‘Star Wars’ by John Williams is some of the best music ever written. Even those who’ve never seen the films instantly recognise it. In this episode I share insights into the piece, I discuss music from film, tv, and video games, and also I explore what it is that makes performances thrilling.

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Hi! My name’s Scott Wilson. I’m a conductor and I’m passionate about classical music. In this podcast we discover the music of one of our greatest artforms. We listen to a new piece in each episode, I share insights into the music, and over time, I’ll take you on a journey through classical music’s composers, musicians, and history. Everything’s discussed in an easily digestible way, and no prior knowledge is needed. This podcast is for you!

Today we’re listening to ‘Star Wars’ by the composer John Williams. Even those who’ve never seen the films instantly recognise it. It’s some of the best music ever written! Let’s go!

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This music creates a world. Epic history, heroes and heroines, battles and love. The music’s saying: listen up, I’ve got a fantastic story for you!

Star Wars opens with a fanfare. And then, a trumpet soars over the orchestra: the famous melody begins. Though there are eighty musicians performing, the trumpet - the king of the orchestra - shines brightest. The sound is thrilling for the audience, and it’s inspiring for the musicians in the orchestra. Let’s have a listen!

[music excerpt]

This music captures what it is that makes orchestras one of the greatest of all human creations! It’s a phenomenal sound. We hear the brilliance of the brass instruments, can imagine the spectacle of the clashing cymbals and military drums, and we feel the energetic rush of notes played by the woodwind and string instruments.

The trumpet melody itself communicates directly with the listener. It’s proud, pure, and noble: we’re left in no doubt that this is the music of the good guys. In the accompaniment underneath the melody, there’s a kind of march: the music’s ceremonial. But if we listen carefully, we can hear the extraordinary artistry of the composer John Williams. When he repeats the melody, he varies the accompaniment. He does this in order to embed the score with a uniqueness and a level of commitment that says: I care about this.

Let’s investigate. First of all, the melody on its own sounds like this.

[music excerpt]

Accompanying this melody is a bass line; but it’s only formed of two pitches. This one:

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and this one:

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Let’s listen again. You’ll hear the melody on top; but most importantly notice the accompaniment that’s formed only of those two pitches.

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After we hear this, the melody repeats, exactly the same. Of course, Williams could’ve just repeated the accompaniment. And frankly, that’d sound great. But, by changing the accompaniment, the music becomes more exciting. Have a listen:

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So, the accompaniment is varied when the melody is played for the second time.

I’ll now play the two versions one after the other. Listen out for the change in the accompaniment when the melody repeats.

[music excerpt]

So I’ve demonstrated what’s going on in the melody and in the accompanying bass line. Of course, when we listen now to the whole orchestra, the music will be more complex. But, as you listen, hone in on the accompaniment. Hear how it begins straightforwardly, and then when the melody repeats, notice that it’s busier. For me, the variation in the accompaniment provokes a richer emotional response; it adds, I think, a layer of defiant strength in the music.

[music excerpt]

Before long we’ll hear the melody again. But this time it’ll be played by the horns. Whilst the trumpets are the kings of the orchestra, the horns are the powerhouse. These instruments can create sounds with immense depth and intensity of volume. When heard in context, it’s as if the trumpets have boldly led the orchestra out on a new expedition. But now the horns take over, majestically marching us forwards.

[music excerpt]

In previous episodes I’ve been exploring the different types of pieces that orchestras play. We’ve listened to an Overture, a Concert Piece, a Concerto, a Symphony, and also music from opera. Today we’re listening to something different. This music was never intended to be performed live on stage for an audience. And this characteristic is shared with virtually all other music composed specifically for film, tv, or video games. These compositions are designed to accompany images on a screen. And yet, increasingly this music is being repurposed for performance in concert. It’s undeniable: the compositional quality of this music connects with many people. Just think about the music of John Williams. In addition to Star Wars, no one fails to be enchanted by the music of Harry Potter. And there’s the thrilling music of Jaws. And beyond that, there’s E.T., Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, Superman, Indiana Jones, and many others: as a body of work, it’s pretty impressive.

And in the world of film, Williams is surrounded by many other wonderful composers. Amongst them there’s James Horner, Hans Zimmer, Jerry Goldsmith, Danny Elfman, and Howard Shore, who wrote scores including Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Trek, Batman, and Lord of the Rings. Of course, I’m delighted there’s such a large audience for the music of these composers. And wonderfully, it’s a relatively small step from their music to the music of previous generations of composers. Composers throughout the centuries have learned from, borrowed ideas, and developed the music of earlier composers. So, if audiences are enjoying the orchestral scores from film, tv, and video games, then a pathway to classical music’s rich history is already forming.

And I must say, I admire these composers. For one, they have to work within parameters that are dictated by a production schedule. A film composer might begin the process by sitting with the director and watching the film. They take detailed notes about the atmosphere and emotion of each scene, as well as learning the exact timings within which the music will sit. Following this, there’s a limited amount of time to compose, record, and edit the music. As such, usually the composer writes what’s called a short score: it’s sheet music with all the pitches and rhythms worked out, but that’s missing the allocation of instruments. Because of time pressure, the composer passes completed sections of the short score to an orchestrator who allocates the pitches and rhythms to instruments. In doing so, the orchestral score is produced, and it’s ready for recording by the musicians. In all, it’s a mammoth task!

This next section we’re going to listen to is beautifully orchestrated. You’ll hear a long melody played by the cellos. Their sound is deep and warm: it caresses the listener. The melody strives upwards, then descends a little. It then reaches upwards again, but falls. Each time it goes just a little higher. This contour of the melody conveys determination and strength: it’s pushing upwards against unfavourable odds.

