This reference to the hymn style suggests an experience that is not only positive, but profound-certainly an appropriate sentiment for the characters onscreen.Īnother important rhythmic feature of the theme is its reliance on dotted rhythms both fast and slow: This kind of rhythmic alignment between melody and accompaniment creates a very chordal texture that is evocative of a hymn. In other words, when the accompaniment sounds a note, the melody also sounds one at the same time: To begin with, the rhythm of the melody is essentially a more elaborate version of the rhythm in the accompaniment. The rhythm of this theme also helps us understand why the music works so well with this scene. But an orchestral piece written in a vocal style lends the music a beauty that, in this particular scene, we associate with seeing the brachiosaur for the first time. A real song with words at this point in the film of course would have been a distraction from the dialogue. With these singable features, it’s as if the melody is a vocal piece written for orchestra. There is also the fact that most of the melody uses relatively slow rhythms (compared to, say, the busy accompaniment figures one sometimes hears running behind the melody). There are a few large leaps to be sure, especially near the ends of phrases where they provide a sense of climax to the melodic line. For one thing, it moves almost entirely in scale steps of a second and small leaps of a third: This melody is also written in a very singable way. And the repeated use of the neighbor note figure keeps us bound to this tonic, as though we are in a trance with our ears fixed to a single soothing note, just as each character’s (and our own) gaze is fixed in amazement at seeing a living, breathing dinosaur. Thus, starting with the tonic creates a soothing feeling of calm in the theme. Because the tonic note is usually the end goal of a melody, it is generally a point of rest.
Not only that, but the note that the motive revolves around (Bb) is the key note, or tonic, of the scale the piece is based on.
The melody to this theme is based largely on a simple three-note motive: starting on Bb, it moves down to the next closest note, A, then returns up to Bb again (beneath the brackets below):Īlthough this motive (what is called a neighbor note figure) includes motion from one note to another, the fact that it returns to its starting point creates the feeling that we haven’t really moved at all, especially when it is used in a quick rhythm as it is here. But how exactly? What techniques does he use to give us the sense of awe and wonder that we feel with this scene? Here is the theme in concert version (the portion used in the film begins at 0:47): As he does so often, Williams manages to find the right music to fit this scene. But the music also played a large part in eliciting these emotions from the viewer. And of course at the time of the film’s release, the special effects broke new cinematic ground, so in that way it was easy for audiences to share in the characters’ emotions. They stare in amazement at the creature, unable to comprehend how such a thing is even possible. Grant (Sam Neill), Sattler (Laura Dern), and Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) first set eyes on one of the park’s dinosaurs, a brachiosaur feasting on leaves from the treetops. In the film, we first hear the “Theme from Jurassic Park” when Drs. In this post, my film music analysis will take a close look at the construction of the latter theme. Who could forget its two most prominent themes: the proud trumpet fanfare in “Journey to the Island”, and the more contemplative “Theme from Jurassic Park”. John Williams’ music for the film has become one of his most popular scores, and with good reason. Its realistic portrayal of dinosaurs through state-of-the-art special effects created such a sensation among the filmgoing public that, when a contest was held to name the new basketball team for the city of Toronto in 1993, fans ultimately chose the name “Raptors” (“T-Rex” was also on the list). Upon its release in 1993, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park became what was then the highest grossing film of all time, earning over $900 million at the box office.