Star Wars Music Minute Podcast

Star Wars Music Minute

Chrysanthe Tan
Celebrating the music and sound of Star Wars 5 cinematic minutes at a time!
TROS 9: Symmetrical Design (Minutes 41-45 with Dominic Sewell)
In minutes 41-45 of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey shoots lightning from her fingers and destroys the First Order transport that she believes Chewie is on. Dominic Sewell returns to the show to discuss symmetry in the Friendship theme, the shroud over John Williams's writing process, mus-emes (musical memes), and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 8:47 - Listening to the beginning of these minutes. 9:41 - Big B buildup reminds Dom of a part from Wozzeck (Alban Berg). 22:02 - Assigning meaning to pitches depending on the context. 27:53 - Music climbing by semitonal increments. Failed climb in the brass. 31:53 - Do you think this score has more in common with Revenge of the Sith and/or Return of the Jedi than any other particular film? 39:22 - John Williams thinking visually (speculation). 45:15 - The shroud over John Williams's process. Broad strokes and modalities. German/Austro-Hungarian versus Russian/French sound worlds. 52:00 - Williams will go down as one of the greatest orchestrators. 59:37 - Octatonic goodness. 1:05:15 - Descant. 1:09:08 - The recording of this film is incredible (close, clear, dry, not swathed in reverb) 1:12:34 - Symmetry in the Friendship Theme. 1:22:14 - Threepio. 1:26:12 - Interesting voicing (clarinet is buried in the brass texture). 1:33:35 - Juxtaposition of two completely different themes. Intrusive thoughts. 1:38:53 - Kamino Kaper tangent. 1:44:43 - Does John Williams explicitly engage with duality in his theme-writing? 1:49:12 - Zimmerfication of Williams? 1:55:39 - Our favorite Rise of Skywalker musical themes. 1:58:50 - A very bold statement about minor 7ths. 2:04:32 - Stuttering, half-step-heavy villain themes. 2:09:41 - Speculating on Williams's revision process. Mythology of Williams. 2:19:35 - SWMM Questionnaire 2:29:47 - Shoutout to Michael Abels (Acolyte good). Things to Check Out: On the Track: A Guide to Contemporary Film Scoring (book by Fred Karlin and Rayburn Wright) - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2097046.On_the_Track Wozzeck, Act III Scene 2 (Alban Berg) - https://youtu.be/702knK1mop0?si=gYcasnwRVZnQV5F5 WOZZECK - The Operatic Equivalent of GUINNESS (David Bruce Composer) https://youtu.be/e8V-x9CSPlA?si=cwcViqXYVzkx7iFJ John Williams on the SmartLess podcast: https://youtu.be/xi-axVKJ3Tc John Williams discussing Alex North, part 1: https://youtu.be/iKq1c-wpVe4?si=R7wcddyIXMcCmvnD John Williams discussing Alex North, part 2: https://youtu.be/rYSmemYleEE?si=vx3qdV6BIuTipBGQ Chrysanthe's review of the Century of Film Music concert (curated by John Williams): https://www.sfcv.org/articles/review/la-phil-classic-film-music-leads-john-williams Shawn Murphy recorded and mixed the scores for The Rise of Skywalker and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. "Dance of the Montagues and Capulets" (from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet) - https://youtu.be/8VY-A7GVLyQ?si=KGxAlZrc97xph2XO Die Walküre: Magic Fire Music (Wagner) - https://youtu.be/bG6p8bLdaQU?si=TztdijWshAO4vdQb Anakin’s Theme and the Musical Aftermath of The Phantom Menace (article by Frank Lehman): https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2024/07/30/anakins-theme-essay/ Main Title from King's Row (Erich Wolfgang Korngold) - https://youtu.be/tysCiL1-24w?si=_dc2_oIANP9ZMim2 Harold in Italy (symphony with viola obbligato by Hector Berlioz) - https://youtu.be/Q4NC4E5RXik?si=E3DajNGVjgKgKIuK Thematic Transformation and the Limits of Leitmotivic Analysis (Frank Lehman talk) - https://youtu.be/4ZBCNK0PYrk?si=UFbRSzm_-KYONTzj Dominic's analysis of "The Lighting of the Beacons" from The Return of the King - https://youtu.be/tVW249k5uuQ?si=8lc2W3azRxGuCppL Near Miss (film that Dominic scored) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29193907/ Scoring the Screen: The Secret Language of Film Music (book by Andy Hill) - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31386128-scoring-the-screen La Belle Noiseuse by Dominic Sewell; performed by harpist Amy Turk - https://youtu.be/nEqgmi4RJ4s?si=6o3OJHCdUHaWIkNC "The Brahms" chord (coined by Dominic): C-
