Music of Star Wars - wikipedia Music of Star Wars John Williams, composer of the music of all eight Star Wars saga films. The music of the Star Wars franchise is composed and produced in conjunction with the development of the feature films, television series, and other merchandise within the epic space opera franchise created by George Lucas. The music for the primary feature films ( which serves as the basis for the rest of the related media ) was written by John Williams. Released between 1977 and 2017, the music for the primary feature films was, in the case of the first two trilogies, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and, in select passages, by the London Voices chorus. Williams also scored the seventh and eighth episodes in the franchise 's sequel trilogy, and he is currently slated to score the ninth ( and last ) episode as well. The sequel trilogy was largely orchestrated and conducted by William Ross, and it was performed by a freelance Hollywood orchestra and ( in a few passages ) by the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Williams ' scores for the eight saga films count among the most widely known and popular contributions to modern film music. Additionally, music for several animated television series spinoffs has been written by Kevin Kiner and Ryan Shore. Music for the spin - off films, other television programs, and video games, as well as the trailers of the various installments, were created by various other composers, with this material occasionally revisiting some of Williams ' principal themes, and - with the latest spin - off film, with Williams actually writing a new theme for the composer to use. Michael Giacchino was the composer of the first Anthology film, Rogue One, while John Powell will score the Star Wars film Solo. The scores are primarily performed by a symphony orchestra of varying size joined, in several sections, by a choir of varying size. They each make extensive use of the leitmotif, or a series of musical themes that represents the various characters, objects and events in the films. Throughout all of the franchise, which consists of a total of over 16 hours of music, Williams has written approximately 52 themes in one of the largest, richest collection of themes in the history of film music. Contents 1 Overview 1.1 Films 1.2 Television 1.3 Video games 2 Style 2.1 Inspiration 2.2 Structure 2.3 Performance 3 Orchestration 4 Musical themes in the scores 4.1 Romantic application of Leitmotifs in the score 4.2 Thematic inconsistencies between installments 5 Themes in the original trilogy 5.1 Star Wars ( A New Hope ) 5.2 The Empire Strikes Back 5.3 Return of the Jedi 6 Themes in the prequel trilogy 6.1 The Phantom Menace 6.2 Attack of the Clones 6.3 First appearance in Revenge of the Sith 7 Themes in the sequel trilogy 7.1 The Force Awakens 7.2 The Last Jedi 8 Unconfirmed themes 9 Themes in the Anthology films 9.1 First appearance in Rogue One 9.2 First appearance in Solo 10 Concert suites 10.1 From the main episodes 10.2 From the spin - offs 11 Diegetic music 12 Reception 12.1 Awards 12.2 Certifications 13 References 14 External links Overview Films Year Title Composer Conductor Orchestrator Orchestra Choir Saga films 1977 Star Wars ( A New Hope ) John Williams John Williams Herbert W. Spencer London Symphony Orchestra 1980 The Empire Strikes Back London Voices ( women ) Return of the Jedi London Voices ( men ) 1999 The Phantom Menace Conrad Pope John Neufeld London Voices ( SATB ) New London Children 's Choir 2002 Attack of the Clones Conrad Pope Eddie Karam London Voices ( SATB ) Boy choir ( synth ) 2005 Revenge of the Sith London Voices ( SATB ) Boy choir ( synth ) 2015 The Force Awakens John Williams William Ross Gustavo Dudamel John Williams William Ross Hollywood Freelance Studio Symphony Los Angeles Master Chorale ( bass ) 2017 The Last Jedi John Williams William Ross Los Angeles Master Chorale ( SATB, bass ) Spin - off films 2008 The Clone Wars Kevin Kiner John Williams ( themes ) Kevin Kiner Nic Raine Kevin Kiner Nic Raine Takeshi Furukawa City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 2016 Rogue One Michael Giacchino John Williams ( themes ) Tim Simonec William Ross Tim Simonec Brad Dechter Jeff Kryka Chris Tilton Herbert W. Spencer Hollywood Freelance Studio Symphony Los Angeles Master Chorale 2018 Solo John Powell John Williams ( main theme ) Television Kevin Kiner composed the score to the film Star Wars : The Clone Wars ( 2008 ), the predecessor to the animated TV series of the same name. Both properties loosely use some of the original themes and music by John Williams. Kiner 's own material for the film includes a theme for Anakin Skywalker 's Padawan learner, Ahsoka Tano, as well as a theme for Jabba the Hutt 's uncle Ziro. Kiner went on to score the TV series ' entire six seasons, which concluded in 2014. A soundtrack album was released that same year by Walt Disney Records. Kiner continued his work with the franchise for the animated series Star Wars Rebels ( 2014 ), which also incorporates Williams ' themes. Ryan Shore serves as the composer for Star Wars : Forces of Destiny ( 2017 -- present ). Year Title Composer Additional composers 2008 -- 2014 Star Wars : The Clone Wars Kevin Kiner Takeshi Furukawa David G. Russell Matthew St. Laurent Reuven Herman Russ Howard III 2014 -- present Star Wars Rebels David G. Russell Matthew St. Laurent Sean Kiner 2017 -- present Star Wars : Forces of Destiny Ryan Shore Video games Year Title Composer 1998 Star Wars : Rogue Squadron Chris Huelsbeck Star Wars Rogue Squadron II : Rogue Leader Chris Huelsbeck 2003 Star Wars Rogue Squadron III : Rebel Strike Chris Huelsbeck 2008 Star Wars : The Force Unleashed Mark Griskey Star Wars : The Force Unleashed II Mark Griskey 2015 Star Wars : Battlefront Gordy Haab 2017 Star Wars : Battlefront II Gordy Haab Style Inspiration The scores utilize an eclectic variety of musical styles, many culled from the Late Romantic idiom of Richard Strauss and his contemporaries that itself was incorporated into the Golden Age Hollywood scores of Erich Korngold and Max Steiner. The reasons for this are known to involve George Lucas 's desire to allude to the underlying fantasy element of the narrative rather than the science - fiction setting, as well as to ground the otherwise strange and fantastic setting in well - known, audience - accessible music. Indeed, Lucas maintains that much of the original trilogy 's success relies not on advanced visual effects, but on the simple, direct emotional appeal of its plot, characters and, importantly, music. Lucas originally wanted to use tracked orchestral and film music in a similar manner to 2001 : A Space Odyssey, itself a major inspiration for Star Wars. Williams, however, advised to form a soundtrack with recurring musical themes to augment the story, while Lucas 's choice of music could be used as a temporary track for Williams to base his musical choices on. This resulted in several nods or homages to the music of Gustav Holst, William Walton, Sergei Prokofiev and Igor Stravinsky in the score to Star Wars. Williams relied less and less on references to existing music in the latter seven scores, incorporating more strains of modernist orchestral writing with each progressive score, although occasional nods continue to permeate the music. The love theme from Empire Strikes Back is closely related to Williams ' composition for Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The score to Revenge of the Sith has clear resemblances to the successful scores of other contemporary composers of the time, namely Howard Shore 's Lord of the Rings, Hans Zimmer 's Gladiator and Tan Dun 's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with which the movie was most likely scored temporarily. In Williams 's score to The Last Jedi he, for the first time in the series, went so as far as to incorporate direct quotes of `` Aquarela Do Brasil '' by Ary Barroso ( in a nod to the 1985 Terry Gilliam film Brazil ) and from his own theme for The Long Goodbye ( co-composed by Johnny Mercer ). Nevertheless, Williams also started to develop his style throughout the various films, incorporating other instruments, unusual orchestral set - ups ( as well as various choral ensembles ) and even electronic or electronically - attenuated music as the films progressed. Williams often composed the music in a heroic but tongue - in - cheek style. Structure Star Wars was one of the film scores that heralded the revival of grand symphonic scores in the late 1970s. One technique that particularly influenced these scores is Williams ' use of the leitmotif, which was most famously associated with the operas of Richard Wagner and, in early film scores, with Steiner. A leitmotif is a phrase or melodic cell that signifies a character, place, plot element, mood, idea, relationship or other specific part of the film. It is commonly used in modern film scoring as a device for mentally anchoring certain parts of a film to the soundtrack. Of chief importance for a leitmotif is that it must be strong enough for a listener to latch onto while being flexible enough to undergo variation and development along the progression of the story. The more varied and nuanced the use of leitmotif is, the more memorable it typically becomes. For example, Williams subtly conceals the intervals of `` The Imperial March '' within Anakin 's Theme in The Phantom Menace, implying his dark future to come. Also important is the density in which leitmotifs are used : the more leitmotifs are used in a piece of a given length, the more thematically rich it is considered to be. Film music, however, typically needs to strike a balance between leitmotifs and underscoring so as to not become too dense for the audience to follow. John Williams ' music of Star Wars is unique in that it is relatively dense for film scoring, with approximately 11 themes used in each two - hour film and Williams ' musical contributions totaling about 90 % of each film 's length. Performance Williams re-recorded some of his suites from the first trilogy with the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra as an album, and later released