John Williams Themes

Many film-score composers have provided their beautiful works to the audience. However, John Williams proves to be one of the greatest. He is indeed an exceptionally talented man, who is gifted with such exquisite musical talent and ability; John Williams proves that “there is no composer whose music is more widely known and whose themes are more instantly hummable” (Ryan, 2013). Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Jaws, and Indiana Jones are some of his many most prominent works.
On February 8, 1932 in Floral Park, New York, John Williams was born to Esther and Johnny Williams, a motion picture musician. With such musical talent around him, he was bound to be a musical icon himself. In 1948, he moved to Los Angeles, California with his family to pursue
his musical passion. By following his father’s footsteps, he attended UCLA to study composition (The John Williams Web Pages: Biography 2006). Later on, in 1951, he served in the U.S. Air Force. A few years later after finishing his service in the Air Force, he moved back to New York. There, he enrolled in Juilliard School. He excelled under the supervision of Rosina Lhevinne, a well-renowned pianist, and an exceptionally prominent teacher. For a short period of time, he also worked as a pianist in jazz clubs. To further pursue his musical career, he moved back to Los Angeles to become an influential composer (Kettler).
Initially, he worked as a pianist in the Hollywood Studios. He played piano for films such as To Kill a Mockingbird, The Apartment, South Pacific, and Some Like It Hot, and for television series such as Peter Gunn. While he was working as a pianist, he came in contact with well-known music writers of motion pictures: Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Newman, and Franz Waxman. At age twenty-four, he started working as a staff coordinator for Columbia and later for 20th Century-Fox television (Kettler). Under the influence of famous music composers, he decided to compose his own music for television. During that time, he met Barbara Ruick, a singer and performing artist, and got married to her. Williams and Barbara together gave birth to three kids: one daughter and two sons. His sons are also musicians. In 1974, his wife Barbara died and did not remarry until 1981, when he fell in love with Samantha Winslow, an interior designer (“Biography,” IMDB).
In the 1960s, Gilligan’s Island, Lost in Space, Heidi, and John Eyre were some of his initial composing jobs for television series; he won Emmy Awards for Heidi and John Eyre (“Biography,” IMDB). As stated by Kettler, Daddy-O in 1959 was the first big screen title for which he composed music for. In 1967, he was nominated for the first time for an Academy Award for Valley of the Dolls, and a few years after in 1972, Fiddler on the Roof brought him his first Academy Award in his career. In the same year, he received an Oscar nomination for The Poseidon Adventure as well (Kettler).
According to Ankeny, in 1974, John Williams collaborated with Steven Spielberg, a young filmmaker, to work on a movie titled The Sugarland Express. As a collaboration, Williams and Spielberg together have given the film industry numerous incredible hits. Some of their greatest hits were: Jaws, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, and Schindler’s List. As a team, they won the Composer Academy Awards for Jaws, E.T., and Schindler’s List. With two exceptions: The Color Purple (1985) and Bridge of Spies (2015), Williams wrote a music for every Spielberg's film (Ankeny). As indicated by Kettler, “Williams also composed the music for George Lucas's six Star Wars movies. In 2013, it was announced that Williams would write the score for Episode VII of Stars Wars as well (Kettler).” As many may know, Star Wars is one of John Williams's most famous pieces.
Star Wars has five movements: “Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme),” “Princess Leia's Theme,” “Battle in the Forest,” “Yoda's Theme,” and “The Main Theme.” The “Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)” is essentially a theme composed for Darth Vader. It is extremely dramatic and sensational, so it may give Darth Vader a significant amount of importance and a sense of dominance. According to Wookieepedia, “Princess Leia's Theme is the musical leitmotif in the Star Wars saga that represents Princess Leia Organa (“Princess Leia's Theme”).” “Princess Leia's Theme" appears to be very melodramatic because it is played at important scenes of her life. Nonetheless, the theme flawlessly wraps in the emotions that the melody makes one feel. Despite the fact that “Battle in the Forest” is not entirely used in any of the Star Wars films, there are significant parts of it used in some of the films. The melody is indeed extremely progressive and dynamic as it mimics and imitates a battle. “Yoda's Theme” is “a recurring musical theme in the Star Wars saga… [that is] associated with Jedi Master Yoda (“Yoda's Theme”).” "Yoda's Theme" is much more mellowed down than “Battle in the Forest.” The melody of the theme resembles Jedi Master Yoda’s wisdom and providence. On the other hand, “The Main Theme” is “so readily identifiable and unforgettable (Lynch 2016).” This movement is composed of both brass and strings. “The Main
Theme” is the most popular theme and movement in the Star Wars saga. The melody is indeed magnificent. Joe Lynch from Billboard states, “Prior to the brass instruments hitting those massive notes of victory, the melody descends down the scale for a few notes -- so when it reaches the high notes, we notice a ‘pronounced sense of heroism through strong melodic leaps’ (Lynch 2016).” The melody also sparks a new sense of energy and vitality in the finale as it repeats itself (Lynch 2016). All these movements contribute and express the characters and film flawlessly. Truly, John William’s Star Wars composed pieces are indeed embedded into music history as one of ‘the greats.’
In spite of the fact that Williams is best known for his film scores, he has composed other music, such as concert pieces and the themes for a 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2002 Olympic Games.
In addition, he wrote themes for some new programs on the NBC network. At the same time, he was working as a conductor on a regular basis. He became a conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1980 and served as a conductor until 1993, the year when he got retired. He has also conducted the orchestra and ensemble for the London Symphony and the Hollywood Bowl
(Kettler).
As Kettler specified in one of her articles, as of 2015, Williams has been nominated forty-nine times for the Academy Awards. By saying this, he is the only living person that withholds that many nominations. Moreover, he has won five Academy, three Emmy, and more than twenty Grammy Awards (Kettler). Ankeny stated that in 2003, Williams received the Olympic Order Award from the International Olympic Committee. In addition, he has also received the American National Medal of Arts for his services and contributions to the music at the White House in 2009. Additionally, John Williams was the first composer in music history to receive a Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute (John Williams).
Undoubtedly, John Williams is a great composer in ‘American Cinema’ and a well-renown conductor in this modern era. He has given the film and music industry numerous achievements and recognitions. His most prominent pieces, like Star Wars, are immensely noteworthy. Truly, films would not have been as great without John Williams composed
music.