Image, Identity and John Wesley (Routledge Methodist Studies Series)

Description

The true force of
is not a mystical energy field–it is music. John Williams’s contribution to the Skywalker Saga is a singular achievement in the history of music film and the history of music more generally. His intricate, inventive, unforgettable scores define cinema’s most beloved franchise. Imagine the twin suns of Tatooine setting without the sound of a solo French horn, or Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker battling without their themes clashing on the soundtrack. These contributions are crucial to the franchise’s ability to capture the imagination of generations, in and outside the movie theatre.
In this groundbreaking book, Frank Lehman explores the totality of Williams’s
musical universe, an orchestral epic that spans nine movies and over four decades of cinematic history. Drawing on his unparalleled knowledge of the series’ soundscape, Lehman argues for hearing the saga as a fundamentally
experience, one where close attention to the soundtrack is rewarding, even essential. Engaging and accessible for casual fans, yet supported by rigorous research methods and critical perspectives,
lends Williams’s magnum opus the seriousness it deserves.
Sure to be the benchmark for future studies of this series,
will change how you hear
–and all symphonic music–forever.