a collection of suites from the six films as a compilation that played to a series of clips from the films, with sparse dialogue and sound effects. These became the basis for a series of hour - long concerts which featured Star Wars music to images from the films, Star Wars : In Concert, which took place in 2009 and 2010. First performed in London, it went on to tour across the United States and Canada, last playing in London, Ontario, Canada on July 25, 2010. The scores of the first trilogy ( in the form of its Blu - Ray Special Edition release ) and The Force Awakens are performed as Live to Projection concerts, but with greatly reduced forces. The performances follow the music of the finished film, with some of the music looped, tracked or omitted entirely, and do not feature any of the diegetic pieces. Orchestration John Williams sketched the score for his various orchestrations and wrote the music for a full symphony orchestra ( ranging from 79 to 113 players overall ) and, in several passages, chorus ( ranging from 12 to 120 singers overall ) and a few non-orchestral instruments. The orchestration is not consistent throughout the different films, but generally the score makes use of a considerable brass section over a comparatively smaller string section, giving the series its heraldic, brassy sound. Several of the scores require larger forces, including a large ( over 100 - piece ) orchestra, a mixed choir and even a boy choir. However, none of the scores call for particularly immense forces compared to larger film or theater works. Nevertheless, sections of The Empire Strikes Back required as many as 106 players due to an added harp, woodwinds, and percussion parts. The prequel trilogy, and one re-recording of suites from the first trilogy, required a fuller string section, added woodwind and percussion parts ( which are also deployed in parts of the scores to Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith ), a mixed choir, brief passages for a boy choir, and a second set of timpani for Revenge of the Sith. This saw the orchestra totaling as many as 112 players at a time. The original Star Wars trilogy and the sequel trilogy films call for much smaller forces of as little as 82 players, and small choral accompaniment in select cues. The first spin off film, Rogue One, followed the prequel trilogy 's instrumentation, using a 110 - piece orchestra and 90 - piece mixed choir. In live performances, the forces are usually reduced further : the strings and voices may be augmented depending on the orchestra and choirmaster, and several vocal and wind parts can be omitted, doubled by other players or even synthesized. Official Star Wars Concerts were held with as little as 60 - piece orchestras and 50 - piece mixed choral ensembles, which not all episodes feature when performed individually. However, to recreate the eight scores as they were originally recorded, the following instrumentation is required : Woodwinds : 3 flutes ( all doubling on piccolo, one on alto flute ), 3 oboes ( one doubling on cor anglais ), 4 clarinets ( one doubling on bass clarinet ), 3 bassoons ( one doubling on contrabassoon ). Brass : 6 - 8 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 tenor trombones and 1 bass trombone, 1 - 2 tubas. Percussion : 1 - 2 sets ( 4 - 6 ) of timpani at least three percussionists playing bass drums, tenor drums, snare drums ( including guillotine drums, side drums, military drums ), timbales, toms ( floor tom and hanging toms ), triangle, tambourine, cymbal s ( suspended, sizzle, crash and finger cymbals ), xylophone s, vibraphone, tubular bells, glockenspiel, and anvil on all episodes. Also required are temple blocks ( I ), claves ( II, V, VI ) marimba ( I, IV, VII - VIII ), bongos ( I, IV, VII - VIII ), congas ( I - III, VI - VII ), log drums ( I, IV, VII ), low wood block ( IV ), bell plates, clappers ( IV ), steel drum ( IV, VIII ), boobam s ( I, IV, VII ), medium gong ( VI - VII ), kendhang, rattle, sistrum, shekere, guiro, bamboo sticks, cowbells, hyoshigi ( VI ), bell tree ( III ), three medium chu - daiko drums ( II - III, one for VII - VIII ), washboard ( VIII ). Keyboard : piano, celesta, electric keyboard. Voices : 88 - piece SATB choir ( I - III, VIII ), 30 - piece boy choir, 1 Tibetan Throat Singer ( III ). Strings : 2 harps, 14 - 16 first violins, 12 second violins, 10 violas, 10 violoncellos, 6 - 8 double basses. Non-orchestral instruments : Cretan Lyra and cümbüş ( I ), electric guitar ( II ), toy piano ( VI ). Musical themes in the scores John Williams wrote a series of themes and motifs for certain characters and ideas in each of the Star Wars films. The multiple installments allowed Williams to compose some 52 themes ( and counting ) and reprise some of them extensively, continually developing them over a long period of screen time. Williams introduced a few themes in each episode ( eight or seven themes on average ) and focused on making each of his principal themes long - lined and melodically distinct from the others so as to increase their memorability. Williams occasionally forged small connections between some of these themes, sometimes for a narrative purpose and sometimes in the more general favor of cohesion. This technique allowed him ( especially in his scores to the first trilogy ) to have each theme play out for a large number of occasions ( the Force Theme plays over one hundred times in the series ) and over long periods of time. Each score can be said to have a `` main theme '', which is developed and repeated frequently throughout the film, often to unusual extents ( such as the frequency in which The Imperial March is revisited during Empire Strikes Back ). Besides the main theme and a handful of other principal themes, Williams forged several smaller motifs for each episode, which are generally not as memorable and at times interchangeable. A main theme for the franchise exists as well ( which is the music of the main titles ) but, interestingly, a main theme does not exist to represent a particular trilogy. Instead, each trilogy ( and to a lesser extent, each film ) has its own style or soundscape. Williams ' Star Wars catalog remains one of the largest collections of leitmotifs in the history of cinema, although his work still falls short of Wagner 's use of leitmotifs in the Ring cycle or Howard Shore 's work on the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films. Both works feature many more themes for a similar or shorter running time ; establish thematic identities more clearly ; apply them in a more cohesive structure ( where all themes and leitmotifs are harmonically and melodically related ) ; and, use them in a more nuanced manner. Williams, on the other hand, writes fewer themes and uses them in a more straightforward manner and, at times, strictly for their Romantic effect. Romantic application of leitmotifs in the score Williams ' use of his themes in Star Wars is at times Romantic rather than strictly thematic, the themes sometimes being used randomly because their mood fits a certain scene. For instance, the theme for Luke Skywalker is also used as the main theme for the entire franchise, as well as a generic `` heroic theme '' in conjunction with various characters without any connection to its namesake. Leia 's Theme ( also known as Princess Leia 's Theme ) is used for the death of Obi - Wan Kenobi in A New Hope, which has little to do with her character even though she is present in the scene. Yoda 's Theme appears several times during the Cloud City sequences in The Empire Strikes Back. The concert piece Duel of the Fates is used several times throughout the prequel trilogy, appearing over the entire final battle in The Phantom Menace ( as opposed to just the lightsaber duel ) ; Anakin Skywalker 's search for his mother in Attack of the Clones ; and, Yoda and Darth Sidious 's duel in Revenge of the Sith. Williams ' original composition for the Geonosis Battle Arena in Attack of the Clones was used for the Utapau assault in Revenge of the Sith. Multiple uses of the Force Theme are also non-thematic. The Rebel Fanfare is applied to the Millennium Falcon throughout the original Star Wars, The Force Awakens, and The Last Jedi. It is also used for R2 - D2 's heroics during the opening action scene in Revenge of the Sith. Both parts of Kylo Ren 's theme are at times used as menacing underscoring for a particular setting. The Emperor 's theme is used in The Last Jedi when Supreme Leader Snoke tortures Rey. Even the melodic connections between some of the themes sometimes do not represent a straightforward dramatic purpose, such as the connection of `` Across the Stars '' to Count Dooku 's motif and the Battle of Geonosis in Attack of the Clones. In fact, Some of Williams ' themes are written from the outset purely to convey a certain mood rather than evoke a character or setting, such as the Throne Room music of the original Star Wars or the Pursuit motif from The Force Awakens. Some of this music was re-tracked into other parts of the film, or even another film in the series, by the filmmakers. Attack of the Clones, the first film to be shot digitally, had major edits made after the scoring process, leading to the inclusion of tracked music over many of the digitally - created sequences such as the Droid Factory on Geonosis or the Clone Army 's arrival to the battle. These scenes used music such as Yoda 's theme or incidental music from The Phantom Menace with little dramatic connection to what is occurring on screen. In the original Star Wars, some of the music for the Death Star 's Trash Compactor scene was used over an extended shot of the arrival into Mos Eisley inserted in the film 's Special Edition. Musical similarities exist between the final scenes of The Phantom Menace with Finn 's confession to Rey in The Force Awakens. Some of this tracking in the series was planned from the outset. For example, when scoring The Last Jedi, Williams was provided a temp track of music from his previous film scoring work by director Rian Johnson as a reference. Thus, a number of themes and motifs in Star Wars are constantly repeated throughout the entire film ; musical similarities