John Williams (composer)

John Towner Williams (Floral Park, New York, February 8, 1932) is an American composer, conductor, pianist, and trombonist. Considered one of the most prolific composers of soundtracks in the history of cinema, he has composed some of the most famous and recognizable of all time such as: Harry Potter, Star Wars, Shark, Catch Me If You Can, E.T. the Alien, Superman, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, The Colossus on Fire, The Poseidon Adventure and Home Alone.

He has worked with celebrated director Steven Spielberg since 1974 and has scored all but three of his films. He has also made musical compositions for various Olympic Games, numerous television series, newsreels, and various concert pieces.

Williams has won the Oscar five times and has 53 nominations to his credit, making him the living person with the most nominations for the highest seventh art award, sharing the number with the late Walt Disney. He also has four Golden Globes, seven BAFTAs and twenty-three Grammys. In 2005, his work on the Star Wars soundtrack was selected by the American Film Institute as the greatest musical work in American cinema. In 2020, he was awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts, shared with fellow composer Ennio Morricone. He is one of the most renowned film music composers; he has made the soundtrack for more than a hundred films, not counting the music for television series. In the year 2022 he was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom as a Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Honorary Knight or KBE, Order of the British Empire.

Biography

She was born on February 8, 1932 in Floral Park, New York. He is the eldest son of Esther and John Williams Sr., and has two brothers and a sister, his father was a jazz percussionist who played with the legendary Raymond Scott Quintet. In 1948, the Williams family moved to Los Angeles; There, John Williams attended North Hollywood High School, graduating in 1950. He then transferred to the University of California, where he studied piano and composition, and took private lessons with composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. and with pianist-arranger Bobby Van Eps. In 1952, he was drafted into the United States Air Force, where he arranged and conducted music for the Air Force Band as part of his duties.

When his military service ended in 1955, Williams moved to New York City and entered the Juilliard School, where he studied piano with Rosina Lhévinne. During this period he worked as a jazz pianist in various studios and clubs in New York. York. He also played for composer Henry Mancini on the soundtracks for Peter Gunn (1959), Days of Wine and Roses (1962) and Charade (1963). In the early 1950s he worked as an arranger and bandleader for Frankie Laine and Vic Damone.In 1960 he was signed to Columbia Records as a pianist and composer, where he made numerous albums with the German-born composer André Previn.

Married couples and children

Williams was married to actress Barbara Ruick from 1956 until her death from intracranial hemorrhage on March 3, 1974. Together, they had three sons: Joseph Williams (singer/songwriter), Mark Towner Williams (percussionist), and Jennifer Williams (physician). He married for the second time on July 21, 1980 with Samantha Winslow, his current wife who is a photographer, with whom he lives in the city of Boston. He is close friends with musicians Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Seiji Ozawa; he has even dedicated some works to them.

Interpretation and direction

At the age of seven, he began his piano studies; then, at the age of ten, his father agreed that if he continued his piano lessons, he could begin studying the trombone. Later he also learned to play the piano. trumpet and clarinet.

In 1980 John Williams replaced Arthur Fiedler (who had died the previous year) as Principal Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. He continued the Pops' tradition of bringing classical music to the general public, and initiated the annual "Pops-on-the-Heights" concert series. (Pops in the Heights) at Boston College. He also added to the orchestra's repertoire a large number of his own scores; in fact, many of his concert works were premiered by the Boston Pops. He continued in this position until 1993, when he was succeeded by Keith Lockhart.

John Williams was named "Director Laureate" of the Boston Pops, and conducts it several times a year, mainly during the holiday season and during a week of concerts in May. He also directs the annual Movie Night, both at Boston Symphony Hall and at Tanglewood, where he often uses the Tanglewood Festival Choir, the official choir of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, to provide choral accompaniment to some Of his works.

He is a frequent guest conductor with other orchestras, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which he conducts annually for concerts at the Hollywood Bowl.

Compositions

Williams signing autographs after a concert.

John Williams has a wide variety of compositions spanning soundtracks, concerts, television themes, and festive works, among others. He has also arranged for various recordings and concerts. In 2009 he composed a piece, Air and Simple Gifts, for Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony. This work was performed by Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill. He is currently working on his concerto for harp and orchestra. He was in charge of composing the soundtrack for the film adaptation from The Adventures of Tintin (2011).

Musical style and influences

The most common style of Williams' compositions is often described as a form of Neo-Romanticism, primarily influenced by German Romantic composers such as Richard Wagner, Max Steiner, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. (mainly Wagner) makes recurrent use of the leitmotiv; its leitmotifs have identified characters (for example the "Imperial March" to Darth Vader, the piece "Gilderoy Lockhart" character), objects (the "Theme of the Ark" in Raiders of the Lost Ark), creatures (Fawkes the Phoenix, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the theme of the shark in the movie Jaws), places ("The dune sea of Tatooine", in Star Wars), etc.

