ESB 14: Boba Fett’s Hidden Intervals (Minutes 66-70 with Lauren Crosby)

Music theorist Dr. Lauren Crosby is here to help us take a closer look at the original Boba Fett theme. We compare the pitch material of John Williams's theme to Ludwig Göransson's Boba Fett theme (which debuted in The Book Of Boba Fett), theorize about the relationship between them, and discuss other things from this action-packed set of minutes too!

Timestamps:

• 0:00 - Hello there!
• 10:53 - When did you become aware of Boba Fett having a theme?
• 14:02 - Characteristics of the Boba Fett theme.
• 16:57 - Side by side comparison of Frank Lehman's Boba Fett theme transcription (Bb octatonic) and Lauren Crosby's transcription (C# minor). Same theme, same notes, conceived in different ways.
• 25:26 - Foreshadowing all the Dies Iraes in these minutes.
• 31:14 - Comparing John Williams's theme to Ludwig Göransson's Boba Fett theme.
• 44:09 - Did Ludwig Göransson reference John Williams on purpose?
• 50:38 - Hypothesizing about the break point of the Dies Irae in Boba Fett's two themes.
• 58:53 - Attacking a Star Destroyer motif, which also appears in John Powell's SOLO score.
• 1:04:54 - Satisfying engine sound that melds with the music.
• 1:09:18 - Carmina Burana moment.
• 1:10:16 - Dies Irae moment (paging Alex Ludwig).
• 1:16:02 - Guessing a theme based on two notes.
• 1:20:04 - Remaining part of the action through the soundscape.
• 1:23:43 - Upward steps with lower decorations evoke Luke struggling to learn the lesson.
• 1:26:40 - Organic vs. non-organic sounds on Dagobah. Natural habitat punctuated by Artoo's vocalizations.
• 1:30:55 - Paging Ender Smith (re: Artoo beeps).
• 1:33:57 - Ascending scale with ascending ship. The scale is somewhat familiar but sounds unresolved.
• 1:41:05 - SWMM Questionnaire

References:

• Ludwig Göransson's Book of Boba Fett theme - https://youtu.be/3a0tH0fkvW8
• "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff - https://youtu.be/GXFSK0ogeg4
• Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/.

Cues:

• 6M5/7M1 "The Magic Tree"
• 7M2 "Attack Position"
• Beginning of 7M3 "Yoda Raises The Ship"

Musical Themes:

• 1a. Main Theme (A Section)
• 12a. Yoda (A Section)
• 10a. Imperial March (Theme)
• 14. Boba Fett
• 29) Attacking A Star Destroyer
• 13) Dies Irae

Where are we in the soundtrack?

• "The Training of a Jedi Knight/The Magic Tree"
• "Attacking a Star Destroyer"
• "Yoda And The Force"

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Star Wars Music Minute Questionnaire:

1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?

- Expansive. Romantic. Foreignly-familiar.

2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?

- The process of coming up with character voices, sounds, or languages.

3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?

- Frozen II (composed by Christophe Beck)

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Guest: Lauren Crosby

• Lauren's presentation at the John Williams conference may be online soon. You can check on it here: https://johnwilliams.sciencesconf.org/
• University of Clemson page: https://www.clemson.edu/caah/about/facultybio.html?id=5566

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