John Williams “ GREATEST COMPOSER OF OUR CENTURY”

By Stephanie Taylor

“Fawkes the Phoenix” (3:45)

“The score was originally slated to be conducted entirely by John Williams, but due to scheduling conflicts with the scoring of Steven Spielberg's film Catch Me If You Can, composer William Ross was brought in to conduct the scoring sessions in London with the London Symphony Orchestra.”

“The soundtrack was a Grammy nominee for the Best Motion Picture Soundtrack in 2003. It charted on the Billboard 200 at 81, and also charted at five on the Top Soundtracks Chart.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN5AZyXrP7o

“Theme from Jurassic Park” (3:27)

“Jurassic Park is the twelfth project on which renowned composer John Williams worked with Steven Spielberg. He composed, conducted and produced the score for the film. Most of the cues were orchestrated by John Neufeld, with two of those being partially orchestrated by Conrad Pope and with three others entirely orchestrated by Alexander Courage. MCA Records released a soundtrack album for the film on May 20, 1993.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEZh88vz8b8

“Battle of the Hero’s” (3:42)

“Battle of the Heroes" is a musical theme from the movie Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It was written by John Williams for the duel between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Williams wrote the piece upon the request of George Lucas. Lucas wanted a piece that would function as a "tragedy Duel of the Fates" in the film's final fight scenes.”

“The concert suite begins with a soft and tense ostinato by the violas in tremolo. Stopped horns join in to present an initial statement of the theme, immediately followed by pulsing beats with mezzopiano double basses and cellos. The ostinato builds as the harp and trombones make their entrance. Suddenly, the horns, 1st violins, and choir play the theme at a louder dynamic level”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5AaGuzdSaI

“E.T. The Extra Terrestrial” (10:57)

A lot of people have said that they believe that E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial remains perhaps the most magical, out of all his scores.

E.T.’s score earned Williams his fourth Academy Award. “In actuality, the E.T. score is substantially more complicated than that, with

no less than eight major, recurring themes in the score (and several minor motifs) and a very keen sense of instrumental choices and final orchestration.”

But more importantly, E.T. is a score in which Williams absolutely nailed the emotional atmosphere of each situation in the film, an ability proven without question when Williams was allowed to score the final chase sequence in terms of musical flow, with Spielberg altering the final edit of the film to match the cue.

One of the more remarkable aspects of Williams' writing process for E.T. is the fact that he wrote most of the swells of the title theme before the film's special effects were finished (including the iconic "bicycle over moon" sequence).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2dJCtATZ9A

Jurassic Park

“Theme from Jurassic Park”

(3:27)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEZh88vz8b8

Star Wars Revenge of the sith

“Battle of the Hero’s”

(3:42)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5AaGuzdSaI

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

"Adventures on Earth suite”

(10:57)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2dJCtATZ9A

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

“Fawkes the Phoenix”

3:45

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN5AZyXrP7o

Biography John Williams, also not as well-known as John Towner Williams,

was born February 8, 1932 in Long Island, New York. John Williams moved to Los Angeles in 1948. Williams, while in

Los Angeles, attended North Hollywood High School. For College Williams attended the UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles) and studied with composer Mario Tedesco.

Williams was drafted into the U.S. Air Force in 1952. As Williams job in the Air Force he conducted and arranged music for the Air Force Band.

At Juilliard he studied piano. With the knowledge Williams gained from school he worked as a jazz pianist in New York clubs.

Most of the pieces, as a studio pianist, he performed were by famous composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, and Henry Mancini.

Continued Biography and Quotes

John Williams went on to produce some of the most famous composition for film score in music history… Such as Star Wars, superman, Indiana jones, E.T., and many others!!!

Williams led the Boston pops, which he was conductor over for many, many years.

“Williams holds honorary degrees from fourteen American universities, including Berklee College of Music in Boston, Boston College, Northeastern University, Tufts University, Boston University, the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of Massachusetts at Boston. On June 23, 2000, he became the first inductee into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame.”

Sources: http://www.johnwilliams.org/

Future and comments……

As a composer John Williams is a Musical Genius!!! Most Composer’s I have seen write their own music but do not Conduct it. John Williams has a balance between the major and minor keys, rather then most composer’s these days, such as Hans Zimmer who’s music is mostly or all in the Minor key.

John Williams has slowed down at his compositions because of age (Currently 80) but he hasn’t stopped… He has recently come out with several scores, such as “The Adventures of TinTin” and “War Horse”

As a Lover of music and a very big listener and fan of John Williams I look forward to his many works yet to come, He is truly the Composer of the Century as well as the Father of Modern Film Score and Composition!

E-portfolio Link…

http://471990822458609673.weebly.com/index.html