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crlbrg

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  1. Haha
    crlbrg reacted to Bellosh in Will John Williams score Steven Spielberg's new UFO movie?   
    Scherzo for Abduction and Rectal Probe
  2. Like
    crlbrg reacted to Jurassic Shark in Mark Graham just picked up a John Williams sketch and is "in a rush"! Any ideas?   
    Aren't the originals leather bound in JW's place?
  3. Like
    crlbrg reacted to mrbellamy in Mark Graham just picked up a John Williams sketch and is "in a rush"! Any ideas?   
    If you never saw it, Finale did a very cool interview with him in 2017 about their process lately with Williams 
  4. Like
    crlbrg got a reaction from BB-8 in New recording of Williams' Violin Concerto No. 1   
    Also appears on Pentatone's official release schedule for 2024 https://issuu.com/pentatone/docs/pentatone_releases_2024_issuu - page 11.

     
    Sadly, searching that document only brings up that 1 result...but it's great to have Williams on another label. Not sure, but I don't think there were any of his works on Pentatone.

  5. Thanks
    crlbrg reacted to Miguel Andrade in New recording of Williams' Violin Concerto No. 1   
    https://www.discogs.com/release/29790961-Bernstein-Williams-James-Ehnes-Saint-Louis-Symphony-Orchestra-Stéphane-Denève-Serenade-Violin-Conc
     
    This might actual come from a live recording from November 2019, with Williams in attendance. If that's the case, the original concert line up included Barber's Adagio and Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony.
    Of course, until more info is out, they might have the recorded the concerto during the rehearsals. 
  6. Like
    crlbrg reacted to DangerMotif in Mark Graham just picked up a John Williams sketch and is "in a rush"! Any ideas?   
    A new arrangement for this week’s concerts would be my guess but you never now
  7. Haha
  8. Like
    crlbrg reacted to Steve in John Williams In Tokyo - New live concert album coming May 3rd, 2024 from Deutsche Grammophon   
    He looked much better/fitter in the Pittsburgh video from december. If I remember correctly it was very hot and humid in Japan so it's no wonder a 91 year old feels that. The white jacket makes him look older too.
  9. Like
    crlbrg got a reaction from Cerebral Cortex in Star Wars: John Williams Original Handwritten Music Manuscript for the Opening Auction   
    High resolution grabs from the website
     

  10. Like
    crlbrg reacted to Amer in John Williams Autograph   
    I wrote to their PR dept requesting to kindly send me Williams signed copy.
    You just have to write convincingly and politely.
     
    It worked for me..TWICE!
     
     
     
    Okay here is my email from my archives with some contacts from 2017..which I wrote to and received:
     
    Bernadette Horgan • BHorgan@bso.org
     
    I will be out of the office until Monday, September 11.  If you need a response between September 1 and 4, please contact Taryn Lott at tlott@bso.org or 617-638-9283; after September 4, please contact Sam Brewer at sbrewer@bso.org or 617-638-9284.  Thanks.  Be well.  Bernadette, 617-510-0597.
    Dear Bernadette,   I received the John Williams signed picture today. Thank you all. I'm truly honored.   Best and kind regards, Amer   On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 11:33 PM, AMER ZAHID <amer.zahid@gmail.com> wrote:  

  11. Haha
    crlbrg reacted to Faleel in Star Wars: John Williams Original Handwritten Music Manuscript for the Opening Auction   
    I love the lyrics too! They speak to me!
     
    "Laa laa laa la la-laaaa"
     
     
  12. Haha
    crlbrg reacted to Trope in Star Wars: John Williams Original Handwritten Music Manuscript for the Opening Auction   
    "Desert Song"?! So The Dune Sea of Tatooine was originally a song? I'm assuming George Lucas' plan was for the argument between C-3PO and R2-D2 to be a musical number.
  13. Thanks
    crlbrg got a reaction from enderdrag64 in Star Wars: John Williams Original Handwritten Music Manuscript for the Opening Auction   
    High resolution grabs from the website
     

  14. Like
    crlbrg reacted to Tom in New Video: How John Williams Evolved as a Composer Since His First Movie in 1958   
    The interesting thing is that Williams's concert work has become much more innovative in the last 10 years--and I expect the piano concerto to push things further. 
     
    Plus, the use of the flute in the BFG was all sorts of fresh.  
  15. Like
    crlbrg reacted to Jay Lee in Rhythm in John Williams' Music   
    Hi everyone,
     
    I'm Jay Lee, a video game music composer, and also the author of the Behind the Score series.
     
    I've been reading and taking an interest in this forum for quite a while (perhaps more than 10 years), but this is my first time writing here! I, along with my great colleagues, recently wrote a short rhythmic analysis of John Williams' music and wanted to share it here.
     