Sep 2, 2024
2 hr 46 min
TROS 8: Bad Boys for Life (Minutes 36-40 with Patrick Cotnoir)
In minutes 36-40 of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey heals the vexis, the Knights of Ren arrive on Pasaana, Rey confronts Kylo Ren in the desert, and Chewie is captured. Today, Patrick Cotnoir (The George Lucas Talk Show, The Naboo Movie, The Great Kamino Kaper) joins me to discuss over-the-top evil music, the sound design of Kylo/Rey's desert showdown, and an ominous M7 interval. Clarification: The "Speeder Chase" track that we talk about toward the end of this episode pertains to a scene from earlier in the movie (check out previous episode, TROS 6: Speeder Chase Shenanigans with Conor Power, for more detail about that).  Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 3:08 - Rey heals the serpent, Force theme, cool sound design. 5:06 - Favorite Star Wars noises. 13:11 - Sound conveying scale. 16:15 - Over-the-top evil music for the Knights of Ren (funny). 21:29 - Patrick's Boolio story. 24:13 - Ominous descending major 7th interval. (Everything is not okay!) (Foreshadowing?) 31:30 - March of the Resistance in Ochi's ship. Insistent repeated figure (Viennese trichord). 38:42 - Patrick swears he hears Darth Vader breathing here. 41:33 - Crafting the sound world for the Kylo/Rey confrontation in the desert. 45:49 - Psalm of the Sith (Anthem of Evil) 51:33 - Kylo's TIE whisper getting closer. How are the strings making that noise? 54:26 - Sound design for the part where Rey flips and slices Kylo's wing in slo-mo. 55:55 - Music for the speeder chase (in minutes 26-30) was cut. 59:49 - The musicality of Kylo's ship spinning out of control. 1:02:57 - Return of the ominous M7 interval from before. Chewie is captured. 1:05:34 - Playing a bit of the "Speeder Chase" track that didn't make it in the film. To clarify, this track was supposed to be in an earlier part of the film ("they fly now?")--not these minutes. 1:11:51 - SWMM Questionnaire Things to Check Out: Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/ Musical Themes: 3. Force 61b. Knights of Ren (Slow Form) 52a. Tension (Basic Motif) 47a. March of the Resistance (A Section) 59a. Psalm of the Sith (A Section) Where are we in the soundtrack?: FYC 4. "In the Desert" --------------- STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE: 1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like? Loud, proud, in-charge. 2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about? What sounds were combined in order to make various noises in Star Wars. 3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars? 10 Cloverfield Lane (composed by Bear McCreary) --------------- Guest: Patrick Cotnoir The George Lucas Talk Show: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeorgeLucasTalkShow I'm 'George Lucas': A Connor Ratliff Story (documentary) - https://imgeorgelucas.com/ THE NABOO MOVIE: A 25th Anniversary All Star Live Reading of Star Wars Ep 1: The Phantom Menace - https://naboomovie.com THE GREAT KAMINO KAPER: A Live Reading of Attack of the Clones - https://kaminokaper.com Website: https://www.patrickcotnoir.com/ Twitter: https://x.com/patrickcotnoir Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cotnoir/ ------------------ ⭐️ Join the Discord server by becoming a patron at any level! https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan Leave a voice message, and I might play it on the show...   https://starwarsmusicminute.com/comlink Where else to find SWMM: Twitter: https://twitter.com/StarWarsMusMin Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/652WVfMTLwJpVZ82i8uhFA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/star-wars-music-minute/id1552988763 YouTube: https://youtube.com/starwarsmusicminute TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@starwarsmusicminute? Instagram: https://instagram.com/starwarsmusicminute Email: [email protected] Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin
Aug 26, 2024
1 hr 19 min
TROS 7: Silent Animals (Minutes 31-35 with Sawyer Markham)
In minutes 31-35 of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey and the gang fall through the sinking fields, find Ochi’s dagger, and encounter a snarling serpent. Sawyer Markham joins me today to talk about ambient loops, snake sounds, musical exit points, and more!
