On Monday, May 12, I presented a program at the Sandy Springs branch about the life and career of composer John Williams, who is known as one of the greatest film score composers of all time. I shared some surprising facts about Mr. Williams and played selections from some of his best-known music.
Did you know:
- ...John's father was a jazz drummer who played on many film scores and would take young Johnny to the studio with him to see the orchestra recording the scores?
- ...John wrote for television as well as film, and in the 60s composed music for many of the Irwin Allen shows, including two different theme songs for Lost in Space?
- ...John wrote the original (unused) theme song for Gilligan's Island?
- ...George Lucas planned to use pre-existing music for the score to Star Wars until John convinced him it could be a much better film with an original score?
- ...when Steven Spielberg asked John for a 5-note theme for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, John wrote out hundreds of options for him to consider?
We heard excerpts from these works and more and talked about the rise of the "summer blockbuster" phenomenon, his use of leitmotifs in the Star Wars scores, the most famous two-note theme in the history of cinema (Jaws, of course), and much more.
To explore John's music a bit more, you can check out these two great CD collections:
Yo-Yo Ma Plays The Music Of John Williams
John Williams conducts music from Star Wars
Or, you can browse through this list of movies with John Williams scores, opens a new window!
In June 2025, the topic in my monthly music program will be Women Composers! Explore 1,000 of women's contributions to classical, choral, and film music. You'll hear some stories that will really surprise you! Learn more HERE!
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