John Williams
The Man, The Music, The Legacy.
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Quick Bio
• John Towner Williams
• Born February 8, 1932 to Esther and Johnny
Williams.
• He is now 81.
• Williams was born in Long Island, New York.
• 1952 – Drafted and still the music grows, service
ended in 1955. (Air Force)
• Julliard & Jazz piano throughout the duration of
Williams Marriage to Barbra Ruick, and the birth of
their three children.
Life Will Move Along…
• After Julliard – Williams headed back to L.A. Where
he worked as an orchestrator in film studios.
• Working with Universal Studios Williams, was given
music credit on the film “Creature from the Black
Lagoon”
• Williams soon gained the notice of many in
Hollywood for his ability to compose jazz, piano, and
symphonic music.
He must own a lot of
suits in his line of work.
Influences & Style
• 1) Sergei Prokofiev
• 2) Erich Wolfgang
Korngold
• 3) Igor Stravinsky
• 4) Leonard Bernstein
• 5) Gustav Holst
• John Williams is a
borrower of sorts.
• He takes themes,
melodies, ideas, from
older more classical
composers and breathes
new life into them,
bringing them into the
spotlight of today.
• Sly old man making us
listen to “classical
music” while at the
moveis.
Influences & Style Cont.
• Williams is known for his jazz styles,
symphonic, and piano styles of music.
• In my opinion John Williams is the
epitome of American “classical” music.
There’s More?
• John Williams has been composing concertos
and other ochestratial works, as well as
chamber works since 1965.
• Has conducted Boston Pops Orchestra, The Los
Angeles Philharmonic, served as the Grand
Marshall for the Rose Bowl, and annually
conducts the New York Philharmonic.
Character Themes
• John Williams is famous for his character themes.
• "Luke's Theme" is among the most widely recognized
songs in film history.
• Both the film and its soundtrack were immensely
successful
• It remains the highest grossing non-popular music
recording of all-time
• Williams won another Academy Award for Best
Original Score.
Popular film compositions
• Home Alone 1 & 2
• Schinders List
• Jurassic Park
• Harry Potter 1-3
• Star Wars
• Jaws
• Indiana Jones
• Lincoln
Awards
• John Williams has been
nominated for:
• 24 Golden Globe Awards,
winning 4 of them.
• 59 Grammy Awards, winning 21
of them.
• 13 BAFTA (British Academy Film
Awards), winning 7 of them.
• 48 Academy Awards, winning 5
of them.
• 6 Emmy Awards, winning 3 of
them.
• John Williams holds the
record for most Oscar
nomiations for a living
person. Walt Disney
holds the record for the
most Oscar Nominations
at 59.
• He been inducted into
the American Classical
Music Hall of Fame and
the Hollywood Bowl Hall
of Fame. In 2004, he
received Kennedy
Center Honors. He won
a Classic Brit Award in
2005 for his soundtrack
work of the previous
year.
Works Cited
• Multiple. "The New Grove Dictionary of Music and
Musicians [Hardcover]." The New Grove Dictionary of
Music and Musicians: Stanley Sadie, John Tyrrell.
• "John Williams." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29
Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2013.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams>.
• "John Williams." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002354/>.
• "John Williams - Composer." John Williams. N.p., n.d. Web.
17 Apr. 2013. <http://www.mfiles.co.uk/composers/JohnWilliams.htm>.