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I just wanted to express my appretiation
my thaughts on This person.
You may not know his name but you have without a doubt heard his music.
John Williams is (IMO) the greatest composer in modern history.On the all time list behind only Beethoven and Mozart. He has composed the music for the (soon to be) five Star wars movies,the Harry Potter movie,the Indiana Jones trilogy,jaws, Jurrasic park,Schindlers list,Close encounters of the third kind,home alone,saving private Ryan,the patriot,A.I,superman and all of Stephen Speilberg(also Genius) movies, save one.
The Imperial march (Empire strikes back)
is the most dramatic and all in all the second best(again,in my opinion)score of all times, second only to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.Schindlers list has the most powerfull and imotional theme of all times.
John Williams has been nominated for more Oscars than any person in any category ever , and has won five of his Thirty Eight(!) oscar nominations.
He is a genius.

[ 11-19-2001: Message edited by: Morlock ]

IMO he has indeed produced some fantastic scores, however his music for Episode 1 wasn't as good as his previous work

The only problem I have with Williams' scores is that he frequently borrows from other composers whose music is out of copyright. There was quite a stir in the classical community when he lifted a large portion of one of Holst's movements (Mars, I think it was) for Star Wars. Fine arrange, though, and if you like great film scores, check out the following: Georges Auric, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Bernard Herrmann, and Jerome Moross. Great stuff, all.

Originally posted by fable:
<STRONG>if you like great film scores, check out the following: Georges Auric, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Bernard Herrmann, and Jerome Moross. Great stuff, all. </STRONG>

Sorry, but never heard of any of them. could you give me names of movies or specific scores?

@Mr. sleep:I agree with you that on the part Episode 1 has nothing great in it, but with 2 exeptions
1.I guess you don't agree but I think duel of the fates(the tune during the last battle,in Latin) is a good tune, not the best, but definetaly notable.
2.In the scene at the end when Yoda talks to Obi-wan about Anakin, when Yoda says something about the boys future, if you listen well you can hear the Imperial march playing-it sent chills through my spine, realy,its very suddle inclusion was,in my eyes, sheer brilliance.

Thanx for your replies!

@Morlock, not sure on the rest of those composers, but Bernard Herrmann, among other things, wrote the music for most (all?) of Hitchc0ck's movies.

Originally posted by Georgi:
<STRONG>@Morlock, not sure on the rest of those composers, but Bernard Herrmann, among other things, wrote the music for most (all?) of Hitchc0ck's movies. </STRONG>

I knew that name sounded familiar,thanx!

Originally posted by Morlock:
<STRONG> Sorry, but never heard of any of them. could you give me names of movies or specific scores? </STRONG>

Let me see: Korngold did Robin Hood, Captain Blood, and the Prince and the Pauper (among many other things). Herrmann did The Devil and Daniel Webster, Citizen Kane, and The Magnificent Ambersons (as well as plenty of Hitch****, as Georgi noted). Auric did a ton of stuff, including Lola Montez, The Lavender Hill Mob, Moulin Rouge (a certifiable hit; you would probably recognize it even today) and Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast.

You can find a selection of their stuff up at the Berkshire Record Outlet (www.broinc.com) for reduced prices, usually $2.99 to $6.99. Just do a search on the last name of the composer.

@fable: thanx alot! I already started downloading some of Herrmanns scores! now that I think of it Psyco had a great score!

IMO Psycho has a score that works very well as part of the movie... I'm not sure I would want to listen to it on its own though...

Elmer Bernstein is another of the greats (IMO), a career spanning 50 years which includes, probably most famously, The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape

Bah, I forgot Jerome Moross. He didn't get much of a chance to write Hollywood scores during the 30s and 40s, because the so-called "German squad" ruled the musical roost. Finally things broke for him in the 50s and 60s, with The Big Country being the best of his film work. It actually created a style that's still often followed in Western films, and it won plenty of awards. The damn thing is so tuneful and expansive that even now, having mentioned it, I can't get it out of my mind. Well worth finding, as is most of his music.

Matter of fact, I just found a link where you can hear pieces from The Big Country:
[url="http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?ean=738572104825"]http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?ean=738572104825[/url]

To me, it's probably the best film score of all time: huge, magnificent theme at the start, simple to hear, but filled with harmonic and figurative subtleties if you really listen again and again, that enhance what he's doing. Remember, when you're listening to it, it's not derivative. It made the mold out of which so many later "rugged West" films came. Enjoy!

