The Fortress of Solitude
This Blog highlights a wonderful technique used by maestro John Williams from one of my all-time favorite cues "The Fortress of Solitude" from the original "Superman" film.
It also certainly draws influence from Gustav Holst's "The Planets" along with the Russian masters.
I always tell my students it has all been done before and the trick is to take all these bits and pieces
and make them into your own compositional vernacular.
The cue excerpt below which is borrowed from a John Williams sketch demonstrates a fabulous way to create an other-worldly type effect!
It consists of high vertically structured 2nd inversion minor triads in the winds modulating to and from each other in half-step motion as the Celeste plays the same notes from the triads in a descending horizontal manner.
Listen to this marvelous cue and create one along these lines and you will have a great tool to add to your composer's tool-box.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBARWspfkY
(Click once on image for full-size)
It also certainly draws influence from Gustav Holst's "The Planets" along with the Russian masters.
I always tell my students it has all been done before and the trick is to take all these bits and pieces
and make them into your own compositional vernacular.
The cue excerpt below which is borrowed from a John Williams sketch demonstrates a fabulous way to create an other-worldly type effect!
It consists of high vertically structured 2nd inversion minor triads in the winds modulating to and from each other in half-step motion as the Celeste plays the same notes from the triads in a descending horizontal manner.
Listen to this marvelous cue and create one along these lines and you will have a great tool to add to your composer's tool-box.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBARWspfkY
(Click once on image for full-size)
