TROS 4: Handful of Ostinato (Minutes 16-20 with Katharine Coldiron)

Star Wars Music Minute

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"

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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).

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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/

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