exist between this film, the first trilogy, and the prequel trilogy ; and, the soundtrack contains quotes from sources outside of the Star Wars franchise. Other composers for the franchise used Williams ' principal themes in their own compositions, whether it be for the trailers to the main films, spin - off films, television series, or video games. More often than not, these composers also use the principal themes more for their emotional effect for their respective projects. Michael Giacchino, for instance, uses the Force Theme in some of the scenes where Rogue One 's starship takes off. Thematic inconsistencies between installments Because Williams scores one episode at a time and attempts to base each score on new material as much as possible, the musical material does not have a particularly cohesive structure as a whole. Each trilogy and, to a certain degree, each individual score has its own set of leitmotifs, often in overlapping roles ( while all films beyond the original Star Wars also revisit some earlier themes ). Return of the Jedi has both the Main Title / Luke 's Theme and The Rebel Fanfare to essentially serve a similar function of triumph and heroism. Alternatively, some motifs appear in just one score with no intention of being perfectly applicable to others, such as the playful Droid motif of The Empire Strikes Back as well as the Death Star and Imperial motifs of Star Wars ( and Rogue One ). Other material is dropped at a certain point in the series, such as Anakin 's Theme of The Phantom Menace being all but abandoned in Revenge of the Sith. This problem of thematic inconsistencies is confounded by the order in which the episodes were produced. Because the prequel trilogy was created after the first trilogy, Williams ' introduction of new themes such as Duel of the Fates and Battle of the Heroes are unable to be carried over to the sequel trilogies ' scores. However, this gave Williams the advantage of revisiting several established themes like The Imperial March, only exacerbating its absence from the original Star Wars. Another issue arising from the production of this franchise is that Williams was unable to foreshadow motifs for later installments, even in embryonic form. For instance, `` Across the Stars '' ( the love theme for Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala ) naturally does not appear in the score for The Phantom Menace, as it was only conceived during the scoring process for its sequel Attack of the Clones. The same can be said for the absence of The Imperial March in the original Star Wars. Even when leitmotifs do carry over between the scores, it is very hard to chart a clear direction as to their development, since no such overarching direction was initially laid out from the outset. The Force Theme, for instance, completes its development in the original Star Wars, having turned from a reverent motif into a triumphant march ( `` The Throne Room '' ). It even makes grand appearances in the prequels ( particularly Revenge of the Sith ), only to appear later in a more subdued form even at the heroes ' most triumphant moments. In fact, some of the themes that cross over change their meaning between films. For instance, Ben Kenobi 's theme from the original Star Wars was repurposed throughout Empire Strikes Back as a theme for the Force and lost any specific connection to Kenobi by the time The Phantom Menace was scored. The opening crawl and closing credits music was originally designed as an `` overture '' for the main themes in the original Star Wars ( for Luke, the Rebels and Princess Leia ). However, this music became so iconic that was reused in all subsequent films, even if they have little to do with Luke and nothing to do with Leia and the Rebels, thereby eliminating their function as an overture and re-purposing that particular variant of Luke 's theme as the main theme for Star Wars as a whole. Since the prequels were composed later, they ironically feature greater ensemble forces ( and hence different orchestrations of thematic music ) with a more dense and nuanced thematic structure when compared to the first trilogy, if only by virtue of the fact that they both have their own stock of leitmotifs as well as those of the existing films to work with. On the other hand, many of the thematic ideas of the prequels ( especially Attack of the Clones ) are more rhythmic in nature due to Williams ' evolving musical style over the years. Many of the prequels ' themes and motifs are also applied to locations and situations in the narrative, whereas the scores for the original and sequel trilogies focus more on themes for characters. Listed below are 52 leitmotifs identified in Williams ' scores ( and one written by Williams for John Powell 's upcoming score to Solo ) thus far, although a few of them could be contested. Other pieces of music, described either erroneously or tenuously as leitmotifs, are labelled as `` unconfirmed leitmotifs '' below. Themes in the original trilogy Overture The main Star Wars theme, first `` ' hard ' '' theme Overture Second `` ' soft ' '' motive Problems listening to these files ? See media help. Star Wars ( a new Hope ) `` Luke 's Theme / Star Wars Main Title '' `` The Rebel Fanfare '' `` Ben Kenobi 's Theme / The Force Theme '' `` Princess Leia 's Theme '' `` Imperial Motif '' `` Death Star Motif '' `` Jawa Theme '' Rebel Fanfare originally heard in `` Star Wars '' ( ' A New Hope ' ) The Obi - Wan Kenobi & Force motif Princess Leia 's Theme originally heard in `` Star Wars '' ( A New Hope ) Problems listening to these files ? See media help. The Empire Strikes Back Returning : Throne Room Victory March ; Luke 's Theme ; The Rebel Fanfare ; The Force Theme ; Princess Leia 's Theme `` The Imperial March '' / Darth Vader 's Theme `` Han Solo and the Princess / Love Theme '' ( help info ) `` Yoda 's Theme '' ( help info ) : `` Droids Motif '' `` Cloud City / Lando 's Palace '' `` Boba Fett Motif '' `` Throne Room Victory March '' Return of the Jedi Returning : Spaceship Battle Motif ; Luke 's Theme ; The Rebel Fanfare ; The Force Theme ; Princess Leia 's Theme ; The Imperial March ; Han Solo and the Princess ; Yoda 's Theme `` Parade of the Ewoks '' ( help info ) Secondary / Primitive Ewok theme `` Jabba The Hutt '' `` The Emperor 's Theme / The Dark Side '' `` Yoda 's Revelations / Brother and Sister '' `` Luke and Leia '' `` Spaceship Battle Motif '' Themes in the prequel trilogy The Phantom Menace Returning : Luke 's Theme, The Rebel Fanfare, The Force Theme, The Imperial March, Yoda 's Theme, Jabba 's Theme, The Emperor 's Theme `` Duel of the Fates '' `` Anakin 's Theme '' `` Trade Federation / Droid Invasion Theme '' `` Qui - Gon 's Motif '' `` Darth Maul 's Motif / The Sith '' `` Jar Jar 's Theme '' Attack of the Clones Returning : Shmi 's Theme ; Luke 's Theme, The Rebel Fanfare, The Force Theme, The Imperial March, The Emperor 's Theme, Anakin 's Theme, Trade Federation March, Duel of the Fates `` Across the Stars '' `` Dooku / Separatists Motif '' `` Conspiracy / Mystery Motif '' `` Kamino Motif '' `` Pastoral Love / Courtship Motif '' Shmi 's Theme First appearance in Revenge of the Sith Returning : Jedi Funeral Theme, Coruscant Fanfare ; Luke 's Theme, The Rebel Fanfare, The Force Theme, The Imperial March, The Emperor 's Theme, Anakin 's Theme, Trade Federation March, Duel of the Fates `` Battle of the Heroes '' `` General Grievous ' Theme '' `` Lament / Anakin 's Betrayal '' `` Mustafar Motif '' `` Escape Motif '' `` Funeral theme '' `` Coruscant Fanfare '' Themes in the sequel trilogy The Force Awakens Returning : Luke 's Theme, The Rebel Fanfare, The Force theme, Leia 's Theme, The Imperial March, Han Solo and the Princess `` Rey 's Theme '' `` Kylo Ren 's Theme '' `` Kylo Ren Secondary Theme '' `` March of the Resistance '' `` Pursuit motif '' `` Poe Dameron 's Theme '' `` Supreme Leader Snoke 's Theme '' The Last Jedi Returning : Luke 's Theme, The Rebel Fanfare, The Force Theme, Leia 's Theme, Yoda 's Theme, Luke and Leia, Han Solo and the Princess, The Imperial March, TIE Fighter Attack, The Emperor 's Theme, Poe 's Theme, Rey 's Theme, Kylo Ren 's themes, Snoke 's Theme `` Luke 's Exile '' `` Rose Tico 's Theme '' `` Desperation / Admiral Holdo 's Motif '' Unconfirmed themes Since neither Williams nor his office ever provided a full list of the leitmotifs used in every Star Wars film, there is some controversy around the exact number of themes, with some taking an inclusive approach that identifies various leitmotifs which the composer probably never intended for. However, Williams did provide some information through the original LP liner notes and various interviews, which allowed for those such as Mike Matessino, Doug Adams, John Takis, Frank Lehman et al. to compose lists of his themes from the series on good authority. This basis is what comprises the list of themes and motifs that appear above in context. One cause for confusion is Williams ' propensity ( in these scores and otherwise ) to write material that is either melodic, rhythmic or harmonic specifically to an individual setpiece in the film, such as The Battle of Hoth, the Chase through Coruscant, or The Battle of Crait. These individual pieces of music have sometimes been described as having thematic significance, occasionally even by Williams himself, but since they do not recur in a different part of the narrative, they are not themes in the leitmotivic sense. Even when some of these figures do recur, it is often unclear whether they are substantial enough to be assigned with thematic significance, as these instances include material that is generic or incidental ( such as several figures used in the finale of The Empire Strikes Back ) ; material that is purely rhythmic or based on a certain orchestral color like various `` bouncing '' horn figures for Luke 's landspeeder search in the original Star Wars. the use of the synthesizer to represent Vader 's menace in The Empire Strikes Back, and a women 's chorus for the underwater scenes of The Phantom Menace. Sometimes, the recurring material is more a part of Williams ' stylistic choices as a composer than a thematic statement unique to the