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One reason Close Encounters of the Third Kind remains distinctive within Steven Spielberg’s UFO films is that John Williams refuses to treat the unknown as either wholly terrifying or instantly uplifting. Instead, the score guides the audience through a gradual emotional transformation.

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Introduction

One reason Close Encounters of the Third Kind remains distinctive within Steven Spielberg’s UFO films is that John Williams refuses to treat the unknown as either wholly terrifying or instantly uplifting. Instead, the score guides the audience through a gradual emotional transformation. Early scenes are filled with unstable harmonies, dissonant clusters and uncertain textures that make the UFO presence feel unsettling. By the finale, those same musical ideas evolve into clear melodic statements and tonal resolution. The result is not a sudden switch from fear to joy, but a carefully earned journey in which wonder emerges from uncertainty. Music becomes the mechanism that allows both the characters and the audience to reinterpret the alien presence. [Academia]academia.eduAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's CloseAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's Close…January 1, 2014 — This paper explores the musical techniques employ…Published: January 1, 2014

Fear To Wonder Score 2324 D1 illustration 1

Threatening Clusters and Uncertainty

Williams begins by placing listeners in a sonic world where certainty is deliberately withheld. Much of the score’s first half relies on textures rather than memorable melodies. Dense orchestral clusters, chromatic movement and ambiguous harmonies create a sense that something intelligent is present but cannot yet be understood. Critics and analysts have frequently noted that large portions of the score are far more modernist and atonal than the lush orchestral style commonly associated with Williams. [JWFan]jwfan.comAtonality in Close EncountersAtonality in Close Encounters - General DiscussionSeptember 6, 2007 — 6 Sept 2007 — Discussions of the music from Close Encounters t…Published: September 6, 2007

This approach serves a dramatic purpose. The UFOs are not introduced as friendly visitors. Witnesses encounter unexplained lights, electrical disturbances and experiences that challenge ordinary perception. Rather than reassuring the audience, Williams mirrors that confusion through music that often resists clear tonal centres. In scenes associated with visions and unexplained encounters, shimmering textures and dissonant sonorities create a feeling of mystery that is neither outright horror nor comfort. [MOVIE MUSIC UK]moviemusicuk.usclose encounters of the third kind john williamsMOVIE MUSIC UKCLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KINDMay 28, 2018 — 28 May 2018 — As Roy struggles to unlock the mystery of their shared visio…Published: May 28, 2018

What makes the score unusual is that these unsettling sounds are not simply musical warnings. In many science-fiction films, dissonance marks an enemy. In Close Encounters, dissonance instead marks the limits of human understanding. The music sounds strange because the phenomenon itself is strange. Fear arises from uncertainty rather than aggression. This distinction becomes crucial to the film’s eventual emotional payoff. [Academia]academia.eduAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's CloseAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's Close…January 1, 2014 — This paper explores the musical techniques employ…Published: January 1, 2014

John Williams conducts Excerpts From Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

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The Motif as Emotional Bridge

The famous five-note communication motif functions as a bridge between those two emotional states. It is simple enough to feel comprehensible, yet unusual enough to retain an aura of mystery. Instead of arriving as a fully developed theme, it gradually accumulates significance throughout the film. Scholars have described Williams’s broader design as a process in which small musical ideas grow in meaning across the narrative until they reach their fullest expression near the end. [Academia]academia.eduAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's CloseAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's Close…January 1, 2014 — This paper explores the musical techniques employ…Published: January 1, 2014

The motif therefore performs two tasks simultaneously.

  • It preserves the aliens’ otherness because it does not sound like a conventional heroic melody.
  • It offers structure and recognisability, giving humans and aliens a shared pattern.
  • It transforms communication from a technological problem into a musical one.
  • It allows the audience to hear intelligence before fully understanding it. [Academia]academia.eduAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's CloseAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's Close…January 1, 2014 — This paper explores the musical techniques employ…Published: January 1, 2014

This gradual development is essential to the balance between fear and wonder. If Williams had introduced a sweeping, openly emotional theme from the beginning, the mystery would have disappeared. Conversely, if the score had remained entirely abstract and dissonant, the finale could have felt emotionally distant. The motif occupies a middle ground. It is the first musical sign that the unknown might be understandable. [Academia]academia.eduAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's CloseAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's Close…January 1, 2014 — This paper explores the musical techniques employ…Published: January 1, 2014

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND - Final Act by John Williams (Condensed Score by tomekkobialka)

