Star Wars - Imperial March

It would normally be pretty ominous for Darth Vader's theme to pound into one's head first thing in the morning, but I know where it came from. When I blogged about the spooky old children's tune The Hearse Song about a week ago, I cited the melody of the song's last lines to Chopin's composition Marche Funèbre. I thought at that time that the opening notes of the funeral march sounded similar to the Imperial March from Star Wars, but didn't think about it again until this morning when the evil Sith lord came a knockin' on my cranium. Turns out the "Imperial March" was somewhat based on Chopin's sonata, so the connection wasn't random at all. Fascinating, isn't it, how our brain can click right into a direct link even if we don't consciously know the connection?

Writer: John Williams
Original Artist: The London Symphony Orchestra
Year: 1980
Rating: Warm

Note: The March was introduced in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back and has been used as a motif in all the following films. I'd attributed it in my mind to the beginning of the original trilogy.