The first score to Star Wars was composed and conducted by John Williams and orchestrated by Herbert Spencer (who orchestrated all three films of the Original Trilogy). Recorded over eight sessions[1] at Anvil Studios in Denham, England by Eric Tomlinson from March 5, 8–12, 15 and 16, 1977,[source?] the score was performed by the 87-piece London Symphony Orchestra.[2]
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.
A three-LP 40th anniversary box set was released on December 1, 2017.[3] Remastered editions of the soundtracks for Episodes I-VI will be released on May 4, 2018.[4]
Track listing for the first release on LP
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- First release on LP by 20th Century of the original soundtrack. John Williams selected 74 minutes of music out of the 88 minutes score.
Side One
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- Main Title – 5:20
- Imperial Attack – 6:10
- Princess Leia's Theme – 4:18
- The Desert and the Robot Auction – 2:51
Side Two
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- Ben's Death and TIE Fighter Attack – 3:46
- The Little People Work – 4:02
- Rescue of the Princess – 4:46
- Inner City – 4:12
- Cantina Band – 2:44
Side Three
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- The Land of the Sandpeople – 2:50
- Mouse Robot and Blasting Off – 4:01
- The Return Home – 2:46
- The Walls Converge – 4:31
- The Princess Appears – 4:04
Side Four
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- The Last Battle – 12:05
- The Throne Room and End Title – 5:28
Total Time: 74:58
Track listing for the first release on CD
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- First release on CD by Polydor.
- Main Theme – 5:20
- Imperial Attack – 6:10
- Princess Leia's Theme – 4:18
- The Desert and the Robot Auction – 2:51
- Ben's Death and TIE Fighter Attack – 3:46
- The Little People Work – 4:02
- Rescue of the Princess – 4:46
- Inner City – 4:12
- Cantina Band – 2:44
- The Land of the Sandpeople – 2:50
- Mouse Robot and Blasting Off – 4:01
- The Return Home – 2:46
- The Walls Converge – 4:31
- The Princess Appears – 4:04
- The Last Battle – 12:05
- The Throne Room and End Title – 5:28
Total Time: 74:58
Star Wars Trilogy: The Original Soundtrack Anthology
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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. For this set, John Williams selected 84 minutes of the 88 minute score.
Track listing for the complete score
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Available on RCA Victor (1997) and Sony Classical (2004) presenting the complete score in chronological order.
These two releases are essentially the same; one of the few differences is that the 1997 release included a booklet with detailed notes on the soundtrack, while the 2004 release did not.
Digitally remastered and re-edited from the original master tapes, this set is meant to be the definitive collection of the original Star Wars score.
Disc One
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- 20th Century Fox Fanfare (Alfred Newman, 1954) – 0:23
- Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner – 2:14
- Imperial Attack – 6:43
- The Dune Sea of Tatooine/Jawa Sandcrawler – 5:01
- The Moisture Farm** – 2:25
- The Hologram/Binary Sunset – 4:10
- Landspeeder Search/Attack of the Sandpeople – 3:20 !(00:00-00:21)
- Tales of a Jedi Knight/Learn About the Force* – 4:29
- Burning Homestead – 2:50
- Mos Eisley Spaceport – 2:16
- Cantina Band – 2:47
- Cantina Band #2* – 3:56
- 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
*previously unreleased
**contains previously unreleased material
Disc Two
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- Princess Leia's Theme – 4:27
- The Millennium Falcon/Imperial Cruiser Pursuit – 3:51
- Destruction of Alderaan* – 1:32
- The Death Star/The Stormtroopers* – 3:35
- Wookiee Prisoner/Detention Block Ambush – 4:01
- Shootout in the Cell Bay/Dianoga – 3:48
- The Trash Compactor – 3:07
- The Tractor Beam/Chasm Crossfire – 5:18
- Ben Kenobi's Death/Tie Fighter Attack – 3:51
- The Battle of Yavin – 9:07
- Launch from the Fourth Moon* – 1:12
- X-Wings Draw Fire – 5:38
- Use The Force – 2:17
- The Throne Room/End Title – 5:38
Total Time: 48:16
- Although most likely a typographical mistake, the word "Battle" in track ten is spelled with only one "t" on both the CD inlet and back cover.
