Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (soundtrack)

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Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Soundtrack
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Soundtrack cover
Studio album by John Williams and London Symphony Orchestra
Released 1977, 1997, 2004
Recorded March 1977
Genre Soundtrack
Length 1:45:46
Label 20th Century Records (later by RSO Records, RCA Victor, and Sony Classical)
Producer George Lucas
Professional reviews
Star Wars soundtrack chronology
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (soundtrack)
(1977)		 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (soundtrack)
(1980)

John Williams' score for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was recorded over eight sessions at Anvil Studios in Denham, England on March 5, 8–12, 15 and 16, 1977. The score was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra with Williams conducting. The score was orchestrated (transcribed for orchestra from Williams' original piano sketches) by frequent Williams collaborator Herbert W. Spencer, who also orchestrated The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The score was recorded by engineer Eric Tomlinson, and the scoring sessions were supervised by Lionel Newman, head of the music department at Twentieth Century Fox.

The film premiered on May 25, 1977 and by late summer a disco version of the Star Wars Theme by Meco became America's number one song. Williams received three Grammys in February 1978 and his third Academy Award (second for Best Original Score) in April.

Contents

[edit] Track listing for the first release on LP

  • First release on LP by 20th Century. For the original soundtrack, John Williams selected 74 minutes of music out of the 88 minute score. To provide musical variety, it did not follow the chronological order of the film.

[edit] SIDE one

  1. Main Theme – 5:20
  2. Imperial Attack – 6:10 (8-track - 6:25)
  3. Princess Leia's Theme – 4:18 (8-track - 4:20)
  4. The Desert and the Robot Auction – 2:51.

[edit] SIDE two

  1. Ben's Death and TIE Fighter Attack – 3:46
  2. The Little People Work – 4:02
  3. Rescue of the Princess – 4:46
  4. Inner City – 4:12
  5. Cantina Band – 2:44 (8-track, Part I - 1:45)

[edit] SIDE three

(8-track PROGRAM 3, Cantina Band, Part II - 1:06)

  1. The Land of the Sandpeople – 2:50
  2. Mouse Robot and Blasting Off – 4:01
  3. The Return Home – 2:46
  4. The Walls Converge – 4:31
  5. The Princess Appears – 4:04 (8-track, Part I - 3:11)

[edit] SIDE four

(8-track, The Princess Appears, Part II - 1:00)

  1. The Last Battle – 12:05
  2. The Throne Room and End Title – 5:28

Total Time: 74:58

[edit] Track listing for the first release on CD

[edit] Disc one

  1. Main Theme – 5:20
  2. Imperial Attack – 6:10
  3. Princess Leia's Theme – 4:18
  4. The Desert and the Robot Auction – 2:51
  5. Ben's Death and TIE Fighter Attack – 3:46
  6. The Little People Work – 4:02
  7. Rescue of the Princess – 4:24
  8. Inner City – 4:12
  9. Cantina Band – 2:44

[edit] Disc two

  1. The Land of the Sandpeople – 2:50
  2. Mouse Robot and Blasting Off – 4:01
  3. The Return Home – 2:46
  4. The Walls Converge – 4:31
  5. The Princess Appears – 4:04
  6. The Last Battle – 12:05
  7. The Throne Room and End Title – 5:28

[edit] Star Wars Trilogy: The Original Soundtrack Anthology

In 1993, Twentieth Century Fox Film Scores released a four CD box set containing music from the original Star Wars Trilogy. This release marked the first time that the complete contents of the original double-LP releases of the scores from the first two movies became available on CD. Disc one in the set was devoted to Star Wars, with further tracks on disc four.

Since every cue is recorded several times, usually with varying orchestral differences, the final decisions on what takes of cues are used and/or how they are edited to create the cues used was decided by the music editor Kenneth Wannberg. In the time between the original LP release and the release of the Anthology, this breakdown was lost. Because of this, many takes of cues used on the Anthology are not the same. This is most obvious on the cue "The Throne Room," so the Anthology is technically not an exact replica of the LP, but is nearly so.

  1. 20th Century Fox Fanfare with CinemaScope Extension
  2. Main Title
  3. Imperial Attack
  4. The Desert
  5. The Little People Work
  6. The Princess Appears
  7. The Land of the Sand People
  8. The Return Home
  9. Inner City
  10. Cantina Band
  11. Mouse Robot/Blasting Off
  12. Rescue of the Princess
  13. The Walls Converge
  14. Ben's Death/Tie Fighter Attack
  15. Princess Leia's Theme
  16. The Last Battle
  17. The Throne Room/End Title

"Bonus Tracks" (disc four of the same set)

1. 20th Century Fox Fanfare with CinemaScope Extension
2. Star Wars Main Title (Alternate)
4. A Hive of Villainy
5. Destruction of Alderaan
10. Cantina Band
12. Cantina Band #2
15. Standing By

[edit] Track listing for the complete score

  • Now available on RCA Victor (1997) and Sony Classical (2004) presenting the complete score in chronological order for the first time. The two releases present exactly the same track listing. The only difference between these editions is that the RCA release includes complete notes on each track by Michael Matessino and that the Sony Classical release does not include these notes.

[edit] Disc one

  1. 20th Century Fox Fanfare (Alfred Newman, 1954) – 0:23
  2. Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner – 2:14
  3. Imperial Attack – 6:43
  4. The Dune Sea of Tatooine/Jawa Sandcrawler – 5:01
  5. The Moisture Farm – 2:25
  6. The Hologram/Binary Sunset – 4:10
  7. Landspeeder Search/Attack of the Sandpeople – 3:20
  8. Tales of a Jedi Knight/Learn About the Force – 4:29
  9. Burning Homestead – 2:50
  10. Mos Eisley Spaceport – 2:16
  11. Cantina Band – 2:47
  12. Cantina Band #2 – 3:56
  13. Archival Bonus Track: Binary Sunset (Alternate) – 2:19
  • contains the hidden track "Star Wars Main Title (Complete recording session version)" 11:56

Total Time: 57:35

[edit] Disc two

  1. Princess Leia's Theme – 4:27
  2. The Millennium Falcon/Imperial Cruiser Pursuit – 3:51
  3. Destruction of Alderaan – 1:32
  4. The Death Star/The Stormtroopers – 3:35
  5. Wookiee Prisoner/Detention Block Ambush – 4:01
  6. Shootout in the Cell Bay/Dianoga – 3:48
  7. The Trash Compactor – 3:07
  8. The Tractor Beam/Chasm Crossfire – 5:18
  9. Ben Kenobi's Death/Tie Fighter Attack – 3:51
  10. The Battle of Yavin – 9:07
    1. Launch from the Fourth Moon – 1:12
    2. X-Wings Draw Fire – 6:50
    3. Use The Force – 2:05
  11. The Throne Room/End Title – 5:38

Total Time: 48:16

[edit] See also