series. For instance, his use of tritones often denotes mystery, a device derived from Stravinsky 's The Rite of Spring and typical of many of Williams ' scores ( including Raiders of the Lost Ark where it represents the mystery of the Ark and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull where it represents the crystal skull ). The same intervallic relationships would go on to be used by Williams to denote the mystery of Luke 's whereabouts in The Force Awakens, usually in association with the map carried by the droid BB - 8, leading to the gesture becoming falsely associated with the droid or the map itself. Similarly, other gestures taken from pre-existing music ( such as Williams ' use of the Dies Irae melody to denote impending doom ) have been falsely identified as leitmotifs, even though Williams clearly described sections of music that use this motif as non-thematic. Furthermore, some of the recurring material is in fact tracked from pre-existing music, such as the Podracing fanfare and `` action ostinato '' identified by Adams and Leman, the mournful writing for French horn at Shmi 's funeral, and a multitude of material identified by Frank Lehman, who concedes to having identified `` retroactively inserted or tracked themes '' as `` incidental motifs. '' In times, observers are beset by similar ( but not identical ) gestures, such as the variety of gestures that signal the dark side of the Force in Revenge of the Sith. Another cause for controversy involves Williams ' principal themes. These are often long - lined and complex, therefore giving impressionistic views that observe their individual sections ( as well as introduction figures, ostinato accompaniments, and end - cap figures ) as separate motivic ideas. Even within the analyses above, some of the motifs are not entirely beyond questioning. Adams himself referred to the `` Throne Room '' by stating it is `` certainly not a theme in the leitmotivic sense '', and similar doubts can be cast at some of the infrequent motives such as the quote of the `` Coruscant '' fanfare during Revenge of the Sith, Shmi 's music, or other instances. Themes in the Anthology films Michael Giacchino, the composer of Rogue One The first Star Wars Anthology score for Rogue One, written by Michael Giacchino, utilizes several themes from John Williams, mostly for their Romantic sweep ( such as The Force Theme and hints of the Main Theme ). It has its own catalog of themes, independent from Williams ' material, including a new, third theme for the Empire, although Giacchino also quotes both the original Imperial Stormtrooper Motif and The Imperial March. First appearance in Rogue One Jyn 's Theme Hope Theme Guardians of the Whills Theme Imperial Theme Krennic 's Theme First appearance in solo For Solo, John Williams will contribute a theme for the character Han Solo ; all other leitmotifs and other material will be written and adapted by John Powell, the main composer for the film. Han Solo 's Theme Concert suites Instead of offering a full recording release of a particular film, Williams typically releases a condensed score on album, in which the music is arranged out of the film order and more within the veins of a concert program. This involves several concert suites, written purely for the end credits or the album itself, where a specific theme is developed continuously throughout the piece. Williams also re-edited some of his existing cues after the fact in order to `` concertize '' theme on the behest of conductors such as Charles Gerhardt. Several of the films also have unique credit suites that features alternate concert arrangements of themes ( `` Across the Stars '' ) or a medley of the main themes of a particular film. From the main episodes From Star Wars ( A New Hope ) `` Princess Leia 's Theme '' From The Empire Strikes Back `` The Imperial March '' `` Yoda 's Theme '' From Return of the Jedi `` Parade of the Ewoks '' `` Luke and Leia '' From The Phantom Menace `` Duel of the Fates '' `` Anakin 's Theme '' `` The Flag Parade '' From Attack of the Clones `` Across the Stars '' From Revenge of the Sith The album does not feature a dedicated suite, but rather an edited - down form of the film cues featuring `` Battle of the Heroes. '' From The Force Awakens `` Rey 's Theme '' `` March of the Resistance '' `` Scherzo for X-Wings '' From The Last Jedi `` The Rebellion is Reborn '' From the spin - offs From Rogue One `` Jyn Erso and Hope Suite '' `` The Imperial Suite '' `` The Guardians of the Whills Suite '' Diegetic music Diegetic music is music `` that occurs as part of the action ( rather than as background ), and can be heard by the film 's characters ''. In addition to the orchestral scope that was brought on by John Williams ' musical score, the Star Wars franchise also features many distinguishing diegetic songs that enrich the detail of the audio mise - en - scène. Some of this diegetic music was written by John Williams ; some by his son, Joseph ; and some by various other people. From A New Hope `` Cantina Band '' and `` Cantina Band # 2 ''. Written by John Williams, it is played in the Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooine. It is written for solo trumpet, three saxophones, clarinet, Fender Rhodes piano, steel drum, synthesizer and various percussion, including boobams and toms. According to the Star Wars Customizable Card Game, the diegetic title for the first Cantina band piece is `` Mad About Me ''. The liner notes for the 1997 Special Edition release of the Star Wars soundtrack describe the concept behind these works as `` several creatures in a future century finding some 1930 's Benny Goodman swing band music... and how they might attempt to interpret it ''. This piece also appears on an all the outtakes easter eggs on the DVDs from episode I and II and on the bonus disc of the 2004 original trilogy DVD set. From Return of the Jedi `` Jabba 's Baroque Recital ''. Mozart-esque John Williams composition ( featuring a synthesized harpsichord ) played while 3PO and R2 first arrive and play Jabba the message from Luke Skywalker. `` Lapti Nek ''. Written by Joseph Williams and translated into Huttese, this is played by the Max Rebo Band in Jabba the Hutt 's palace ( in the original cut of the movie ). `` Jedi Rocks '' ( composed by Jerry Hey ). This was composed to replace Lapti Nek for the 1997 Special Edition of the film. `` Max Rebo Band Jams ''. Heard twice in the film, once after Jabba sends the Wookiee Chewbacca to jail, and again on Jabba 's Sail Barge ( hence its title ). A recording of the first can be found on the official Star Wars Soundboards. `` Ewok Feast '' and `` Part of the Tribe ''. By John Williams. Heard when Luke and company were captured by the Ewoks and brought to their treehouses. `` Ewok Celebration ''. The Victory Song, whose lyrics were written by Joseph Williams, can be heard at the end of the original release of Return of the Jedi. `` Victory Celebration ''. By John Williams. The Victory Song at the end of the Return of the Jedi 1997 re-edition. From The Phantom Menace `` Tatooine Street Music ''. Joseph Williams wrote four separate pieces of unusual, vaguely Eastern sounding source music for the streets of Mos Espa. `` Augie 's Municipal Band ''. By John Williams. Music played during the peace parade at the end of the film. It is closely related to the emperor 's theme, but is n't an outright quote of it. From Attack of the Clones `` Dex 's Diner '' `` Unknown Episode II Source Cue ''. A second source cue is credited to Joseph Williams ' name for Episode II, but is not heard in the film. `` Arena Percussion ''. Originally meant to accompany the Droid Factory sequence, Ben Burtt 's attempt at composition is instead shifted to the arena, replacing the predominantly unused John Williams cue `` Entrance of the Monsters. '' From The Force Awakens `` Jabba Flow '' and `` Dobra Doompa ''. Written by Lin - Manuel Miranda and J.J. Abrams, these songs were played at Maz Kanata 's castle. From The Last Jedi `` Canto Bight ''. Written by John Williams, it appears when Finn and Rose first arrive to the casino planet of Canto Bight. It is written in the style of big - band jazz and is stylistically akin to the `` Cantina Band '' music from A New Hope. The track features solo alto saxophone, two bass saxophones, solo clarinet, trombones, kazoo, Fender Rhodes piano, bass, synthesizers, steel drums, and various percussion. The track briefly quotes `` Aquarela do Brasil '' by Ary Barroso as a reference to the 1985 Terry Gilliam film Brazil. Reception Awards The score for the original Star Wars film of 1977 ( A New Hope ) won John Williams the most awards of his career : an Oscar at the 50th Academy Awards for Original Score a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score at the 35th Golden Globe Awards a BAFTA Award for Best Film Music at the 32nd British Academy Film Awards in 1978 Three awards at the 1978 Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Composition, Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special and Best Pop Instrumental Performance He also received the 1977 Saturn Award for Best Music for both the Star Wars score and his score for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Williams 's score for the 1980 sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, also earned him a number of awards : BAFTA Award for Best Film Music at the 34th British Academy Film Awards in 1980 two awards at the 1981 Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Album Of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special The Empire Strikes Back was also nominated in 1981 for Best Original Score the 53rd Academy Awards ( the award was won by Michael Gore for Fame ). Williams 's subsequent Star Wars film music was nominated for a number of awards ; in 1984 his score for Return of the Jedi was nominated for Best Original Score at the 56th Academy Awards. His compositions for the prequel trilogy also received nominations : the score for The Phantom Menace was nominated for Best Instrumental Composition at the 2000 Grammy Awards and Revenge of the Sith was nominated at the 2006 Grammy Awards for Best Soundtrack