Aug 19, 2024
1 hr 7 min
TROS 6: Speeder Chase Shenanigans (Minutes 26-30 with Conor Power)
In minutes 26-30 of The Rise of Skywalker, Lando tells Rey, Finn, Poe, and the gang about Ochi of Bestoon, and our heroes encounter flying stormtroopers. Film music researcher Conor Power returns to the show to discuss ”style topics,” the Heroics themes, and John Williams’ original cue for the speeder chase.
Aug 12, 2024
2 hr 24 min
TROS 5: StabbyBoi Kylo (Minutes 21-25 with Alex Cunningham)
In minutes 21-25 of The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren debuts his newly repaired mask, our heroes make it to Pasaana in time for the Aki Aki Festival of the Ancestors, and we get our first piece of source music in the film. Alex Cunningham returns to the show to discuss Kylo's helmet voice, First Order dialects, stabby punctuation, and the use of diegetic music on Pasaana. Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 2:58 - Stabby punctuation of Kylo Ren entrance. 7:12 - Kylo's theme vs. Knights of Ren theme. 18:22 - "I sense unease about my appearance, General Hux." 19:05 - Is Kylo's helmet voice a little clearer than it was in TFA? 27:49 - Fanboy Pryde. 32:19 - Question about the RP-accented First Order officers and if the English dialect distinctions are recreated in other language dubs. 42:31 - More stabby Kylo Ren punctuation. "I'm gonna go hunting." 44:23 - Musical sting during the transition to Pasaana. Reminiscent of Emperor and Planetary Descent. 47:50 - Thoughts on there being yet another desert planet. 59:58 - Diegetic music for the Aki-Aki Festival of the Ancestors. 1:18:44 - Source music is taken over by score, illustrating Rey's change of focus. Lydian moment! 1:30:54 - Awkward "family name" conversation. 1:38:14 - Thoughts on Leia's Jedi journey. 1:50:49 - Soundscape of Kylo and Rey's Force Skype. 2:05:54 - Kylo Ren's A Theme (Aggressive) vs. B Theme (Hesitant). 2:10:45 - TRON vibes. 2:15:42 - Final thoughts about these minutes. 2:20:29 - SWMM Questionnaire Things to Check Out: "Lido Hey" by Shag F. Kava - https://youtu.be/Ca2SlCjDxUA Jedi Junior High (now called "Makin' Wookiee") - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3530344/ AIR scene with Matt Damon and Chris Messina's phone call - https://youtu.be/MuNcDlt6oVs Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/ Musical Themes: Kylo Ren A (Aggressive) Emperor Rey A (Theme A-Phrase) Kylo Ren B (Hesitant) Where are we in the soundtrack?: None of this music is on either soundtrack (I think?) Shag F. Kava - "Lido Hey" (on YouTube) --------------- STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE: 1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like? New: Subtle, except not. Previous: John. Ben. James. 2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about? New: Which accent/dialect choices are being made in other language dubs of Star Wars? Previous: What other sound designers does Ben Burtt admire? Who is on the foley team, and how do they think and talk about foley? Do they see themselves as sound designers, how do they approach their creative work? 3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars? New: Spring Breakers (composed by Skrillex and Cliff Martinez), Spawn: The Album (the US Edition) (produced by Happy Walters) Previous: Akira (composed by Geinoh Yamashirogumi), The Harder They Come (primarily featuring Jimmy Cliff), Station Eleven (composed by Dan Romer) --------------- Guest: Alex Cunningham BrickSteelhead on the Friends of Xanthe Discord server. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muay_tie_fighter/ ANH 21: Backstage Jitters (Minutes 101-105 with Alex Cunningham) - https://youtu.be/95tApsOGqP8 Solo 21: Shades of Revelation (Minutes 101-105 with Alex Cunningham) - https://youtu.be/h3W2eub9B7A ------------------ ⭐️ Join the Discord server by becoming a patron at any level! https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan Leave a voice message, and I might play it on the show...   https://starwarsmusicminute.com/comlink Where else to find SWMM: Twitter: https://twitter.com/StarWarsMusMin Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/652WVfMTLwJpVZ82i8uhFA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/star-wars-music-minute/id1552988763 YouTube: https://youtube.com/starwarsmusicminute TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@starwarsmusicminute? Instagram: https://instagram.com/starwarsmusicminute Email: [email protected] Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/starwar
