How do you make a film score memorable? Aside from catchy themes and exciting rhythms, composer John Williams has turned to classical roots for his Star Wars scores, making them some of the most well-known film scores to date.
In honor of Star Wars Day today, let’s take a look at some Star Wars music that was inspired by the classics.
Disclaimer: there are a lot of arguments for or against Williams and his use of classical themes in his film scores. I’m just here to share some similarities I’ve found between his themes and classical music. Please keep the comments civil.
The Imperial March
The Imperial March is one of the most well-known Star Wars themes; audiences around the world understand that evil is afoot at the onset of the opening bars. But what many people don’t know is that the theme was inspired by Gustav Holst‘s (1874-1934) The Planets, specifically the first movement.
The Planets is a 7 movement orchestral work composed between 1914 and 1916, and each movement characterizes a specific planet’s astrological persona. The first movement’s full title is “Mars, the Bringer of War”:
The works both open with a driving ostinato (a continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm) in the bass, they are both centered around a G-minor-type key signature, and they both paint an ominous picture. It’s fitting that a theme based on the Bringer of War accompanies Darth Vader, as his character certainly fits that stereotype.
Check out this video where Williams’ music has been replaced by excerpts from The Planets; it’s pretty cool!
The Planets is not the only classical piece that inspired Williams as he wrote Vader’s theme. Romantic composer Chopin (1810-1849) greatly influenced The Imperial March; read about that here!
Han and Leia’s Love Theme
Princess Leia and the scruffy-looking Han Solo had a rocky start to their relationship, but eventually, he got the girl. Luckily, we get some beautiful music to enjoy as their story unfolds.
Listen to the theme that begins around 1:00 in the video above, and then compare it to 6:20 in Tchaikovsky‘s (1840-1893) Violin Concerto in D Major:
While the two themes are not exactly the same (they differ in mood and styling), there are definitely some similarities between the two melodies.
Duel of the Fates
The music from this scene takes place during an extremely tense moment as good fights evil. The building energy resulting from the choir and the rapid movement in the strings, however, was inspired by a few different pieces of classical music.
Check out the beginning of the third movement of Dvořák‘s (1841-1904) 9th Symphony, especially the little motif that occurs at 0:40:
And listen to the beginning of O Fortuna by Carl Orff (1895-1982):
Duel of the Fates does not sound exactly like O Fortuna, but the works have a similar style. They both open with a dramatic choir singing in a minor key, and the ostinatos in each piece provide a driving energy. That being said, the ostinato in Dvorak’s symphony is much more similar to the one in Duel of the Fates.
What other classical inspirations have you noticed in Star Wars?