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Fear To Wonder Score 2324 D1 illustration 3

Fear To Wonder Score 2324 D1 illustration 2

Tonal Arrival in the Finale

The climax at Devils Tower succeeds because Williams finally delivers the resolution that the score has been postponing. Musicologists have pointed out that the score’s overall trajectory moves from atonality associated with the initially threatening mystery toward increasingly tonal and celebratory writing once the visitors are revealed as benign. [Academia]academia.eduAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's CloseAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's Close…January 1, 2014 — This paper explores the musical techniques employ…Published: January 1, 2014

This shift is not merely a change in mood. It is the culmination of a long structural process. Earlier musical fragments become complete statements. Harmonic ambiguity gives way to clear tonal direction. The audience experiences relief because the music has spent so much time delaying it. Analysts have even highlighted Williams’s use of striking tonal arrivals after extended dissonant passages, making moments of consonance feel revelatory rather than routine. [Academia]academia.eduAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's CloseAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's Close…January 1, 2014 — This paper explores the musical techniques employ…Published: January 1, 2014

The communication sequence between humans and the mothership demonstrates this balance perfectly. The exchange retains an element of unpredictability—the aliens remain mysterious—but the musical dialogue is now governed by order rather than chaos. The same unknown force that once inspired anxiety now inspires curiosity and awe. Because the score has travelled so far emotionally, the audience is prepared to accept the film’s optimistic interpretation of first contact. [JWFan]jwfan.comRestored Isolated Score/Thematic Breakdown12 Oct 2020 — An overview of the main themes I'll be referring to: The Five Notes: The mai…

Williams’s achievement lies in making wonder feel earned. The finale is uplifting not because fear disappears, but because fear has been transformed into understanding. Within Spielberg’s vision of UFOs, music becomes the medium through which the unknown stops being a threat and becomes an invitation. [Academia]academia.eduAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's CloseAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's Close…January 1, 2014 — This paper explores the musical techniques employ…Published: January 1, 2014 [OUP Academic]academic.oup.comMusical analyses of film music tend to be concernedOUP AcademicAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's Close…by T Schneller · 2014 · Cited by 23 — Sweet Fulfillment: Allusi…

This Might Be The GREATEST Movie Theme Of ALL Time

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Endnotes

  1. Source: academia.edu
    Title: Allusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams’s Close
    Link: https://www.academia.edu/6928980/Sweet_Fulfillment_Allusion_and_Teleological_Genesis_in_John_Williams_s_Close_Encounters_of_the_Third_Kind
    Source snippet

    Allusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's Close...January 1, 2014 — This paper explores the musical techniques employ...

    Published: January 1, 2014

  2. Source: academic.oup.com
    Title: Musical analyses of film music tend to be concerned
    Link: https://academic.oup.com/mq/article-pdf/97/1/98/3826775/gdu001.pdf
    Source snippet

    OUP AcademicAllusion and Teleological Genesis in John Williams's Close...by T Schneller · 2014 · Cited by 23 — Sweet Fulfillment: Allusi...

  3. Source: jwfan.com
    Title: Atonality in Close Encounters
    Link: https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?%2Ftopic%2F13709-atonality-in-close-encounters%2F=
    Source snippet

    Atonality in Close Encounters - General DiscussionSeptember 6, 2007 — 6 Sept 2007 — Discussions of the music from Close Encounters t...

    Published: September 6, 2007

  4. Source: jwfan.com
    Link: https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?%2Ftopic%2F33009-restored-isolated-scorethematic-breakdown-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind%2F=
    Source snippet

    Restored Isolated Score/Thematic Breakdown12 Oct 2020 — An overview of the main themes I'll be referring to: The [Five Notes]({{ 'five-notes/' | relative_url }}): The mai...

  5. Source: academic.oup.com
    Link: https://academic.oup.com/mq/article-abstract/97/1/98/1095560
    Source snippet

    Fulfillment: Allusion and Teleological Genesis in John...by T Schneller · 2014 · Cited by 23 — Sweet Fulfillment: Allusion and Teleologi...

  6. Source: medium.com
    Link: https://medium.com/%40ryan.p.stauffer/a-new-encounter-with-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-26e545c8097b
    Source snippet

    A New Encounter with Close Encounters of the Third KindFor almost the entirety of the score, when Williams is not focused on pure texture...

