Hey, folks! These analysis videos are based on suggestions from our Patreon patrons, so if you have a song you'd like to suggest, just head on over to www.patreon.com/12tonevideos and pledge at any level! Anyway, here's some more thoughts on this song: 1) I didn't get to this part, but one of my favorite sections happens about a minute in, where they extend the melody by adding a couple bars of string tremolo in between each phrase. It starts out with a standard two-bar figure but then as the section develops it starts to get shorter, and the way it slowly collapses back to its original form is really cool. 2) This is, like, super specific, but I want to talk about the Cmi7b5 in bar 16. It's a C chord, so you'd naturally look at it as a kind of IV, but since it has the Gb (or, really, F#) it's got the leading tone, meaning that it's functioning like a dominant chord. It's even got the 4th degree of the scale as well, which makes it a really strong substitute for the V7. I've never seen a IVmi7b5 used like that before and I think it's a really cool trick, kind of like the tritone substitution of the VIImi7b5.
I've always thought of the Ebm chord in the main phrase as a vague substitute for the dominant. Then, when it moves to the Cm7b5 at the conclusion, it's expanding upon that as sort of an Ebm/C, putting the full tritone in there.
How... would you get into trouble with disney when... there are a million and one videos with the imperial march theme? o.0 i don fuckin understand youtube... or disney.....
Wow. Just Wow. It is Leitmotiv. Not Leitmotif ^^ Deutsche Sprache, Schwere Sprache ^^. And why do you keep drawing elephants that look like the little blue elephant from "Die Sendung mit der Maus"?
Deep musical theory - he's explaining the musical technique, then the resulting emotion of that technique (or "response", which the audience picks up) Like science, the theory is pretty complex (helped along by the jargon of the art) but the practical (our musical enjoyment) is a whole lot of fun
@@theimpulsivevulcan5346 I am playing music for more than 10 Years and I got only a little clue... How the fuck do I get a Cminor over Bflat Chord on my Snare?
John Williams knows how to use music to paint a picture. Even if you have never seen a Star Wars movie in your life, if you heard this tune you would still get this feeling that something wicked is present. In the Empire Strikes back, the first time you hear this, the Imperial Fleet in all of its glory is present and looming over everything in its path.
"It almost feels like it's breathing..." Given this is for Vader, who's suit's ventilator is one of the most recognizable sounds in the trilogy (and in popular culture), this seems very appropriate. :D Nice analysis! Really enjoyed this....
Technically, its supposed to be for the Empire on general, but Vader is in pretty much every Empire scene, it turned into his theme but it works nicely regardless :)
I feel like this guy could analyze the pitch of Chewbacca's growl and come up with three volumes of backstory and character development. Really, I had no idea what was going on this video, but was also terribly impressed. I guess this is what being illiterate is like.
About cutting down the motif to its first half. The marching feel has been made stronger by omitting the excited last part; this half-motif, hence, evokes the feeling that something is approaching in a more controlled, self-possessed way, which amplifies in a way the original fear or awe inspired by the full motif. The reason that it is not recurring throughout the theme may be that the author didn't want this contained or controlled quality to be the dominant character of his devil.
Yes, I think it is a deliberate imperfection to undermine the sense of control. The mask slips. Perhaps Williams meant to show the self-delusion of any authoritarian operation - the Empire no exception. The more effort it spends projecting a facade of stability and control, the more chaos is hidden within. Officials abusing their positions, yes-men promoted far above their ability, terrified minions covering up mistakes or pinning the blame on others. Or perhaps it is less sociology and more psychology. For all its technocratic posturing, the Empire is not guided by a scientific model of a perfect society, however misguided. It is the fruit of an insatiable lust for power and domination. When Vader invites Luke to bring *order* to the galaxy, remember how much emotion James Earl Jones puts into that normally utilitarian word.
Allow me to assist: The bit at 3:26 is talking about how John Williams is a fantastic composer, the bit at 5:14 is about how John Williams is an amazing composer, and the bit from 0:00 through the end of the video is about how John Williams is an incredible composer.
6:22 I would guess John Williams probably broke the typical pattern to make it more driving and to emphasize the G minor. It's the first place where a pair of bars doesn't start with G as the root. Changing the pattern seems to link that bar to the next one, which returns back to the G (minor). Anyway, awesome awesome video. May the force be with you!
repeating the first 2 beats also serves as a reservation against forward momentum, which contradicts the listener's expectation without fully subverting it.
It might just be the human in the music. not the mathematical language to represent the song. I've played songs, then went to transcribe it and after 10 measures or so there is an extra note by one track out of place, but in place in the wind section, and one in the brass. at intervals creating a triplet out of a structured shuffle of time itself, in the language. In John Williams' case it was accidental and just part of his style of playing. not 100% perfect, no one is.
