"Princess Leia's Theme" - Star Wars (Score Reduction & Analysis)

A full score reduction and analysis of "Princess Leia's Theme." Enjoy!
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[@ReedBensonComp]

3:15 scared the living hell out of me

[@zoltan902]

I know, eh?

[@bordeauxcolor]

Yes. hahahah

[@heyheyitsjae2475]

I thought my computer crashed XD

[@TheRealQwertyMaster]

Same, I thought!

[@TheRealQwertyMaster]

Same, I thought!

[@BarnieSnyman]

3:15 ...just to remind you that this is really about ANALYZING the score when you get lost in enjoying the beautiful music...

[@Barti22xD]

3:14 I almost got a heart attack XD Don't do that again :D

[@communityband1]

Kind of like being suddenly hit by a "pi". :-)

[@GrumpyOldMan9]

"Carrie on", brilliant

[@eugelmusic]

Delicious. JW is the master of a gentle modulations. Music develops very softly and harmonies are very consistent in their development! What a composer he is..

[@j.lindback]

3:14 Seriously, I have heart problems :S Thankfully I had taken my medication, or else my wife would have become a widow... But except from that, excellent video!

[@JJBerthume]

These are pure gold!

[@reyfernandezjr]

Indeed ;)

[@laurenlofton9039]

Agreed.

[@iamarthorse]

The crescendo at the end melts my brain meat. That is such a masterful and powerful resolution.

[@typo1345]

3:14 *HACK!! WHADAH?!?*

[@mariusebeling6329]

3:02 Star Wars IX Trailer

[@JakeSandersonMusic]

You are really nailing these out! Really appreciate your hard work!

[@beatrixwickson8477]

You had me at "Carrie on". Subscribed!

[@Jorge_Camarero]

What an amazing theme! Thank you FilmScoreAnalysis, your work is very valuable for us.

[@BenjaminLandauMusic]

You're the best !!! Chord symbols, Modes, sometimes Degrees and most of all explainations ! Thank you so much Brad and keep up the good work

[@willj78]

Her theme in episode 8 was so emotional.

[@bordeauxcolor]

I almost cried in the end. :'(

[@merlinhlr3553]

I love this channel. Thankyou so much for providing such detailed and great analysis.

[@zacvee7255]

Last few bars always sends chills down my spine.

[@DonalRaffertyComposer]

Super useful as always! Thank you 👍🏻

[@JustinEverson]

THE SOUND EFFECT ON THE PAUSE SCARED ME SO BAD

[@warriors808]

Thank you for this. We miss and love you Carrie.

[@ruochenli1077]

I'd say the first modulation is to Eb minor; the Db minor chord is from phrygian, a dark sound that contrasts the initial Eb major tonality. The reason I say this is that the initial note of the phrase is transposed a half step up.

[@mikey20is]

great work...very funny pause...really makes one appreciate the talent of john Williams, and yours too!

[@jorgestramusic]

Fantastic in every way!... Thank you.

[@DimitriSmith1290]

Awesome work sir.

[@goldensaltduo]

Hi there! Here is Arianna, violinist and composer from Italy! Just discovered your work and it is simply AMAZING! I'm going to cover Star Wars with my duo, Golden Salt, and I was checking for some ideas for my arrangement. Happy to discover you, I really like your analysis too, it's very good! New happy sub! Best! ❤️🎻🎸

[@DavidEdelsohn]

Thanks for these excellent, insightful score breakdowns. They are awesome. Can you provide any insight about the possible motivation for the choices of instrumentation. For example, why move the melody from the horns to the flutes to the violins? Is there any logic to that progression of instruments? A particular emotional impact from the timbres?

[@zoltan902]

"Wash of tonality". Nicely put ;-).

[@gabrelconner9146]

Thank you for this!!!!!!!

[@leeceero]

Excellent!

[@gurievgleb9123]

Thank you very much

[@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE]

Also would love to see something like The Meadow Picnic or Anakin's Theme from the prequels, some extremely rich and dense compositional work going on in those, if not as powerfully concise as the original trilogy themes.

[@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE]

One of the most beautiful themes... I don't do theory but I appreciate seeing what instruments are performing what roles... I always wonder how John Williams does chords, is it a bunch of stacked notes across different instruments, or will he split up say the string/brass section to play the whole chords within themselves?

[@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE]

Ah, so stuff like the trombone, and viola, they are actually performing the chordal backing within themselves correct?

[@williamfdc899]

Good job!

[@themaskedviolinist1075]

You re the best my friend! :)

[@victorsnow9815]

Sweet and dreamy music.

[@starwarsnerd47484]

Am I the only one who 0:42 reminds of the Song in Hocus Pocus? The part sounds like the "I'll take thee away..." part.