  7. Source: briantibbsmusic.com
    Title: close encounters how john williams wished upon a star
    Link: https://briantibbsmusic.com/blogs/what-the-jester-whispered/posts/7683343/close-encounters-how-john-williams-wished-upon-a-star
    Source snippet

    Close Encounters: How John Williams Wished Upon a StarThis main theme is a variation of the first bar of When You Wish, in that both are...

  8. Source: youtube.com
    Title: This Might Be The GREATEST Movie Theme Of ALL Time
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjQbJKYVGEY
    Source snippet

    CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND - Final Act by John Williams (Condensed Score by tomemekkobialka)...

  9. Source: youtube.com
    Title: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L1HHGNa5pI
    Source snippet

    "The Light Show" by John Williams (Score Reduction and Analysis)...

  10. Source: youtube.com
    Title: John Williams conducts Excerpts From Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQJadmOaHvE
    Source snippet

    Close Encounters - "The Conversation" - Transcription...

  11. Source: youtube.com
    Title: Close Encounters
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8_7r45wl2s
    Source snippet

    John Williams Close Encounters of the Third Kind score analysis CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND - Final Act by John Williams (Condense...

  12. Source: moviemusicuk.us
    Title: close encounters of the third kind john williams
    Link: https://moviemusicuk.us/2018/05/28/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-john-williams/
    Source snippet

    MOVIE MUSIC UKCLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KINDMay 28, 2018 — 28 May 2018 — As Roy struggles to unlock the mystery of their shared visio...

    Published: May 28, 2018

Additional References

  1. Source: filozofia.uni-miskolc.hu
    Link: https://filozofia.uni-miskolc.hu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/KassabianAnahid2001-HearingFilm.TrackingIdentificationsInContemporaryHollywoodFilmMusic.pdf
    Source snippet

    Film: Tracking Identifications in Contemporary...Each of those mean- ings corresponds to musical features that can be agglomerated to fo...

  2. Source: researchgate.net
    Title: 273276987 Modal Interchange and Semantic Resonance in Themes by John Williams
    Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273276987_Modal_Interchange_and_Semantic_Resonance_in_Themes_by_John_Williams
    Source snippet

    (PDF) Modal Interchange and Semantic Resonance in...17 Jun 2016 — This article examines the semantic properties of several characteristi...

  3. Source: thefridacinema.org
    Title: a little night music john williams and close encounters of the third kind
    Link: https://thefridacinema.org/2022/06/20/a-little-night-music-john-williams-and-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind/
    Source snippet

    A Little Night Music: John Williams and Close Encounters...20 Jun 2022 — Close Encounters, to me, is very much an experience and experim...

  4. Source: thelistenersclub.com
    Title: john williams close encounters of the third kind a cinematic tone poem
    Link: https://thelistenersclub.com/2020/01/03/john-williams-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-a-cinematic-tone-poem/
    Source snippet

    John Williams' “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”3 Jan 2020 — John Williams' haunting, ethereal score is integral to the drama of Steve...

  5. Source: eprints.soton.ac.uk
    Link: https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/414097/1/LIBRARY_COPY.pdf
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    of Southampton Research Repositoryby E Audissino · 2017 · Cited by 1 — 33 Tom Schneller, 'Sweet Fulfillment: Allusion and Teleological Ge...

  6. Source: facebook.com
    Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/12635886412/posts/10164710619326413/
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    I like the b side best, with the 5 tone theme building up to the climatic finale. The...Read more...

  7. Source: filmtracks.com
    Link: https://www.filmtracks.com/titles/close_encounters.html
    Source snippet

    The first act of the story offers lengthy sequences of atonal and discordant passages.Read more...

  8. Source: scribd.com
    Title: modal interchange and semantic resonance pdf
    Link: https://www.scribd.com/document/456128214/modal-interchange-and-semantic-resonance-pdf
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    64-75. Schneller, Tom. 2014. Sweet fulfillment: Allusion and teleological genesis in John Williams's Close Encounters of the Third Kind...

  9. Source: instagram.com
    Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUgore3jJj2/
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    nd Condensed Score /Composed John Willliams •Reducedby...

  10. Source: unitec.ac.nz
    Title: The Musical Quarterly, 97, 98-131
    Link: https://www.unitec.ac.nz/epress/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Matthew-Everingham.pdf
    Source snippet

    Matthew Everingham Orchestrating Film - Unitecby OFB HERRMANN · Cited by 2 — Sweet fulfillment: Allusion and teleological genesis in John...

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