Imperial March from Star Wars Sheet Music - Items tagged as "Piano solo"

Even people who have never seen Star Wars will recognize The Imperial March. Fans think of it as a galactic anthem. It stands for the power and control of the Empire.

It first appeared on April 29, 1980, when its composer, John Williams, conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra. And then became part of the movie, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back when it was released in the U.S. on May 21, 1980. The Imperial March went on to become one of the most epic movie themes of all time.

John Williams is a master scorer. This piece of music comes in when Darth Vader and the Empire are gaining power over Luke Skywalker. It has an evil hiss to it that you can hear – and feel – even when you are not listening to it as part of a movie.

Williams composed the piece with variances in melody, harmony, rhythm, and orchestration that gave The Imperial March just the right ominous character. He has instruments playing their lowest tones and a nearly non-stop flow of triplet beats driving the piece forward. Topped off with the dissonance from minor chords, you get an eerie feeling from the time the march kicks off.

The Imperial March is a confident yet fearful, heavy march that is fun to play and easy to recognize. Anyone can play The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme) sheet music, with practice!  There are several versions of this piece, so all levels of musicians can bring to life the strength and power of the march.