    These are two-part articles, both examining perhaps the most famous  John Williams' works and delving into some of his rhythmic approaches in composition. Some are as simple as using odd time signatures, while others include more advanced concepts such as rhythmic accent displacement and polyrhythms. 
     
    As composers (and a musicologist at the same time), our observations may differ from others' perspectives. With that said, we simply hope that this analysis brings joy to John Williams fans who read it. 
    Below is our posting. Enjoy!
     
    Edit: For some reason, a few of the audio clips on this posting can't be added here. You can read a full article with a playable audio clip here.
    ============================================================================
    Exploring Rhythm in John Williams' Music (Pt.2 - Accent Displacement)
    Continuing from Part 1 of the series, we will explore additional intriguing rhythmic techniques showcased in the music of John Williams. In Part 1, we explored how John Williams incorporated time signature changes in his music. Now, let's shift our focus to his use of accent displacement techniques. We will present a variety of musical examples that highlight this technique's application, accompanied by mockup examples. Get ready to have some fun!
     
    Notes:
    - Due to copyright issues, all audio and scores displayed on this page are alternative versions or recreations of the original content.
    - In this post, we have chosen to omit some of the instruments from the score to place a greater emphasis on the rhythmic aspect of the music.
      What is an Accent Displacement?
    Accent displacement is the technique of changing rhythmic stress in music by introducing artificial rhythmic accents against the natural pulse of the music. When listening to music, you may naturally tap your feet to the rhythm, but you may also notice moments where you feel sudden shifts in downbeats and accents not falling together (such as in Salsa music). The change may be less obvious when compared to a time change or a metric modulation, but nevertheless, it affects the listener’s perception of the rhythm.
    Accent displacement, in a broader sense, is identical to switching time signature, as a composer may ignore the original strong and weak pulses between the measures to diverge from the rhythm. Despite this fact, accent displacement is different in that the resulting rhythmic shift is temporary, and in most cases, any time-related markings are not notated on the score. In contrast to both time signature changes and metric modulation (which actually change the meter or tempo in the music), accent displacement only affects the groove and rhythmic continuity while keeping the original tempo and time.
    Throughout many compositional works of John Williams, especially in his works for the soundtracks of the Harry Potter series, the technique was used excessively, making his music sound more rhythmically appealing and less predictable.
       
      Example (A) - “Aunt Marge's Waltz,” from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

    MM. 1-5
    MM. 6-11
    MM. 12-17     Ex. A is a 3/4 Waltz exhibiting a conventional "Strong-weak-weak" triple meter pulse. The song breaks free from the 3-beat flow in measures 8-9 and 14-15 by fitting three 2/4 phrases into two 3/4 measures. Notice the different placement of notes in the lower register instruments (Ex. Vc, Cb, Low Brass) in measures 8-9 and 14-15. In measures 8-9, to intentionally disrupt the triple meter pulse, Vc, Cb, and Low Brass play a quarter note on the 2nd beat instead of the first. Conversely, in measures 14-15, even though the melody was phrased in 2/4 in the same way as measures 8-9, Vc, Cb, and Low Brass stress the first beat of each measure to reconnect with the song's regular triple meter rhythm, continuing from measure 16. Our score reduction with visible 2/4 time signature notation can be seen in Fig. A.
    Fig. A – Score reduction with visible 2/4 time signature   Example (B) - “Hedwig's theme,” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) (Orchestral Reduction)
    MM. 1-3 MM. 4-5 MM. 6-7     Measure 4:
    In measure 4 of Ex. (B), the Violin stresses the 3rd eighth note of the third triplet (Ⓐ). Since the music previously had accents on the 1st and 3rd downbeats, this sudden upbeat accent subverts the rhythmic flow of the song.
    Measure 5:
    On the 2nd beat (Ⓑ) of measure 5, two triplets in the Violins and Woodwinds are slurred together with staccato, to be performed on the second notes of each triplet. As a result of the slurs and staccatos, the phrase now has to be played with multiple bows (or breaths), dividing the two triplets into 3 rhythmic stresses.
      Example (C) - “Witches, Wands and Wizards,” from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
    MM. 1-7 MM. 8-13 MM. 14-17     Ex. (C) is an excerpt of the first 17 measures of the music, but the whole piece is well worth studying as it displays a masterful use of rhythm.
    Measures 5-7:
    The song is set in 3/4 time, but by placing accented dotted quarter notes across the barlines between measures 5 and 7 in the brass, the piece sounds as if it's temporarily escaping from 3/4. In this particular section, with the brass and high strings at the focal point of the music, the displaced accents help to add more confusion to the rhythm. The rest of the instruments play in a regular 3/4 rhythm.
    Fig. B presents a new interpretation of the score with displaced rhythmic accents (the mock-up contains only brass & timpani without any other instruments).
    Fig. B     Measures 13-17:
    In measures 13 and 14, while the woodwinds emphasize the downbeats with rhythmic stress, the high brass play consecutive offbeat quarter note figures to add tension until the final upbeat of measure 14. The time change in measure 15 also assists in breaking away from the regular 3/4 rhythm by dividing a one-measure phrase into two separately accented 3/8 measures. (Refer to Fig. C for the 3/4 notation of the merged measures 15 and 16).
    Fig. C - Measures 15&16 from the original score notated in 3/4    
  16. Like
    crlbrg reacted to Manakin Skywalker in JWFan turns 25!   
  17. Love
    crlbrg reacted to Ricard in JWFan turns 25!   
    JWFan was born 25 years ago today! 
     