Aug 5, 2024
2 hr 31 min
TROS 4: Handful of Ostinato (Minutes 16-20 with Katharine Coldiron)
Palpatine has returned, and author Katharine Coldiron joins me to discuss minutes 16-20 of The Rise of Skywalker. We talk about the logic of leitmotifs, songs vs. performances, Bugs, the storytelling matrix, conveying information through image vs. sound, and more.  Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 4:51 - Microphone speculation. 13:55 - "Somehow, Palpatine returned." 21:34 - The logic of leitmotifs. Number of leitmotif statements in TLJ vs TROS. 29:09 - It's not just about leitmotifs. 33:30 - Song vs. performance. 35:42 - Do the generations of film composers after John Williams still listen to Tchaikovsky, Wagner, etc? 41:11 - Ostinato not on the soundtrack (was it added in a later cut of the film?). Bugs Bunny flourish. 47:14 - Force theme moment (1st time in these minutes) that Katharine isn't a fan of. 55:19 - Rey's theme and the storytelling matrix. 1:07:40 - Concert suites. 1:12:48 - Is this reminiscent of a Berlioz opera? 1:18:52 - "We Go Together" and the Friendship motif. 1:31:47 - Funny choir moment. 1:36:09 - Force theme moment that Katharine is a fan of. 1:40:14 - "70% of information is conveyed through image, whereas 30% is conveyed through sound. 70% of emotion is conveyed through sound and 30% through image." 1:46:39 - When leitmotifs do heavy information-lifting. 1:54:36 - Distributing the music, dialogue, and sound effects across the frequency spectrum. 1:55:52 - Knights of Ren theme (and why we like it). 2:06:51 - The grammar of Star Wars landing shots. 2:10:30 - J.J. Abrams, old-school film directing, camerawork trends, composer parallels. 2:26:15 - SWMM Questionnaire Things to Check Out: Sideways video: https://youtu.be/L_8-dWSLDWI?si=hA80Yu-67aI23AZ8 Les Troyens (opera by Hector Berlioz): https://youtu.be/JVuj-b0zXVE?si=tU7YPcEZpz8GEO7h Another Happy Landing: https://youtu.be/RAWYMxygeBk?si=roWNQk3qjjTGylf5 Star Wars Holiday Special (opening music): https://youtu.be/6hH8rxarVG8?si=uFXqoEg7EYnvEcg7&t=201 Hollywood Harmony (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/hollywood-harmony/ ESB 11: Free-Floating Motivic Particles (with Frank Lehman): https://youtu.be/N_jXuEWiaLY?si=d-JV7XH2e2X0-Gm5 My review of Pauline García Viardot's chamber opera: https://www.sfcv.org/articles/review/last-sorcerer-enchanting-fairy-tale-opera-resurrected Bizarre Albums Lapti Nek episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/bizarre-singles-lapti-nek-from-return-of-the-jedi/id1471679636?i=1000473552119 Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/ Musical Themes: Sith Seduction Emperor Force Rey A (Theme A-Phrase) Friendship Knights of Ren (Slow Form) Where are we in the soundtrack?: FYC 3. "We Go Together" OST 9. "We Go Together" --------------- STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE: 1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like? Adventure. Heart. Saga. 2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about? Is John Williams more of a genius or a craftsman? 3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars? Gone Girl composed (by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor). The Truman Show soundtrack. Fight Club (by the Dust Brothers). --------------- Guest: Katharine Coldiron Landing shots video: https://youtu.be/nbAcX60dSNs Website: https://kcoldiron.com/ Twitter: https://x.com/ferrifrigida Look at all the books she's written! https://kcoldiron.com/books-chapbooks/ ------------------ ⭐️ Join the Discord server by becoming a patron at any level! https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan Leave a voice message, and I might play it on the show...   https://starwarsmusicminute.com/comlink Where else to find SWMM: Twitter: https://twitter.com/StarWarsMusMin Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/652WVfMTLwJpVZ82i8uhFA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/star-wars-music-minute/id1552988763 YouTube: https://youtube.com/starwarsmusicminute TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@starwarsmusicminute? Instagram
