John Williams

Our favorite movies wouldn’t be the same without him.  Harry Potter, Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones and more wouldn’t be what they are without the composing prowess of John Williams.  John Williams is arguably one of the most popular and successful American composers that we have today.  He has won “five Academy Awards, 17 Grammys, three Golden Globes, two Emmys and five BAFTA Awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts”.  He has also been nominated for 50 Academy Awards, even though he has only won five. Williams has composed the music for almost eighty films some of which include:

Saving Private Ryan, AmistadSeven Years in TibetThe Lost WorldRosewoodSleepersNixonSabrinaSchindler’s ListJurassic Park, Home AloneFar and AwayJFKHookPresumed InnocentAlwaysBorn on the Fourth of July, the Indiana Jones trilogy, The Accidental TouristEmpire of the SunThe Witches of Eastwick, the Star Wars trilogy, E.T.: The Extra-TerrestrialThe Empire Strikes BackSupermanClose Encounters of the Third KindJaws and Goodbye Mr. Chips.

John Williams was born in New York in 1932 and later with his family moved to Los Angeles. He attended UCLA to study composition and after served in the Air Force.  After completing his time in service he went to New York and attended Juilliard, where he studied piano. He then returned to Los Angeles, where he began his career in the film industry after working as a jazz pianist in New York. He went on to write music for many television programs in the 1960s and won two Emmy Awards for that work. He has also composed the NBC News theme “The Mission,” along with, “We’re Lookin’ Good!,” which was for the Special Olympics, and the themes for the 1984, 1988, and 1996 Summer Olympic games.

In 1980, he became the next Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. John Williams has also gone on many tours with the Boston Pops in 1985, 1989 and 1992 and on a tour of Japan in 1987 and more tours of Japan in 1990 and 1993. Williams has written many concert pieces, even though he is more well-known and loved for his film composition. His concert pieces have been premiered by the elite in the field including Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Sachs, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic. He has also been a guest conductor for a lot of prominent and well known orchestras including, the London Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Also because of his wide success throughout the arts he has fourteen honorary degrees from various universities such as 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.

Harry Potter

John Williams capture the wonder and magic in his score for Harry Potter.  The well-loved series would not be the same without its recognizable themes, especially Hedwig’s Theme, or better known as the Harry Potter theme song.  Williams only wrote music for the first three movies but you can hear the re-occurrence of his melodies in the later music too.

Star Wars

The Star Wars universe wouldn’t be the same without John Williams behind the scenes. The Imperial March, Cantina Band jazz rag, or the opening theme, “Binary Sunset”, which instills everyone with a sense of adventure and hope, while also convey a hint of tragedy.

 

2 Comments on John Williams

  1. hbl5075
    April 3, 2016 at 4:21 pm (8 years ago)

    I have heard the Harry Potter and Star Wars theme, but I had no clue what they were composed by the same person. These 2 pieces of music fit so perfectly with their films, it’s hard to imagine Harry Potter or Star Wars without them.

  2. hlf13
    April 1, 2016 at 1:43 pm (8 years ago)

    John Williams is possibly my favorite composer alive today for his work in films like Jaws, Harry Potter, and several others. I’ve also played a few pieces by John Williams (Jurassic Park, Jaws, Harry Potter, and Far and Away), and spending hours upon hours practicing his music has given me a strong appreciation for it. Each composition he does really seems to suit the film and have its own distinct personality.

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