ESB 3: Snowy Spectralism

This episode is about minutes 11-15 of The Empire Strikes Back with my guest Jake Jahiel -- a musicologist, Baroque music specialist, and 2022 Fellow of the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism. Today, we're talking about the Spectralist-adjacent music of Hoth, the Force theme that sprang from the petri dish, Wagner's influence, and the music that John Williams originally wrote that got cut from this scene.

Video version of this episode is here: https://youtu.be/hRujf84GhXM 

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - Hello there!

  • 05:10 - Listening to the beginning of these minutes.

  • 6:31 - How Ben Burtt made Threepio's sound here.

  • 11:21 - Somber horn stinger.

  • 15:15 - What is the meaning of this fragmented Force theme?

  • 23:36 - Ligeti/Spectralist influences.

  • 30:49 - "Ben! Dagobah!"

  • 35:25 - The music that John Williams originally wrote for this scene that got cut.

  • 40:56 - Quickie Topic: Tempo

  • 55:21 - Why it's worth acknowledging Wagner's influence on Star Wars.

  • 1:03:19 - SWMM Questionnaire

Things to Check Out:

Cues:

  • Very end of 1M3/2M1 "Luke's Escape"

  • 2M2 "Ben's Instructions"

Musical Themes:

  • 3. Force

  • Possible hint of 1a. Main Theme (A Section)

Where are we in the soundtrack(s)?:

  • "The Wampa's Lair/Vision of Obi-Wan/Snowspeeders Take Flight"

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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:

1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?

  • Unproblematic intergalactic Wagner.

2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?

  • The foley work.

3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?

  • Lord of the Rings trilogy (composed by Howard Shore)

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Guest: Jacob Jahiel

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ESB 4: Snowspeeder Macroharmony

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Next

ESB 2: Wampa Vision