John Williams

John Williams By Orla Wilson

Film Music is:

Music used in a film to accompany the action and create atmosphere.

Functions of Film Music ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔

Illustrating Movement Creating Plot Relationships Create Atmosphere Portray Emotions Social/Cultural/Geographic References Time/Period References Connect Scenes/Montages Create Contradictions between scenes Parody Character Development

When did it start? Film music as we know it started in the 1950s. Up until the then, film music had been entirely symphonic. In the 1950s, however, Jazz opened the industry up to a vast and new world of possibilities. Although it had been used for musicals and animated films, this style had never been used in mainstream genre films of the 1930s and 1940s.

John Williams

For this project, I decided to focus on the career of the infamous John Williams. His work in film is astounding, and I hope to find out more about his various styles and his life as one of the most prominent modern composers.

Early Life Born in Long Island, New York on February 8, 1932, John Towner Williams discovered music almost immediately, due in no small measure to being the son of a percussionist for CBS Radio and the Raymond Scott Quintet. After moving to Los Angeles in 1948, the young pianist and leader of his own jazz band started experimenting with arranging tunes; at age 15, he determined he was going to become a concert pianist; at 19, he premiered his first original composition, a piano sonata.

Education He attended both UCLA and the Los Angeles City College, studying orchestration. He then joined up for the US Air Force and spent 3 years conducting for the first time. His return to the states brought him to Julliard, where renowned pianist Madame Rosina Lhevinne helped Williams master his performance skills. He played in jazz clubs to pay his way; still, she encouraged him to focus on composing.

Work in Television Returning to Los Angeles, Williams became a movie studio musician. He was heard as a pianist on films such as Some Like It Hot (1959) and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Soon, Williams was composing his own music for TV. Shows that received Williams's musical touch include Wagon Train, Gilligan's Island and Lost in Space.

Directors Williams may be best known for his work with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Almost all of Spielberg's films have Williams scores; their notable collaborations include Jaws (1975), E.T. (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler's List (1993), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Munich(2005) and Lincoln (2012). Williams also composed the music for George Lucas's six Star Wars movies.

Composition Clips Star wars theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHfLyMAHrQE

Jurassic Park theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJlmYh27MHg

ET Theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O15x-B8PgeE

Awards He received his first Academy Award nomination for Valley of the Dolls (1967). In 1972, Williams won an Academy Award for his work on Fiddler on the Roof. He'd also gained attention for his score for The Poseidon Adventure (1972), which received an Oscar nomination as well. As of 2018, Williams has garnered 51 Academy Award nominations, making him the living person with the most nominations. He has won five Academy Awards: In addition to Fiddler on the Roof, Williams received Oscars for Jaws, Star Wars (1977), E.T. and Schindler's List. Williams has also received three Emmy Awards and more than 20 Grammy Awards. In 2004, he was a Kennedy Center honoree and was given a National Medal of Arts in 2009.

Work in Concert Though Williams is best known for his film scores, he has written other music, including concert pieces and the themes for several Olympic Games. Williams also regularly works as a conductor: In 1980 he became the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a position he held until retiring in 1993.

Composition Style One of the things that defines Williams’ style is his use of leitmotif. This is a memorable and recurrent theme of melody or rhythm that is associated with a particular person, idea, or situation. Williams' music is heavily influenced by the classical, firmly based on the style of the late-romantics such as Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss. This is not saying that he does not stray at times to add some modernistic overtones (such as with Close Encounters of the third kind), he just primarily composes wholesome music full of memorable tunes. His use of techniques such as fanfares and fun marches are particularly prominent.

Conclusion After completing this project, I am even more sure of just how influential John Williams is for the world of film. Not only has he composed some of the most recognisable pieces of film music out there, but he has got the awards to prove it. Learning about the man behind themes such as Jaws, Star Wars and Jurassic Park, was very interesting and helped to see each of his movies in a whole new light.

Jaws Theme

Synopsis Jaws is about the arrival of a dangerous great white shark in the small island town of Amity A police chief, a marine biologist, and a fisherman set out on a journey to stop it The "Jaws" theme is a fantastic example of Williams’ use of Leitmotif

Jaws (music scene) - Main theme - YouTube

Features MODE/TONALITY: Minor Key MAIN COMPOSITIONAL DEVICE: Use of Chromatics (movement in semitones) MOOD: Mysterious - Threatening

Instruments, Dynamics and Tempo The theme begins with: ➔ Slow tempo of cellos, low dynamics Climax: ➔ Crescendo and quickened tempo ➔ Incorporation of other string instruments (harp, violin) ➔ High pitch, loud dynamics Ends with: ➔ Decrescendo and use of brass instruments

Jaws Theme In this film, the main theme is used for: ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔

Dramatic build up/Climactic underscoring Background filler Setting the mood Establishing time and setting

It invokes the viewer to: ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔

Anxiety Nervousness To be scared or worried Alarmed

Bibliography ➔ https://prezi.com/alcthbiwr1qp/the-analysis-of-jaws-the-film-music/ ➔ https://www.biography.com/people/john-williams-9532526 ➔ www.twyman-whitney.com/film/essentials/music-history.html ➔ https://www.britannica.com/