[music excerpt]

In terms of the orchestration, the allocation of the melody to the cellos is perfect. But the true craftsmanship is revealed when you listen to the two accompanying parts. Whilst the melody is being played by cellos, the violins play alternating notes. They begin like this:

[music excerpt]

At the same time we hear occasional, urgent outbursts from the flutes:

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Now, the orchestrator could’ve chosen, for example, oboes, or clarinets, or perhaps a piano, to play these figures. But, by placing the alternating notes on the violins, the music appears to sound seamless and never-ending. There’s a quietly persistent quality in the sound; and for me, this adds an element of anxiety in the music. The other accompanying figure is energetic, but when played on flutes, it has a kind of transparency in its sound. If, for example, the orchestrator had allocated this music to the more penetrating sound of the oboes, maybe it would’ve sounded too assertive and confident?

Have a listen. In what way do the accompanying figures affect the way you hear the music?

[music excerpt]

In the Star Wars films, the cello melody we’ve just heard is associated with Princess Leia. Connecting a musical theme to particular characters is a common compositional technique in film, tv, and video games. As the character moves through different situations, composers adapt the theme so it reflects the changes in their circumstances. Perhaps a theme might be played more slowly during a reflective moment; or during an energetic scene it’d be played at a faster speed with rapid accompanying rhythms driving the music forwards.

This is the case when we hear the return of the opening melody. This music is associated with the main character Luke Skywalker. Whereas at the beginning of the piece this theme sounded perhaps noble and stately, this time it’s livelier. Maybe this faster version represents Luke Skywalker’s confidence in facing the battles that are to come.

[music excerpt]

Over the next few episodes I’m going to talk about what makes a performance thrilling. In this episode I’m focusing on the circumstances of the performers. On the recording we’re listening to today, we hear the London Symphony Orchestra. And most notably, this performance features the trumpeter Maurice Murphy. He was appointed to the London Symphony Orchestra and he walked in on his first day to record the ‘Main Title’ from Star Wars. It became one of the legendary performances on trumpet. John Williams later said that the effect of Maurice Murphy’s playing was to create ‘the voice of a hero’. And the hero in this film is Luke Skywalker.

Maurice Murphy was one of the most respected trumpeters in the world, and was someone whose performances embodied the spirit of the London Symphony Orchestra. That spirit can be heard on this recording. There’s a rawness and excited energy in the performance. This is the London Symphony Orchestra on fire! And not only was this orchestra great in 1977 when this music was recorded. To this day, the London Symphony Orchestra continues to be one of the most magnificent orchestras in the world.

And, I think, it’s the historical circumstances of this orchestra that contribute to its thrilling performances. Narrowly avoided disasters have been frequent! The LSO, as it’s often known, was the first British orchestra to tour the United States. Originally it was destined to travel on the RMS Titanic, but a last-minute change of schedule caused it to make its journey on the RMS Baltic. In the 1970s, the move to a new concert hall at the multi-arts venue, the Barbican Centre, almost led to bankruptcy. It would only be years later that this relationship would flourish. But, more than anything, the fireworks surrounding the LSO’s formation - it was conceived following a mass resignation from the Queen’s Hall Orchestra - created an individualistic, audacious, and visionary orchestra that became the first in London to be owned and governed by its players. The opportunity to set the artistic agenda for the orchestra attracted bold musicians. Central to their convictions - and a quality that remains to the present day - is that each individual musician must be a virtuoso.

Let’s listen once again to the beginning. You’ll hear the muscularity of this orchestra: there’s a brazen punch in its sound. It’s an orchestra that plays with headstrong confidence: this orchestra of virtuosos knows what it’s capable of. In particular, listen to the exhilarating and fearless sound of the trumpeter Maurice Murphy.

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I must have heard this music at least as many times as I have any other piece of classical music. It’s testament to its quality that I’m always excited by its energy and thrilled by the sound of the orchestra. Orchestras love playing it too. I think there’s a child-like enthusiasm for fantasy that’s provoked by the music. It’s music that makes you smile.

This enthusiasm leads to conviction in the performance by the musicians. Conviction from the orchestra creates thrilling performances - and it’ll be this quality, conviction - that I’ll explore in the next episode. But of course, you’ll hear this on display in this next excerpt. At the beginning the brass instruments will be featured. But towards the end it’s the intensity of the strings that dominate. The sound is being thrown out of the instruments like the musicians’ lives depend on it!

[music excerpt]

When this music’s heard without the film, we’re able to fully focus on receiving the sound. We’re able to connect deeply with its emotional content because all of us are fluent interpreters of musical language. Music is everywhere, and each of us has understood the emotions communicated by this language since we were young children. As I say, ‘a picture speaks a thousand words, but music speaks a thousand pictures’. So, even if you’ve never seen Star Wars, you can feel the emotions in this music. The brilliance of orchestral music is its ability to communicate with us through a probably unmatchable range of thrillingly beautiful sounds.

Thank you for being with me for another episode of A Thousand Pictures. If you have questions or would like to make a suggestion of a piece or topic for a future episode, please get in touch via social media or email feedback@athousandpictures.com. Further information, a link to the recording featured in today’s podcast, and suggestions about what to listen to next can be found at athousandpictures.com. Or subscribe to our email list and you’ll receive this information directly to your inbox.

Today we’ve been listening to the ‘Main Title’ from ‘Star Wars, Episode 4, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’ composed and conducted by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.

And finally, please subscribe, please rate and review, and please share this podcast with others. Your support is valuable and it’s appreciated: together we can create a community which celebrates classical music! Now go and listen to this wonderful piece, and get out there and hear a performance by your local orchestra!

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