Star Wars: Episode

III – Revenge of the

Sith (soundtrack)

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

– Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is
the film score to the 2005 film of the same
name released by Sony Classical on May
3, 2005, more than two weeks before the
film's release. The music was composed
and conducted by John Williams, and
performed by the London Symphony
Orchestra and London Voices. The score
was Williams' sixth score in the saga.
Shawn Murphy recorded the score. Ramiro
Belgardt and Kenneth Wannberg served as
music editors; Wannberg served as music
editor for the previous Star Wars scores. A
remastered version of the soundtrack was
released by Walt Disney Records on May 4,
2018.[1]
 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the
Sith – Original Motion Picture
Soundtrack
Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Motion Picture Soundtrack - Cover.jpg

Film score by John Williams

Released May 3, 2005

Recorded February 3–8, 2005

London Symphony
Orchestra

Studio Abbey Road Studios,

London

Genre Classical

Length 1:11:53

Label Sony Classical

Producer John Williams
John Williams chronology

The Terminal Star Wars War of the

(2004) Episode III: Worlds
Revenge of the (2005)
Sith – Original
Motion Picture
Soundtrack
(2005)

Star Wars soundtrack chronology

Episode II: Episode III: The Clone Wars

Attack of the Revenge of the (2008)
Clones Sith
(2002) (2005)
A music video titled A Hero Falls was
created for the film's theme, "Battle of the
Heroes", featuring footage from the film. In
the U.K., "Battle of the Heroes" was
released as a CD-single and reached No.
25 in the UK Singles Chart in June 2005.[2]

The soundtrack also came with a

collectors' DVD, Star Wars: A Musical
Journey, that features 16 music videos set
to remastered selections of music from all
six film scores, set chronologically through
the saga.

This album was chosen as one of

Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of
2005.[3]

Overview
The musical score for Star Wars Episode
III: Revenge of the Sith, the Star Wars
saga's sixth installment, was recorded over
five days at Abbey Road Studio with the
London Symphony Orchestra and London
Voices starting on February 3, 2005, with
one morning allocated specifically for
vocal recording.

"Battle of the Heroes"

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 "Battle of the Heroes" (2005)

A 21 second sample of "Battle of the

Heroes". The song was used during
the second half of Anakin's and Obi
Wan's duel on the planet Mustafar.

Problems playing this file? See media

help.

"Battle of the Heroes" is the theme for the

climactic duel between Anakin Skywalker
and Obi-Wan Kenobi, written upon the
request of George Lucas.[4] Lucas wanted
a piece that would function as a tragic
version of "Duel of the Fates" in the film's
final fight scenes.
The concert suite begins with a soft and
tense ostinato by the violas in tremolo.
Stopped horns join in to present an initial
statement of the theme, immediately
followed by pulsing beats with
mezzopiano double basses and cellos.
The ostinato builds as the harp and
trombones make their entrance. Suddenly,
the horns, 1st violins, and choir play the
theme at a louder dynamic level. The
ostinato still plays beneath it all. Twice, the
theme is interrupted by brief flurries of
chaotic "action music". At a key moment,
the "Force Theme" makes a forceful
entrance in a minor key. After the piece's
main theme is heard several more times,
"Battle of the Heroes" culminates in a
fortissimo tutti of repeated D minor
chords. This false ending is followed by
the viola ostinato again. Solo flute, oboe,
English horn, clarinet, and horn in unison
deliver a melancholic interpretation of the
theme's third over the ostinato, which
slowly dies away before landing on the
tonic. The timpani rumble as the entire
orchestra crescendos into a final D minor
chord.

The theme is played during the climactic

duel between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-
Wan Kenobi; during use, Palpatine and
Yoda also duel. At the beginning of the
battle, a cue titled "Heroes Collide"
("Anakin vs. Obi-Wan" on the original
soundtrack) is heard. This cue juxtaposes
fast-paced variations of "Battle of the
Heroes" with the "Clash of Lightsabers"
cue from The Empire Strikes Back. Later in
the duel, fragments of the theme return
twice in a cue titled "The Boys Continue".
(This cue is not heard on the original
soundtrack, although both of its "Battle of
the Heroes" variations can be heard in
various video games.) After "The Boys
Continue" (and a short, quiet cue titled
"Rev. Yoda to Exile"), a cue simply titled
"Revenge of the Sith" plays as Anakin and
Obi-Wan exchange blows on a river of lava.
This is basically a re-recording of the
concert suite on the soundtrack album, but
without the extended opening and ending.
There are also a few minor differences in
the orchestration, and the rhythm of the
final tutti chords is different.

