The music of the Original Trilogy vs the music of the Prequel Trilogy

Personally, I find the music to be just about the only enjoyable element of the PT. The movies suck, granted, but I still say Williams delivered solid scores for all three films (AOTC is admittedly the weakest of the lot).

As for your comment that "none of the music within them [the prequels] has ever stirred any sort of lasting impression in me," I can sympathize. But I tend to think that that's a result of the lack of decent storytelling and characterization in the prequels. The OT scores are more emotionally meaningful to you and me because they play upon a "connection" of sorts that we've formed with these characters whom we have come to know and love, and with the gripping storylines as well. When it come to the PT there's no such connection to play upon, because the source material was too shallow to begin with.

That being said, I think the PT scores qua scores are just fine.

I agree with the OP.  I don't think it's specific to the prequels or anything though.  I actually don't care for much of Williams' latter-day work (nineties and beyond).  The PT scores were just as forgettable as the movies they accompanied IMO.  I do remember the elements of several OT themes being present in the PT scores, but it felt more like playing a game of musical Where's Waldo than listening to enjoyable music.

The biggest problem with why the Prequel music may not be as good lies with--I feel--Lucas and the way he edited and re-edited (and re-edited and re-edited) those movies.  Even after Williams recorded the scores the movies were changed; subsequently the scores were changed.  The Phantom Menace music was butchered beyond belief-- the Ultimate Edition Soundtrack is proof of that.  Plus, wasn't TPM music re-used in AOTC instead of some of the original music written for it?

I thought there were good music moments in TPM; ROTS was the best Prequel soundtrack (probably because it used so much Original Trilogy music) and AOTC did pretty much suck.

I'd really like to see the original cut of AOTC, in which Williams' score for the ending wasn't butchered.

timdiggerm said:

I'd really like to see the original cut of AOTC, in which Williams' score for the ending wasn't butchered.

I'd like to hear the original score for AOTC without seeing another version of the movie.

I have still to this day not seen Attack of the Clones but I have heard the score and I like "Across the Stars", a very epic and beautiful theme that almost rivals "Han Solo and the Princess" from Empire.

Personally, I don't think Williams never again came to the heights of the period '77 - '81, there's something raw and primal about the sound from Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra from that era that I thought was gone even at the time when Jedi was released, it could be a result of the studio and the mixing at that time but just take a listen to the brass in Star Wars or Raiders and you'll know what I'm talking about. Everything sounded so slick and perfect later on.

There are some nice moments in the PT scores (like, Anakin's Theme, I think it's called). I've actually only bought one of the PT scores- ROTS because it came with that DVD of OT/PT music videos hosted by Ian McDiarmid.

But overall, the prequel music is lackluster. Williams' composing definitely is not what it once was, but I also think he was a bit uninspired when it came time to write for the prequels.

I forget if it was here or on another forum, but someone had it on good authority that Williams was not looking forward to the PT project.

The most-listened to score for me is ROTJ.

Listen to the complete scores, the OST's are edited into (not very good) suites, and the score as used in the film is edited to bits.

Derivative of what?

Back to the Future 2 (Silvestri) is derivative, TPM/AOTC/ROTS are not.

great music examples in PT:

the music in AOTC starting with dooku arriving on coruscant to meet sidious all the way to the iris out is awesome (the jedi temple part had such a sense of eerie calm).  Order 66 would have been really interesting if the CGI wasnt so garish and if it had no sound effects, just music.  and I wish the scene with anakin and padme looking at each other across the city wasn't so faint because that music was chilling on the OST. kinda reminded me of the original friday the 13th, when brenda was in the shower room half-wondering if she was alone or being watched.

 but there are also pieces that i didn't like - which is something I cant say for the OOT.  and when you have a lousy scene, it compounds it.  The music selections and editing were also poor.

most glaring example is the trade federation march when anakin raids the temple in ROTS. WTF!?

I did't like the mustafar theme and the music for the sequence starting with anakin arriving on mustafar -->obiwan, bail and yoda returning to coruscant --> emperor abolishes the republic -->and ending with anakin killing Gunray.  that music just really misfired for me and that whole portion I have a problem with ( I never liked how coruscant looks in broad daylight and the scene with yoda taking down the clonetroopers looks so cartoonish).

Still baffling that the SW theme itself is hardly played in PT :(

The OT, all the music is great - even ROTJ had great emperors theme and endor themes.  Only mark i have is ESB plays those 9 notes of The Imperial March too many times.  really too bad because the middle part of that theme is great if you heard the soundtrack. 

as for williams overall - i love the piece of battle hymns when Nixon is at the lincoln memorial and all the protestors wake up and realize its him. 

 just awesome.

The march of the Jedi temple was NOT the trade federation theme.

DOTF was only used twice, in AOTC and ROTS, in ROTS it was the same recording of the orchestra, but a new recording of the choir part.

and hopefully these unused bits will put things into perspective:

Attack of the Clones

Alternate Finale Snippet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjkjY18n500&feature=player_embedded)

Revenge of the Sith

Battle of Coruscant (Full Ending Music Restored):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roFIHTI_viI

Good Guys Arrive Unused Opening

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6zHlLV5ByYfeature=channel_video_title

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/The-Star-Wars-Movie-Score-Unused-Replaced-Music-Restoration-Thread/topic/13670/

Yeah, he might be thinking of when they used the Trade Federation theme to introduce the clone troopers in AOTC. Terrible decision, I thought.

Some have speculated that that music was written for a version of the scene when Obi-wan sees the Trade Federation ships, and was repurposed for the Clone Troopers.

this is a really even debate, but I find myself humming and whistling the PT songs more than OT, but that doesn't mean that the PT songs are better than the OT. I feel more nostalgic when I listen to the OT songs because I was like seven or eight when the OTSE's came out.

fishmanlee said:

Some have speculated that that music was written for a version of the scene when Obi-wan sees the Trade Federation ships, and was repurposed for the Clone Troopers.

When/where/how would that scene have been? Tell me more.