There is very little to the theme, melodically speaking. It goes to show how powerful harmony can be when two chords can provide so much energy and drama. I wonder if the composer (Henry Jackman) started out with the intention to add a melody over the chords, but then decided it was strong enough without. The closest thing to a melody is in the strings, seen here:
It's really more of an ostinato than a melody. What really interests me is the chord progression, as it instantly reminded me of my post on The Imperial March theme. In the post, I mentioned how movie scores often use minor chords moving to other minor chords in different keys as a way to create a mysterious, ominous sound...perfect for Magneto.
Darth Vader's theme also goes back and forth between two minor chords a third apart - Gm and Ebm - which I discuss exhaustively in the original post. Jackman's score slows them down and really milks the flow between the chords. The cool thing about these two chords is how well they flow back and forth. Each note voice-leads smoothly:
The theme uses this flow in the ostinato and in the harmonies throughout. Jackman, surprisingly, seems to avoid using the common note, Eb, to bridge the two chords. Instead, if he carries a note over the bar line it is to add some awesome crunchiness. The B on the Ab chord becomes a Major 7 over the C, or a D carries from a sharp 11 on the Ab chord to a 9 on the C.
For whatever reason, there must be something about two minor chords a Major third apart that just screams "conflicted super villain with a tortured, sympathetic back story." And that is what Magneto and Darth Vader have in common.
No comments:
Post a Comment