The music video A Hero Falls has been

featured on DVD and StarWars.com. Set to
"Battle of the Heroes", it contains video
clips from Episode III (with dialogue and
sound effects). The music video can be
found on the Star Wars: A Musical Journey
DVD, included with the Episode III
soundtrack album, as well as on the
Episode III – Revenge of the Sith DVD.
In the UK, the theme was put on general
release as a CD single and reached No. 25
on the UK Singles Chart in June 2005.[2]

Reception
Professional ratings

Review scores
Source Rating

AllMusic[5]      

Common Sense Media[6]      

Empire[7]      

Filmtracks.com[8]      

Movie Wave[9]      

ScoreNotes[10]           

Soundtrack.Net[11]      
The musical score for Revenge of the Sith
has received generally positive reviews.
Rob Theakston of AllMusic said, "Revenge
of the Sith holds a place on the mantle
with some of the classic scores that made
Williams a legendary film composer. It's
also a fine closing masterpiece to a series
of movies filled with some of the most
important musical moments in modern
cinematic history."[5] Danny Graydon of
Empire called it "a triumphant climax to a
modern music masterpiece." Specifically
pointing out "Battle of the Heroes" and
"Anakin's Dark Deeds", Graydon said, "The
operatic finale of this score emboldens the
tragic, doom-laden atmosphere of the
saga’s pivotal moment, yet is typically
brisk and exciting, deftly utilising themes
from the entire series."[7]

Film music scholar Royal Brown was less

enthusiastic about the music and its
relation to the overall film series, saying,
"By the time we get to Revenge of the Sith
it's not as fresh as it was. Not because
Williams is doing anything wrong, but
because he's pretty much locked into a
particular requirement for this particular
kind of movie."[12] Filmtracks.com provided
a similar consensus in its editorial review
describing that when "compared to its
peers, Revenge of the Sith is, despite its
great strengths in its individual cues of
immense melodrama, the weakest of the
six scores when compared amongst each
other."[8] Morag Reavley of BBC Music said
that the soundtrack "strikes back with all
the familiar notes. They just don't sound
quite as startling any more."[13]

Track listing
All music is composed by John Williams.
No. Title Length
1. "Star Wars and The Revenge 7:31
of the Sith"
2. "Anakin's Dream" 4:46
3. "Battle of the Heroes" 3:42
4. "Anakin's Betrayal" 4:04
5. "General Grievous" 4:07
6. "Palpatine's Teachings" 5:25
7. "Grievous and the Droids" 3:28
8. "Padmé's Ruminations" 3:17
9. "Anakin vs. Obi-Wan" 3:57
10. "Anakin's Dark Deeds" 4:05
11. "Enter Lord Vader" 4:14
12. "The Immolation Scene" 2:42
13. "Grievous Speaks to Lord 2:49
 Sidious"
14. "The Birth of the Twins and 3:37
Padmé's Destiny"
15. "A New Hope and End 13:06
Credits"
Total length: 1:11:53

For those interested in listening to the

tracks in order of which they play in the
movie, this is the order: 1, 7, 13, 2, 6, 5, 8, 4,
11, 10, 9, 3, 12, 14, 15.

Star Wars: A Musical Journey

Star Wars: A Musical Journey is a bonus
DVD included with the soundtrack album.
The DVD, which runs just over an hour
long, contains a collection of music video
clips from the Star Wars film series set to
selected themes from Williams' scores.
Each clip features an optional introduction
by actor Ian McDiarmid, and the music has
been remastered in Dolby 5.1 surround
sound.[14] This program served as the
foundation for Star Wars: In Concert,
almost containing an identical soundtrack.

Star Wars: A Musical Journey contains the

following chapters. Each video consists of
clips from the movies that seemingly fit
the music score composed by Williams:
1. "A Long Time Ago" —
"20th Century Fox Fanfare" / "Star
Wars Main Title"
2. "Dark Forces Conspire" —
"Duel of the Fates" (from The
Phantom Menace)
3. "A Hero Rises" —
"Anakin's Theme" (from The Phantom
Menace)
4. "A Fateful Love" —
"Across the Stars" (from Attack of the
Clones)
5. "A Hero Falls" —
"Battle of the Heroes" (from Revenge
of the Sith)
 6. "An Empire is Forged" —
"The Imperial March" (from The
Empire Strikes Back)
7. "A Planet that is Farthest From" —
"The Dune Sea of Tatooine" / "Jawa
Sandcrawler" (from A New Hope)
8. "An Unlikely Alliance" —
"Binary Sunset" / "Cantina Theme"
(from A New Hope)
9. "A Defender Emerges" —
"Princess Leia's Theme" (from A New
Hope)
10. "A Daring Rescue" —
"Ben's Death" / "TIE Fighter Attack"
(from A New Hope)
11. "A Jedi is Trained" —
"Yoda's Theme" (from The Empire
Strikes Back)
12. "A Narrow Escape" —
"The Asteroid Field" (from The Empire
Strikes Back)
13. "A Bond Unbroken" —
"Luke and Leia" (from Return of the
Jedi)
14. "A Sanctuary Moon" —
"The Forest Battle (Concert Suite)"
(from Return of the Jedi)
15. "A Life Redeemed" —
"Light of the Force" (from Return of
the Jedi)
 16. "A New Day Dawns" —
"Throne Room" / "Finale" (from A New
Hope)

