John Williams

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For other people with the same name, see John Williams (disambiguation).
John Williams
Born February 8, 1932
Floral Park, New York, USA

John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is one of the most widely recognized composers of film scores. As of 2006, he has received 45 Academy Award nominations, an accomplishment surpassed only by Walt Disney.

Williams is best known for heroic, rousing themes to adventure and fantasy films. This includes some of the highest grossing films of all time, such as Star Wars, Superman, Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, and the first three Harry Potter movies. His richly thematic and highly popular 1977 score to the first Star Wars film was selected in 2005 by the American Film Institute as the greatest American movie score of all time. In that list of 25, he had Star Wars and two others. So far, five of his film scores have won Oscars.

His long career has also included many sensitive dramatic scores (such as Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan) and more experimental concert works. As of March 2006, his latest works include the scores for the recent movies Munich and Memoirs of a Geisha.

While skilled in a variety of twentieth-century compositional idioms, his most familiar style may be described as a form of neoromanticism,[1] informed by the large-scale orchestral music of the late 19th century especially Wagnerian music and leitmotif, and that of Williams's film-composing predecessors.[2]

Contents

[edit] Early life and family

John Williams 1956
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John Williams 1956

John Williams was born in Floral Park, New York. In 1948 he moved with his family to Los Angeles, California, where he attended North Hollywood High School and later UCLA. He also studied composition privately with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who also taught another famous film score composer, Jerry Goldsmith.

In 1952, Williams was drafted and entered the United States Air Force, where he conducted and arranged music for Air Force bands. When discharged in 1954, he returned to New York. There, he went to Juilliard, the alma mater of musicians including the composer Philip Glass and violinist Itzhak Perlman (with whom Williams released an album, Cinema Serenade, in 1997). He studied piano at the school with Rosina Lhevinne. In New York, he worked as a jazz pianist. He also played with noted composer Henry Mancini and even performed on the recording of the famous Peter Gunn theme. In the early 1960s, he served as arranger/bandleader on a series of popular albums with singer Frankie Laine.

Williams was married to his first wife, actress Barbara Ruick, from 1956 until her death on March 3, 1974. They had three children together. He married his second wife, Samantha Winslow, on June 9, 1980, to whom he remains married to this day.

[edit] Film scoring

Williams conducting the London Symphony Orchestra during the recording of the score for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Williams conducting the London Symphony Orchestra during the recording of the score for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

Williams later returned to Los Angeles, where he started working in the film studios. There he worked as an orchestrator with some of the finest film score composers of that time: Franz Waxman, Bernard Herrmann, and Alfred Newman. He also lent his talents as a studio pianist, performing in scores by the likes of Jerry Goldsmith and Elmer Bernstein. He began his career composing TV scores for series including Lost in Space and The Time Tunnel.

In the early 1970s, he established himself as a composer for big-budget disaster films with scores for The Towering Inferno, Earthquake, and The Poseidon Adventure. In 1974, Williams was approached by a young Steven Spielberg to write the music for his feature debut, The Sugarland Express. They re-teamed for the director's second film, Jaws, featuring an ominous two-note motif representing the shark. Spielberg's friendship with director George Lucas led to Williams's composing for the Star Wars movies. Over thirty years later, the Williams-Spielberg collaboration has proven to be one of Hollywood's most enduring and fruitful. To date, Williams has composed the music to all but two of Spielberg's movies (The Color Purple and Twilight Zone: The Movie, composed by Quincy Jones and Jerry Goldsmith, respectively [1]). In addition, Lucas and Richard Donner were highly vocal in describing how Williams' scores for the Star Wars series and Superman respectively exceeded their highest expectations.

He has been nominated for 45 Academy Awards, of which he has won five (for Jaws, Star Wars (now known as Episode IV: A New Hope), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler's List, and for arrangements in Fiddler on the Roof). He currently holds the record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person and has the same number of Oscar nominations as Alfred Newman. He has jokingly stated that this means he also holds the record for the most Academy Award losses ever. (With four more losses than Newman, Williams would need to win on his next five nominations to match Alfred Newman's overall Oscar record.)

Williams has received two Emmy Awards, seven BAFTAs, eighteen Grammy Awards, and has been inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. In 2004 he received a Kennedy Center Honor. He also won a Classical Brit award in 2005 for his soundtrack work of the previous year. On January 16, 2006, Williams won a Golden Globe, his fourth, for his score in Memoirs of a Geisha.

Williams is also a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, the national honorary fraternity for college band members [2].

[edit] Notable film music

The following list consists of films for which John Williams wrote the score and/or songs. Those films for which his music won an Oscar are in bold-face.

Audio samples composed by John Williams:

[edit] Notable television themes

[edit] Collaborations with Steven Spielberg

John Williams' relationship with producer/director Steven Spielberg has been long and fruitful. Their second project together, Jaws, grossed well over 300 million dollars at the box office and elevated director and composer to previously unattained heights of stardom. The dynamic production duo of Williams and Spielberg would go on to team up on over twenty other successful projects. Every film directed by Spielberg since and including The Sugarland Express, with the exception of Twilight Zone: The Movie and The Color Purple, has been scored by Williams, including:

See also List of noted film director and composer collaborations
Williams signing an autograph
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Williams signing an autograph

[edit] Conducting and performing

From 1980 to 1993, Williams succeeded the legendary Arthur Fiedler as Principal Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. He is now the Laureate Conductor of the Pops, thus maintaining his affiliation with its parent, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), resident of Symphony Hall in the Massachusetts capital. Williams leads the Pops on several occasions each year, particularly during their Holiday Pops season and typically for a week of concerts in May. He also frequently enlists the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, official chorus of the BSO, to provide a choral accompaniment to films (such as Saving Private Ryan).

