In minutes 111-115 of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey Force-transfers her lightsaber to Ben, Palpatine sucks the life out of the Dyad, and Lando shows up with a massive Citizens' Fleet ready to join the fight. Christina Ward (from The Band Batch) returns to the show to analyze Palpatine's vocal delivery from an operatic speak-singing perspective. We also discuss Disney villains, Verdi's Macbeth, purposely-ugly music, and more!

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 - Hello there!
  • 11:42 - Orchestration during Sith Whispers.
  • 24:53 - Palpatine's misogyny.
  • 33:35 - Magical, childlike twinklies.
  • 35:15 - Breathing of Rey and Ben.
  • 38:10 - Additional details from the novelization. Do they make a difference?
  • 46:51 - First Thrawn reference.
  • 53:35 - "Really Bad Feeling" motif.
  • 59:05 - Coordinated "stab" from the orchestra.
  • 1:00:13 - Rey's Chimes theme and types of motion in music.
  • 1:09:33 - Emphasized sound of the lightsabers being dragged.
  • 1:22:24 - Mystery Motif, ascending minor arpeggios with a flat 6. Bernard Herrmann's influence.
  • 1:31:58 - Analyzing Palpatine's vocal delivery: rhythmic structure, pitch, speak-singing (sprechstimme).
  • 1:37:59 - Verdi, recitative, characterful singing, Disney songs.
  • 1:41:06 - Sprechstimme in the work of Schoenberg, Berg, Schreker, and other early 20th century composers.
  • 1:48:46 - Palpatine's line ("The Jedi are dead") almost sounds like singing.
  • 1:51:20 - Comparing this scene to Jeremy Irons's performance as Scar in The Lion King.
  • 2:01:07 - Notation of "Sith Whispers" according to Frank Lehman.
  • 2:05:21 - Verdi's Macbeth and purposely ugly-sounding music (witches chorus).
  • 2:19:21 - Critiquing Poe's leadership.
  • 2:29:33 - Giving us a victory so we can have a tragedy.
  • 2:37:41 - SWMM Questionnaire

Things to Check Out:

Musical Themes:

  • 41b. Kylo Ren 1.5 (Redeemed)
  • 45) Sith Whispers
  • 61b. Knights of Ren (Slow Form)
  • 3. Force
  • 110) Really Bad Feeling
  • 52a. Tension (Basic Motif) (arguably, perhaps)
  • 45a. Rey A (Theme A-Phrase)
  • 46a. Rey B (Chimes)
  • 34b. Mystery (Form 2)
  • 18) Descending Heroic Tetrachords
  • 1a. Main Theme (A Section)
  • 1b. Main Theme (B Section)

Where are we in the soundtrack?:

  • FYC 19. "Coming Together"

---------------

STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:

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

  • New answer: Growing bacteria culture.
  • ESB answer: Heartfelt. Direct. Dramatic.
  • Solo answer: Droids. Hopeful. Dramatic.

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

  • New answer: Will there continue to be pop collaborations in Star Wars, like with "Twin Flame" (Victoria Monét) in The Acolyte.
  • ESB answer: What the aural representation of Chiss brainwaves, particularly Sky-walkers, would be.
  • Solo answer: What are the thematic relationships that tie the dark side with Imperialism, musically speaking? Similarly, what musical relationships tie the light side with rebellion and goodness?

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

  • New answer: Bleach (anime series composed by Shirō Sagisu)
  • ESB answer: Ms. Marvel (composed by Laura Karpman) and Moon Knight (composed by Hesham Nazih)
  • Solo answer: Dune (music composed by Hans Zimmer, sound team led by Mark Mangini and Theo Green)

---------------

Guest: Christina Ward

------------------

⭐️ 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:

Rss Apple Podcaster
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör Chrysanthe Tan. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Chrysanthe Tan och inte av, eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.