Kiana Marie M.

Fleischer October 29, 2020

GE 6 (Art Appreciation) – B

Why Music is ART, What Makes Music an Art Form and What the Present
Elements from the music theme created by John Williams in Star Wars are being
Applied

As we defined what art is throughout the first half of this semester, we learned that
art is the expression of human creative skill and imagination with the intent to give or draw
out feelings and emotions. It was established that art has a broad scope ranging from
paintings, sculptures, dance and specifically music. Music is an art form as it incites
feelings and emotions as thoughts, ideas, stories, and experiences unfolds. When we
hear our favorite songs, or even just the slightest background accompaniment, we feel a
wide range of emotions or feelings, from happy, to sad, to inspired, to excited, and many
more. As I listened to the music theme by John Williams from the popular sci-fi series,
“Star Wars”, I have been reminded of how music is such a powerful and compelling force
that could even possibly alter the way we live our lives or how we view different objects,
themes or issues. Human beings react and respond to their environments and as humans
we like to connect our experiences with what we perceive. We may laugh or cry as we
reminisce memories while listening to nostalgic songs. If I recall my experiences, listening
to music helped me to relieve my anxiety and stress, as well as improved my mood
whenever I felt terrible. It allowed me to remember a time when life was a little easier and
it lightened my mood. Music has also helped me to form relationships with friends as we
bonded over the same taste and artists. To add, I think music is a communicative
expression as many cultures have likewise bonded over music for centuries and possibly
since the early forms of civilization when man learned to utter just random sounds. I
strongly believe that music is art, simply because it is arranged and composed in a
manner that helps us to relate to each other and remember and reflect on our own
experiences as well as shared experiences in life. In other words, music influences us so
powerfully that we learn to embrace the world in such a way that we sometimes go beyond
differences and just connect – be as one and understand cultures and life stories.
 The elements of music are sounds, melody, rhythm, musical texture, tempo and
dynamics, timbre/tone color, musical forms, and harmony. To explain each according to
John Williams’ Star Wars theme, we know that music involves the incorporation of
structured sounds. These sounds create tones with a controlled pitch and timbre
(Thompson, n.d.). In the Star Wars theme, it is evident that there were many sounds
coming from different instruments involved. Furthermore, melody refers to a series of
pitches or a succession of musical notes. In the introduction, we can hear progressive
fanfare that almost sounds as if its pulsating and getting bigger. Rhythm is the timed
organization of music as each note is played at specific junctions and intervals. Next,
musical texture refers to the composition of sounds or the density of layers of sounds.
Referring to the theme, its texture is melodic homophony. Tempo refers to the speed at
which a music piece is being played and dynamics refers to the intensity or volume of the
music. In relation to the Star Wars theme, it has a tempo of 100 bpm. To add, timbre/
tone color refers to how each voice or sound is described such as light, heavy, warm and
in the Star Wars theme, I think its strong, brassy, and bright. Next, musical forms refer to
the sections and the movements or flow between each section in the piece. From the
fanfare in the introduction, to progressive pacing of the music that brings excitement, then
dramatics, then to excitement again, to a soft progression, then finally to what sounds like
a glorious denouement. Through these phases, its as if the story unfolds without even
having to see the movie itself. Finally, harmony is the simultaneous combination of
different notes that usually forms chords and in this case in the interval of a fourth or
quartal harmony (bbc.co.uk., n.d. & Sarrazin, N., 2016).

To end the discussion, my view on the Star Wars theme is that it is very inspiring
and uplifting. The musical piece is introduced in such an exciting manner, then it goes on
by changing the setting and transitioning into different scenes and finally a happy ending.
I have never actually watched any Star Wars movie in its entirety, but even with just
having to hear the music theme, I have an idea of how it will turn out. In conclusion, I think
that is what makes music an art form, as it helps us to paint a picture, in this case, an
amazing story that would go on to be one of the best sci-fi movie series for decades.
 References:

bbc.co.uk. (n.d.). John williams: star wars.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zmphsrd/revision/7

grammar.yourdictionary.com. (n.d.). Descriptive words for music.

https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/descriptive-rds-for-
music.html

Sarrazin, N. (2016). Music and the child. https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/music-and-

the-child/chapter/chapter-2/

Thompson, W. E. (n.d.). Musical sound. https://www.britannica.com/science/musical-

sound/Division-of-the-pitch-spectrum