How the Music of Star Wars is the True Storyteller
Perhaps this blog is a few days late (May the 4th already passed us) but I’ve been thinking: the music of Star Wars has a lot of recurring themes and sometimes even foreshadowing in it.
Generally speaking, many things in the Star Wars universe have their own signature music. For instance, there are themes associated with characters like Princess Leia, Darth Vader, Yoda, Luke, as well as emotions like love, hope and betrayal. To say they have themes is to say that each have distinct melodies that play when they’re either on screen or the audience is made to think about them.
It is the use of these melodic themes that connect all the films together as one interrelated epic. Viewers learn the distinct melodies and remember them as they are played throughout the films, often helping them better understand concepts or see connections more clearly.
Another word for theme in this musical sense is leitmotif.
What is a leitmotif?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a leitmotif (noun) is a recurring theme in a musical or literary work.
To go into more detail, it is specifically a short, recurring musical phrase that is associated with a particular person, setting or idea. Think of it as a jingle that always happens when a character appears or when a subject is being focused on.
The word comes from the German leitmotiv which translates to “leading motif” or “guiding motif” and it was first popularized by the composer Richard Wagner, who used many leitmotifs in his operas during the 19th and 20th century.
Although leitmotifs are generally short melodies, they can also be chord progressions or rhythms. The purpose of leitmotifs are to piece together large works by having overarching musical themes that composers use to associate different ideas without the use of words. Doing this simply adds more depth into the music and film and makes them both more memorable.
There are many examples of leitmotifs being used in films. To name a few:
- “Jaws Theme” that is heard throughout the film during moments of suspense.
- “James Bond Theme” that is unique to every movie yet similar at the same time to all ofthem.
- “Hedwig’s Theme” from the Harry Potter movies.
- The suspenseful music in Psycho.
And perhaps most famously, the many different character themes in the Star Wars epic.
Funny enough, John Williams is the composer of most of those examples given above.
Leitmotifs in Star Wars
While the Star Wars soundtrack is great in and of itself, the fact that it contains many recurring themes makes it even more alive and memorable. Here are some that stick out either because they represent a strong theme in the film or because they foreshadow a future plot.
“The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)”
Perhaps the most famous theme in all the Star Wars universe, this theme not only represents Darth Vader but also the empire and overall authoritarianism, which is the main evil in the films. This theme is on the list because its signature march is sprinkled throughout the sequels but more impressively, in the prequels as a sort of taste to what we know is going to happen.
Unlike the rest of the Star Wars soundtrack, “The Imperial March” is very staunch sounding. It starts with a loud march mainly played by percussion and then quickly introduces the brass playing a punchy melody. It sounds like an entire army coming to knock on your door.
This piece starts like the rising sun, flutes playing and it sounds very positive. The strings are soft and move back and forth like wind moving grass or perhaps the sand on Tatooine. As the piece progresses, the orchestra gets louder and more full but instead of culminating into a loud display, it simmers down to a soft-playing version of Darth Vader’s iconic leitmotif of “The Imperial March.”
In relation to what is happening on screen, the audience is being introduced to a young boy with a lot of potential but simultaneously being reminded of the inevitable transformation into an evil character.
To put it simply, Anakin’s theme sounds innocent enough except for the subtle Vader themes that infiltrate and remind us of what we already know.
Princess Leia’s theme starts very quietly with a french horn and slowly starts incorporating more instruments, namely a flute that plays a distinct uplifting melody. This piece is heard in the first of the original trilogy films titled A New Hope and it suits it well as this song marks the beginning of positive changes to come to the galaxy.
Final thoughts
For those who have watched Star Wars, these leitmotifs often stick to our memories more so than action and dialogue. They’ve become triggers to the point where we can play scenes in our heads and feel the emotions that Lucas intended us to feel simply by hearing a melody. Although the use of leitmotifs could easily be something tacky, when it’s done subtly, it adds layers to a piece of music, imagery even. In Star Wars, each theme is composed with such care and every character is so important to the story that we can’t forget them regardless of which film we’re watching because there’s bound to be a familiar theme in there somewhere. What are some other examples of recurring themes in Star Wars?