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 1 Early life 2 Coming Out 3 Film scoring 3.1 Notable film music 3.2 Notable television themes 4 Collaborations with Steven Spielberg 5 Conducting and performing 6 The Olympics 7 Concert works 7.1 Concertos 7.2 Celebration pieces and other concert works 8 Awards 8.1 Academy Awards 8.2 Grammy awards 8.3 Golden Globe Awards 8.4 Emmy Awards 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

[edit] Early life

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.

[edit] Coming Out

According to the 1995 book, "Out In All Directions: The Almanac of Gay and Lesbian America", Williams publicly "came out" as a gay man in a trade press ad in response to Anita Bryant's homophobic campaign of the 1970's and 80's.

[edit] Film scoring

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.

• Munich (2005) Oscar nomination
• Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) Golden Globe and BAFTA winner, Oscar nomination
• War of the Worlds (2005) Grammy nomination
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) double Grammy nominations
• The Terminal (2004)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Grammy & Oscar nominations
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Grammy nomination
• Minority Report (2002)
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Catch Me If You Can (2002) Oscar nomination
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) double Grammy & Oscar nomination
• A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) Grammy & Oscar nominations
• The Patriot (2000) Oscar nomination
• Angela's Ashes (1999) Grammy & Oscar nomination
• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) Grammy nomination
• Saving Private Ryan (1998) Golden Globe, Grammy & Oscar nominations
• Stepmom (1998)
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
• Amistad (1997) Grammy & Oscar nominations
• Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
• Sleepers (1996) Oscar nomination
• Sabrina (1995) double Oscar nominations
• Nixon (1995) Oscar nomination
• Schindler's List (1993) Oscar, Grammy and BAFTA winner
• Jurassic Park (1993)
• Far and Away (1992)
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
• JFK (1991) Oscar nomination
• Hook (1991) Grammy & Oscar nominations
• Home Alone (1990) double Oscar nominations
• Presumed Innocent (1990)
• Stanley & Iris (1990)
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Oscar nomination
• Born on the Fourth of July (1989) Oscar nomination
• The Accidental Tourist (1988) Oscar nomination
• The Witches of Eastwick (1987) Oscar nomination
• Empire of the Sun (1987) Oscar nomination, BAFTA winner
• Space Camp (1985)
• The River (1984) Oscar nomination
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) Oscar nomination
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) Oscar nomination
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Golden Globe, Oscar & BAFTA winner
• Yes, Giorgio (1982) Oscar nomination
• Monsignor (1982)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) double Grammy & Oscar nomination
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) double Grammy & Oscar nomination, BAFTA winner
• Dracula (1979)
• Superman: The Movie (1978) double Grammy & Oscar nomination
• The Fury (1978)
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Oscar nomination
• Star Wars (1977) Oscar, Golden Globe & BAFTA winner
• The Missouri Breaks (1976)
• Family Plot (1976)
• Jaws (1975) Golden Globe, BAFTA & Oscar winner
• The Towering Inferno (1974) Oscar nomination
• Tom Sawyer (1973) Oscar nomination shared with Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman
• The Paper Chase (1973)
• Cinderella Liberty (1973) Oscar nomination
• The Cowboys (1972)
• The Poseidon Adventure (1972) Oscar nomination
• Images (1972) Oscar nomination
• Fiddler on the Roof (1971) Oscar winner
• Jane Eyre (1970)
• Storia di una donna (1970) The only Williams' score written for an Italian movie
• Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) Oscar nomination
• The Reivers (1969) Oscar nomination
• A Guide for the Married Man (1967)
• Valley of the Dolls (1967) Oscar nomination
• John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
• Daddy-O (1958)

[edit] Notable television themes

• For NBC:
  • NBC News - The Mission
    • NBC Nightly News
    • The Today Show
    • Meet The Press
  • NBC Sunday Night Football [3]
• Amazing Stories
• Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (Wicket's theme reprised from Return of the Jedi)
• Land of the Giants
• Lost in Space

[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:

• Munich
• The Terminal
• War of the Worlds
• The Indiana Jones trilogy:
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
• Empire of the Sun
• Amistad
• Saving Private Ryan
• Schindler's List
• Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park
• Always
• Hook
• 1941
• Jaws
• The Sugarland Express
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind
• Catch Me If You Can
• Minority Report
• AI: Artificial Intelligence

See also List of noted film director and composer collaborations

[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

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

• "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" - 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles
  • In a 1996 re-release, the opening trumpet fanfare was replaced with Bugler's Dream, a previous Olympic Theme written by Leo Arnaud. This recording has been used as theme for NBC's Olympic coverage ever since.
• "The Olympic Spirit" - 1988 Summer Olympics, Seoul
  • The 1988 theme was commissioned by NBC Sports and was the theme for their television coverage of the 1988 Summer Games.
• "Summon the Heroes" - 1996 Summer Olympics, Atlanta
• "Call of the Champions" - 2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City

[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

• Star Wars music
• Superman music
• Harry Potter music

[edit] References

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

[edit] External links

• John Williams at the Internet Movie Database
• The John Williams Web Pages
• John Williams Composer
• John Williams Fan Network
• Hollywood Bowl's Hall of Fame
• John Williams Music Network
• John Williams at MusicBrainz
• John Williams Clarinet Concerto Recording
• John Williams at Soundtrackguide.net

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
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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