Have some teaser music analysis cause I’m back on my nonsense.
I do have more to say about the music of the teaser than just this, but here at least is what has been requested about the very end of it.
This is the breakdown of what is really different about how Kylo’s theme is scored in the teaser as opposed to every other iteration we have heard over the past two films. I simulated the octaves and voicing of the parts other than the “kylo theme” notes as clear as I could, just so the comparison is as stark as possible.
All of the music in the trailer centers around the key of E (some minor, some Major). I’m gonna headcanon that the actual choice of key didn’t matter at all, but the score writer choose “E” for the “End”. (And yes, I said “score writer” because trailers are often not scored by the same composer that scores the film, and frankly I have no idea who orchestrated and scored this teaser music). “E for End” is complete headcanon though, not in any way supported other than the part of me that likes to suffer.
A gross MIDI file for ya.
So yes, in the standard “fall” pattern, the theme drops ½ step, followed by another drop of a tritone (the evil/devil’s interval). The pattern ends in a minor key, and the supporting voices lead us from a Dominant (V) to Tonic (I) authentic cadence. The cadence, though it ends on the tonic chord, does not feel very final. This is due to the melody ending on the 5th note of the scale as opposed to the 1st note.
In the new “rise” pattern, the theme drops the normal ½ step, but then rises back to the original note, eventually settling on the 3rd scale degree of an E Major chord. We have never before heard an iteration or illusion of Kylo’s theme that ends in Major. The actual chord progression of this authentic cadence feels much more finalized, as an end on the 3rd note of the scale establishes the mode (major or minor) firmly. This is in opposition to the cadence of the “fall” pattern, where ending on the 5th note leaves the mode up for interpretation since the 3rd of the triad determines a chord to be Major or minor.
So, why would the score writer not just use the actual “Kylo” theme in its entirety but just change the minor notes to major notes? Something that might look like this.
Well for one, it just doesn’t follow good part-writing, and feels incredibly awkward after having heard the “normal” version so many times, but more importantly…
The reasoning lies in the title of the film.
Strategically, we don’t see the words “The Rise of Skywalker” appear until the notes themselves “rise”. Take another listen to the ending.
It’s a double whammy and hits it all home. This is classic text painting, something we’ve seen used many time before with Kylo’s theme. Often the downward spin of his theme shows downward motion on screen (falling to knees, ships descending, etc). Now however, we get the opposite. He is not bringing decline, but rather ascent and growth. Those little words are literally rising up out of the darkness and turning toward the light. (I know, I’m reaching. But, am I really?)
We’re getting two key pieces of information from this music/visual combo.
1. Kylo/Ben IS the Skywalker. This is not new information by any means, but ya know, people are still struggling with that I guess.
2. This film will bring closure to the saga, and not just sad boo-hoo closure, amazing FULFILLING closure.
If you take a listen to the teaser trailers for The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, they both end unresolved when the titles appear. TFA is more stable, but the melody just hovers on that 5th scale degree out in the open, where you know it’s gonna find some trouble. TLJ is just a hot mess full of angst and suspensions to the extreme that puts you on edge.
But this? We know EXACTLY what this means. We may have only heard the shape of it, but it is solid and clear (sorry, I had to). It’s powerful. It’s resolute. It’s strong. It’s stable. It’s BALANCED.
Y’all. It’s been a LONG 3+ years, but IT. IS. TIME.
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