Thanks for this! This is one tune that I always had trouble figuring out theoretically. With all the non-tonic tones and dissonant chords I wondered why it's still catchy and doesn't come across like a horror movie soundtrack. Thanks for the explantion!
the dissonance is really an illusion. Williams does this a lot where he changes chords for ex. from Amin to an Augmented E major chord but leaves the lead in note in the chord with the root note. So hes basically super - imposing a E augmented 7 on top of an Amin chord. he does that in Anakins Theme a lot also. He also does it in the transition from the Emperor/Yoda Obi-Wan/Anakin fight sequences back to Captain Antilles ship. Its almost the same idea as for ex being in A major and progressing to an Emajor chord while leaving A in the bass only your moving from a minor to mathematical equivalent of a like progression. WIlliams does this a lot in scores from the past 40 years of soundtracks. He plays around a lot with texture. Something that is become a lost art in film scoring.
6:31 I think that sort of breakdown of rhythmic figure creates a feeling of a more powerful "musical sentence"(a-a-b-a with b feeling a little bit incomplete and there for raising expectations for the final b or at least making final b more conclusive). It also fit nicely with the melody and give us a moment of silence which sounds cool because it's contrasting with all the chaos going on.
Wait...TIe is capitalized? It stands for something? I always thought it was cus they look like bow ties, and wondered why they would call it that, given that nobody in Star Wars wears a tie
Great analysis! This theme, along with "Hedwig's Theme" from Harry Potter are some of the most interesting and musically adventurous Williams compositions. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out why it "works" so well in spite of its intense chromaticism and melodic weirdness. 1. I think it's always useful to remember that JW started out his career as "Johnny Williams" working as a jazz pianist and arranger for Henry Mancini. His compositions show a ton of influence from swing and big band arranging, especially in his use of syncopation, driving rhythm, and altered chords. The Imperial March uses a relentless rhythmic motif and a clear melody as a rock-solid foundation for colorful chord choices. 2. I've also tried to do a detailed roman numeral analysis of this piece, and I think for something so loosely functional that type of analysis can miss the forest for the trees. I would say that none of the harmonies here are "functional" aside from a general sense of consonance and dissonance. Melody is the key here. Take a closer look at the core of the melody in the second half: ornaments and enclosures aside, it's sliding from G - E - Db - Bb - G. It's a simple sequence moving in minor thirds. It's ornamented with arpeggiated harmonies, but I think those are just the icing on the cake. Ask anyone to sing that part of the melody off the top of their head: they'll completely botch the exact tones, but that main idea is super clear, singable, and memorable in any case. 3. Dissonance: if you just look at the bass and the melody, there is actually very little dissonance in this piece. All the outer intervals are nice consonances like tenths and fifths; no minor 9ths, not even any tritones! The dissonances are all concealed in the inner voices, which I think keeps the whole thing feeling solidly in control in spite of the chromaticism. It's predictable in an unpredictable way.
6:21 i think they want to put more accent on the 3rd and 4th beat, thus giving more of a marching feel. The rhythmic pattern in the melody during that bar is also similar, which adds to this vibe. However, I don't know why they only did is this one time, as it sounds like a nice change up, and a march vibe does fit the track.
Yeah I was gonna say it adds emphasis to the melody's return to something like its original steady rhythm. And I like what Josh Brown is saying about the uniformity of the stormtroopers too. I could see that whole phrase as starting out implying their descent into madness/chaotic battle, and then taking a moment as this phrase wraps up to "realign" a little bit more strongly with their commander as he orders the march onward... Iono..
If you want to understand most of John Williams rhythm choices study Sousa's Marches. Thats basically where all of his rhythms and textures come from in the horn section and percussion section.
Maybe, but I think it's just his choice in this video to play the second inversion of the arpeggio that way. Otherwise, it's just a standard triad in second inversion with that G and A thrown in to make us uncomfortable.
i like the one Eb major chord that passes by super fast in the sea of minor chords, it feels like the music is telling you theres still a bit of good left in vader
Surprisingly enough, unlike quite a few people here, I understood all of what you said. I've gotta be honest, you analyzed those 16 measures far better than I could ever hope to analyze any piece of music. It's honestly a shame Star Wars didn't turn out well with these past two movies, Episodes 8 and 9. John Williams really has kept rolling on, just like he used to.
The rhythm repeats itself because there is so much going on that any sign of monotony will insuce boredom. By purposely inducing boredom and then changing the notes drastically it gives the listener satisfaction. Atleast it for me :D
so this music manages to paint, through chord progression, vader as powerful yet restrained, evil but with a spark of hope/good within him. truly complimenting the character. john williams you've done it again.
This is one of my favorite songs and everytime I listen to it, I hear something new. I'm no music major, but if you start to listen to the dissonance in the orchestral piece, it is really to hear all the way through the piece. Everything from the notes to when certain instruments play what seems out of rhythm with the theme.
