Happy Star Wars Day!
Author: Megan Natoli, Challenge America Program Director
Today is Star Wars Day, the perfect day to celebrate the iconic art style and world building that we were gifted to us all when the first movie was released on May 25, 1977!
In addition to the incredible writing, sets, and acting, some of the world’s greatest film score writing and modern orchestral music came from the Star Wars franchise. The original motion picture soundtrack for Star Wars was composed and conducted by legendary American composer John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The score for Star Wars was recorded over the course of eight sessions that took place in Denham, England in 1977.
As a classical musician and a bit of a movie soundtrack enthusiast myself, I will take any opportunity to celebrate the iconic work of John Williams. John Williams’ movie soundtracks have set the stage for over 120 motion pictures and earned him 26 Grammy Awards, 5 Academy Awards, 7 BAFTA Awards, 5 Oscars, 5 Emmys, 4 Golden Globes, and countless other prestigious awards.
When creating the first movie, director George Lucas was aiming for a classical score for the movies. The depth, leitmotifs (the incredibly catchy melodies representing each character), and orchestration created a totally iconic, unforgettable, and out of this world setting for the movies.
Though there have been several releases of the soundtrack in the years following, the original release in 1977 included the poster of the painting below created by John Berkey, science fiction artist:
Want to learn more about why this soundtrack was so groundbreaking?
Check out this article containing an amazing analysis of the soundtracks from Classic FM.
I also encourage you to listen to this epic and inspiring performance of John Williams conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker play "Main Title" from "Star Wars: A New Hope" to fuel your creativity and inspiration:
May the force be with you!
Sincerely,
The Challenge America Team