Album. In 2005 the 1977 soundtrack for Star Wars was voted as the `` most memorable film score of all time '' by the American Film Institute in the list AFI 's 100 Years of Film Scores, based on the assessment of a jury of over 500 artists, composers, musicians, critics and historians from the film industry. In 2016, John Williams was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Score, his 50th overall nomination, for his score to Star Wars : The Force Awakens. He would later go on to win the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for the film, his 23rd Grammy win overall. Certifications The soundtracks to both Star Wars and Star Wars Episode I : The Phantom Menace have been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, for shipments of at least 1 million units, with the albums for The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode II : Attack of the Clones being certified Gold ( 500,000 units ). The British Phonographic Industry certified Star Wars and Episode I as Gold for shipments of over 100,000 units in the UK. References Jump up ^ For this later trilogy, Williams ' schedule was spread over a longer period of time, which required him to start composing and producing some of the music during the film 's editing, which is unusual for Williams who usually only composes once he sees the finished film. Nevertheless, director Rian Johnson has settled dubious rumors about the film being edited to the music. Jump up ^ `` 5 Highlights from Star Wars Forces of Destiny : `` The Padawan Path '' StarWars.com ``. StarWars.com. 2017 - 07 - 06. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 23. Jump up ^ Williams generally uses the choir for texture, as humming or wordless voices. Several sections rely on repeated syllables in Sanskrit, as is the case of Duel of the Fates or Snoke 's theme. While the syllables are drawn from ( loosely ) translated texts such as Cad Goddeu or the writing of Kipling, Williams typically arranges them by ear and without heed to their meaning, so the choral text remains repetitive and meaningless. In other instances, the choir repeats a short albeit coherent sentence, such as with the Funeral theme or Anakin 's Dark Deeds. Jump up ^ Women were used for the special edition rescoring. Jump up ^ `` Dudamel Conducts Some Music for New ' Star Wars ' Film ''. The New York Times. December 15, 2015. Jump up ^ This orchestra consists of a group of individually contracted freelanced musicians, rather than being an organised orchestra that plays regularly as a group. Jump up ^ according to the closing credit roll Jump up ^ `` ' Star Wars : The Clone Wars ' TV Series Soundtrack Announced ''. Film Music Reporter. November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Kevin Kiner to Score ' Star Wars Rebels ' ''. Film Music Reporter. April 21, 2014. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015. Jump up ^ Burlingame, Jon ( February 8, 2012 ). `` Spielberg and Lucas on Williams : Directors reminisce about collaborating with Hollywood 's greatest composer ''. The Film Music Society. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015. Jump up ^ That particular score was first intended to be tracked with existing music from the classical repertoire or from older film scores, as was the case of 2001 : A Space Odyssey, which inspired George Lucas to write the film. After Williams convinced Lucas to have an original score ( which would excel a tracked score in that it will have set themes for characters, Williams argued ), those musical pieces were used as a temp track and Williams followed them closely, turning portions of the score into an homage to earlier film score and to romantic music in general. ^ Jump up to : Doug Adams, Sounds of the Empire : Analysing the themes of the Star Wars Trilogy, in : Film Score Monthly ( Volume 4, number 5 ), pp. 22 - 47. Jump up ^ These inspirations are evident in some of the orchestration choices, including the wide use of a SATB choir and boy choir and even a soloist ( including a moaning woman in `` Padme 's Ruminations '', similar to Lisa Gerard 's vocal work in Gladiator ). The orchestra was augmented with a second set of timpani as was the case with Shore 's Lord of the Rings scores, and with taiko drums, which have been used extensively by Shore and Zimmer. In particular, Anakin 's Dark Deeds with the humming boy choir opening leading into a Gothic piece for an adult choir, is evocative of `` The Treason of Isengard ''. Several tracks, including the music to the opening of the film, evoke the rhythmic music of the Orcs. http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/articles/2005/11_Apr---FSM_Forum_Star_Wars_Episode_III.asp http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/11905-where-did-jw-get-his-idea-for-anakins-dark-deed/ Jump up ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2527336/soundtrack?ref_=tt_trv_snd Jump up ^ Star Wars, liner notes. Jump up ^ It should be noted that using a leitmotifs merely as a `` stand - in '' for a character would be a devolved form of using leitmotifs, compared to the operatic practice. A theme can be used symbolically, such as hinting at Darth Vader 's theme when the decision to train Anakin is made in Episode I. Jump up ^ Williams full score often slightly overtakes the length of the film due to the recording of concert suites and several alternate takes. However, the amount of music written for the film proper varies from 80 percent, to scoring effectively the entire film. The finished film is always subjected to tracking, looping and muting ( especially Attack of the Clones ), so about 85 % of each finished film is scored. Jump up ^ This DVD, released with the Revenge of the Sith soundtrack, was based on Williams ' practice of releasing a suite of an Episode 's main theme as a single - CD release ahead of the film 's release, and having it be played live or played along to a music video for the film at hand. Jump up ^ http://www.playbill.com/article/five-time-oscar-winner-john-williams-talks-bringing-star-wars-scores-to-the-new-york-philharmonic Jump up ^ http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/27124-star-wars-live-to-projection-concerts-begins-september-2017-david-newman-conducting-new-york-philharmonic/&page=4 Jump up ^ Episode III required 109 players ( not including the conductor ) due to expanded string and percussion sections. http://www.jw-collection.de/scores/epi3_stuff.htm http://soundtrackfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/John-Williams-London-Symphony-Orchestra-Star-Wars.jpg The Empire Strikes Back required 104 players, not including the conductor or synthesizer ( rhttp://www.jw-collection.de/scores/tesblp.htmecalls ) due to the inclusion of a fourth flute, and sections that required a third harp, five oboes overall, an added piccolo and eight percussionists overall. If the Empire Strikes Back is to augmented with the string section size of Revenge of the Sith or the Skwalker Symphony Recording, it would require about 112 players and a small women choir. A Star Wars in Concert production that would follow the orchestration of the recording, would have to feature some of the expansions of the various episodes, requiring about 110 players, as well as the mixed choir and possibly the bass choir. Jump up ^ Star Wars and the sequel trilogy film use an 84 - piece arrangement, with the latter also incorporating a 24 - piece men choir. Empire Strikes Back uses 106 pieces and about ten women vocalists, Return of the Jedi uses a 100 - piece orchestra, about ten men, and a few women for the Special Edition ; The Phantom Menace uses a 100 - piece orchestra, 88 - piece SATB choir and 30 boys ; Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith use a 112 - piece orchestra, 89 - piece SATB choir and a synthesized boy choir. Jump up ^ Star Wars Concerts were held with as few as 130 performers, and some Live to Projection Concerts can therefore by played by as few as sixty players. By comparison, each of Howard Shore 's Middle Earth scores require a minimum of 230 musicians to stage ( ranging to as many as 500 ), and several stage works such as Gurre Lieder or Mahler 's Eighth Symphony can range from 300 to over a thousand musicians. Neverthless, amateur performances ( like the NJYS Playathon ) of Williams score, among other film scores ( including the aforementioned Howard Shore ones ) have utilized orchestral forces of 450 - piece or more. Jump up ^ Keyes, Allison ( July 24, 2010 ). `` ' Star Wars In Concert ' Puts The Force In The Music ''. NPR. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015. The upcoming Live to Projection presentations will feature various reductions, namely in the brass section, in line with Williams ' reduced orchestration for his `` Star Wars Suite '', and will probably omit the unusual orchestrations of Empire Strikes Back and even synthsize some choral sections. The roster for the premiere is between 82 and 93 pieces. http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/27124-star-wars-live-to-projection-concerts-begins-september-2017-david-newman-conducting-new-york-philharmonic/&page=4 https://nyphil.org/~/media/pdfs/program-notes/1718/WilliamsStarWarsANewHope.pdf Jump up ^ Star Wars used a 3.2. 3.2 arrangement and 3 saxophones, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi used a 4.3. 4.3 arrangement. The prequels use a 3.3. 4.3 arrangements, and the sequel trilogy uses 3.3. 3.3. Sections of Empire Strikes Back, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith which have to do with depictions of machines such as Imperial Walkers or Droids feature an added piccolo and two oboes. Empire Strikes Back also features a fourth bassoon for Boba Fett, and Return of the Jedi features two recorders for the Ewoks. The Phantom Menace features one. Jump up ^ Star Wars used an 8.4. 3.2 arrangement ; Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi added a bass trombone and the former had horns 1 - 6 doubling on Wagner Tubas. The Skywalker Symphony recording added a fifth trumpet. Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones removed the second Tuba. The Sequel scores are recorded in a 6.4. 