*previously unreleased
Recording Information
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Orchestra
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Woodwind: 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 3 clarinets, 2 bassoons
Brass: 8 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, 2 tubas
Percussion: Timpani, 3 percussion
Keyboards: Piano, Celeste
Strings: 2 harps, 14 first violins, 12 second violins, 10 violas, 10 cellos, 6 double basses
Cantina Band: 3 saxophones, 1 trumpet, 1 clarinet, Fender Rhodes piano, steel drum, Arp synthesizer, drum kit, and percussion
Cue List
- R1P2 Main Title
- R1P3 Imperial Attack - Pt. II [The War]
- R1P4-R2P1 Imperial Attack [The Escape Hatch]
- R1P5-R2P1 The Desert [Desert Song]
- R2P2 The Little People
- R2P3 The Little People
- R2P3 NEW The Little People
- R2P3 REV More Little People
- R2P5 REV More Little People
- R2P4 [R2P6] R-2
- R3P1 The Princess Appears
- R3P1 REV The Princes[s] Appears
- R3P1 REV Princess Leia's Theme [The Princess Appears]
- R3P2 NEW
- R3P2 Lost R2
- R3P2 REV Lost R-2
- R3P3 The Sand Speeder
- R3P3 REV The Sand Speeder
- R3P3 REV The Land of the Sand People [The Sand Speeder]
- R3P4-R4P1 REV Land of the Sand People Pt II [The Sandman Attacks]
- R3P4-R4P1 The Sand Man Attacks
- R3P4-R4P1 REV The Sand Man Attacks
- R4P2 Obi-Wan Kenobi
- R4P2 Land of the Sand People Pt III [Obi-Wan Kenobi]
- R4P2A The Force
- R4P3 The Princess Reappears
- R4P4 REV The Return Home [A Home Destroyed]
- R4P4 A Home Destroyed
- R4P4 REV A Home Destroyed
- R5P1 A Hive of Villany
- R5P6 The Inner City
- R5P6 REV The Inner City
- R6P1 Blasting Away
- R6P5 NEW The Destruction of Alderon
- R7P1 NEW Is It A Bird?
- R7P2 The Hatch Opens
- R7P2 The Mouse Robot
- R8P2 NEW More Rescue
- R8P2 REV New Introduction to The Rescue
- R8P2 The Rescue
- R8P3 The Water Snake
- R8P3 REV The Water Snake
- R8P4 The Walls Converge
- R9P1 Ben Creeps Around
- R9P2 The Swashbucklers
- R9P3-R10P1 Ben's Death
- R10P2 The Fighters Attack [Here They Come]
- R10P3-R11P1 Standing By [Stand By]
- R11P2 REV The Last Battle Pt II [Approaching the Target]
- R11P2 Approaching the Target
- R12P2X
- R12P2 The Throne Room and End Title [End Titles]
- The Princess Theme
Original Recording Log
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The score for Star Wars was recorded over the span of 8 days in the month of March 1977. The 1997 Special Edition soundtrack release by RCA Victor included a detailed look at the recording log for all the cues in the film.
Recorded Take | Cue Title (Album) | Original Cue Title | Selected Take | Film Order |
---|---|---|---|---|
1-7 | Chasm Crossfire | R9P2 The Swashbucklers | 5, 7 | 31 |
8-10 | The Death Star | R7P1 Is It A Bird? | 10 | 23 |
11-15 | Ben Kenobi's Death | R9P3-R10P1 Ben's Death | 13, 15 | 32 |
16-20 | Main Title | R1P2 Main Title | 18, 19, 20 | 1 |
21-23 | The Hologram | R3P1 The Princess Appears | 22 | 8 |
Recording Take | Cue Title (Album) | Original Cue Title | Selected Take | Film Order |
---|---|---|---|---|
24-27 | Shootout In The Cell Bay | R8P2 REV New Introduction to The Rescue
R8P2 The Rescue | 26, 27 | 27 |
28-40 | Princess Leia's Theme | The Princess Theme | 33, 40 | N/A |
41-50 | Imperial Attack (Part 1) | R1P3 Imperial Attack - Pt. II [The War] | 44, 50 | 2 |
51-53 | The Tractor Beam | R9P1 Ben Creeps Around | 53 | 30 |
54-55 | Binary Sunset (Alternate) | R3P2 REV Lost R-2 | N/A | N/A |
Recorded Takes | Cue Title (Album) | Original Cue Title | Selected Takes | Film Order |
---|---|---|---|---|
56-58 | Learn About The Force (Part 2) | R4P4 A Home Destroyed | 58 | 15 |
59-63 | Burning Homestead | R4P4 REV A Home Destroyed | 62, 63 | 16 |
64-67 | Wookiee Prisoner | R7P2 The Mouse Robot | 67 | 25 |
