John Williams' classic movie scores

Williams' greatest popular success was his grand score for the sci-fi fantasy "Star Wars" (1977). It captured the epic grandeur of Old Hollywood swashbucklers with its Wagnerian motivic approach to scoring: Each character (human or otherwise) had their own musical motif that carried them through the action.

The music also communicated the dreams of the character Luke Skywalker, a farm boy who wishes for adventure far from his dusty planet.

Excerpt: "Binary Sunset" from "Star Wars"

Credit: 20th Century Fox/Lucasfilm