Recording information
Cue list …

1M1 20th Century Fox Fanfare (The

Phantom Menace Recording)
1M2 Main Titles (The Phantom Menace
Recording)
1M3 Boys Into Battle February 12, 2005
1M4 They're Coming Around February
14, 2005
1M4a "Get 'Em, R-2!" February 7, 2005
1M5 The Elevator Scene February 17,
2005
1M6 Count Dooku's Entrance February
14, 2005
1M7 The Death of Dooku February 2,
2005
2M1 Grievous and the Droids February 9,
2005
2M3 Another Happy Landing February 3,
2005
2M4 Revisiting Padmé February 3, 2005
2M5 Grievous Travels to Palpatine
February 3, 2005
2M6 Scenes and Dreams February 12,
2005
2M7 Be Careful of Your Friend February
13, 2005
3M1 Council Meeting February 14, 2005
3M2 Hold Me February 13, 2005
3M2a Palpatine's TV Set February 7,
2005
3M3 Palpatine's Big Pitch February 9,
2005
3M5 Goodbye Old Friend February 3,
2005
3M6 Going to Utapau February 13, 2005
3M7 Riding the Lizard February 12, 2005
3M8 Obi-Wan Fares [sic] Droids February
12, 2005
4M1x Drawing Swords February 3, 2005
4M1a Good Guys Arrive February 8,
2005
4M3 Palpatine's Seduction February 2,
2005
4M4 Rolling With Grievous February 13,
2005
4M4a Fighting With Grievous February 8,
2005
4M5 Dialogue With Mace February 17,
2005
4M5a Padmé's Ruminations February 8,
2005
4M6 I am the Senate February 14, 2005
5M1 Palpatine Instructs Anakin
February 3, 2005
5M3 Lament February 7, 2005
5M3a Bail's Escape February 14, 2005
5M4 "Swimming, Droids and Yoda
Farewell" February 9, 2005
5M5 News of the Attack February 12,
2005
5M6 Moving Things Along February 9,
2005
5M7 Anakin's Dark Deeds February 3,
2005
6M1 It Can't Be February 17, 2005
6M2 A Moody Trip February 12, 2005
6M3 Padmé's Visit February 2, 2005
6M4 Heroes Collide February 2, 2005
6M5New **Choir Only** Not Assigned
6M6 Yoda Falls February 3, 2005
6M7 The Boys Continue February 8,
2005
6M8 Rev. Yoda to Exile February 12,
2005
6M9 Revenge of the Sith February 3,
2005
7M1 The Immolation Scene February 8,
2005
7M2 Anakin Crawling February 8, 2005
 7M3 The Birth of the Twins February 7,
2005
7M4 The Death of Padmé February 7,
2005
7M5 Plans for the Twins February 8,
2005
7M6 Padmé's Funeral February 7, 2005
7M7 A Home for the Twins February 7,
2005
7M8 End Credits February 17, 2005

References
1. "Disney Music Group Set To Release
First 6 Remastered Star Wars Original
Motion Picture Soundtracks On May
 4" . Burbank, California: Walt Disney
Records. PR Newswire. March 21,
2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
2. "Battle of the Heroes - Star Wars" .
Official Charts Company. The Official
UK Charts Company. Retrieved
December 20, 2015.
3. "John Williams - Star Wars Episode III:
Revenge of the Sith - Original Motion
Picture Soundtrack" . Amazon.com.
Archived from the original on October
13, 2015. Retrieved December 20,
2015.
4. DVD featurette "Within a Minute"
5. Theakston, Rob. "Star Wars Episode
III: Revenge of the Sith [Original
Motion Picture Soundtrack] Review" .
AllMusic. All Media Network.
Retrieved December 20, 2015.
6. Kamen Goldmark, Kathi. "Star Wars:
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Soundtrack Music Review" . Common
Sense Media. Archived from the
original on December 27, 2015.
Retrieved December 27, 2015.
7. Graydon, Danny. "Star Wars Episode
III: Revenge of the Sith - Empire
Review" . Empire. Bauer Media Group.
Archived from the original on June
26, 2006. Retrieved December 20,
2015.
8. "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (John
Williams)" . Filmtracks.com.
Filmtracks Publications. April 15,
2005. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
9. Southall, James. "Williams: Revenge
of the Sith" . Movie Wave. Archived
from the original on May 6, 2015.
Retrieved December 20, 2015.
10. "Revenge of the Sith" . ScoreNotes.
Archived from the original on
November 23, 2012. Retrieved
December 20, 2015.
11. Goldwasser, Dan (May 6, 2005). "Star
Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Soundtrack (2005)" . Soundtrack.Net.
Autotelics, LLC. Archived from the
original on September 6, 2015.
Retrieved December 20, 2015.
12. Freymann-Weyr, Jeffrey (May 22,
2005). "John Williams and the Music
of 'Star Wars' " . NPR. National Public
Radio, Inc. Archived from the original
on December 23, 2015. Retrieved
December 23, 2015.
13. Reavley, Morag (2005). "John Williams
Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the
Sith Review" . BBC Music. BBC.
Archived from the original on
December 23, 2015. Retrieved
December 23, 2015.
 14. Vukcevic, Filip (May 6, 2005). "Star
Wars: A Musical Journey" . IGN. Ziff
Davis. pp. 1–2. Archived from the
original on December 30, 2015.
Retrieved December 30, 2015.

External links
Star Wars: A Musical Journey on IMDb

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