The Emperor's Theme?

What is the Emperor's Theme? Is it The Emperor Arrives, The Emperor's Throne Room, or a completely different song? I heard that "Augie's Great Municipal Band" from Episode 1 sounds like it and I wanted to check it out but I can't find it.

 

The Emperor's Theme is not just one track, it's a theme that is used throughout several tracks. It plays during "Confrontation with Count Dooku and Finale", "Nute and Rune Confer with Sidious", "The Emperor's Death" and the tracks you mentioned.

Regarding "Augie's Municipal Band", there is still some debate as to whether that is a version of the theme or not.

 

It most certainly is. John Williams confirmed it (though he called the Emperor's theme "Darth Vader's theme" because he doesn't know what he's talking about).

 

Which song that contains the Emperor's theme most sounds like Augie's band?

 

None of them. "Augie" contains the one upbeat version of that theme in any of the SW scores. The rest of the time, the Emperor's Theme is heard in a menacing, sinister mode, usually performed by deep male voices.

In "Augie", it's almost more creepy though, being performed in a happy, cheerful way by children.

 

"The Emperor's Death" has a full blown horn rendition, but it's in a different key than "Augie", and certainly the tempo and context is different. Most all of the other cues containing the Emperor's Theme are forboding in nature, featuring mainly the chorus.

 

I'm serious. John Williams's thematic descriptions of his own scores are hilarious. I don't know if he wants to simplify the structure for casual listeners, or if he just forgets.

 

"Brontosaurus Rex theme"

 

Maybe I need to read more interviews with him. But cut the man some slack, he's old.

 

?!?! am i missing a refrence to something??

 

You are.

 

GL is no better. He refers to "laser swords" and he doesn't pronounce his own characters names right or the planets properly.

 

Hehe,The Emperors theme is the one that is most associated with the dark side

 

For good reason. It pretty much is the Dark Side/Sith theme.

 

Knowing these kind of people, they don't do well with interviews. I have read most of his interviews, and they do make you turn your head slightly at times. Makes you wonder if he thinks the target audiance isn't following the score what-so-ever, which is mostly true. But anyway, he seems to have a set routine of answers for most questions. (Anyone else going to stab themselves if they hear him say that he's anti-deluvinal again?) It's the spicific ones about score moments where he starts making little comments like that.

His work is still wonderful though. He definately knows what he's doing dispite what it looks like at times, but I can say from my own exeriance composing that you forget. It's part of being a composer that you try to push all of your themes and melodies out of your head, that way you don't accidentally use them again. Besides, usually he had written the score 1/2 a year to 2 years before he does these interviews. They're still asking questions about scores from decades ago. I don't blame him for forgetting or messing up, but it still makes me laugh at times I must admit, but more of a chuckle than out of spite.

~JW

 

Republic Commando as I recall, used the Emperor's Theme in those "Clone Wars, Day 0, Geonosis" cut-scenes. The theme got more intense as you progressed through the game, ending with the rendition from "The Emperor's Death".

Just my little piece of trivia.

 

I think this was just RotJ music.

 

I know the theme. The Emperor's theme has to be some of the creepiest Star Wars music in the saga.

 

He calls them laser swords because that what they are often refered to, ever since he wrote the first draft of ANH. And who says that he is saying the names of his characters and planets wrong? He is the creator, he knows how they are pronounced. He just doesn't make people pronounce it the way he does. Same with Tony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams pronouncing Han's name as (hAN) rather than (hON) like Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. Same with Leia being pronounced as (Leah) by the actor who played Dodonna. Even Alec Guiness refered to Obi-wan as Obi-wAN rather than Obi-One/Won. Or Hayden pronouncing Padme as PadaMAY rather that PadME.

 

Truthfully, terms & titles tend to come near the end of the process. Me, I'm a fan film maker. And if you ask me about one of my movies, I'm much more likely to refer to 'The psycho movie' instead of 'Survival.' Why? Because I may have created a title card reading 'Survival' for the movie before I released it, but throughout the filming and editing process, I always just refered to it as 'the psycho movie.'

Remember, these guys are working off a totaly different side of Star Wars than we are... we work with the finished product, but they work behind the scenes. And while it may be a big deal to us when they announce the title of the next movie at a SWcon, chances are they've been calling it something in the several years they've been working on it up to this point. And chances are they're more likely to think of all the work that they did under that name, not the one they assigned it near the end of the process.

 

the emperor's theme or whatever ya wanna call it........is that the tune playing when he arrives on the DS2 in ROTJ and walks off the shuttle ramp???? it's awesome music. it is also heard in AOTC when Dooku is flying the solar sail ship back to meet palpy towards the end ("Welcome home, lord tyrannus") and ROTS when Palp & Clones are taking Anakin back to Coruscant after he has been chopped and burned.

 

Yes.

 

It's a funny thing about Augie's Municipal Band. The fact that The Emperor's Theme can be played so many ways. The childrens chorus is creepy indeed. But in TPM it is kind of the younger stages of Palpatine's plan for his Empire, and Vader as his apprentice. So in a strange way the use of the Children's voices is a good choice.
Like the Imperial March in the PT. A gentle bit when we meet Anakin. Full Militaristic Glory when Palpatine and Company are on the Balcony at the end of AOTC. And the somber statement as the Helmet is secured on Darth Vader's head in ROTS.
A side note. On Saturday I attended a lovely orchestral concert featuring a children's and adult choir. Both seperate and mixed. There was an enthusiastic standing ovation at the end. And no encore. Augie's Great Municipal Band/End Credits would have been perfect.
With Augie's use of the Children's Choir, a full Orchestra's statement of the Main Theme, and Adult Choir with Dual of the Fates. Now that would have been a fitting curtain call for every performer.