Star Warsologies 43: Music and Melodies
Music educator Dr. Jason Giachetti discusses the music and melodies of Star Wars, from what might have influenced John Williams for the score to the diagetic music of the saga from the cantina band to the Ewok celebration. All on this episode of Star Warsologies!
In this latest episode of Star Warsologies, we talk about all music in Star Wars: the score and diagetic music!
Let’s look at the music of Star Wars! So much of what we associate with the galaxy far, far away is connected to the soundtracks composed by John Williams. We take a look at the diagetic music of the films, from the cantina band tracks to the celebratory songs by Ewoks and Gungans. We also examine the common musical themes that John Williams built into the audio DNA of the saga, as well as musical pieces that may have influenced Williams in his composition. Our guest expert is Dr. Jason Giachetti, who teaches music at the college and high school level. He has a doctorate in music education, with an emphasis on percussive instruments.
In Star Warsologies, hosts James Floyd and Melissa Miller combine their love of Star Wars with their keen interest in all things academic by asking experts about how their field is represented in a galaxy far, far away. It’s a monthly podcast about science and Star Wars!
Or listen on YouTube with relevant screen shots and photos!
To better understand the music, Dr. Giachetti prepared a presentation that showcases the musical notation in the score, and the YouTube has his slides synched up to the podcast audio.
Show Links
- You can watch “Lapti Nek”, the original Jabba’s Palace song on YouTube.
- Watch the end of A New Hope without any music!
- Here’s Darth Vader’s scene with a romatic song playing. Redouble our efforts indeed!
- Check out the Hans Zimmer Master Class that Jason mentioned.
