Star Wars-Opening Theme

Question 1

Star Wars:background information (3)

Answer 1

• written for Star Wars IV: a new hope
• 1977
• main theme: leitmotif for Luke Skywalker

Question 2

Star Wars:form and structure (3)

Answer 2

• main theme uses AABA
• Rebel blockade runner: starry sky, planets, spaceships, attacks
• main theme: a

Question 3

Star Wars:harmony (8)

Answer 3

• mostly diatonic
• melody is accompanied by major and minor chords
• after main theme:dissonant and atonal
• Theme A uses quartal harmony
• main theme: syncopated
• biggest spaceship: dissonance/Tritone
• imperfect cadences
• in b theme there is a dominant pedal

Question 4

Star Wars:melody (7)

Answer 4

• starts as a fanfare(rapid repeated note/triplets)
• imitation
• leitmotif: fourths fifths and sevenths
• b theme: scalic and violins, ends with full descending scale
• Main theme: 4 bar stepwise and leaps idea, triplets and long minims (excited)
• theme b contrasts theme a= feels less forceful
• both teams use anacruisis

Question 5

Star Wars:tonality (4)

Answer 5

• main theme: Bb major
• rebel blockade runner: unstable harmonies/unclear
• spaceships: dissonants/atonal, bitonality
• planets: C major

Question 6

Star Wars:texture (4)

Answer 6

• homophonic
• main theme: block chords and arpeggios
• inverted tonic pedal(intro and theme a)
• theme b: dominant pedal

Question 7

Star Wars:rhythm and metre (7)

Answer 7

• fast tempo=action movie
• 4/4 gives it a march like feel
• triplets
• after main theme: pulse becomes harder to follow
• both themes use anacrisis
• Theme a: syncopated block chords
• spaceships: 3/4

Question 8

Star Wars:instrumentation (6)

Answer 8

• main title/regal blockade runner= full symphony orchestra
• Wind: flute, Picollo, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, bass clarinet
• strings
• brass: Horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba
• percussion: timpani, triangle, Tamtam, vibraphone, glockenspiel, symbols
• piano, harp, Celeste