L2 - Luke Skywalker's Theme

Lesson Objectives:

• To understand what a pedal note is and an inverted pedal note.

• To understand what is meant by quartal harmony.

• To analyse Luke Skywalker’s leitmotif (bars 4-7) and what contributes to it sounding heroic.

• To choose a composition or performance task based on this theme.

• To choose a performance or a composition task based on the first 3 bars.

You have listened to the title music of the film Jaws, composed by John Williams.

Listen to it again and you will clearly hear the famous 2 note chromatic motif that is heard when the shark is about to appear!

This is called a leitmotif – a short, repeated musical idea, which is associated with a certain character (in this case a shark) This technique can be heard in the operas of Richard Wagner, where in his epic opera cycle, The Ring, lasting some 20 hours, many characters and even objects (a sword) have their own leitmotif. Below is the leitmotif of the hero of The Ring called Siegfried. Sound familiar?!

When film composers want to create suspense and tension, they often choose to use pedal notes.

A pedal note is a repeated or sustained note in the bass above which the other parts/instruments change notes.

An inverted pedal is a sustained or repeated note in the treble above which the other parts instruments change notes.

These are usually the tonic or dominant and there are many examples throughout Star Wars. Here is an example of one played on the piano.

Review Questions:

1) What are the violins playing during the 1st 6 bars and how are they playing it?

2) What 2 notes make up the majority of Luke Skywalker’s leitmotif?

3) What harmony can be heard accompanying this theme in bars 5-7?

4) What 2 rhythmic features can be heard in bars 5—7?

5) Which 2 intervals feature in Luke Skywalker’s leitmotif?

6) State 2 ways that Williams creates a powerful, heroic feel for Luke Skywalker’s leitmotif?