The Imperial March

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"The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)"[1] is a musical theme written in G minor present in the Star Wars films. It was composed by John Williams for the film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Together with Yoda's theme, the Imperial March was premiered on April 29, 1980, "three weeks before the opening of the film, on the occasion of John Williams' first concert as official conductor-in-residence of the Boston Pops Orchestra."[2] One of the best known symphonic movie themes, it is a classic example of a leitmotif, a recurrent theme associated with characters or events in a drama.[3]

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[edit] Use in Star Wars films

"The Imperial March" is sometimes referred to simply as "Darth Vader's Theme", or very rarely as the "Imperial Death March".[4] In the movies (except for A New Hope), the march is often played when Darth Vader appears. It is also played for the arrival of Emperor Palpatine on the Death Star in Return of the Jedi, though it does segue into the Emperor's own theme as he appears.

[edit] Original Trilogy

"The Imperial March" is first heard in The Empire Strikes Back in low piccolos as the Empire sends the probe droids across the galaxy. Its major opening occurs as Star Destroyers amass and the Vader's flagship flies over them. The theme (or motifs therefrom) is also incorporated into tracks The Battle of Hoth and then again in The Asteroid Field, as Imperial Star Destroyers chase the rebels into a field of asteroids. A minor use occurs on Bespin in the Carbon-freeze chamber, when Han Solo is frozen in carbonite and lifted out of the carbon-freeze pit: it is heard, though in a different key. It is also used in the end credits, also in a different key (e.g., The Rebel Fleet/End Title). At the end of Return of the Jedi, the motif is heard one last time but is different as it is now a distant sounding melancholy tune played on a harp as a redeemed Anakin Skywalker dies after having gazed at his son just once with his "own eyes."

[edit] Prequel Trilogy

"The Imperial March" theme appears scarcely in the prequel trilogy, but is often used to hint at Anakin Skywalker's future as Darth Vader. Its usage increases throughout the trilogy.

A few notes of "The Imperial March" are played in The Phantom Menace in a scene between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda when they discuss Anakin Skywalker's future. The last few notes of the theme appear occasionally in "Anakin's Theme" in the soundtrack for The Phantom Menace.

In the second prequel, Attack of the Clones, "The Imperial March" is sometimes played subtly when an event foreshadows Anakin's future: It is first played when Yoda senses Anakin slaughtering a tribe of Tusken Raiders to avenge his mother's death, and later louder when Anakin tells Padmé Amidala what he did. It is played during the final sequence when clone troopers assemble and depart Coruscant, foreshadowing that the clone troopers are the predecessors of Imperial Stormtroopers. Across the Stars plays during the end credits of Attack of the Clones: at the end, when the flute is playing the melody, the notes of "The Imperial March" are heard, slow and deep, underneath the love theme.

In the final film, Revenge of the Sith, it is played as Anakin rebukes the Jedi Council for not being given the rank of Jedi Master despite being appointed to the Council, when he reveals to Mace Windu that Palpatine is a Sith Lord, when Anakin receives his Sith name (Darth Vader), as Palpatine tells Vader to go to the Jedi Temple and kill all the Jedi, as the Clone Troopers on Kashyyyk search for Yoda after failing to kill him as per Order 66, as Darth Vader prepares to assassinate the Separatist leaders, when Padmé turns down Vader's offer to join him and rule the galaxy, during the duel between Yoda and Palpatine, and when the famous mask is first put on Darth Vader's disfigured head. In addition, a cue based on Qui-Gon's funeral dirge plays as Vader and Palpatine brood over the construction of the Death Star; three key notes of "The Imperial March" can be heard in counterpoint.

[edit] Uses outside the Star Wars films

Outside of the Star Wars film universe, the march is often used as a musical illustration for various totalitarian or authoritarian political and religious figures. One example of use in protest of a political figure is when the piece was performed at the Horse Guards Parade in London during the 2007 state visit of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom. The Imperial March was also played as a form of protest against Scientology during the Project Chanology protests by Anonymous.[5]

The music has been used as emblematic of sporting rivalries. Numerous high school and college marching bands have taken to playing the march during football games. In January 2003, during Super Bowl XXXVII, ABC Sports took to using the Imperial March as a leitmotif for the Oakland Raiders.[6] Two-time former World Professional Darts Champion John Part uses the theme as entrance for his matches.[7]. The Miami Hurricanes use the Imperial March during games, in part of their "Evil Empire" persona.[citation needed]

An elevator music version appears in the Family Guy episode "Blue Harvest", when Peter (as Han Solo) and Chris (as Luke Skywalker) escort Brian (as Chewbacca) dressed as stormtroopers. The episode is a spoof of A New Hope, in which the Imperial March is not used.

In the Simpsons episode "Gump Roast", Mr. Burns steps toward a podium and the march plays.

Also, it is common to find the march paired with figures such as Adolf Hitler, particularly on YouTube. This hints, at least fandom-wise, at a comparison between Nazi Germany and the Empire (it is common for the Empire to be called "Space Nazis").

[edit] Media

Midi sample of The Imperial March - Sample (help·info).

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Michael Matessino, booklet for original soundtrack recording for Empire Strikes Back, Special Edition, page 17. RCA ASIN B000003G8G. "The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) is the now famous signature theme for Darth Vader."
  2. ^ Michael Matessino, booklet for original soundtrack recording for Empire Strikes Back, Special Edition, page 6. RCA ASIN B000003G8G.
  3. ^ Irena Paulus, "Williams versus Wagner or an Attempt at Linking Musical Epics" International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music 31 2 (2000): 153. "John Williams used leitmotifs in the genuine sense of the word. He has come very close to the practice of Wagner in the various procedures in which he varies and transforms his themes, and in using the idea of the thematic image (the arch-theme that is the unifying element of the musical material). However, the similarity of Williams's and Wagner's leitmotifs is greatest in the area of kinship of themes (a series of new themes or motifs derive from a single motif or theme) on the basis of which both of them create a web of mutually related leitmotifs. The closeness of the procedures of the two can also be found in the area of melody, rhythm, form, harmony, instrumentation, and even in the domain of the ratio of the old and the new in their music. The ultimate objective of Richard Wagner was to create the music drama, music for the stage based on the old roots of opera, in which all the musical elements were subordinated to the drama. The ultimate aim of John Williams was to take part in the creation of a film in which his music would serve to define the film's substance and help all the other elements of it to function property."
  4. ^ Scott N. Miller, A Theater for Interaction, Master of Architecture thesis at U. of Cincinnati, May 20, 2004, p. 52. "Examples of this run rampant in modern cinema. Music is used to manipulate audience reactions. Consider the Imperial Death March played in Star Wars, which enhances and accompanies the strength and power of Darth Vader and his control. The sound of a certain instrument may even be used to represent specific characters or characteristics, such as the innocent yet inquisitive sound of a clarinet, or the sensual vibrations of a saxophone. Sound may even be removed from a picture so that viewers focus on the visual occurrences or seriousness of a situation."
  5. ^ Ramadge, Andrew (2008-03-18). Second round of Anonymous v Scientology. Cnet. Retrieved on 2008-03-19. “One busker in the mall played Star Wars theme "The Imperial March" on a tuba as the protestors walked past.”
  6. ^ Urbanski, Heather (2007). Plagues, Apocalypses and Bug-Eyed Monsters: How Speculative Fiction Shapes Our Nightmares. New York: McFarland, 132-133. 
  7. ^ Professional Dart Players Walk on Music.... Darts501.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.

[edit] External links

  • Darth Abdullah? YouTube video of the Imperial March being performed during King Abdullah's visit to the United Kingdom