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The Last Jedi Soundtrack Musical Analysis: Track 16 – The Battle of Crait

1/1/2018

2 Comments

 
0:00-0:17 Force theme, solo horn with string accompaniment, C# minor, 1st and 2nd phrases
0:17-0:26 Resistance March, trombone, B-flat minor
0:26-0:32 Resistance March, trombone, F minor
0:32-0:48 “Battle of Hoth”-like incidental music
0:48-1:00 Rose's theme, horn with trumpet interjections, B-flat major to D Major
1:00-1:10 Incidental. What's that horn from 1:03-1:10 mean? Is it where we see the battering ram for the first time?
1:10-1:22 Resistance March, strings and trombones, B-flat minor
1:22-1:32 Rose's theme, abbreviated, horn, E-flat major to G major, as the resistance launches their defense
1:32-1:48 Incidental. Key change from D minor to E minor at 1:47. Does the key change coincide with the scene change from the Resistance to the First Order?
1:48-1:53 Ren's Power motive (missing he raised 4th – is that significant?), e minor, as he orders the attack
1:53-2:57 Intense incidental battle music, constantly changing keys
2:57-3:04 Rebel Fanfare, trumpets, as the Millennium Falcon saves the day
3:04-3:13 Rey's melody, d minor, horn, 1st and 2nd phrases, as we see Rey in the Falcon
3:13-3:20 Incidental
3:20-3:25 Desperation motive, horn x4 with trumpet interjections, C# minor,
3:25-3:31 Desperation motive, trumpet x4, G minor
3:31-3:34 Rey's melody, 1st phrase only, horn, d minor,
3:34-3:46 Incidental, brass in octaves
3:46-3:54 TIE Fighter attack
3:55-4:03 Rebel Fanfare, brass
4:03-4:15 TIE Fighter attack
4:15-4:23 Rebel Fanfare, brass
4:23-4:31 TIE Fighter attack (this one not heard in film)
4:31-4:56 Incidental, scary incidental low brass (not heard in film)
4:56-5:01 Desperation motive x4, different instrument and key each time
5:02-5:50 Incidental battle music
5:50-6:09 incidental traumatized strings (reminds me of immolation scene from Revenge of the Sith)
6:09-6:48 + choir as Finn continues his attack despite Poe's orders otherwise
2 Comments
Chantal
1/10/2018 02:07:08 pm

Hi Aaron, thanks for your wonderful blog and the very many hours you put into your Star Wars analysis, it was a fascinating read. I just wanted to chime in my opinion on the absence of augmented 4th in REN’s power motive at 1:50 (thanks for picking up on it!) In my opinion it’s equal parts “state of the affairs” and foreshadowing. The augmented 4th being dubbed “the devil in music”, it’s disappearance reflects to me the fact that REN isn’t the unambiguous bad guy he was in The Force Awakens, and potentially that there are kinder if sad days in his future. The tritone also being the greatest musical dissonance possible, it’s absence might foreshadow a certain emotional cleanup on the horizon. Guess we’ll have to see...

Reply
Aaron
1/11/2018 07:16:48 am

Hi Chantal,
Thanks for the kind words - I'm glad you're finding my blog worthwhile :-)
One of the dangers of this type of analysis is that you can find all sorts of meaning that isn't really there. For example, Rose's theme sounds a lot like Anakin's theme from The Phantom Menace. Is that significant? Is Rose somehow connected to young Anakin Skywalker? I highly doubt it.
Similarly, is this lack of raised fourth in Ren's power motive significant? I have no idea! But I find your theory that it's symbolic of his ambiguous good/bad character and foreshadowing kinder days ahead to be compelling :-)

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