Harry Potter And Star Wars Share An Interesting Musical Connection

The compositions of John Williams and his contributions to the atmosphere and success of Star Wars can not be overstated. The Maestro is in rarified air as a master of his craft, composing some of the most memorable scores in cinema history. His filmography includes not only Star Wars but also Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, the iconically suspenseful Jaws theme, and the first two Harry Potter films. While it may seem unlikely that a film that is set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away would share musical scores with a film set in the Wizarding World, this is precisely the connection we will be discussing.

Fans of Harry Potter will easily recall the thrilling chase for the Snitch between Harry and his Slytherin Seeker counterpart, Draco Malfoy during the 2nd film in the franchise, The Chamber of Secrets. The rivalry between these two Second Years is legendary within the Potter franchise with multiple twists and turns, ranging from schoolboy conflicts to fighting on opposite sides of a wizarding war. In their 2nd year at Hogwarts however, their primary, boyish focus is winning the Quidditch cup. During this scene, as Potter and Malfoy weave their way through the infrastructure of the Quidditch pitch and stands, John Williams similarly masterful weaves a anxiety inducing, quick tempo score. The rapid instrumentation of the string instruments, collaborating with building horns and the occasional percussive contribution gives the feeling of high tension and anxiety that a "gotta have it" sporting moment can deliver. The score of this scene not only demonstrates the intensity of this dangerous wizarding sport but exacerbates the danger posed by the rogue Bludger doggedly pursuing Harry.

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While Williams was composing for Chamber of Secrets, he was simultaneously working on the 2nd movie of George Lucas' Star Wars Prequel trilogy. The first act of Attack of the Clones culminates with a chase sequence reminiscent of Draco and Harry pelting after the golden Snitch, but this time it is Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi chasing after the assassin, Zam Wesell. After a failed attempt on Senator Padme Amidala's life, Zam flees the pursuing Jedi through the corridors and alleyways of Coruscant. Here is where we come to the musical connection between these two cornerstone franchises of nerddom. These scenes are not only reminiscent of one another for their fast-paced, chasing mechanics or their successful raising of anxiety and stakes, their scores are remarkably similar, if not identical.

How and why these musical strings got crossed is a matter of debate among fans of both franchises. There are those who believe Williams purposefully inserted the score into both movies as an Easter Egg for the many overlapping Harry Potter/Star Wars fans. There is also an argument to be made that, with two multiple blockbuster movies in production within the same year in 2002, Williams "borrowed" a piece he composed for one movie and used it in a similar thematic situation in the other; a moment of "work smarter, not harder", if you will. It is also possible that this was purely an error, especially considering that the track is present on the Attack of the Clones soundtrack but not on the album for the Chamber of Secrets. Regardless of how these franchises came to share musical scores, the work of John Williams is appreciated in any movie he is hired to compose as he is an expert at increasing tension, instilling melancholy, and breathing emotional life into scenes through his music. Williams is indisputably the Maestro.

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Written by Weston Erickson

Source: CBR

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