[ 11-19-2001: Message edited by: fable ]

@Georgi: I am farmiliar with Bernstein work- its good and the magnificent seven has a great score, but other than that,his scores are not even close to Williams' scores.

and if your naming composers, here are a few:
1.Hans Zimmer:most of his scores sound sort of the same,but "the Rock"'s score is one of the best I've ever heard and Gladiator- again sounds like a few other movies, butis very good.
2.jerry Goldsmith:"scarface" had a pretty good score,"air force one"-at it's high points had great music,ditto "the Mummy".
3.Ennio Morricone:best tune for a western (a spaghetti western,but never the less) was the main theme for "The good the bad and the ugly" also the theme at the end (somthing gold?)was great."the Untouchables" good score."Malena"(2000)had a good theme(never seen it,but heard it at the oscars).
4."Men in black" by Dannie Elfman
5."The Godfather" one of the best themes ever by Nino Rota
6."007" from "from Russia with love" by John Barry
7.the theme from "Dr. Strangelove" I don't know who wrote it.

Originally posted by fable:
<STRONG>The only problem I have with Williams' scores is that he frequently borrows from other composers whose music is out of copyright.</STRONG>

"Good artists borrow. Great artists steal."
-Pablo Picasso

Originally posted by fable:
<STRONG>If you like great film scores, check out the following: Georges Auric, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Bernard Herrmann, and Jerome Moross. Great stuff, all. </STRONG>

I’m not one to malign the work of composers, but frankly I don't care much for the music of most the aforementioned composers. Just my personal preference, of course (your mileage may vary).

Originally posted by Morlock:
<STRONG>Ennio Morricone:best tune for a western (a spaghetti western,but never the less) was the main theme for "The good the bad and the ugly" also the theme at the end (somthing gold?)was great."the Untouchables" good score."Malena"(2000)had a good theme(never seen it,but heard it at the oscars).</STRONG>

IMHO Ennio Morricone is overrated. (again, your mileage may vary). Gee, this post is becoming more acerbic than I had intended. I'll quit before I naff off everybody here. To each his own. There's more than enough music to make us all happy.

[ 11-20-2001: Message edited by: Kayless ]

@Fable: Thanx for the recomendations!
I downloaded Tha main themes from psyco and the big country,and although I disagree with you that the Big country's score is the best, it is certainly a very good score.
@Keyless:no comment

Originally posted by Morlock:
<STRONG>@Keyless:no comment </STRONG>

And that’s probably for the best. You’re talking to the guy who feels that music reached its peak in the era of disco.


P.S. Oh, and it's K-A-Y-L-E-S-S not K-E-Y-L-E-S-S. I don't call you Moolock do I?

[ 11-20-2001: Message edited by: Kayless ]

Hmmm, what about the great disco scores?

I refer of course to Saturday Night Fever, um, and....um......

hm.

Originally posted by THE JAKER:
<STRONG>I refer of course to Saturday Night Fever, um, and....um......
hm.</STRONG>

Well Put!

A friend of mine who used to play drums in a garage band in Austin, Texas, I think put it well on a track they once recorded called, "Disco Sucks." "Hey, waiter," went one of the lyrics, "There's a fly in my soup. And it's got three-inch heels."

Any civilization that invests in polyester is doomed.

Originally posted by fable:
<STRONG>A friend of mine I think put it well on a track called "Disco Sucks"</STRONG>

That 'friend' was actually you, Fable, right?

(j/k - sounds like a funny song, what are the rest of the lyrics?)

My favorite disco is Steely Dan disco tracks like "green earrings", "my rival", "bodhisattva", "kid charlemagne" and of course "black cow" (a nice slow roller skating tune )


Edit: I thought about trying to get a progressive rock/noise/pop band I was in to play "green earrings" once, but listening to the song I realized it was WAY too complicated!

Also, considering this thread is called "John williams", I just want to mention........Paul Williams!!!!!!

"Disco isn't dead.....Disco is Life!" - from the movie Mystery Men

[ 11-21-2001: Message edited by: THE JAKER ]

Originally posted by THE JAKER:
<STRONG>That 'friend' was actually you, Fable, right?
(j/k - sounds like a funny song, what are the rest of the lyrics?)
</STRONG>

No idea, and it wasn't me. Haven't seem or heard from him in about twelve years, since he moved from Texas to Georgia.