Film music

Williams at Avery Fisher Hall in 2007.

After studying at the Juilliard School, he returned to Los Angeles and began working as an orchestrator at movie studios. He worked, among others, with composers such as Bernard Herrmann, Morris Stoloff, Adolph Deutsch, Miklós Rózsa, Alfred Newman and Franz Waxman. He also performed the piano part in several soundtracks by Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein and Henry Mancini. At the end of the 1950s, he began to compose soundtracks for television series. The first musical compositions he made in the cinema were for films belonging to the comedy genre, such as the film How to Steal a Million, starring Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole. However, after achieving success in 1972 with the soundtrack for The Poseidon Adventure , he was pigeonholed by film companies as a specialist in composing music for catastrophe films.

John Williams gained fame for his versatility in composing jazz, piano music, as well as symphonic music. He had his first Oscar nomination for the music for the film Valley of the Dolls, from 1967. He won his first award, an Oscar for Best Score, for Fiddler on the Roof , in 1971.

In 1974, he received a proposal from Steven Spielberg to compose the music for The Sugarland Express, a film in which Spielberg would make his directorial debut. Spielberg trusted Williams to provide his movies with the sounds he wanted, so a year later they met again, this time for the movie Jaws. This hit film and his memorable score earned Williams his second Oscar (his first for Best Original Score ) and his first BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Grammys.

At the same time, Spielberg recommended John Williams to his friend and colleague George Lucas, who needed a composer for his ambitious space epic Star Wars. Williams used a large symphony orchestra (the London Symphony Orchestra), in the manner of composers from the golden age of Hollywood, such as Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Max Steiner. The main theme became one of the most popularly known in the history of motion pictures, and themes such as Princess Leia and the Force are examples of the use of leitmotifs. The movie and soundtrack were very popular; in fact, the soundtrack sold more than 4 million copies, making it one of the most successful non-pop albums in recording history, and the best-selling symphonic soundtrack in history. With his composition, Williams won his third Oscar.

Over the next few years, he composed the music for films such as Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Superman, 1941 and Jaws 2, and then he was called upon to compose the second part of the original Star Wars saga: The Empire Strikes Back, in which he introduced the famous Imperial March as a theme for the Galactic Empire and, mainly, for Darth Vader. The trilogy concluded in 1983, with Return of the Jedi, with outstanding compositions being Emperor's Theme and Ewok Celebration and Finale.

The so-called Williams-Spielberg Collaboration resumed with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which brought Williams another Oscar nomination with a soundtrack that It features such famous themes as Raiders March, the main theme of Indiana Jones. The collaboration with Spielberg continued with another film masterpiece: E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), for which Williams won his fourth Oscar. They later made together Empire of the Sun, from 1987, and continued, ranging from blockbusters (Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan), and gloomy tragedies (Schindler's List, Munich) to melodramas (Memoirs of a Geisha). With Schindler's List , John Williams got his last Oscar so far. Spielberg said: "It is a privilege for me to be able to consider John Williams as a friend."

In the new millennium, Williams was called upon to compose the music for the film adaptation of the Harry Potter book series. He handled composition for the first three films in the franchise. He composed Hedwig's Theme, a characteristic piece of the saga that was used in all the tapes. Williams was unable to accept the assignment to compose the music for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire because he already had five other soundtracks to develop that year: Munich, Memoirs of a Geisha, Revenge of the Sith, War of the Worlds and Superman Returns (in collaboration with John Ottmann). Therefore, the music for that film was written by Patrick Doyle. The one for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was directed by Nicholas Hooper, as was the one for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Although Williams expressed interest in composing the music for both parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the task ultimately fell to Alexandre Desplat.

Concerts, pieces and other orchestral compositions

Williams has composed over 50 compositions beyond film and television; he expressed that "when I write music outside of the film world I feel like I can be more experimental, I feel like I can challenge myself and try to not be discouraged by the great masters of the past".