6:21 Thing to remember is Williams was composing for film. If I remember right, that point in the introduction of Vader was him strolling (marching) through the rebel ship. A momentary calm before the storm if you will.
It's amazing how much emotion you can get out of a catchy tune once you've been taught what all these sounds and structures arbitrarily represent. I came from the Tom Scott colab about SolReSol and it's amazing just how much of a language music is where you have to learn what it means, like there is a dictionary required for it because it's unintuitive unless you have spoken it all your life.
6:27 - The duplication should represent an internal dialogue between Vader and Anakin. Vader being the Id and Anakin being the Ego. This shows that there is more going on behind that mask than we can see/hear at the time and lends to the base for him pushing to turn Luke as opposed to just crushing him. John Williams is a master of character music and even making the scenery a character through the music as well (Binary Sunset?).
As someone who can't read a sheet of notes anymore than I can see in absolute darkness I found this video very interesting as I didn't understand a thing of what you were talking about yet understood what you were trying to get across.
I think that Williams was letting the rhythm open up to let the melody hit a little harder. It reminds me of a painting; where often the underpainting can change the quality of the colours on top, and by removing that underpainting abruptly you can get a more satisfying look at the colour the artist presents.
It also pretty cool to notice that the main melody spells out an Eb major chord. Eb G Bb. This major chord over the G minor-ish peddle tones givies us a sence of conflict in the music and in Darth Vader aluding to his eventual turn to the Light Side in ROTJ. John Williams is a genius.
Maybe Hotel Calfornia next? The Hell Freezes Over version is packed with harmonies and the bass line is simply out of this world... not to mention one of the most iconic rock solos of all time.
This is so wonderful, every single time I listen to it. My students learn how to annotate (explicate) writing. I try to fine things across the curriculum that can also be annotated. I love this piece of music, and think it is a perfect example to use. Thank you so much. To annotate, one tears apart the actual craft of the words, project the author's meaning and intent, and reflect that understanding back to the story, poem, or piece, in order to further understand said writing. What you do here is a perfect example of a person doing it with a piece of music. I have no real technical music intelligence, but am a musical person, and very particular about particular instruments and the notes that such instruments play in a piece. So, this is wonderfully interesting. Thank you, 12tone. -- Glennie; Montpelier, Vermont
The fact that such a well made and deeply informative video paying homage to writing of a song owned by a multi billion dollar global company can't actually use the real recording of the song is honestly criminal to me. Like I just don't understand how that's a thing. Who stands to lose out. Let's not even talk about UMG.
6:50. I don't know what it is, but that first chord gives me the good chills every time. It wasn't until I really listened to this song on the album closely that I noticed it, and I love it.
This is super interesting... I just wish I understood literally any of it! If you'd asked me why the Imperial March sounds so good, I probably would've said something like '... I dunno, it sounds a bit scary, I guess.' I've been meaning to look into music theory for ages, but just never found the time. I'll have to check out some of your 'Building Blocks' videos.
I know this is the simplest and least in depth explanation (but it's also one of the most important) is that it's in a minor key, meaning it sounds darker. The Force theme is a lot happier, so it's in the major key. Or at least around the major key. If you were to put Imperial march in Major, it would sound the Vader's death from Return of the Jedi. Like, if you were playing on a piano, the bottom left end would be minor, and the right end Major.
I'm pretty sure that one rhythm is supposed to emphasize the melody better. Listen at 6:48 to how it lines up well with that final punctuation. It also emphasizes the rhythm difference between the 16th note triplets and the dotted 8th-16th note rhythm because they line up with each other, but it overall sounds more powerful on where the G's line up.
I can't explain it because I'm not a music person but there's a really interesting version of the Imperial March that was part of the 'iMuse' music in Tie Fighter. They changed both the Imperial March and the Rebel leitmotif to make the Imperial version sound like the Heroic one and the Rebel version the imposing villain one. Also, even though we don't hear it in a movie until Empire Strikes back, they actually use the basic Leitmotif in the vector Star Wars arcade game for when Vader shows up... which was released between the first two movies.
I always thought going from the stacked G's into the chord was clever because it concentrates all the weight of the measure at the end. The G's sound more like a percussive intro to the E flat minor chord, which seems like it comes from a different place creating a see-saw effect.
Came here from the Tom Scott video. Well done, dude! You have a new subscriber. Also you remind me of the 8-bit Music Theory channel. He does similar kinds of videos, but specifically for video game music.
Except in that song, the notes actually go up when the lyrics say down. Deliberate choice by the Sherman Brothers (composers) to represent the topsy-tursy magical world of Mary Poppins.
The rhythmic repetition that you can’t find a purpose for sounds like the rhythmic equivalent of a pedal. Something to simultaneously ground and reinforce, while building tension momentarily.
