The fanfare, however, is left tantalizingly unfinished. Will Superman be victorious in the story we are about to hear? The third idea repeats the first idea, and so returns to home base before reaching an even greater height in the fourth idea (again embellished by a higher note), suggesting the ability to surpass mere heroism to achieve superheroism. But coming to rest on the dominant chord here, the music, and therefore our hero’s story, sounds unfinished. Heard as such, the music fuses the characteristics of these first few bars with Superman’s very name. This is also the moment where the music seems to utter the word “Su-per-man!” (The goal note here is embellished by a note that is actually a step higher and physically stands in its place, pushing the goal note off to the next beat.) Notice that the goal note to this second idea is precisely where Williams ramps up the intensity by rising to a loud dynamic, and adding trombones and a cymbal crash to boot. The second goal note is higher than the first, as though heroically overcoming an obstacle. More importantly, these fourths and fifths form a gradual progression. Notice that these pairs of prominent notes all delineate either a fourth or fifth. In the first idea, the goal note is the highest note in the second idea, it’s the last note (though this note is embellished by a note a step higher) the third idea repeats the first, so again it’s the highest note and in the fourth idea, it’s the last note. The fanfare breaks down into four short pairs of motives – I’ll call each pair an idea:Įach idea contains two notes that stand out more than the others: the very first note and the “goal note” of each idea (shown in the top staff below). The perfect fifths and fourths in the fanfare don’t just form note-to-note motives, they also permeate the fabric of the fanfare at a more long-range level. Thus, even in these first few bars, Superman’s heroism, stabilizing presence, and strength are all hinted at. On top of that, the triplet rhythm adds a militaristic quality that suggests something powerful. With no intervening notes, the scoring in the trumpets and horns, and the relatively slow rhythms, these tonic and dominant notes attain an awe-inspiring sound not unlike the opening of Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra, heard over the main titles of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Together, these notes suggest the most restful chord in any key, the tonic, which gives the impression of stability. But these intervals go beyond the merely heroic since they are based on only two different notes of the scale: the tonic (the scale’s first note) and dominant (its fifth note). Structurally, the fanfare begins with two motives that outline a perfect fifth and fourth, intervals commonly used to denote heroism. Together with the noble brass melody and the subtle but dramatic timpani roll, it is as though a great storyteller is preparing us to hear a mythic tale of epic proportions, the musical equivalent of Star Wars’ famous “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”. This version begins with the fanfare (whereas the film version omits this initial appearance), which is set in a moderate tempo and at a moderately loud dynamic. The Fanfareīelow is the concert version of the Superman theme: In the following film music analysis, I discuss several of the features that contribute to the expression of the Superman theme in each of its components and over its entire structure.
The Superman theme consists of three main components, which are in fact smaller complete themes in themselves: a fanfare, a march, and a love theme.
In this particular case, and as many have pointed out before, the music even seems to speak the name “Superman” in its first big cadence (more on this below). How does Williams manage to do this? As in so many of his other themes, by carefully coordinating the musical features so that they converge and provide us with a fleshed out picture of the thing it represents. Thus, the Superman theme has become so inextricably linked with its filmic association that it can seem as though it is the only musical representation possible for the character.
The theme also leaves an indelible mark on the memories of many a filmgoer, particularly in the way it accompanies the film’s main titles, which literally fly on and off screen like the Man of Steel himself.
At the initial recording session for the film, the theme made such an impact on director Richard Donner that, unable to contain himself, he exclaimed “Genius! Fantastic!”, promptly ruining the first take.
Superman tv theme song movie#
Following on the success of his mid-1970s scores for Jaws and Star Wars, John Williams produced yet another iconic movie theme with Superman in 1978.