Music of Star Wars

Overview

Television

Animation series

''Star Wars: Visions''

''LEGO Star Wars''

''Zen: Grogu and Dust Bunnies''

Live-action series

''The Mandalorian''

''The Book of Boba Fett''

''Obi-Wan Kenobi''

''Andor''

''Ahsoka''

''The Acolyte''

''Skeleton Crew''

''Jedi Temple Challenge''

Style

Inspiration

Structure

Performance

Orchestration

• Woodwinds: 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 clarinets, 2 bassoons.
• Brass: 6 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba.
• Keyboards: Piano, celesta, synthesizer.
• Timpani: 4–6 kettledrums.
• Percussion: at least three percussionists playing bass drums, tenor drums, snare drums, timbales, toms, triangle, tambourine, cymbals, tam-tam, xylophones, vibraphone, glockenspiel, tubular bells, and anvil on all episodes. Also required are temple blocks, claves, ratchet, marimba, bongos, congas, log drums, low wood block, bell plates, clappers, steel drum, boobams, medium gong, kendhang, rattle, sistrum, shekere, guiro, bamboo sticks, cowbells, hyoshigi, bell tree, one medium Thai gong, three medium chu-daiko drums, washboard, goblet drum, caxixi.
• Strings: 2 harps, 14 first violins, 12 second violins, 10 violas, 10 violoncellos, 6 double basses.
• Additional instruments: 1 piccolo, 1 flute, 1–2 recorders, 2 oboes, 1 clarinet, 3 saxophones, 1–2 bassoons, 2 horns, trumpet, bass trombone, tuba, set of timpani, five percussionists, 89-piece SATB choir, 10 basso profundo singers, 30 boys, 1 Tibetan throat singer, narrator, 4 violins divided, 4 violas, 2 violoncellos, 2 contrabasses, 1 harp.
• Non-orchestral instruments: Cretan Lyra and cümbüş, electric guitar, toy piano, kazoo, highland bagpipes, banjo, didgeridoo.

Musical themes in the scores

The use of the themes in the scores

Themes

Original trilogy

''Star Wars (A New Hope)''

• "Luke's Theme (Star Wars Main Theme)"
• * "Luke's Secondary Theme"
• "The Rebel Spaceship Fanfare"
• "Action Ostinato"
• "Old Ben's Theme "
• "Jawa Theme"
• "Princess Leia's Theme"
• "Imperial Motif"
• "Death Star Motif"
• "Rebel Victory Theme"

''The Empire Strikes Back''

• "The Imperial March"
• :
• "Droids Motif"
• "Cloud City March"
• * "Cloud City Trap"
• "Boba Fett Motif"
• "Dark Side theme"

''Return of the Jedi''

• * "Primitive Ewok Theme"
• "The Emperor's Theme"'
• "Jabba The Hutt Theme"
• "Brother and Sister Arpeggios"
• "Triumph Fanfare"
• "Trap motif"
• "Luke and Leia Theme"
• First reprisal: "Spaceship Dogfight motif"

Prequel trilogy

''The Phantom Menace''

• "Duel of the Fates"
• "Young Anakin's Theme"
• "Droid Invasion March"
• "Qui-Gon's Motif"
• "Darth Maul Motif"
• "Jar Jar's Theme"
• "Shmi's Theme"

''Attack of the Clones''

• "Across the Stars"
• * "Across the Stars"
• "Courting on Naboo Theme"
• "Separatist Motif"
• "Kamino Motif"
• * "Mystery Motif"

''Revenge of the Sith''

• "Battle of the Heroes"
• "General Grievous' Motif"
• "Lament for Anakin Theme"
• First reprisal: "Funeral Theme"
• First reprisal: "Coruscant Fanfare"

Sequel trilogy

''The Force Awakens''

• "Rey's Theme'''"
• * Rey's Chime Figure
• * Rey's Gallop Figure
• "Kylo Ren's Fanfare"
• * "Kylo Ren's Conflicted Motif"
• "First Order Theme"
• "Map Motif"
• "March of the Resistance"
• "Tension figure"
• "Pursuit Ostinato"
• "Poe Dameron's Motif"
• "Snoke's Theme"
• "Jedi Steps"