Jul 30, 2024
2 hr 43 min
TROS 3: Independent Jedi Study (Minutes 11-15 with Riley Silverman)
📣 This episode was published during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn't exist. If you want to support the cause, consider donating to the Entertainment Community Fund, which provides financial aid to industry workers. There's also a Google doc that lists a variety of funds you can donate to, including a pizza fund for the various strike locations and a water fund for strikers at the hot Disney lot. ---------- In minutes 11-15 of The Rise of Skywalker, we see Rey training in the jungle of Ajan Kloss under the light guidance of General Leia Organa; Kylo and Rey have their first Force chat of the film; and Rey reunites with Poe and Finn. Star Wars author and Rey aficionado Riley Silverman is here with me to discuss Rey's epic "training suite" theme, Leia's as a "lowercase j" jedi, shortcuts in music and filmmaking, and more!   Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 1:43 - Leia as a lowercase "j" jedi 6:40 - End of the lightspeed skipping scene. 8:51 - Shortcuts. Re-using the Martial Chords/Holst Chords from the Death Star blow-up scene in ANH. 17:56 - Peaceful soundscape of Rey training on Ajan Kloss. 20:58 - "Leia Trains Rey" – new incidental motif – a tender string line. 26:31 - Mishearing the Rey/Leia conversation in theaters. 32:46 - Rey's pump-up training suite is reminiscent of Luke's lifestyle montage on Ahch-To (in TLJ minutes 21-25). 39:33 - Imperial March and Kylo Ren's Aggressive theme with one note out of place. 44:10 - Music raising the stakes during Rey's training. Duelistic Strings (incidental motif). Kylo's intrusion. 49:46 - Awesome sound design in Rey/Kylo's concurrent flashbacks. 1:00:14 - Rey studies ancient texts. Independent Jedi Study. Continuity from TLJ to TROS. 1:10:57 - Poe and Rey bicker like divorced (but still good) co-parents. 1:22:47 - Final thoughts about these minutes and TROS as a whole. 1:34:53 - SWMM Questionnaire 1:45:09 - Where to find Riley's books. Things to Check Out: Holst: Mars (from The Planets) - https://youtu.be/UJbEgyhx1ng Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/ Musical Themes: Martial Chords Force Rey A (Theme A-Phrase) Leia Trains Rey Rey B (Chimes) Imperial March (Theme) Kylo Ren A (Aggressive) Duelistic Strings Where are we in the soundtrack?: End of FYC 2. "Falcon Flight" --------------- STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE: 1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like? New: Wondrous space magic. Previous: Epic space magic. 2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about? New: How many different people are involved in the process of putting music in the film? Who has the final say? Previous: How many different screams are there? How do people go about designing music for a scene or character in the first place? Writers start with a blank page and somehow use words to convey scenes; what is the musical/sound version of that process like? 3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars? New: Across the Spider-Verse (composed by Daniel Pemberton) Previous: Gentlemen Jack (composed by Murray Gold), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (composed by Danny Elfman). Doctor Who. --------------- Guest: Riley Silverman Check out all of Riley's Star Wars books: https://www.rileysilverman.com/books Star Wars: Exploring Tatooine: An Illustrated Guide Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: Treasures from Batuu Star Wars: The Life Day Pop-Up Book and Advent Calendar The She Series Book (Riley wrote essays for Lucille Ball and Marsha P. Johnson): https://www.etsy.com/listing/1448145344/the-she-series-book Riley is on BlueSky, Threads, and Twitter as rileysilverman or rileyjsilverman ------------------ ⭐️ Join the Discord server by becoming a patron at any level! https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan Leave a voice message, and I might play it on the show...