4.1 arrangement. Jump up ^ two sets for Revenge of the Sith only. Jump up ^ Most of the episodes feature six percussionists, although sections of the prequels and Empire Strikes Back require as many as eight, including two Xylophone parts, etc. Star Wars, however, only requires only three and the sequel trilogy requires four. Jump up ^ Star Wars featured one player on a piano and a second player on celesta. The second player also doubles on Electric Piano. For select sections of Empire Strikes Back, both played on pianos. The scores also used synthesizers for electronic sounds and to mimic the Celesta ( a real Celesta was not used since Return of the Jedi ) and the Harpsichord ( for Return of the Jedi and Attack of the Clones ). In the Skywalker Symphony recording, one player doubles on all keyboards. From Attack of the Clones going forward, the synth is performed by the electric keyboard player. Jump up ^ Malone, p. 34. Williams uses the choir infrequently. Empire Strikes Back used a choir of ten women for a brief passage, and Return of the Jedi featured about ten men for a small selection of cues. The sequel trilogy uses 24 men only for Snoke 's theme, which is slightly more than the number of bass singers present in a typical 80 - piece choir. The Last Jedi features a 60 - piece SATB choir and Snoke 's Bass chorus. Only the prequel trilogy uses a mixed choir and, for brief cues, a boy choir ( often synthesized ) and even short solo roles for a soprano and a male overtone singer, which was probably synthesized. Jump up ^ Star Wars used a string roster of 14.12. 10.10. 6, and the two sequels feature two added contrabass parts. The prequels featured a fuller section of 16.14. 12.10. 8, as does the Skywalker Symphony recording. The sequel films, however, return to the roster of the original Star Wars. Most of the installments use two harps, although sections of Empire Strikes Back featured a third harp, while the Skwalker Symphony recording only used one. Jump up ^ Williams is not usually keen to stray far from the orchestral instrumentation. The Cretan Lyra and Cumbus are used briefly for diegetic Tatooine music for Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, composed by his son, Joseph, and were originally played by one instrumentalist. They may be omitted entirely in a live performance. The Electric Guitar is used in small inserts during the chase through Curoscant in Attack of the Clones ( albeit muted in the film on the request of George Lucas ). Williams also used three saxophones for the Cantina Band, although those could be doubled by the clarinet players. He also once claimed to have used Kazoos in that sequence, although the liner notes make no mention of it. Jump up ^ the theme recurs thirty times or more in a two - hour film. Jump up ^ The scores to the original three films are melodic and romantic, as is - largely - the score to The Phantom Menace. However, Episodes II and even III feature much more rhythmic music, and Revenge of the Sith in particular is more operatic in its use of choir and even solo vocals. The sequel scores feature another evolution of Williams ' musical style, which is less obtrusive, with more lilting musical themes like Rey 's theme, reminiscent of some of Williams ' work on Harry Potter. Jump up ^ Williams themes for Star Wars have been classified based on Williams own comments on the LP release, Mike Matessino 's Special Edition Liner notes, and further analyses provided by Doug Adams, John Takis et al. On FilmScoreMonthly. Anchiliary sources include Frank Lehman 's `` Complete Catalogue of the Motivic Material in Star Wars '', which includes a lot of `` incidental motifs '' including stylistic gestures and tracked material ; Karol Krok 's FilmsonWax thematic catalogue, and an overly - inclusive timpestamp list by Faleel from the John Williams Fans board. Jump up ^ Williams wrote some 51 themes for over 16 hours of cinema, with an average of six new themes per film and an 12 themes used in each film overall. By comparison, Howard Shore wrote over 160 leitmotifs for 21 hours of cinema in the Middle Earth films, of which he uses 40 or more in each film. Richard Wagner wrote 176 leitmotifs for the 15 - hour Ring cycle. Jump up ^ In thematic works such as those of Wagner or Shore, all the leitmotifs which are thematically connected ( e.g. all of Alberich 's themes or all of the Hobbits ' themes ) are connected in melody, harmony, key and orchestration, so as to create a sets and subsets of inter-connected thematic `` families. '' This allows the composer to introduce new themes later in the work while having the new theme evoke associations which the audience already felt towards existing related themes. Williams ' various themes do share certain connections, but they are basic enough as to nullify any attempts to categorize them except in the broadest of strokes, such as themes for the protagonists and themes for the antagonists. Jump up ^ Using leitmotifs as a suggestion of mood or emotion rather than as themes, is a common practice for all composers in symphonies, operas and especially in film. Nevertheless, classical and romantic composers ( and even some film composers like Howard Shore in his Lord of the Rings and Hobbit cycle ) are generally much more strict with the application of leitmotif than Williams. Jump up ^ Since the princess is present at Ben 's death, her theme is said to `` represents Luke 's and the Princess ' reaction to leaving Ben behind '' ( Star Wars, Liner Notes ) although the romantic explanation has been favored by Adams and Michael Matessimo, the author of the special edition liner notes. Jump up ^ Yoda 's theme in Cloud City is said to denote Luke gaining courage as he `` remembers Yoda 's teachings and tries to apply them in this '', but the theme is later used in relation to Leia 's attempt at retrieving Han and even Lando 's order to evacuate Cloud City, giving more weight to the outright dramatic explanation. Jump up ^ Duel of the Fates as used in Tatooine, was often interpreted as signifying the internal struggle of Anakin, although no other occurrence of the theme is consistent with that line of thought. In fact, the internal struggle only presents itself in the next scene, where the theme is not used. Jump up ^ In Star Wars, the theme was conceived and used more as a theme for the character of Ben Kenobi rather than as a theme for The Force itself. Therefore, Williams originally did not have it play during the Binary Sunset sequence ( which has nothing to do with Ben ), and only did so on the request of George Lucas. He did use it, however, for the Throne Room sequence, although it has little to do with Ben. Since the theme became more associated with The Force in following installments, it was used more often, but sometimes against images that do not evoke the idea of The Force such as numerous wide shots in Attack of the Clones, e.g. Anakin and Padme departing for Naboo, Dooku arriving at Curoscant. Its also used during wide shots of the Battle of Hoth for no discernable reason. Jump up ^ `` Episode 69 : Rian Johnson On The Music Of Star Wars & Other Movies ''. audioBoom. Retrieved 2018 - 01 - 01. Jump up ^ Hence, claims that Williams conceives his themes with foresight and subsequent attempts to draw tenuous connections between such pieces of music as Snoke 's theme and the drone in Palpatine 's Teachings, are dubious. In fact, Williams himself always notes that he only scores the film by watching the finished film, rather than reading a story outline or script. He, for instance, claimed to have had no idea that his score to the original Star Wars would result in sequels and further scores, and even shared the fact that he had, at the time, written a love theme for Luke and Leia, only to discover by Return of the Jedi that the two have been now written to be Brother and Sister. Jump up ^ Although the tune seems to be briefly suggested once in Return of the Jedi. ^ Jump up to : http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/phantom_menace.html Jump up ^ A lot of the themes in the originals were played by solo instruments or sections and passed over to other instruments as the statement continued to unfold. In the prequels, they are often players by various sections and layers of the orchestra simultaneously. ^ Jump up to : Larsen, Peter, and Irons, John ( 2007 ). Film Music, p. 168. ISBN 9781861893413. ^ Jump up to : Star Wars LP liner notes ^ Jump up to : Michael Matessino, Star Wars : A New Hope Special Edition Liner notes. ^ Jump up to : http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/star_wars.html ^ Jump up to : http://www.movie-wave.net/titles/star_wars.html Jump up ^ Adams unusually identifies the B - phrase of the theme as a separate leitmotif, but admits that it `` serves little leitmotivic purpose '' and that its application in the score proper is similar to that of the A-phrase, ranging between `` reflection and brash heroism - again, usually associated with Luke, but not always. '' While Williams ' original liner notes and the majority of his interviews do not share this distinction, one interview prior to the release of Doug 's analysis ( about 15 years removed from Return of the Jedi ) had Williams briefly mention a `` second theme '' which he describes as `` romantic '' and `` several themes within '' Luke 's music ( although in the latter case, Williams may be referencing the Force theme and the Rebel Fanfare which become closely associated with Luke over the trilogy ). Its also possible Williams misspoke, seeing as how is quoted as saying `` it 's one thing really in my mind, a lot of it (... ) You 'd be testing my memory to ask me how I used them all and where ( laughs ). '' Jump up ^ In The Force Awakens, Williams would use this theme in two variations, which are sometimes mistaken for separate leitmotives : a playful, fast variation for the concert piece `` Schrezo for X-Wings '' and an inverted variation for `` Jedi Steps. '' ^ Jump up to : Frank Lehman, Thematic Material of Star Wars : Catalog and Commentary. Jump up ^ This theme was composed for the character of Ben Kenobi but also used in a broader association with the concept of `` The