In the previous lesson we listened to several great examples of heroic film music and started to consider how the composers used particular elements and techniques to create a bold, triumphant sound.

In this lesson we’re going to explore these features in more detail, preparing us for composing our own hero leitmotif in the next lesson.

A leitmotif (pronounced ‘light-motif’) is a recurring melodic idea which represents a character, mood or place.  When the listener hears a particular leitmotif they know that the character has arrived or is nearby, and it helps with the musical story-telling.

In this lesson we’ll cover:

We’ll explore the key features of heroic film music:

  1. Strong rhythmic identity
  2. Use of rising 5th interval
  3. Ascending pitch
  4. Simplicity and repetition

In the final part of the lesson you can choose from a selection of melodies, which you think is the most effective heroic theme.

1. Strong rhythmic identity

This is one of the most important features of a memorable heroic motif.  It’s what gives the theme direction and momentum.  Let’s look at three of the themes we heard in the previous lesson: 

Superman theme (John Williams)

  • Triplet quavers on the second beat of bars 1 and 3 define this theme.
  • Notice the minim on beat 3 in the first three bars – it contrasts with the movement in the previous beats and allows the music to ‘grow’ through it into the next bar.
  • Repetition in bars 1 and 3 makes it memorable.

Raider’s March (John Williams)

  • Starts with an anacrusis (upbeat).  This gives energy to the theme.
  • The quaver on beat 1 of bars 1 + 3 acts as a springboard onto the next note, which is the highest note in each phrase.
  • Notice the dotted quaver-semiquaver rhythm occurs four times.  This defines the theme and makes it memorable.

Ironman III theme (Brian Tyler)

  • This 8-bar theme is essentially a 4-bar rhythm, repeated.
  • The rest on the first beat of the bar gives energy to the theme.

Rhythm as a defining feature

Each of these heroic themes contain a repeated rhythmic ‘cell’ which defines the theme and makes it memorable.  It doesn’t have to be complex – in fact, the simpler the better!

2. Rising perfect 5th interval

An interval is the distance between two notes.  A melodic interval is the distance between two consecutive notes (not played at the same time).  A harmonic interval is the distance between two concurrent notes (played at the same time, such as in a chord). 


The interval of a 5th is the strongest interval in music so it’s no surprise that film composers use this to portray a brave and heroic character.  John Williams is a big fan of using this in his heroic themes.

The melodic interval of a perfect 5th is where there are seven semitones between two pitches.  A semitone is the smallest interval between two notes (for example, C to C# and E to F).

An example of a perfect 5th is: C to G and E to B.

3. Ascending pitch

If the pitch goes up it tends to sound more uplifting and optimistic than if it goes down.  So it makes sense to write a triumphant motif with pitch that is generally moving higher.

Let’s have a look at two of John Williams’ themes to illustrate this point:

Schindler’s List theme

Here John Williams uses a repeated descending perfect 5th and the pitch mainly moves in a downward trajectory.  This conjures emotions of sorrow and despair.  The theme is strong and memorable, whilst being incredibly moving and powerful.

Extract from Schindler’s List theme (heard at 00:25):

Star Wars theme

Here Williams uses a rising 4th followed by a rising 5th interval, followed by an ascending 7th!  Widening the melodic interval a little more each time (augmentation) is a simple but clever technique for creating momentum and direction.

Top Tip!

Perfect 5th + ascending pitch =  basis for strong heroic theme

4. Simplicity and repetition

You can see and hear that these heroic themes from the great film composers are actually pretty simple and follow very similar rules.  When we hear them, they have the added wow factor of a brilliant studio orchestra or enviable studio sounds.  When the theme is broken down, however, we can achieve something comparable ourselves.

Further listening

Here are two more examples of heroic music – the more we listen to, the more inspiration and ideas we’ll have when it comes to composing our own theme.  

Black Beauty is quite an old-school theme but very memorable and the second example ‘Hero’s Theme’ includes powerful voices and a robust dotted rhythm motif.

Over to you

Watch the two videos above and write down how the composer has created a heroic theme and atmosphere.  You may wish to think about:
Musical elements used in writing the main melody (see points above)
Instrumentation
Sound effects

Which theme would you choose?

For the final part of the lesson let’s think about the heroic music features we’ve looked at so far.

Listen to the three examples below. Can you identify any of the features we’ve explored?  Which theme is most successful and why?

​Idea #1

​Idea #2

​Idea #3

What do you think?  Did you spot any heroic features?  

If you weren’t sure, don’t worry – click the box below for some insights:

Idea #1

  • Ascending 5th interval between first two notes gives a potentially strong opening but…
  • …lacks strong rhythmic identity – use of triplets or dotted rhythms would give more presence.

Idea #2

  • The anacrusis (upbeat) works well, giving energy to the theme.
  • It feels a bit static – it’s lacking a strong rhythmic identity
  • The first two notes would sound better a 5th apart rather than a 4th apart

Idea #3

  • Ascending 5th interval between first two notes gives a strong opening.
  • Every bar contains the same rhythmic motif (dotted quaver – semiquaver) which gives a strong rhythmic identity.
  • The flattened 7th (E flat) adds some interest to the theme, particularly as it returns to E natural on the final note.
  • Possibly could be simpler – the last two bars contain too many notes.

Which is the most successful idea as a hero theme?

Of the 3 ideas, idea #3 is the most successful hero theme.

Hopefully you are starting to feel confident with what makes a successful hero theme.  Next lesson we’re going to get practical and compose our own superhero leitmotif…

Ready to move on?

Click the MARK COMPLETE button below and move on to the next lesson.