Jul 24, 2023
1 hr 49 min
TROS 2: Audiovisual Acid Trip (Minutes 6-10 with Klaudia Amenábar)
📣 This episode was published during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn't exist. If you want to support the cause, consider donating to the Entertainment Community Fund, which provides financial aid to industry workers. There's also a Google doc that lists a variety of funds you can donate to, including a pizza fund for the various strike locations and a water fund for strikers at the hot Disney lot. ---------- In minutes 6-10 of The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine has a chat with Kylo Ren, Poe and Finn lose a game of Dejarik to Chewie, a spy gives the Resistance information, and the Falcon lightspeed skips to evade TIE fighters. Klaudia Amenábar of RuPalp's Podrace returns to the show to discuss the Resistance polycule, octatonic brass, Exegol sound design, and more! Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 3:43 - Listening to the beginning of these minutes. 8:21 - The "Palpatine" in Rey's theme. 24:49 - Trio of characters interacting for the first time. 28:31 - David Acord and Matthew Wood explaining the sound design of Exegol. 40:11 - Exegol lightning compared to Force lightning. 49:44 - Quibble about the physical descriptions of characters in Star Wars books. 53:52 - The Rise of Skywalker polycule. 1:01:07 - Octatonic planing horns. 1:09:51 - Why do we hear the Emperor's theme when we see TIE fighters? 1:17:54 - Rebel Fanfare (planing triads), March of the Resistance, lightspeed skipping. 1:24:40 - John Williams loves/hates us (violinists). 1:32:54 - SWMM Questionnaire Things to Check Out: Klaudia's blog post/newsletter about Trigun: https://buttondown.email/klaudiascorner/archive/trigun-is-better-than-cowboy-bebop-not-clickbait/ Interview about the Trigun Stampede soundtrack: https://www.japanaradio.com/node/98 The album for season 1 is in two parts: https://open.spotify.com/album/0tNFMwQRWZkDuxxhbrBZti https://open.spotify.com/album/6csNXzQg2Eq9qRexsVT2s8 Solo 8: Dolby Atmos Train Heist (Minutes 36-40 with Klaudia Amenábar) - https://youtu.be/ofMbtzYWYD0 Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/ Musical Themes: Imperial March (Theme) Kylo Ren A (Aggressive) Emperor March of the Resistance (A Section) Rebel Fanfare Where are we in the soundtrack?: OST 2. "Journey to Exegol" FYC 2. "Falcon Flight" --------------- STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE: 1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like? New: Poetic. Epic. Hopeful. Previous: Poetic. Epic. Inspiring. 2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about? New: How are certain sound design choices made? Which decisions come from the producers vs. sound designers, etc? How is the sound design process different across the various types of Star Wars media? Previous: The stories behind how various bits of music ended up in the films/shows. "How did that get there?" 3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars? New: TRIGUN STAMPEDE (anime series composed by Tatsuya Kato) Previous: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (composed by Joe Hisaishi) --------------- Guest: Klaudia Amenábar RuPalp's Podrace: https://rupalps-podrace-a-queer-star-wars-podcast.simplecast.com/ The Mystery Spotcast: A Supernatural Rewatch: https://the-mystery-spotcast-a-supernatural-rewatch.simplecast.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaludiasays TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@kaludiasays Linktree: https://linktr.ee/kaludiasays ------------------ Join the Discord server by becoming a patron at any level! https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan Leave a voice message, and I might play it on the show...   https://starwarsmusicminute.com/comlink Where else to find SWMM: Twitter: https://twitter.com/StarWarsMusMin Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/652WVfMTLwJpVZ82i8uhFA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/star-wars-music-minute/id1552988763 YouTube: https://yo
Jul 19, 2023
1 hr 52 min
TROS 1: Intro to the Music of The Rise of Skywalker (Minutes 1-5)
This is an introduction to the music of THE RISE OF SKYWALKER with an emphasis on the first 5 minutes. In the episode, I also go over my aims for this season of Star Wars Music Minute, talk about balancing meta-commentary and media-commentary, and share my favorite thing about the TROS score.