Force. '' With subsequent installments, the character connection was reduced and the theme became more of a theme for `` The Force. '' ^ Jump up to : https://web.archive.org/web/20081020230931/http://www.moviemusicuk.us/starwacd.htm ^ Jump up to : Larsen & Irons ( 2007 ), p. 170. Jump up ^ This gesture appeared only once in the original Star Wars. It was reprised for the first time ( and therefore generally considered thematic, even though its narrative function remains unclear ) in the credits to Empire Strikes Back. ^ Jump up to : Michael Matessino, Empire Strikes Back : Special Edition liner notes. ^ Jump up to : Empire Strikes Back LP liner notes ^ Jump up to : http://www.movie-wave.net/titles/empire_strikes_back.html Jump up ^ This theme is also sometimes called `` Han Solo 's theme '' although musically it belongs more to the princess. Jump up ^ This theme was also used briefly in Williams ' score of E.T. when the figure of Yoda ( here a boy in a costume ) appeared on screen. Jump up ^ Williams also composed what he described as a `` playful version of Yoda 's theme ''. Matessino refers to it as a `` playful wind rendition of Yoda 's theme '' which Adams further describes as a `` simpler spry tune in the second half of the unabridged theme. '' Jump up ^ http://starwarsmusic.pashamusic.com/leitmotif.html ^ Jump up to : https://web.archive.org/web/20090929014718/http://www.moviemusicuk.us/empirecd.htm Jump up ^ Definite statements of the motif appear only in this film, but a `` playful wind motif '' that appears in Return of the Jedi `` suggest the tune '' of the theme, and has been erroneously described as a new motif for the Droids. ^ Jump up to : http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/empire.html Jump up ^ According to Adams this is `` certainly not a theme in the leitmotivic sense '', hence its classification remains in doubt. Jump up ^ This composition is part of a set - specific piece of music written for `` TIE - Fighter Attack ''. The material was tracked twice in Return of the Jedi ( in Sail - Barge Assault and the attack on the Death Star ), and once in The Last Jedi ( Battle of Crait ), where it was also recapitualted in the credits. On account of being tracked, there is an argument to be had as to whether or not this recurrence reflects the intentions of the composers and therefore whether it is leitmotivic. H ^ Jump up to : https://web.archive.org/web/20080307054714/http://www.moviemusicuk.us/jedicd.htm ^ Jump up to : Michael Matessino, Return of the Jedi : Special Edition liner notes ^ Jump up to : Doug Adams, A Return or a New Hope ? In : Film Score Monthly, Volume 4, number 7, p. 32 - 34. Jump up ^ http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/jedi.html Jump up ^ This motif was also re-tracked into the A New Hope from Return of the Jedi. ^ Jump up to : http://starwarsmusic.pashamusic.com/classification-of-leitmotifs.html Jump up ^ `` Star Wars - LP ''. www.jw-collection.de. Retrieved 2018 - 01 - 01. ^ Jump up to : Karol Krok, The themes of the Prequel Trilogy, Films - on - wax. Jump up ^ Adams mentions that the theme 's ostinato accompaniment is used `` thematically '' in the score, although he does n't list it as a separate leitmotif, per se, seeing as how it always appears as part of the unabridged theme, except for one instance. Jump up ^ http://www.movie-wave.net/star-wars-the-phantom-menace/ Jump up ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20080307054734/http://www.moviemusicuk.us/phantmcd.htm Jump up ^ This theme is the first `` none - pitched theme '', based on whispering voices and percussion figures. The latter have been confused for a separate, secondary motif specifically for Darth Maul or even for his probe droids, but Adams refers to them as mere `` drum patterns '' that are simply part of the theme. ^ Jump up to : This gesture appeared only once in The Phantom Menace, and became a leitmotif after - the - fact when Williams revisited it here. Nevertheless, John Takis called it `` tender music '' which is `` recalling Shmi. '' ^ Jump up to : http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/attack_clones.html Jump up ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20090929014510/http://www.moviemusicuk.us/aotccd.htm Jump up ^ http://www.movie-wave.net/titles/attack_clones.html ^ Jump up to : John Takis, Star Wars Episode Tunes : Attack on the Score, Film Score Monthly, pp. 18 - 23. Jump up ^ The endcap of the theme 's B - phrase has been described as a separate motif for Anakin 's torments and his subseqent descent into darkness. While it does n't appear as frequently as the main phrase and is often used in isolation, this seems to be more a result of the long - winded nature of the full theme, which renders the B - phrase ( in its entirety or just as the endcap ) very infrequent. Both Takis, Jeff Bonds and Jon and Al Kaplan refer to it as an integral part of Across the Stars rather than a separate motif. In a podcast discussion, Adams ' refers to it as a single theme, albeit one comprised of a verse, chorus and bridge. Jump up ^ This motif, otherwise known as the `` conflict motif '', is also applied to Jango Fett in the score and is probably the motif that Williams reportedly was intending to write for Jango when he was composing the piece. When Jango fights Obi Wan, Williams ' derives an ostinato from it which underscores the fight scene. This motif, like the ostinato for `` Chase through Curoscant '' has been described as a leitmotif, but Takis describes those figures just as ostinati and `` rhythmic patterns '' and not as outright themes. Doug Adams later commented that the various action ostinati of the scores are `` shorter, clunkier motives seldom longer than a measure or two, and often more rhythmic than melodic '' and calls those passages `` episodic. '' Jeff Bonds adds that this writing is `` ultimately fleeting. '' Jump up ^ http://www.jwfan.com/?p=3417 ^ Jump up to : This is a piece of music written originaly for Qui - Gon 's funeral in The Phantom Menace. It was reprised and repurposed here as a general `` funeral '' theme, being used for Padme 's death and her later funeral. ^ Jump up to : This fanfare from `` He is the Chosen One '', recurrs ( possibly via a tracked cue ) in `` Palpatine 's Teachings '' for a transition to the view of Curoscant from Padme 's abode. It was used in the finished film rather for a shot of Obi Wan entering Bail Organa 's ship. Whether its of any leitmotivic significance is therefore up to debate. ^ Jump up to : http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/revenge_sith.html ^ Jump up to : https://web.archive.org/web/20081022015000/http://www.moviemusicuk.us/revengesithcd.htm Jump up ^ http://www.movie-wave.net/titles/revenge_sith.html Jump up ^ the themes and motifs of Episode III, JohnWilliamsFans. ^ Jump up to : Faleel, The Thematic Material of the Star Wars films. Jump up ^ http://cuebycue.blogspot.co.il/2016/05/star-wars-ep-iii-revenge-of-sith.html ^ Jump up to : Whether or not this constitutes a leitmotif is debatable. Jump up ^ From The Force Awakens onward, the theme for Leia is hereinafter referred to as `` Leia 's Theme, '' as the character becomes a General in the Resistance and removes her royal title from her name. ^ Jump up to : http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-star-wars-force-awakens-music-score-john-williams-20151217-story.html ^ Jump up to : https://moviemusicuk.us/2015/12/21/star-wars-the-force-awakens-john-williams/ Jump up ^ http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/25913-the-force-awakens-complete-score-breakdown-chronological-order-film-spoilers-allowed/&page=15 ^ Jump up to : As with other long - lined themes on this list, components of Rey 's theme have been described as independent leitmotives, namely the introduction figure of the unabridged theme. In his commentary on the score, Doug refers to the piece as a single theme. He also refers to the variation heard in `` Jedi Steps '' as `` Rey 's theme in counterpoint (... ) with The Force theme. '' Jump up ^ John Williams refers to a `` more ruminative part '' besides Kylo Ren 's main theme, which he though of as a `` relative of Darth Vader. '' Jump up ^ This theme is often used in conjunction with the character of Finn, and was therefore often mistaken to be his theme. Rather, it is a motif for the more comedic action sequences in the film, in which Finn 's propensity to flee is used for comedic effect. Jump up ^ http://www.movie-wave.net/star-wars-the-force-awakens/ Jump up ^ http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/please-your-platter-4-new-limited-edition-star-wars-force-awakens-vinyl-sets Jump up ^ This theme is written for voices in the Basso Profundo range, and has drawn tenuous comparisons to Palpatine 's Teachings, although the latter is based rather on overtone singing. ^ Jump up to : http://www.jwfan.com/?p=10287 Jump up ^ Frank Lehman 's work includes less than forty leitmotifs, and 45 `` incidental motifs, '' Jump up ^ Such an approach was taken by the programs to the live - to - projection premiere of the Star Wars films, where numerous motifs were identified ( seemingly with no new insight from Williams himself ), including a rancor motif, a motif for the droids in the original Star Wars, etc... http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/27124-star-wars-live-to-projection-concerts-begins-september-2017-david-newman-conducting-new-york-philharmonic/&page=4 Whatever quotes of the Composer appear in the program seem to be drawn from existing interviews, such as his interview with the LA Times. for the Force Awakens program. Even John Takis erroneously mentions a motif for Taun We, which in actuality only occurs in two adjacent cues. ^ Jump up to : Williams called the use of `` bouncing '' horns for Luke 's Landspeeder a `` motif '' although it is based on no fixed recurring melodic or rhythmic idea. He also refer to the material for the Battle of Hoth as `` thematic '', Matessino 's notes ultimately conclude that `` thematic material is deffered '' in the piece. Lehman makes no mention of either motif, even as `` incidental '' motifs. Adams also does n't