half hour, had the most sweeping melody of all
but this was John Williams, and so we
said yes. the themes in the score.” John Williams
“That title was “Princess Leia’s Theme”.
The [sheet music] parts arrived, they were
put on the stands, and I saw this thing with 04
‘solo’ written above my part. John looked
at the corner where the heavy brass were
sitting—trumpets, trombones, tubas—and
he said, ‘Don’t worry boys. This is going to
be a gentle, easy number for you.’ And then
he looked across at me and he said, ‘David,
I’ve written a little horn solo for you. I hope
you enjoy it.’
“So he rolled the picture and we started.
I was sight-reading this thing, and I started
playing—la-da-dee-dee, da-dum-ba-da-
dum—and I thought, ‘When is this thing
going to end?’
“We did that fi rst rehearsal, and then
John said, ‘OK everybody, I need to go and
listen to that. David, come with me.’ So
we went into the booth and we listened to
it, and John said, ‘Very nice indeed. That’s
lovely. Just play it like that every single time
and I’ll be happy.’ So that’s the story of the
fi rst time anybody ever played the Princess
Leia theme.”

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