ESB 15: Yoda and the Wolf (Minutes 71-75 with Fr. David and Trevor Mowry)
Star Wars Music Minute - A podcast by Chrysanthe Tan - Mondays
In The Empire Strikes Back Minutes 71-75, Yoda raises the ship while Luke looks on in disbelief. Oboist Trevor Mowry and Father David Mowry return to SWMM to talk about this emotional cue (complete with the best E Maj7 chord ever), the "Peter and Wolf"-like instrumentation (are you team French horn or team trumpet?), the expansiveness of Yoda's theme, and the tactility of Star Wars sound design. We also cover a fantastic listener question from Tim B! Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/wBIOiuPCMjc Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 6:39 - French horn representing Luke. 16:29 - Sad Luke theme. 21:42 - Woodwinds welling up from behind. 26:52 - Purpose of doubling an oboe and flute? 33:18 - Impactful marriage of the score with sound effects. 38:56 - The strings representing doubt, indulgence. 41:56 - How many "miracles" has Luke seen so far? 47:37 - Skywalker bloodline and Yoda's growth. 52:58 - C Minor to E Major. Final obstacle has been removed. 55:57 - Ascending dyads in piccolo/flute. "Anything can happen." 59:42 - Large interval leaps in Yoda's theme. 1:04:05 - Every component of Yoda's theme ends on an open-ended note, revealing the spiritual reality that Yoda was talking about. (!) 1:10:17 - Grounded Yoda in the cellos. Diminution of Sad Yoda set in the flutes. 1:16:23 - An insulting exhale. Force choke from Jedi Outcast. 1:19:14 - Pesky "A"s. Scrappy Rebels. 1:23:56 - First ever honorary doctorate awarded via podcast. 1:27:31 - Threepio is powered down. Tactile-ness of Star Wars. 1:32:51 - Listener question from Tim Bobrowski (thank you!) 1:36:42 - SWMM Questionnaire Things to Check Out: "La Mer" 3rd movement (Claude Debussy) - https://youtube.com/watch?v=KUFpcPEcwTo&t=914 Dominic Sewell's analysis of cue 7M3 Yoda Raises the Ship https://youtu.be/rP5213v20fo Thus Spake Zarathustra (by Richard Strauss) - https://youtu.be/Szdziw4tI9o Portsmouth Sinfonia : "Also sprach Zarathustra" - https://youtu.be/hpJ6anurfuw ANH 19: Run, Luke! Run! (Minutes 91-95 with Fr. David and Trevor Mowry) - https://youtu.be/9FZgc1x5slg Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/. Cues: 7M3 "Yoda Raises The Ship" 7M4/8M1 "Vadar's Command" Musical Themes: 1a. Main Theme (A Section) 3. Force 12a. Yoda (A Section) 24. Revelations 10a. Imperial March (Theme) Where are we in the soundtrack?: "Yoda And The Force" "Imperial Starfleet Deployed/City in the Clouds" --------------- STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE: 1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like? Father David: Expansive real horizons. (Previous answer: Raw triumphant heroism.) Trevor: Past, present, future. (Previous answer: Timeless space adventure) 2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about? Father David: How much has the transition to digital sound production changed the feel of Star Wars? Trevor: How one gets to be someone who conducts the performances of the live to picture concerts. (Previous answer: Everything about the Cantina Band, the human beings behind Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. Where did they get these people? Where did they get a steel drum player who could shred like that?) 3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars? Father David: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Previous answer: Baby Driver, directed by Edgar Wright) Trevor: Vertigo (composed by Bernard Herrmann) --------------- Trevor Mowry: Look up "Trevor Mowry oboe" to find lots of oboe-related things online. "The President's Own" Marine Band - https://www.marineband.marines.mil/ Father David Mowry: Website: https://www.fatherdavidmowry.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrMowry ------------------ Become a patron to join my Discord server (and support the show, of course)! https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan Leave a voice message, and I might play it on the show... https://starwarsmusicminute.com/comlink Where else to find SWMM: Twitter: https://twitter