list any setpiece - specific material in his thematic analyses, but did mention that `` the walker attack on Hoth (... ) was assigned a memorable and fully realized standalone melody '' but, unlike the melody of `` The TIE fighters chasing the Millennium Falcon away from the Death Star '', which went on to recur in a later installment, this motif ( like the Asteroid Field music ) is used `` with less thought toward a score - length arc of material than toward a series of self - contained vignettes. '' Jump up ^ The finale features two interwoven pieces of music : rhythmic phrases in the strings for the shootout, and an `` ascending horn phrase '' for three individual and unrelated moments : Luke spotting Boba Fett, him confronting Darth Vader, and lastly, Boba taking off with Han 's effigy onboard. The latter has been described as a possible `` ambush '' motif, or as a secondary theme for Boba, but both seem to be too setpiece - specific to possess any leitmotivic significance, and are not described by neither Adams, Matessino or Lehman as leitmotifs of any kind, nor mentioned by Williams himself. Jump up ^ Lehman calls this `` chromatic choral writing '' but does not designate this as a leitmotif, but under the classification of an `` incidental motif ''. Other instances of recurring material are suspenseful string writing in The Force Awakens, `` Mournful homophonic choral progressions '' in The Last Jedi and a multitude of other material such as `` heroic descending tetrachords '', `` cascading trumpet lines '', etc... Jump up ^ Adams, who also identifies this idea 's appearance in Raiders of the Lost Ark, identified these as `` mystery chords '', stating that they `` may or may not '' have been conceived as a leitmotif, but concludes that they `` probably did n't mean anything. '' Lehman puzzlingly identifies it as a motif for the map in The Force Awakens, but lists it again as an `` incidental '' figure related to descending on planets ( where it is used in the original Star Wars ). Jump up ^ The `` podrace motif '' recurs in tracked music and in a dedicated concert rendition of the flag parade. The action ostinato is an incidental accompaniment used for the Rebel Fanfare in the Battle of Yavin, which would end up tracked into Sail Barge Assault in Return of the Jedi, along with the third appearance of the X-Wing attack motif which Adams identifies therein. Jump up ^ Adams does this with the B - phrase of Lukes ' theme, and Lehman 's analysis refers to the accompaniment, bridges and B - phrases of several established themes, even when those sections of the theme almost never appear on their own and do not seem to represent anything in particular, as separate motivic ideas : e.g. Duel of the Fates as three themes, the introduction figures to Rey 's theme, the ostinato accompaniment of the Rebel fanfare, the introduction figure to Kylo Ren 's main theme as a third motif for the villian and some bridging material to his theme as a motif for the First Order, etc... Jump up ^ http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/rogue_one.html Jump up ^ http://www.movie-wave.net/rogue-one-a-star-wars-story/ ^ Jump up to : https://moviemusicuk.us/2016/12/20/rogue-one-michael-giacchino/ ^ Jump up to : http://variety.com/2017/film/news/john-williams-star-wars-composer-han-solo-movie-theme-1202650282/amp/?__twitter_impression=true Jump up ^ http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/jedi.html Jump up ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20080307054734/http://www.moviemusicuk.us/phantmcd.htm Jump up ^ http://www.movie-wave.net/star-wars-the-phantom-menace/ Jump up ^ There 's an alternate presentation over the end - credits, featuring a hint of Anakin 's theme as an ending coda. Jump up ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20090929014510/http://www.moviemusicuk.us/aotccd.htm Jump up ^ http://www.movie-wave.net/titles/attack_clones.html Jump up ^ http://www.movie-wave.net/titles/revenge_sith.html Jump up ^ Features a variation of Luke 's theme. `` The Jedi Steps '' Jump up ^ http://www.movie-wave.net/star-wars-the-force-awakens/ Jump up ^ This suite uniquly features not one but two of the three thematic ideas that make up the entire score : Rose 's theme, and The Last Jedi motif, notably stressing the former. Jump up ^ http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/rogue_one.html Jump up ^ http://www.movie-wave.net/rogue-one-a-star-wars-story/ Jump up ^ The dictionary definition of Diegetic at Wiktionary. Jump up ^ Hutchinson, Sean ( November 11, 2015 ). `` Alien Musicians in ' Star Wars, ' Ranked ''. Inverse. Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015. ( Archived page contains a JavaScript that replaces article with page not found message. To prevent this stop page loading as soon as article text is visible. ) Jump up ^ Raftery, Brian ( December 21, 2015 ). `` The 9 Best Songs Ever Played in a Star Wars Movie ''. Wired. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015. Jump up ^ `` The 50th Academy Awards ( 1978 ) Nominees and Winners ''. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` The 35th Annual Golden Globe Awards ( 1978 ) ''. Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Soundtrack 1978 ''. BAFTA Awards Database. British Acacdemy of Film & Television Awards. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` 1977 20th Annual Grammy Awards ''. Past Winners database. Grammy Awards. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Past Saturn Awards ''. Saturn Awards. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Soundtrack 1980 ''. BAFTA Awards Database. British Acacdemy of Film & Television Awards. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` 1908 - 23rd Annual Grammy Awards ''. Grammy Awards. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` The 53rd Academy Awards ( 1981 ) Nominees and Winners ''. The Academy Awards of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` The 56th Academy Awards ( 1984 ) Nominees and Winners ''. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Final Nominations for the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards ''. Billboard : 73. January 15, 2000. Jump up ^ `` Grammy Award Nominees ''. Billboard : 60. December 17, 2005. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Star Wars Tops AFI 's List of 25 Greatest Film Scores of All Time ''. AFI 's 100 Years of Film Scores. American Film Institute. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Star Wars - Gold & Platinum ''. Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016. Jump up ^ Certified Awards Search - BPI External links Star Wars portal The Official Star Wars Music Site ( Archived ) Music of Star Wars Soundtracks Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back Return of the Jedi Shadows of the Empire Episode I : The Phantom Menace Episode II : Attack of the Clones Episode III : Revenge of the Sith The Clone Wars The Force Awakens Rogue One The Last Jedi Themes `` Star Wars ( Main Title ) '' `` The Imperial March '' `` Ewok Celebration '' `` Duel of the Fates '' `` Battle of the Heroes '' Miscellaneous Ewoks Star Wars : In Concert Star Wars : A Musical Journey Star Wars Headspace Related Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk `` Star Wars Theme / Cantina Band '' Christmas in the Stars `` Yoda '' `` The Saga Begins '' Star Wars Feature films Saga Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back Return of the Jedi The Phantom Menace Attack of the Clones Revenge of the Sith The Force Awakens The Last Jedi Anthology Rogue One Solo Other The Clone Wars Television series Droids Ewoks Clone Wars The Clone Wars cast episodes Rebels characters episodes Forces of Destiny Detours ( unaired ) Other Television films Holiday Special Caravan of Courage The Battle for Endor Radio dramas Star Wars Setting Characters Jedi Sith Stormtrooper Clone trooper Concepts Architecture Languages The Force Physics Species Bantha Ewok Hutt Sarlacc Tusken Raiders Wookiee List of Star Wars creatures Planets and moons Alderaan Bespin Coruscant Dagobah Endor Hoth Jakku Kashyyyk Naboo Tatooine Yavin Organizations First Order Galactic Empire Galactic Republic New Republic Rebel Alliance Resistance Technology Weapons Blaster Death Star Lightsaber Vehicles Landspeeder TIE fighter X-wing fighter Star Destroyer Millennium Falcon Other Clone Wars Galactic Civil War Mos Eisley Mos Eisley Cantina Production George Lucas Lucasfilm Cast Changes in film re-releases Han shot first Filming locations Music Opening crawl Sequel trilogy Sources and analogues Outside media Attractions A Galactic Spectacular Jedi Training : Trials of the Temple Star Tours The Adventures Continue Galaxy 's Edge Star Wars Hotel Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain Star Wars Launch Bay Star Wars Weekends Where Science Meets Imagination Lego List of sets Droid Tales The Resistance Rises The Freemaker Adventures Merchandise Action figures Kenner list Hasbro Vintage Collection Star Wars Transformers Star Wars Pez Manga Force Trainer Shepperton Design Studios Trading cards Vinylmation Star Wars Rollinz toys Television specials The Making of Star Wars SP FX : The Empire Strikes Back From Star Wars to Jedi : The Making of a Saga Other Video games list Shadows of the Empire Knights of the Old Republic The Force Unleashed The Old Republic Art Books non-fiction Comics list Expanded universe Characters Cultural impact 501st Legion Comparison to Star Trek Force for Change Jedi census Jediism Rebel Legion Star Wars Celebration Star Wars Day Star Wars : In Concert Star Wars Insider Wookieepedia TheForce.Net Yoda conditions Book Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Music_of_Star_Wars&oldid=818280585 '' Categories : Music of Star Wars Compositions by John Williams Music by media franchise Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from October 2017 Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Deutsch Español Français ქართული Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 2 January 2018, at 17 : 42. 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Question: who wrote the musical score for star wars
Answer: John Williams