ESB 22: An Editor’s Film (Minutes 106-110 with Dan Golding)

Star Wars Music Minute

Dan Golding is here to discuss minutes 106-110 of The Empire Strikes Back! We talk about Ben Burtt's frustrations, intense pedal points, a nasal brass canon, free fanfares, Empire being an "editor's film," and how the music is "meanwhile" (sounds strange, but it'll make sense when you listen to the episode). 😅

Timestamps:

• 0:00 - Hello there!
• 7:05 - Ben Burtt's frustrations, Irvin Kershner's on-set mic, David Prowse's fitness book, and other delights from Alan Arnold's Journal of the Making of Empire Strikes Back.
• 17:51 - Cool tunnel. Gareth Edwards's "indie hour."
• 22:42 - Misty, foggy, smoky.
• 29:13 - Empire is an editor's film.
• 30:39 - Meanwhile...
• 43:14 - Dark Side motif and a high, strained tuba.
• 50:04 - Force buzz.
• 1:10:09 - Luke's little chaos clarinet.
• 1:17:59 - Ben Burtt on creating the wind sounds.
• 1:29:26 - Canon with nasal, muted brass, stressed, compressed Yoda's theme.
• 1:38:39 - Lando, from cad to hero.
• 1:50:29 - Harmonic fudge?
• 2:00:32 - Han and Leia theme sounds different here, for many reasons.
• 2:09:47 - Willrow Hood sighting.
• 2:11:00 - A fanfare for free.
• 2:21:39 - "Wonderful!" Rhythm restored. Earnest strings. G pedal point.
• 2:30:45 - Use of Han and Leia's theme in The Force Awakens trailer.
• 2:37:52 - Pseudo Dies Irae.
• 2:40:00 - Return of the pedal. Jazzy voicings.
• 2:49:18 - Shoutout to Dennis Hamm.
• 3:00:39 - 15 Second Rule.
• 3:07:26 - A surprise in the very final frame of these minutes.
• 3:16:02 - SWMM Questionnaire

Things to Check Out:

• Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of the Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (by Alan Arnold) - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1960717.Once_Upon_a_Galaxy
• Dan's article about George Lucas as a director (Sense of Cinema): http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2021/great-directors/lucas-george/
• Untitled Goose Game soundtrack (by Dan Golding)
• Art of the Score: The Empire Strikes Back – Part 1: http://www.artofthescore.com.au/podcast/2019/5/23/episode-27-the-empire-strikes-back-part-1
• Art of the Score: The Empire Strikes Back – Part 2: http://www.artofthescore.com.au/podcast/2019/8/31/episode-28-the-empire-strikes-back-part-2
• Hollywood Harmony: Musical Wonder and the Sound of Cinema (by Frank Lehman) - https://franklehman.com/hollywood-harmony/
• The Planets - VI. Uranus, the Magician - Gustav Holst https://youtube.com/watch?v=fUyVFKA1MaU
• Partita for 8 Voices (by Caroline Shaw) - https://youtu.be/ab4zTQEsnBk
• Solo 13: Millennium Pop Anthem (Minutes 61-65 with Dan Golding) - https://youtu.be/lJeA6qqXqng
• ANH 18: The Swashbucklers (Minutes 86-90 with Dan Golding) - https://youtu.be/5xFFLXruO0Y
• Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/.

Cues:

• 11M1 "Through The Window"

Musical Themes:

• Imperial March (Theme)
• Dark Side (Motif)
• Chromatic Knell
• Yoda (A Section)
• Cloud City (Lando's Palace)
• Han & Leia (A)

Where are we in the soundtrack?:

• "The Clash of Lightsabers"

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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:

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

• New answer: Elegant musical storytelling.
• Previous answers: Nimble orchestral nostalgia. Mythic orchestral memory.

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

• New answer: The unreleased music (and alternate cues, etc).
• Previous answers: What will Natalie Holt's soundtrack for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series sound like? Given all the new directions that various Star Wars scores have gone since John Williams was at the helm (ex. Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, etc), will we ever return to the original sort of orchestral sound?

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

• New answer: Fleishman Is in Trouble (composed by Caroline Shaw)
• Previous answers: Watership Down (composed by Angela Morley) and Vertigo (composed by Bernard Herrmann).

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Guest: Dan Golding

• Website: https://dangolding.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/dangolding
• Art of the Score podcast: https://www.artofthescore.com.au/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DanGoldingVideoEssays
• Bandcamp: https://dangolding.bandcamp.com/
• Mastadon: @[e-mail]
• Book: Star Wars After Lucas by Dan Golding: https://dangolding.com/star-wars-after-lucas/

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