Soundtrack Highlights from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

From Wind Repertory Project
John Williams

John Williams (arr. Michael Brown)


General Info

Year: 2015 / 2018
Duration: c. 4:35
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $75.00; (digital) - $75.00   |   Score Only (print) - $7.50; (digital) - $15.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II
Trombone I-II
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Bells
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Marimba
  • Mark Tree
  • Snare Drum
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Triangle
  • Vibraphone
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

Opening with the familiar strains of the main theme, this carefully paced medley also includes important themes for new characters Rey and Kylo Ren, and the rousing march theme of the good guys. Film music at its best from John Williams, and effectively adapted for younger players.

- Program Note from publisher


When the American Film Institute released their listing of the top twenty-five film scores of all time in 2005, it included the titles Out of Africa, Sunset Boulevard, Ben-Hur, Psycho, The Godfather, and Gone with the Wind. John Williams was responsible for three of those twenty-five selections, and at the very top was his unforgettable score to the original Star Wars movie.

On the heels of his work in the 1970s with Steven Spielberg that produced the blockbusters Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Williams signed on in 1977 to score a new “space western” written and directed by George Lucas. At that time, no one could have predicted the global popularity of this film and its successive chapters, nor could Williams have imagined the impact that his music for the movies would have both in the world of film and well beyond. Williams has scored dozens of themes for the seven films in the series, many of which have achieved world-wide recognition on a scale equal to some of the most popular classical music in history.

The latest installment in the series, The Force Awakens, was released in December 2015 and the story takes place some thirty years after the conclusion of The Return of the Jedi. As old and new characters come together in the film, Williams’ score artfully weaves together familiar music from the original films with brand new themes and brilliantly highlights pivotal actions and relationships. After the familiar music for the opening credits is sounded, the suite continues with the March of the Resistance, followed by the main theme of the mysterious new lead character, Rey. Scherzo for X-Wings accompanies a furious battle scene featuring the iconic aerial fighters of both the Resistance and the First Order. The closing movement of the suite begins with the music of the Jedi and moves into a final montage of all of the main themes in Williams’ incredible symphonic tapestry.

- Program Note from U.S. Marine Band concert program, 14 March 2016


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Illinois State University (Normal) University Band (F. Mack Wood, conductor) - 26 April 2023
  • Houghton (N.Y.) College Wind Ensemble (Timothy McGarvey, conductor) - 10 December 2021
  • University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) North Star and Gold Campus Bands (Lauren Visel, conductor) - 1 December 2021
  • University of Dubuque (Iowa) Wind Ensemble (Cassandra Blanchard, conductor) - 21 March 2020


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

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