Gotta respect a guy who commits so hard to singing the oboe lines of Star Wars’ “Duel Of The Fates”
When composer Matthew Van Ness commits to a bit, he doesn’t half-ass it, even a little. Here he is, singing every single instrument and choral part in John Williams’ “Duel Of The Fates” from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The hooded stuff at the beginning is funny, and the overall effect is very cool, but what we’re really delighted by is his commitment to making sure each and every oboe, trombone, and bassoon is accounted for, and for singing that lone piccolo part as if his life depended on it.
It should be noted that he does not have a seven-octave vocal range. Here’s a comment he left on the video, just to make that plain:
Hey guys! I just want to make it clear that obviously the range of the orchestra is significantly larger than the range of the human voice, so for the very high and low bits I did pitch shift my voice to get it there. Anyways I hope you enjoy the video!
What’s cool about videos like these is that, in addition to being fun and weird, it allows the viewer to see and hear exactly how intricate compositions like “Duel Of The Fates” can be. It matters that there are two bassoons and a contrabassoon. It matters that there are four trombones. Sure, it’s a fun internet gag, but it’s also a good little musical lesson. Win-win.