John Williamsby Amber Rector
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/John_Williams
Biography
• Born February 8th, 1932 in Queens, NY• Father was a musician and composed film
soundtracks• Degree in composition from UCLA• Joined the Air Force and played in the Band• Attended Julliard School of Music• Plays piano, trumpet, trombone, and clarinet
Career
• Composition Career began in 1960• Produced scores for Gilligan’s Island and Lost
in Space• 1970’s produced scores for movies Jaws and
Star Wars• 1980 appointed Conductor of Boston Pop’s
Orchestra• Composed Five Sacred Trees in 1995
Awards
• Academy Awards - Original Score
– Fiddler on the Roof, 1971– Jaws, 1975– Star Wars, 1977– ET, 1982– Schindler’s List, 1993
• Emmy Awards – Outstanding Achievement in Musical Compositions
– Heidi, 1968– Jane Eyre, 1971
Awards• Golden Globe Awards – Best Original Score
– Jaws, 1975– Star Wars, 1977– E.T., 1982,– Memoirs of a Geisha, 2005Grammy Awards
- Jaws, 1975- Star Wars, 1977- Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1978- Superman, 1979- The Empire Strikes Back, 1980
- Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981- E.T., 1982- Olympic Fanfare and Theme, 1984- Schindler’s List, 1994- Saving Private Ryan, 1998- Theme from Angela’s Ashes, 2000
Steven Spielberg
• Met over lunch in 1972• Their first film together was the Sugarland
Express• Williams has composed 25 of Spielberg's 26
major films• They only use live orchestra for their
compositions, no electronic music
Famous Movies
• Fiddler on the Roof• Star Wars• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone• Schindler’s List• Jaws• Superman• Memoirs of a Geisha
Orchestra
• Conductor of the Boston Pop’s Orchestra– 3 tours of United States– 3 tours of Japan– Retired in 1993
• Guest Conductor for the:– Los Angles Philharmonic– San Francisco Symphony– London Symphony
Hedwig's Theme
• Composed for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• Represents the Wizarding World
• Can be heard in all of the Harry Potter movies
• Was nominated for an Oscar
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm270966272/tt0241527?ref_=tt_ov_i
Hedwig's Theme Listening Guide• Introduction:
Fantastical sound from chimes and bells creates the feeling of Magic
• Duple Meter• Tempo is Adagio• Full Orchestra
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/hedwig-s-theme-harry-s-wondrous-world-easy-piano-sheet-music/4042209#
Fluffy’s Harp
• From Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone• Puts the 3-headed dog, Fluffy to sleep• Released October 30, 2001 by Atlantic
Records
http://www.dadabank.com/portfolio_images/Film_HarryPotter_Fluffy.jpg
Fluffy’s Harp Listening Guide
• Opens with a Bassoon• Harp and Bassoon play
Harmony• Minor Mode• Descending Melody• Sounds of a big droopy
dog
http://www.musicnotes.com/images/productimages/mtd/MN0040780.gif
Imperial March
• From the movie, Empire Strikes Back
• Released April 20,1980• Leitmotif of Darth Vader• Song plays anytime
Vader enters the scene
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:70352
Imperial March Listening Guide
• Opens with Percussions• Disjunct Melody• Major Mode
Five Sacred Trees
• Written in 1995• Bassoon Concerto• Performed by Boston
Symphony and Judith LeClair
• First Movement Eo Mugna, an Oak
• Based on Poem written by Robert Graves
http://d29ci68ykuu27r.cloudfront.net/product/190X400/2976348.jpg
Five Sacred Trees Listening Guide
• Minor Mode• Disjunct Melody• Bassoon enters the
piece with a long sad note
http://hollywoodpark-tx.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/loan-oak-tree.jpg
Bibliography• http://www.johnwilliams.org/reference/biography.html• http://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/feb/04/artsfeatur
es• http://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-williams-mn0000232
480/biography• http://www.mfiles.co.uk/composers/John-Williams.htm• http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/John_Williams• http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/08/entertainment/la
-ca-john-williams-20120108/2• http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_
Philosopher%27s_Stone_(soundtrack)• http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Hedwig%27s_Theme• http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Imperial_March• http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/700896.html#tvf=
tracks&tv=about
Bibliographyhttp://www.johnwilliams.org/reference/grammyawards.htmlhttp://www.imdb.com/media/rm270966272/tt0241527?ref_=tt_ov_ihttp://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/John_Williamshttp://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/hedwig-s-theme-harry-s-wondrous-world-easy-piano-sheet-music/4042209#http://www.dadabank.com/portfolio_images/Film_HarryPotter_Fluffy.jpghttp://www.musicnotes.com/images/productimages/mtd/MN0040780.gifhttps://www.thingiverse.com/thing:70352http://d29ci68ykuu27r.cloudfront.net/product/190X400/2976348.jpghttp://hollywoodpark-tx.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/loan-oak-tree.jpg