He is an accomplished pianist, as can be heard in various scores in which he provides solos, as well as a handful of European classical music recordings.

Williams has written many concert pieces, including a symphony, Concerto for Clarinet written for Michele Zukovsky (Principal Clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic) in 1991 [4], a sinfonietta for wind ensemble, a cello concerto premiered by Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in 1994, concertos for the flute and violin recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, tuba, and a trumpet concerto, which was premiered by the Cleveland Orchestra and their principal trumpet Michael Sachs in September 1996. His bassoon concerto, The Five Sacred Trees, which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic and principal bassoon player Judith LeClair in 1995, was recorded for Sony Classical by Williams with LeClair and the London Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Williams composed the well-known NBC News theme "The Mission" (which he has occasionally performed in concert for surprised audiences), "Liberty Fanfare" for the re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty, "We're Lookin' Good!," for the Special Olympics in celebration of the 1987 International Summer Games, and themes for the 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2002 Olympic games. His most recent concert work "Seven for Luck", for soprano and orchestra, is a seven-piece song cycle based on the texts of former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove. "Seven for Luck" was given its world premiere by the Boston Symphony under Williams with soprano Cynthia Haymon.

[edit] The Olympics

Music sample:

Williams has composed the official theme for four of the Olympic Games held in the last 26 years. They are:

[edit] Concert works

[edit] Concertos

  • Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1969), premiered only in 1981 by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin.
  • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1976 rev. 1998), premiered in 1981 by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra under Slatkin.
  • Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra (1985), premiered by the Boston Pops for their 100th anniversary.
  • Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (1991).
  • Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra (The Five Sacred Trees) (1993).
  • Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1994).
  • Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (1996).
  • Elegy for Cello and Piano (1997), later arranged for Cello and Orchestra (2002). Based on a theme from Seven Years in Tibet.
  • TreeSong, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (2000).
  • Heartwood: Lyric Sketches for Cello and Orchestra (2002).
  • Concerto for Horn and Orchestra (2003).

[edit] Celebration pieces and other concert works

  • Prelude and Fugue (1965), for orchestra. Available for download in MP3 at the United States Marine Band website.
  • Symphony #1 (1966), premiered by Houston Symphony under André Previn in 1968. Williams reworked it in 1988 but the piece was never performed.
  • Thomas and the King (musical, 1975), premiered in London. Recorded in 1981 by the Original Cast.
  • Jubilee 350 Fanfare (1980), it was premiered by the Boston Pops conducted by Williams. Piece celebrating the 350th anniversary of the City of Boston.
  • Liberty Fanfare (1986), premiered on July 4th 1986 by the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. Piece composed for the Centennial of the Statue of Liberty.
  • A Hymn to New England (1987).
  • For New York (Variations on theme by Leonard Bernstein) (1988). Composed for Leonard Bernstein's 70th birthday celebrations.
  • Celebrate Discovery (1990), composed for the 500th anniversary celebration of the arrival of Columbus to America.
  • Sound the Bells! (1993).
  • Song for World Peace (1994).
  • Variations on Happy Birthday (1995).
  • American Journey (1999). Portions premiered as accompaniment to a film by Steven Spielberg as part of the Millennium Celebration in Washington D.C. December 31, 1999.
  • Three Pieces for solo Cello (2001).
  • Soundings (2003), composed for the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

[edit] Awards

[edit] Academy Awards

  • Fiddler on the Roof (1971) (Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score)
  • Jaws (1975) (Original Score)
  • Star Wars (1977) (Original Score)
  • E.T. (1982) (Original Score)
  • Schindler's List (1993) (Original Score)

[edit] Grammy awards

  • Jaws (1975) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • Star Wars (1977) (Best Pop Instrumental Performance)
  • Main Title from Star Wars (1977) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • Star Wars (1977) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • Main Title Theme from Superman (1979) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • Superman (1979) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • "Flying" (Theme from E.T.) (1982) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • E.T. (1982) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • "Flying" (Theme from E.T.) (1982) (Best Arrangement on an Instrumental Recording)
  • Olympic Fanfare and Theme (1984) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • Schindler's List (1994) (Instrumental Composition for a Motion Picture or Television)
  • Saving Private Ryan (1998) (Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television)
  • Theme from Angela's Ashes (2000) (Best Instrumental Composition)

[edit] Golden Globe Awards

  • Jaws (1975) (Best Original Score)
  • Star Wars (1977) (Best Original Score)
  • E.T. (1982) (Best Original Score)
  • Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) (Best Original Score)

[edit] Emmy Awards

  • Heidi (1968) (Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition)
  • Jane Eyre (1971) (Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Romanticism. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
  2. ^ Behind the Scenes. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:


The Indiana Jones series
Films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) | The Temple of Doom (1984) |The Last Crusade (1989) | Indiana Jones 4 (2008)
Television The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992-1996)
Theme Park Attractions Indiana Jones Adventure (Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Sea) | Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril (Disneyland Paris)
Characters Indiana Jones | Willie Scott | Marion Ravenwood | Elsa Schneider
Marcus Brody | Sallah | Short Round | Henry Jones, Sr.
Cast Harrison Ford | Sean Connery | Corey Carrier | Sean Patrick Flanery | George Hall
River Phoenix | John Rhys-Davies | Denholm Elliott
Crew George Lucas | Steven Spielberg | Frank Marshall | John Williams
Preceded by:
none		 Laureate Conductor, Boston Pops Orchestra
1993–		 Succeeded by:
incumbent
Preceded by:
Arthur Fiedler		 Conductor, Boston Pops Orchestra
1980–1993		 Succeeded by:
Keith Lockhart
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