The Musical Force of Star Wars
The main goal of every movie is to take us on a journey of heart, mind, and soul. Granted we can’t forget that they need to entertain as well. All the great ones accomplish this with great characters, excellent story, spot on directing, and of course music that is capable of moving us in ways we didn’t know were possible. There are many iconic musical scores in cinema history. Movies like Back to the Future, scored by Alan Silvestri, The Dark Knight trilogy, scored by Hans Zimmer, or The Lord of the Rings trilogy, scored by Howard Shore, are but a few that are examples of how the music within them helped create emotions within us while we watched everything unfold on the screen. No film series’ score is more Iconic then that of Star Wars.
The score for the Star Wars Saga has had only one composer through the 39+ years it has been around, the Legendary John Williams. John Williams has scored many classics throughout his career. Ranging from Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Superman to the likes of Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, and Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone. This iconic individual has taken us on journeys through just about every film genre you can think of. In any film he has scored you can hear a signature trademark that instantly tells us Williams has written the music.
When George Lucas was working on the original Star Wars, it was on suggestion from one of his friends, Steven Spielberg, that he use Williams to score the film. Obviously given that Spielberg knew what Williams was capable of, due in part to the scoring of Jaws, Lucas hired Williams. The rest as they say is history. Williams is a master story teller in his own right. His scores through all 7 Star Wars films helped enhance our experiences while watching them. I remember as a kid when they started showing the original Star Wars Trilogy during major holidays, the moment I heard the first few bars of any piece of music from the movie I was instantly glued to the TV.
We all have favorite musical moments from the Saga. Each one with their own set piece. Whether it is the Battle of Hoth, the Falcon flying through the asteroid field, the first time we meet Yoda, or the ultimate duel between Darth Maul, Obi Wan, and Qui Gon. Each musical cue creating the scenes in our minds. There are countless others to go with those that I could write a book on. All I can say is for John Williams, the musical Force is strong with this one. I look forward to what he has in store for us in the coming movies. I look forward to listening to him create all new musical moments for as long as he is able to. Tell us some of your favorite musical moments in the Star Wars Saga. What scenes stirred the emotions musically for you that will live on within you forever? May the Force be with you.
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