John Williams:
An 80th Birthday Tribute
[photo: Greg Weiner]
A Happy Birthday Wish To John Williams!
February 8, 2012 marks the 80th birthday of the world's most respected
film composer,
John Towner Williams (born: 1932). It is surely a milestone that will be celebrated throughout the year with concerts and CD releases.
In addition to being a distinguished composer of classical and film music, he is also an accomplished pianist (as on the PETER GUNN TV series) and songwriter ("Moonlight"), as well as former Music Director of the Boston Pops (now the Laureate Conductor) and he has conducted many other orchestras in the U.S. and Europe.
John Williams appeared in an Oscar-winning 1960 film as a pianist in one scene.
Do you want to know which film and which scene he appeared in?
Write to:
John Williams as pianist
Over the years he has worked with many fine film directors but especially two of the most successful:
John Williams and Steven Spielberg
[photo: Murray Close]
George Lucas and John Williams
[photo: Peter Mason]
Above photos courtesy of this recommended Sony Classical 2 CD set:
John Williams Greatest Hits 1969-1999
Awards
John Williams has received numerous awards over his long career, including these:
21 Grammys (59 nominations)
4 Golden Globes (22 nominations)
5 Oscars (47 Oscar nominations -- more than any other living film artist)
Above all, he is a master of melodic richness and ingenuity in his film scores.
John Williams has also received more Sammy Film Music Awards than any other film composer. Here is the latest one from...
The 24th Annual Sammy Awards
Best New Film Score of 2011
Film Music Review is pleased to celebrate the 80th birthday of John Williams and wish him many more years of success with his music.
To compare him to other composers would be unwise but I'd like to honor him with a title similar to that given to composer, Aaron Copland, known as the Dean of American Composers.
John Williams is the Dean of Current Film Composers
Long may his glorious film scores live on in the memories of those who appreciate this superb musical artist!
- Roger Hall
Managing Editor
Film Music Review
Listener's Poll
Thanks to all those fans who participated in the special John Williams web poll in 2007, for the 75th birthday of John Williams.
Several hundred votes were sent in for a wide variety of scores -- 52 film scores received at least one vote,
from THE REIVERS (1969)
to MUNICH (2005).
Here are the results of the Top Ten vote getters:
1. STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)
2. STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE (1977)
3.
SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978)
4.
E.T.: The EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
5.
JURASSIC PARK (1993)
6. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1979)
7. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
8. JAWS (1975)
9. HOOK (1991)
10.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
And the next 20 vote getters, listed alphabetically...
THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST (1988)
AMISTAD (1997)
A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (2001)
BORN OF THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989)
DRACULA (1979)
EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987)
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (2001)
HOME ALONE (1990)
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984)
JANE EYRE (1970)
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (2005)
MINORITY REPORT (2002)
THE PATRIOT (2000)
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
STAR WARS: ATTACK OF THE CLONES (2002)
STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999)
STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983)
STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005)
WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005)
For latest news about his music, see the
John Williams Fan Network
Special 80th Birthday Tribute CD
When once asked to name his favorite film score, John Williams said that though it would be difficult to choose just one he chose his score to CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. You can hear excerpts from that landmark film score, plus selections from STAR WARS, SUPERMAN and other JW scores in a new new specially prepared CD. In honor of his 80th birthday, you can receive this CD titled, Film Music of John Williams on Radio, with over an hour of highlights compiled by film music critic and Managing Editor of Film Music Review, Roger Hall.
The selections include excerpts from the first two John Williams concerts with his film music performed by the Boston Pops (1979-1980), a special birthday tribute by Roger
Hall on radio with several rare recordings of John Williams film music from the 1960s and 1970s, and several Sammy Awards for John Williams announced on radio. This CD is for personal, non-commercial use only.
To receive the Film Music of John Williams on Radio CD,
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Film Music of John Williams on Radio
John Williams In Multimedia Guide
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A GUIDE TO FILM MUSIC: Songs and Scores
On the title page of this guide is a copy from the original E.T. score, boldly signed by John Williams.
When presented with a copy of A GUIDE TO FILM MUSIC, he wrote this to the author, film music historian, Roger Hall:
"Thank you for the copy of your film music book. Congratulations and best wishes for success in your future contributions to the film music literature."
-- John Williams
The expanded 4th edition of the Guide, including autographs by John Williams and other film composers and songwriters, is now available on a multimedia DVD with film music and video bonus features.
To order this guide, go to
Film Music Guide
Here are a few compilations with John Williams and the Boston Pops...
The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration
Williams on Williams: The Classic Spielberg Scores
Music for Stage and Screen
More recommended CDs of both his classical and film music...
The Music of America - John Williams (3 CD set)
Best Of The Month For February 2011
HOME ALONE
Best Of The Month For January 2010
BLACK SUNDAY
(Film Score Monthly CD)
See the John Williams film music on the list of
100 Essential Film Scores of the 20th Century
John Williams has received more than any other film composer
of the
Sammy Awards
Other Film Composer Tributes
Elmer Bernstein
(Sammy Lifetime Achievement Award)
A Centennial Tribute to Ken Darby
Bernard Herrmann: A Centennial Tribute
Miklos Rozsa 100th Birthday Tribute
A Centennial Birthday Tribute to Franz Waxman
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