Disney’s new documentary covering the life and work of composer John Williams,Music by John Williams,is a detailed homage to one of screen music’s most loved icons.John Williams' film scoresare known throughout the movie-going world for their orchestral sophistication and emotional complexity,making the New York City native the go-to musical inspiration for directors such as Stephen Spielberg, George Lucas, Oliver Stone, and Ron Howard. WhileStar Warsis arguably John Williams' best-known score, his credits read like a who’s-who of blockbuster movies:Jaws,Close Encounters,Jurassic Park, and many others.His four Best Original Score Oscarsare unmatched.
But, again, it is his celebrated score for theStar Warsfranchise that Williams is most remembered for.Music by John Williamsnotes that, in 1977 when Williams composed the theme for the first Star Wars film, the sci-fi genre was in its relative infancy.Accompanying sci-fi music at the time was characterized by a synthetic sound, emphasizing the other-worldliness of the genre, so Williams’s orchestralStar Warsarrangements, harking back to the golden age of Hollywood filmmaking, were originally seen as old-school in the face of a new musical and cinematic era.
How John Williams Got The Star Wars Job
Williams Was Referred To George Lucas By Spielberg
John Williams had written the score for Steven Spielberg’sJawsin 1975, and also composed the music forFiddler on the Roof(Norman Jewison, 1971) and had been awarded an Oscar for both,so he was already an established and respected talent within Hollywood circles when George Lucas came calling. Spielberg made the referral, recommending Williams' symphonic approach to film music knowing that Lucas, like him, was attracted to old-fashioned cinematic scores over the new wave of popular theme-song-dominated music.
For Lucas, the entireStar Warsproject was something of a risk, so departing from sci-fi’s electronic music idioms represented just one more gamble.Putting the composition in the experienced hands of John Williams minimized that risk, however, given his sterling track record. Originally, Lucas had intended to use well-known classical music, following in the footsteps of 1968’s2001: Space Odyssey,which had successfully integrated Strauss’s tone poem “Also Sprach Zarathustra” as its theme. However, it was John Williams who persuaded Lucas to opt for an original score.
Where John Williams Found His Star Wars Musical Inspiration
Williams Persuaded Lucas To Have An Original Score
Having persuaded Lucas to allow him to compose original music forStar Wars,Williams set about creating a full orchestral score that deliberately ignored the film’s sci-fi credentials: “The music for the film is very non-futuristic," he said later, according toThe Library of Congress: “The films themselves showed us characters we hadn’t seen before and planets unimagined and so on, but the music was emotionally familiar.” Rich in leitmotifs, and heavily indebted to Wagner, theStar Warssoundtrack is lushly orchestrated and coloristic; it’s also married closely to character development and narrative lines.
10 Best John Williams Star Wars Themes
John Williams' Star Wars scores are just as iconic as the movies. Here are 10 of the composer’s best Star Wars themes and what they signify.
Williams' score covers the film’s 121 minutes - but it is the opening theme that is his most famous achievement, moving Lucas himself to comment inMusic by John Williams:“Hearing it for the first time is like having a baby.“Featuring a huge tutti orchestral chord, the theme on its own re-established symphonic film music in large-format movies, and prompted a new wave of film composers to re-think their modernist approaches. So iconic was Williams' score that it features in all 10+iterations of theStar Warsfranchise, and is as important to the character of the series as Luke Skywalker or Yoda.
The Star Wars Score’s Critical And Public Reception Explained
The Star Wars Soundtrack Was Hugely Successful
At first,Star Warsreviewers couldn’t understand whyLucas had turned to symphonic, romantic music rather than the modernistic, atonal electronica then in vogue. Even the classicists who appreciated orchestral music suggested that Williams over-borrowed from the likes of Wagner or Holst. Williams was to revisit such musical snobbery a few years later when appointed to direct the Boston Pops, resigning a few short weeks later citing the orchestra’s failure to recognize him as a serious classicist.
Lucas released a 74-minute double LP in 1977, and by July it had already sold 650,000 copies
Whatever their view,Music by John Williamstells us thatStar Wars’smusic was as resounding a hit as the film itself. Lucas released a 74-minute double LP in 1977, and by July it had already sold 650,000 copies, grossing a staggering $9 million.It would go on to sell over 4 million copies and become the best-selling symphonic album in history.For his part,John Williams' best movie themesaw him land his third Oscar, a Golden Globe, and three Grammy Awards, fully justifying George Lucas’s tribute to him at the 2016 AFI Awards: “Music is the magic dust of movies. He raised the music to the level of popular art that would stand the test of time.”
Music by John Williams
Cast
John Williams' career spans jazz, film scores, and concert music, earning him 54 Oscar nominations, five wins, and a significant cultural impact. This documentary explores the life of this prolific musical icon.