• Prelude and escape (1965), released on March 29 of the same year by Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra.
• Rehearsal for ropes (1965), premiered on 6 December of the same year by the Huston Symphony, led by André Previn.
• Sinfonietta for wind assembly (1968).
• Concert for flute and orchestra (1969), premiered in 1981 by the Symphony Orchestra of Saint Louis under the direction of Leonard Slatkin.
• Concert for violin and orchestra (1976, rev. 1998), also premiered in 1981 by the Symphony Orchestra of Saint Louis under the direction of Leonard Slatkin. Composed in memory of Barbara Ruick Williams.
• Jubilee 350 Fanfare (1980) composed to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the city of Boston. Released on September 21 of the same year by the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra under the direction of John Williams.
• Fanfare for a festive occasion (1980), dedicated to the Boston Civic Orchestra.
• Concert for tuba and orchestra (1985), premiered by Chester Schmitz, a tubist from the Boston Pops, for the centenary of that orchestra.
• Fanfarria de la Libertad (Liberty Fanfare, 1986), composed for the centenary of the Statue of Liberty, was premiered on July 4 of the same year, by the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra under the direction of Williams.
• Concert for clarinet and orchestra (1991), recorded by Michele Zukovsky, for whom it was written.
• Concert for fagot and orchestra (The Five Sacred Trees) (1993), premiered in 1995 by Judith LeClair (solist) and the New York Philharmonic.
• Concert for chelo and orchestra (1994), premiered on 7 July of the same year by Yo-Yo Ma (for whom it was composed) and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of John Williams.
• Variations on the Happy Birthday (Variations on "Happy Birthday", 1995), composed for the birthdays of Itzhak Perlman, Seiji Ozawa and Yo-Yo Ma. Interpreted by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of John Williams.
• Concert for trumpet and orchestra (1996).
• Choice for chelo and piano (1997), subsequently arranged for shilling and orchestra (2002). Based on a topic Seven years in Tibet.
• TreeSong, concert for violin and orchestra (2000).
• Three pieces of chelo only (2000).
• Heartwood: lyric notes for chelo and orchestra (2002).
• Concert for trompa and orchestra (2003). Premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in November 2003, with Dale Clevenger as a soloist.
• Soundings (2003), composed for the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Launched by the Los Angeles Philharmonic led by John Williams on 25 October 2003.
• Concerting Duo for violin and rape (2007). Premiere at Tanglewood in August 2007.
• Concert for viola and orchestra (2008). It will be premiered on May 26 of this year, under the direction of John Williams, and played by the Boston Pops Orchestra and the main violist of that orchestra, Cathy Basrak, to whom Williams dedicated the work especially. In the second movement of the concert there is a duet with the chief puppeteer of the orchestra, Timothy Genis, her husband, called "Family Discussion"; in the third movement there is another duet, with the arpist Ann Hobson Pilot, who planned to retire after the last season, but Basrak asked him to stay long enough to interpret the premiere. The work ends delicately, similar to a cradle song, as a reference to the two daughters of Basrak and Genis, one and three years old.
• Concert for harp and orchestra ("On Willows and Birches") (2009), in preparation. Its world premiere will be held on October 1, 2009 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra; it is a tribute to Ann Hobson Pilot, the main arpist of that orchestra, which this year, after 40 years with the orchestra, will retire.

Television

• For the NBC:
  • NBC News - The Mission
    • NBC Nightly News.
    • The Today Show.
    • Meet The Press.
  • NBC Sunday Night Football
• Amazing stories.
• Land of Giants.
• Lost in space.
• The Time Tunnel.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi

Olympic Games

Williams has composed the music for 4 Olympic Games held in the last 26 years. These are:

• "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" – Los Angeles Olympics 1984
  • Written specifically for the opening ceremony. In a reissue of 1996, the initial trumpet fanfare was replaced by the Bugler's Dream song, a theme written by Leo Arnaud. This version has since been used by the NBC for all its Olympic coverage.
• "The Olympic Spirit" – Seoul Olympic Games 1988
  • In charge of the NBC Sports for your television coverage.
• "Summon the Heroes" – Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games
  • Written in commemoration of the centenary of the modern Olympic Games. Premiered on 19 July 1996, the work stands out for the waterproof use of metal and wind sections and lasts approximately six minutes.
• "Call of the Champions" – Salt Lake City Olympic Games 2002

Awards and nominations

Throughout his film career, John Williams has won a total of five Oscars and four Golden Globe Awards. He has been nominated 21 times for the Golden Globes and 59 times for the Grammy Awards. With his 52 Oscar nominations, he is the living person who has nominated for this award the most times, and the second most proposed person as a candidate for the Academy Awards in the history of the Academy (the first is Walt Disney, with 59 nominations). Likewise, John Williams is the one who has competed the most times against himself in the same category of Academy Awards. Of his Oscar nominations, 47 correspond to the category of best music and the remaining five to the category of best original song. In fact, the 5 statuettes he has won belong to: one, for the best adapted music in 1971 with Fiddler on the Roof, and four more for the best original music, Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Schindler's List (1993).

The music he composed for Star Wars was chosen by the American Film Institute in 2005 as Best American Film Score of All Time in a list made up of 25 musical pieces. On the same chart, the music of Tiburón reached the sixth position, and that of E.T. the fourteenth position.

He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2009. In 2003, he was awarded the Olympic Order, the IOC's highest honor, for his contributions to the Olympic movement. She entered the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009.

In 2020 he was awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts along with Ennio Morricone, although he did not go to collect it and recorded a thank you video.