3 ms·
The original Star Wars soundtrack, although enjoyable, seems to borrow an embarrassing amount from Gustav Holst's The Planets. I suppose this is partly the prob
by Gatsky 4y ago
The original Star Wars soundtrack, although enjoyable, seems to borrow an embarrassing amount from Gustav Holst's The Planets. I suppose this is partly the problem current composers have - why would a modern Orchestra play something akin to a well established favourite instead of just playing the favourite itself.
- TheOtherHobbes 4y agoIt borrows heavily from a number of sources. The main theme is a thinly modified reworking of Korngold's Kings Row. It's why movie music is a relatively mediocre artform. It's mostly reheated 19th/early 20th century cliches and borrowings with none of the fluency or genius of the originals. People forget that being able to write for an orchestra isn't proof of genius. The bar is higher than that. Ravel, Wagner, Debussy, Stravinsky, and Rachmaninov - and others - absolutely kill all of the Hollywood guys. More interesting are recent TV scores that have been all-electronic and abstract. Chernobyl seems to have broken the trend into the mainstream, but I'm hearing examples on shows like The Mandalorian and Dr Who. They sound a lot fresher than the orchestral blobbery that's more usual, because they're more about evocative sound design than trad synth/sampler sounds.
- Gatsky 4y agoThanks for the pointer to Korngold's work, yes can certainly see the resemblance!
- WalterBright 4y agoThe arrangements are much the same, right. But the Star Wars tune is much, much better.
- WalterBright 4y agoI love The Planets so much I have several versions of it, including Tomita's electronic interpretation of it. I've never noticed a similarity to the Star Wars theme, I'll have to listen again with that in mind!