John Williams (b. 1932) is perhaps the most famous and accomplished composer alive today. His fame rests on the dozens of movie scores he has composed, including the entire Star Wars saga, the Indiana Jones series, and the initial Harry Potter films. Like so many of the characters he scores, there is quite a rich back story, including a jazz career as Johnny Williams and a Sinfonietta for Winds and Percussion from the 60s. There is no denying, though, that his film scores have been front and center in his career.
The Empire Strikes Back was the second film released of the original Star Wars trilogy (it is now numbered V in the overall Skywalker Saga). It sees our heroes (Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, and friends) fighting against a resurgent evil Empire represented by Darth Vader and his legions of Stormtroopers. The film ends as the heroes are betrayed and defeated, and new revelations disrupt their understanding of their place in the galactic conflict. It is an iconic piece of cinema and science fiction, and it features one of John Williams’s finest scores, and thus one of the greatest scores of all time. In it, he builds on and adds to the themes he created for the first film, giving depth to the drama and adding nuance to the story via his manipulation of his musical materials. In essence, he borrowed Richard Wagner’s idea of the Leitmotif and adapted it for the screen. The resulting music is powerful and instantly recognizable.
So much of the music of The Empire Strikes Back is encapsulated in its Finale, which was adapted for band by Jack Bullock immediately after the film came out. Here is the band version in performance:
And here is the original:
There is obviously much available on the web about this stuff. Here is just the tip of the iceberg.
Starwars.com – features all the new stuff and merchandise as well.
Wookieepedia – The online encyclopedia devoted specifically to Star Wars and its many, varied spinoffs. Enjoy!
Star Wars in 30 seconds, reenacted by bunnies. Yes, bunnies.