68-72 | Learn About The Force (Part 1) | R4P3 The Princess Reappears | 72 | 14 |
Recorded Takes | Cue Title | Selected Takes | Film Order |
---|---|---|---|
73-80 | Cantina Band | 76 | 18 |
81-82 | Cantina Band #2 | 81 | 19 |
Recorded Takes | Cue Title (Album) | Original Cue Title | Selected Takes | Film Order |
---|---|---|---|---|
83-85 | X-Wings Draw Fire | R11P2 REV The Last Battle Pt II [Approaching the Target] | 85, 86 | 35 |
87-92 | Landspeeder Search | R3P3 REV The Land of the Sand People [The Sand Speeder] | 92 | 10 |
93-94 | Tales Of A Jedi Knight (Part 2) | N/A | N/A | |
95-97 | Tie Fighter Attack | R10P2 The Fighters Attack [Here They Come] | 95, 97 | 33 |
98-105 | The Trash Compactor | R8P4 The Walls Converge | 101, 102 | 29 |
106-109 | Tales Of A Jedi Knight (Part 2) | R4P2A The Force | 109 | 13 |
110-114 | The Stormtrooopers | R7P2 The Hatch Opens | 114 | 24 |
115-116 | Dianoga | R8P3 REV The Water Snake | 116 | 28 |
117-122 | Tales Of A Jedi Knight (Part 1) | R4P2 Obi-Wan Kenobi
R4P2 Land of the Sand People Pt III [Obi-Wan Kenobi] | 122 | 12 |
123-126 | The Moisture Farm (Part 2) | R2P4 [R2P6] R-2 | 126 | 7 |
Recorded Takes | Cue Title (Album) | Original Cue Title | Selected Takes | Film Order |
---|---|---|---|---|
127-133 | The Throne Room | R12P2 The Throne Room and End Title [End Titles] | 132, 133 | 37 |
134-143 | End Title | R12P2 The Throne Room and End Title [End Titles] | 136, 137, 142, 143 | 38 |
144-149 | Dune Sea Of Tatooine | R1P5-R2P1 The Desert [Desert Song] | 149 | 4 |
150-154 | Detention Block Ambush | R8P2 NEW More Rescue | 153, 154 | 26 |
155-162 | Launch From The Fourth Moon | R10P3-R11P1 Standing By [Stand By] | 162 | 34 |
163-167 | Imperial Attack (Part 2) | R1P4-R2P1 Imperial Attack [The Escape Hatch] | 165, 167 | 3 |
168-172 | Destruction Of Alderaan | R6P5 NEW The Destruction of Alderon | 172 | 22 |
173-175 | The Millennium Falcon | R5P6 The Inner City | 175 | 20 |
Recorded Takes | Cue Title (Album) | Original Cue Title | Selected Takes | Film Order |
---|---|---|---|---|
176-180 | Use The Force | R11P2 Approaching the Target | 178, 180 | 36 |
181-185 | Mos Eisley Spaceport | R5P1 A Hive of Villany | 184, 185 | 17 |
186-188 | Jawa Sandcrawler | R2P3 The Little People | 186, 187, 188 | 5 |
189-197 | The Moisture Farm (Part 1) | R2P5 REV More Little People | 194, 197 | 6 |
198-202 | Binary Sunset (Revised) | R3P2 Lost R2 | 202 | 9 |
Recorded Takes | Cue Title (Album) | Original Cue Title | Selected Takes | Film Order |
---|---|---|---|---|
203-209 | Imperial Cruiser Pursuit | R6P1 Blasting Away | 205, 206, 209 | 21 |
210-214 | Attack Of The Sand People | R3P4-R4P1 REV Land of the Sand People Pt II [The Sandman Attacks] | 213, 214 | 11 |
215-219 | End Title (Crossover) | R12P2 The Throne Room and End Title [End Titles] | 219 | 38 |
Notes and references
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- ↑ The 1977 Star Wars Theatrical Souvenir Program states that there were fourteen recording sessions.
- ↑ 1977 Star Wars Theatrical Souvenir Program
- ↑
Star Wars: A New Hope Soundtrack Vinyl Box Set Coming December 1 on StarWars.com
- ↑
Remasters of the First 6 Star Wars Soundtracks Coming May 4 on StarWars.com
See also
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- Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace soundtrack
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones soundtrack
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith soundtrack
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back soundtrack
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi soundtrack
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens soundtrack
- Star Wars Trilogy: The Original Soundtrack Anthology