Jul 10, 2023
1 hr 21 min
ESB 26: Empire Strikes Back Soundtrack Restoration (Minutes 126-128 with Chris Malone)
Mastering engineer and film music restoration expert Chris Malone joins Xanthe for the season finale to talk about all things Empire Strikes Back soundtrack. We cover a ton of ground, from analog recording technology and methodology to the unique issues affecting The Empire Strikes Back releases. This episode contains many visuals, including spectogram displays that allow us to see tangible differences between various mixes. This episode is also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DVwqsZ9Wv60  Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 5:08 - Do you have one of these Empire Strikes Back soundtrack albums? 12:25 - Film music is recorded to part of the film. There wasn't always an expectation to produce a separate soundtrack album. 18:04 - When, where, and how the Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back scores were recorded. Terminology: 35mm magnetic film, magnetic tape, sprockets, tape machine, magnetic oxide particles, 50Hz tone, reproducer. 24:09 - Using magnetic film for synchronization. Limitations of the tape technology. 33:51 - John Williams editing together multiple takes with Ken Wannberg. 46:05 - What is a 24-track tape? Why does the width of tape matter? 49:58 - What is a live mix, and why is it an important reference for the ESB soundtrack albums? 1:02:53 - Listening to minutes 126-128 (end of the End Title music) while looking at the spectral frequency display. 1:10:27 - Diagonal splices. 1:23:07 - Different version of the Imperial March in the End Credits. 1:37:39 - Differences between the original ESB soundtrack and the Special Edition release. 1:57:37 - Comparison example: "Hyperspace" track on the 4CD and Special Edition releases. Listening for the violin presence and spatial movement of the horns and trombones. 2:09:17 - More spectogram comparisons: "City in the Clouds" and last note of the "Main Title." 2:21:21 - Applying the Hippocratic Oath to score restoration. 2:30:00 - If something was recorded in mono, should it stay mono? 2:40:31 - When it comes to restoring a film score, which sorts of recording artifacts is the engineer trying to correct? 2:42:21 - Example of "wow." 2:48:02 - Flutter. 2:53:13 - Why Chris champions the CD as an audio format. 3:01:21 - What type of gear does Chris use when listening to/analyzing music? (Question from Alex Cunningham) 3:12:06 - Was the ARP 2600 synthesizer overdubbed or recorded with the orchestra for the Empire Strikes Back soundtrack? (Question from Ender Smith) 3:13:58 - What has the transition to digital production done for Star Wars? (Question from Fr. David Mowry) 3:18:14 - Differences between the original 1954 20th Century Fox Fanfare and the one John Williams re-recorded for ESB. 3:20:28 - Eric Tomlinson's technique for recording punchy-sounding brass. 3:25:02 - The original trilogy scores (especially The Empire Strikes Back) could sound 1000x better than they sound on any of the current releases. What might prevent it from happening? 3:28:49 - The 2018 Disney releases of the Original Trilogy (the albums that are on Spotify). 3:39:03 - SWMM Questionnaire Things to Check Out: Cinematic Sound Radio's 2-part interview with Chris Malone: http://www.cinematicsound.net/interview-with-chris-malone/ The Goldsmith Odyssey's interview with Chris Malone: https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/4802774-odyssey-interviews-chris-malone Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/. Cues: 12M3 "Finale" Musical Themes: Imperial March (Theme) Imperial March (Vamp) Han & Leia (A) Han & Leia (B) - Theme Form 1 (1980) Where are we in the soundtrack?: "The Rebel Fleet/End Title" --------------- Star Wars Music Minute Questionnaire: 1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like? Simply the best. Thematic orchestral richness. Well of richness. 2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about? Everything there is to learn about the first three scores (1977, 1980, 1983). How
May 12, 2023
3 hr 49 min
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