''The Last Jedi''

• "Rose Tico's Theme"
• "Luke's Island Motif"
• "Rebel Desperation Motif"

''The Rise of Skywalker''

• "The Trio Theme"
• "The Rise of Skywalker Theme"
• "Anthem of Evil "
• "Poe's Heroics Theme"
• "Sith Artifacts"
• "Knights of Ren Motif"

Incidental motifs

Themes in the Anthology films

''Rogue One''

• Jyn's Theme
• Hope Theme
• Guardians of the Whills Theme
• Imperial Theme

''Solo''

• Han Solo's Theme
• * "Han Solo's Searching theme"

• Chewbacca's Theme
• Han and Qi'Ra's Love Theme
• L3'S Theme
• Crew theme
• Enfys Nest Theme
• Crime Syndicate Motif

Concert suites

Original Trilogy

• "Main Title"
• "Princess Leia's Theme"
• "The Little People"
• "Cantina Band"
• "Here They Come!"
• "The Battle"
• "Throne Room and End Title"

• "The Imperial March"
• "Yoda's Theme"
• "Han Solo and the Princess "
• "Han Solo and the Princess "

• "Parade of the Ewoks"
• "Luke and Leia"
• "Jabba the Hutt"
• "The Forest Battle"

Prequel Trilogy

• "Duel of the Fates"
• "Anakin's Theme"
• "The Adventures of Jar Jar"
• "The Flag Parade"

• "Across the Stars"

• "Battle of the Heroes"

Sequel Trilogy

• "Rey's Theme"
• "March of the Resistance"
• "Adagio"
• "Scherzo for X-Wings"
• "The Jedi Steps"

• "The Rebellion is Reborn"

• "The Rise of Skywalker"
• "The Speeder Chase"
• "Anthem of Evil"

From the spin-offs

• "Jyn Erso and Hope Suite"
• "The Imperial Suite"
• "The Guardians of the Whills Suite"

• "The Adventures of Han"

Diegetic music

• "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 outtake easter eggs on the Episode I and Episode II and on the bonus disc of the 2004 original trilogy DVD set.

• "Jabba's Baroque Recital". Mozart-esque John Williams composition 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.
• "Jedi Rocks". 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 Khetanna. 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.

• "Tatooine Street Music". Joseph Williams wrote four separate pieces of unusual, vaguely Eastern sounding source music for the streets of Mos Espa, featuring a player on Cretan Lyra and Cumbus, and a solo, wailing female vocal.
• "Augie's Municipal Band". By John Williams. Music played during the peace parade at the end of the film, it is a sped-up, attenuated trumpet and boy choir composition. It is closely related to the Emperor's Theme, but is not an outright quote of it.

• "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."

• "Jabba Flow" and "Dobra Doompa". Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and J. J. Abrams, these songs were played at Maz Kanata's castle.

• "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 Star Wars. The track features solo alto saxophone, two baritone saxophones, solo clarinet, trombones, kazoo, muted trumpets, Fender Rhodes piano, bass, synthesizers, steel drums, and various percussion, including washboards and goblet drums. The track briefly quotes "Aquarela do Brasil" by Ary Barroso as a reference to the 1985 Terry Gilliam film Brazil, and includes a brief piano statement of Williams' and Johnny Mercer's theme from The Long Goodbye.
• "Caretaker party music": source cue of an unknown composition, which features highland bagpipes and a didgeridoo, and accompanies a deleted scene from the film.

• "Lido Hey": Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and J. J. Abrams and performed by Shag Kava, a musical moniker for Miranda and Abrams. Plays as the main characters participate and traverse the Festival of Ancestors on the desert planet Pasaana.
• "Oma's Place": Performed by Ricky Tinez and J. J. Abrams. Plays as the main characters enter a bar owned by Oma Tres on the planet Kijimi.

• "Chicken in the Pot". Written by John Powell, it is performed on Dryden Vos' yacht when Solo reunites with Qi'ra and first meets Vos.

Reception

Accolades

Certifications