[@sylvain54000]

Thanks So muchfor sharing your awesome work sir!Although i am more into jazz playing and teaching, i take an enormous ammount of pleasure watching your videos. (at measure 17 i can hear the basson playing that descending line again AGF/ AGF AbGF/AbGF / E

[@coolhacker1025]

May the Force be with you, Carrie (RIP)

[@leid597]

I was deeply concentrated reading it ! Almost died with your sudden STOP!

[@leid597]

What a wonderfull tribute!

[@DuhAverageJoe]

My favorite Star Wars theme!

[@timonsteup2877]

Where do you get all those scores from?

[@Wavinglighter]

The horns rushing at 44

[@andrewbraun7434]

Might I ask the bazar question of how many measures there are?

[@doc.g9497]

I don´t know if you take suggestions, but i´d like to see the score of "The Dune Sea Of Tatooine" from A New Hope.

[@bradfrey]

I've already uploaded that one :) it's just called "The Desert" on my channel rather than "The Dune Sea of Tatooine."

[@doc.g9497]

Wow, thanks!!!

[@jbreezy6784]

Yoooo when you ran out I was mad

[@topilepojarvicomposer6157]

At 1:23 I think there's another bassoon line, triplets like earlier, going Bb-A-G twice and A-Gb-G twice, ending on E? Please correct me if I'm wrong

[@muxant]

Goodbye My Princess.

[@AndreyRubtsovRU]

I hope compositional students won't use this score for the reference as the balance has been severely changed by the audio engineers, solo flute in a second octave soaring atop strings horns and harps... yeah...

[@DarwinIsInCharge]

The harp at 2:02 is definitely playing f naturals - not shown on the score

[@ikosimazaki723]

"Carrie on"

[@reyfernandezjr]

This piece is in D Major but it seems to borrow chords from D Aeolian Major right ?

[@jeanclaudejunior]

RIP Carrie Fisher, we miss you.

[@butter5014]

I think there is another descending motif in triplets in bar 17 that’s not in the reduction. Not that anyone would care

[@josiahaustin8295]

Oh my gosh I had this really loud on the o'l blue tooth and then 3:14 hit...BAM...oh well I never liked that speaker anyway...

[@manuelrobledo8072]

5th measure: Horn Solo

[@JulienAndo]

Carrie Fisher

[@euriggwilym1029]

not available???

[@oskarhrankowski]

Eurig Gwilym Probably it isn't available on mobile

[@euraljoy]

what's happening at bar 28? I swear I hear a quick Bb chord resolving to A ....but it's not in any score. Am I losing my mind? That would actually explain a lot actually (HAHA?)

[@ThomasJagusch]

I heard it too, definitely the harp's playing f bb db' on the 5th to 8th 16th note in that bar, coming from A major and going there again straight after. Apart from that there are some few more differences in the recording in contrast to the official conducter's score, of which a bigger one e.g. is the missing counter movement of the bassoon in bar 17, which can be heard easily since its the same pattern as 2 bars before where however it's written in. Or the missing tie in bar 27 in the woods (melody) on C natural from the 2nd to 3rd beat. I have no clue why there are those 'mistakes' in the official sheet music...

[@andantemusic02]

Debussy's Prélude À L'après d'un faun, anyone?

[@JoAn-mq4gi]

03:15 scare the hell out of me geez

[@Killerbee4712]

3:15 im dead. Literally.

[@mr.incredible6276]

the death of Elizabeth Pena foreshadows the death of Carrie Fisher (I think)

[@blsharpley]

3:15 I thought Trump went and finally pissed off North Korea

[@brisco32]

NK and Russia are the only countries he doesn't try to piss off.

[@Norbyyyyy18]

You leftist folks really getting obsessed with Trump lol

[@smellypotatoesmc666]

MNorbert bruv it was a joke

[@TheUnderCero]

You missed some C# in bar 24. You are great nevertheless!!

[@xiaoyiyingmusic]

I thought my iPad was broken lmao

[@AndreyRubtsovRU]

how did i not notice oboe was a bit shit on this eternal classic?

[@TheLibrarianUU]

Ook! [The Battle of Yavin next? :D]

[@BlazinInfernape]

Hello, just came here to remind you of a cringe comment you made 3 years ago, you're welcome.

[@TheLibrarianUU]

@@BlazinInfernape Ook! [Awesome.]

[@bonbonpony]

Nice analysis, though it only shows the tools, but it doesn't show what effects are those tools supposed to cause in the listener's mind and why did the composer use those particular tools. (E.g. how do they do what they do.)

[@mrman24]

So disappointed when he stopped it