Playing Triangle in John Williams’ Orchestra

I am a big fan of movie soundtracks. I love how composers are able to capture and convey the emotion in a scene and give it life with their melodious accompaniment. Being the movie soundtrack aficionado I am, I believe that John Williams set the standard for memorable and powerful themes. You might not know John Williams by name, but I have no doubt whatsoever that you know his work. He composed the unforgettable themes to movies such as Superman, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Harry Potter, and E.T., just to name a few. Beyond movie soundtracks, he has also scored the themes of NBC Nightly News, NBC Sunday Night Football, and the Olympics. In the annals of bringing imagination and emotion to a visual experience through music, John Williams is at the top!

I was listening to some of my favorite movie themes the other day while jogging through the neighborhood. The soaring themes for movies like Superman and Star Wars helped to give me the extra “umph” I needed to finish my workout. As I tired, I found myself needing to hone in on the music, and it was then I noticed something intriguing: John Williams loves the percussion instrument, the triangle, and I think a lot. I was listening specifically to Darth Vader’s Imperial March theme and was astounded by the heavy dose of triangle throughout. In a song that is intended to well up feelings of fear and foreboding, the triangle might not be the first instrument to which you would turn to accompany the ominously powerful Dark Lord of the Sith, yet if you listen carefully enough, you will hear it over and over again throughout the soaring theme. The triangle serves to accentuate the full spectrum of sound, so that when you see Darth Vader enter the scene, you know he is completely in control.

I can only imagine how auditions must have gone for the role of triangle player in John Williams’ orchestra. Typically as orchestras go, the prized positions are those like first chair violin, or first chair trumpet…the flashy roles coveted by everyone. Yet to audition to play such a role in the orchestra to play what – only I can assume is one of John Williams’ favorite accent instruments, the triangle – must have been a thrill! To know that your timely plinking of the triangle will add just the right amount of pizzazz to fully bring to life John Williams’ vision as Darth Vader appeared on screen…wow, that must have been amazing! It goes to show that even some of the seemingly smaller parts imaginable can play an integral role in bringing a vision to life.

This got me thinking further: how often is it that we feel if we aren’t going to play first trumpet or first violin we might as well not even audition, forgetting the fact we might never have learned to play those instruments in the first place? As humans, we can tend to behave as such that if we are not holding the positions of honor, we would rather sit out the whole shebang altogether. GOD knows this, loves us anyway, and wants us to realize that every single one of us is important to fulfilling the vision of His Kingdom. The Apostle Paul wrote about this in 1 Corinthians 12.12-26 as he gave us the inspiringly powerful metaphor of the body, reminding us that every part is essential for proper health and functioning. To take it to our orchestral metaphor, even playing triangle in John Williams’ orchestra is necessary to bring the full sensory spectrum into reality.

GOD is bringing His vision to reality! Some of it is easy to sense and some of it can only be sensed as we allow GOD to shape and direct our imagination individually and collectively. If you feel like you can’t participate if you aren’t first chair, then rethink that notion! If you’re worried about being tentative around other presumed superstars, perish that thought, too! Because as you listen to the beautiful nuances of powerful songs like Darth Vader’s Imperial March, then you can realize that there is a thrill in playing even the smallest of instruments – the triangle – and it might just be one of the favorites of the famed composer!

I think I can hear the orchestra tuning up right now. The baton is being raised. Are you ready? Take your position, listen for your cue, and watch the conductor. There is something marvelous in store for you, and all of us for that matter, regardless how big or small!