According to Rick Beat this piece have a lot of polychords. I think the A note can be explained by that. Another curious fact is that The imperial March was inspired in the suite "the planets :Mars" by Gustave Holst
I have to tell you, as someone of only a passing acquaintance with music theory, I really liked this video - despite not understanding about half of what you said. :-)
As for the change in the typical pattern of the rhythmic them (at 6:24), I’m a drummer so I’m in the rhythm department, and it got me thinking. The thing that stands out to me most is that the brief change causes the rhythm to line up a quarter note rest with the melody in a spot that is new to the listener; perhaps it could be to further convey how Vader has ultimate control over his powers, mirroring how both the rhythm and melody seem to jump from controlled to somewhat chaotic whenever the song desires. Love your videos, thank you for the lessons!
The main motif - GGGG Eb Bb G Eb Bb G - is really clever because it's the major triad of Eb. Even though it's played over Gm it has the strength of a major melody.
@7:38. I'm chuffed with myself for knowing why he drew Tc-43 when saying "major chords are very rare"! :D (Tc is Technetium, which literally does not exist, naturally, on Earth. I learnt this from the book Disappearing Spoons).
Thank you. That was awesome. I really enjoy these videos, especially the cartoons the go along with them to illustrate what's happening in the piece you're looking at.
My favorite moment in this song is the last phrase where he plays that iconic melody but harmonizes it with random crap. It’s so dissonant and polytonal but it sounds so fantastic
If you want to 'understand' Williams style its basically John Phillip Sousa, Wagner and Tchaikovsky rolled up into one thing. At least that explains his composing voice and his orchestration choices. Ive always thought its a very unique combination of influences.
Hey Jeth I really loved this, thank you! I would add that the main melody being a simple G harmonic minor construction, but underlined with very tense and complex, modulating chords, implies the simplicity of evil (melody) and the rotten, sour content of an evil soul (harmony). Again thanks a lot! Alberto
I think you missed the entire point of the main theme. While it eventually became associated with Darth Vader, it is at its core a military march, describing the crushing might and subjugating presence of the Imperial forces.
I've always known that music had a science to it (if only because it's based on acoustics) but... you really opened my eyes to the notion of proper analysis of music. This was cool.
Brilliant. Would also point out the Eb minor is a fascinating choice because the Gb is really an F# and is actually part of the harmonic minor scale. Williams would make a similar choice for the next light sabre wielding villain in the series, Darth Maul.
Wow... it's impressive. Every note selected by master Williams to compose this masterpiece. The meaning and how those 16 bars tell us about Vader's personality. I recognize it was a bit difficult to catch out your speech, because English is not my mother language but I could understand it because I strongly wanted to listen and comprehend the analysis given.
Maybe it is just me, but for the longest time I considered and still consider that John Williams was making an intense sci-fi interpretation of The Funeral March.
Actually both the Jaws theme and imperial march are taken from old compositions. For Jaws, 4th movement of Dvorak's new world Symphony. For Imperial March, Chopins funeral march
I think that rhythmic change where the first have is repeated twice is meant to emphasize the quasi-return to the opening melody. In other words, it's just showing that something's changing.
around the 6:30-640 mark I think that its showing that vaders power isnt "completely controlled", and dissipates even as he tries to control it, it reverts to its natural state in stages,... rather painfully. And vader is al about being in constant pain.
It is beautiful artwork and poetically a masterpiece for how it describes the feelings and unseen supernatural and inhumane elements combining trying to bring order to something out of order with the natural
Put me through the wringer, like always. Stayed focused for every second, loved every second. As always. Amazing what you are putting out there. Keep it up, I'll keep coming back. Side note: I can't even read sheet music all that well, let alone know a 1/100 about music theory as is in these vids.... Doesn't matter in the slightest. Thoroughly enjoyable. Many many thanks 😁
6:29 Why the rhythmic pattern changes. I've listened a few times - of course you can't hear it in the film anyway - but I think that serves several minor functions. One is to release a little of the energy, another is to follow and highlight the upbeat figure in the melody, and a 3rd possible answer is to accentuate the mediant relationship of the G and Bb in the melody against the following D - to make sure those are heard as part of the Eb major chord, and not as part of the subsequent Gm chord. I'm not claiming that these are the reasons, but they are some of the implications. These are superb videos. Hats off.
I'd venture that the rhythmic variation at 6:22 is included, not as a device to emphasise any notes, but simply as a rhythmic device. While the melody has now painted Vader's personality, the change in the well established rhythm almost alters our proximity to him, making him unpredictable, which could reflect the way in which Vader is always one step ahead of the heroes in the film.
So what you’re trying to say is that John Williams is a musical genius... PS: some of the unexplained parts of his music in movies might be explained by the constraints of the pre-made movie scene such as its length
