John Williams: Star Wars

Before the invention of recorded sound, films relied on music played live in the cinema. The first film produced with a soundtrack was The Jazz Singer in 1927. Some films use music that has already been composed, such as 2001 Space Odyssey but nowadays, most films contain music that has been

specially composed for the film.

The music for all the Star Wars films was composed by the American composer, John Williams. John Williams has composed some of the most famous and recognisable film scores ever written. These include Jaws, Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List, Harry Potter and Jurassic Park. Williams likes to use a full symphony orchestra and often writes specific melodies to represent certain characters. These themes are called leitmotifs. The most famous of these is probably the simple chromatic motif representing the shark in Jaws.

Episode IV was actually the first Star Wars film made and was released in 1977. In this film you are introduced to the hero Luke Skywalker and follow his journey as he learns about the ‘Force’ and becomes part of the Rebel Alliance.

Your set piece—Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner—is played over the opening titles of the film, which sets the scene and explains the background. The Rebel Blockade Runner is Princess Leia’s spaceship, which is seen after the titles disappear into the starry sky.

This title music sets the atmosphere and introduces some of the musical themes that will be heard throughout the film. Music that accompanies these moving images is called underscoring.