Posted on 12/19/2015 9:19:32 AM PST by Perdogg
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning over six decades, Williams has composed some of the most popular and recognizable film scores in cinematic history, including the Star Wars series, the first two Jaws films, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones series, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, the first two Home Alone films, Hook, the first two Jurassic Park films, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, the first three Harry Potter films, Catch Me If You Can, Memoirs of a Geisha, War Horse, and Lincoln. He has had a long association with director Steven Spielberg, composing the music for all of Spielberg's feature films except The Color Purple and Bridge of Spies.
Other notable works by Williams include theme music for four Olympic Games, NBC Sunday Night Football, the NBC Nightly News, the Statue of Liberty's rededication, the television series Lost in Space and Land of the Giants, and the original, not as well known calypso-based theme song to Gilligan's Island. Williams has composed numerous classical concerti and other works for orchestral ensembles and solo instruments, and he served as the Boston Pops' principal conductor (1980-93), and is now the orchestra's laureate conductor.
Source: Wikipedia
I wish that I had been able to see him while he was conductor of the Boston Pops!
Variations of the same hooks. So So.
John Williams will long be remembered as the composer of the compelling theme to one of the most beloved and enduring science fiction spectaculars.
Of course I’m referring to his work on “Lost In Space”. His Star Wars stuff is pretty good as well.
If you like Vaughn Williams’ music, then feast on this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihx5LCF1yJY (orchestra)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JCBRSwwFWg (pipe organ)
great job on starwars and many other scores. still remember him conducting it at the olympics, when the olympics was still center stage politically and athletically.
may God bless him with more health to continue his composing. haven’t heard him opine politically. i hope that means he’s a closet hollywood conservative.
I had no idea he did the Lost in Space theme ... I always dug that :-).
My personal favorite Williams score is Superman. I love his Star Wars and Indy themes, but I’ll never forget being a six year old kid watching Superman’s title sequence with that booming theme in the theater with my late dad many years ago :-).
I played that for my son when he was a little over one. He was playing around in his playpen. When it started, he stopped what he was doing and just stared at the TV during the whole sequence.
I love reading articles where classical music experts trash Williams for being too simplistic. I’d love to see any one of them create even a 3 minute composition that’s 10% as good as one of John Williams worst :-).
People bag on Williams for mimicking Wagner, but it was his poaching from the Colonel Bogie march which really stands out.
BTW, the Czechs understand that a march should be pergormed as a march...
Prague Film Orchestra: Star Wars - Imperial March
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRRtOJqB8PU
Then I guess its good to be on stage left.
Thanks
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