    Hard to imagine back then that the site would still be up and running two and a half decades later, let alone that the Maestro would still be active after having composed nearly thirty more film scores and a similar number of concert works, as well as conducting over 200 concerts including Vienna, Berlin, Milan and Japan!
     
    Dozens of his film scores have received perfect releases during all this time, providing fans with the confidence that many more will come in the future, while maintaining and further enhancing the collective appreciation and admiration for the music we all love and which will remain with us for the rest of our lives.
     
    The analysis and discussion of his work has reached such level of comprehensiveness and detail, that our forums have become an essential reference for fans and scholars, while fomenting the creation of fascinating projects that expand and deepen the study of the Maestro’s oeuvre and contribute to increasing its appreciation by future generations who, without doubt, will continue to ensure that his name is in the place it deserves in the history of music and cinema.
     
    Thank you, Mr. Williams, and thanks to all those who have contributed during this time to make the site such a wonderful place. Here’s to 25 more!
     
    PS. The following quoted post, written for this thread 10 years ago, provides a short summary of the origins of the site:
     
     
     
  18. Haha
  19. Like
    crlbrg reacted to rough cut in ACROSS THE STARS - Williams / Mutter collaboration album   
    As many other JWfaners, the release of Helena's Theme featuring Anne-Sophie Mutter made me revisit Williams' previous arrangements for her. I had wanted to do a curated playlist for some time but it never seemed worth the hassle with the the limited number of releases that featured her work. Now, with four main releases available (Across The Stars, John Williams In Vienna, Violin Concerto No. 2 and Helena's Theme), I finally thought the time was right to put some effort into it.

    I always thought the original track order on "Across The Stars" was a bit perplexing. As much as I love each individual piece in itself, the way it was put together never sat fully right with me. The fact that franchises weren't clustered together robbed the pieces of their thematic meaning a little bit.
     
    While still retaining some of the track order from Mutter's album, a lot of my sequencing choices were inspired by the setlist of her 2019 concert in Munich, as well as Williams' 2020 concert in Vienna. Now, it plays in a way that makes some kind of sense - to me at least - and I consider it a very nice listening experience.
     


    My playlist will undoubtably rub some people the wrong way due to the fact that it’s not chronological, but to be fair neither was the album "Across The Stars" nor any of the concerts mentioned above. The edit I included is also sure to irk some fans, but that’s easy to swap out for anyone who wants to use this.
     
    01 - Star Wars The Force Awakens: Rey's Theme
    02 - Star Wars Attack Of The Clones: Across The Stars
    03 - Star Wars A New Hope: Princess Leia's Theme
    04 - Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back: Han Solo And The Princess
    05 - Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back: Yoda's Theme
    06 - Star Wars Return Of The Jedi: Luke And Leia
    07 - Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone: Hedwig's Theme (Single Version)
    08 - Sabrina: Theme From "Sabrina"
    09 - Memoirs Of A Geisha: Sayuri's Theme
    10 - Memoirs Of A Geisha: The Chairman's Waltz
    11 - Far And Away: Donnybrook Fair
    12 - The Witches Of Eastwick: Devil's Dance
    13 - Raiders Of The Lost Ark: Marion's Theme
    14 - Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny: Helena's Theme
    15 - Schindler's List: Theme From "Schindler's List"
    16 - Schindler's List: Remembrances
    17 - Dracula: Night Journeys
    18 - The Adventures Of Tintin: The Duel
    19 - The Long Goodbye: Theme from "The Long Goodbye"
    20 - Cinderella Liberty: Nice To Be Around
    21 - Munich: A Prayer For Peace
  20. Haha
    crlbrg reacted to Jurassic Shark in When did John Williams last shave his face fully?   
    John Williams doesn't shave.
     
    William Ross does it for him.
  21. Haha
    crlbrg reacted to Tom in Sony dedicates its music building to John Williams   
    Did Yoda take the picture?  
  22. Haha
    crlbrg reacted to Jurassic Shark in William Ross Collaboration on HP   
    I think he did well, but what did Joey and Chandler bring to the table?
  23. Haha
    crlbrg reacted to Tom in William Ross Collaboration on HP   
    Be honest, you are not all that sober at the moment.  
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