RomanticStrings

I think I know the answer, but is there anyone here older than John Williams?

I'm not sure I ever had one... Avatars have always been a bit mystifying to me, for no discernible reason.

Congratulations! I look back at my posts from 20 years ago, and I am embarrassed at my teen attempts at prose, humor, and commentary. Still, this site was critical for my musical thought, and I even went to college for music with fellow JWFans! Then I fell off, but in the past few years had reason to revisit, and it is a testament to this site's value that it remains alive and well! Thank you, all, for sharing your companionship, intellect, and love of music.

I've never been quite able to articulate those "Williams in concert mode" touches. Perhaps it has to do with some atonality, clusters, less-defined melody. What are your thoughts on the details of those elements?

For me, The Lost World's Latin percussion is distinctive, giving it a different ("harder," "edgier"?) tone than the Jurassic Park score. Then, the string/woodwinds of Angela's Ashes present a different, cooler color than The Phantom Menace's warm string tone @artguy360 mentioned in the original post.

Perhaps something like Walton's Spitfire Prelude... I can't sit at a piano without playing the opening of that first.

I am 2 for 2 in missing old posts by not searching well enough...

It's the subsequent stuff, closer to ~9:30, those trumpet blasts on one note, that do it for me. I realized it's more Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, though. The former relation is certainly possible, though the latter film was out the same year.

Does ~8:00 and then again at ~8:45 and on, but most especially at ~9:15 on in "The Train" (Horner, The Legend of Zorro) sound like music for the Resistance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens? For me, I now hear those strings at ~1:00 in "Scherzo for X-Wings" as castanets!

As a sometimes composer, taking a look at pieces I've written several years past, I can say that most of the time I have no idea what I was thinking. Though, other times, I can remember precisely where I was and how I felt when I wrote specific pieces or moments...

There is something deeply satisfying about how this works.

The Patriot Angela's Ashes Nixon Far and Away Heidi I am ridiculously unfamiliar with most of his non-Spielberg/-series film scores. I almost wanted to include his NBC News or Olympics packages in here, but they might actually qualify as series. Edit: I'm listening to Sleepers right now, a movie I've never seen nor score I've heard. I might need to modify my list.

Ooh, that is wonderful information! Thank you, Smeltington! At the same time, I had seen that image, and while I thought it might be the Pentel, it isn't the wooden pencil he was using in the video (which seems to have been identified). I would have still posted For some composers, I'm not sure they worry about their writing implements and paper, but for others, it's a very personal part of their process. I wonder where Williams falls in that. For me, I focus far too much on the stationery and not enough on the music... that's my problem...

I did search for "pencil", but my search term wasn't strong enough! Now I know better. Though, having seen that image, it wasn't what he was using back in '80, based on the video. Perhaps he isn't as persnickety, or like some, he fluctuates between them, or maybe he finds the padded grip more comfortable now.

I recently watched the video of Williams working on The Empire Strikes Back. In it, he and the other musicians use many writing utensils. Can anyone identify the brands? Does anyone have any insight into Mr. Williams' favorite writing implements?

I just saw Heidi (1968) yesterday. My wife had seen it as a kid, and we showed it to our kids. I didn't see the opening, so I when I went in to watch, I was pondering... "I think John Williams wrote this, if I recall..." Then, the underscore came in for a trip down to the village, and it was obviously Williams (to my ear, at least). "Yep."

I am excited to see what you do with *SPOILER* Dobby's death. I've tried to work out his theme from COS but I can't make it funereal or eulogic. But there's something stirring in the second half of the theme... Wonderful reference to the Dies irae for the thestral in "Introducing Luna and The Feast".

Are we talking about The Shadow or The Phantom? In The Shadow Intrada release, "The Clouded Mind" is wonderful, with its Dies irae and either that or the following track's funky rhythms/awesome horns.

We do have the same last name ("Strings"), but mine has lost the space before it.

"The Length Of A Horner Cue 14:14" pops into my mind everytime I listen to Horner's music (may he rest in peace), but I only just resurfaced this post! Thank you for the warm memory, JWFan.Net Forum!

Oh, my, it's wonderful that 2-decades-old conversations can be picked up just like that! And I still love the score to The Shadow, as well as the movie itself. My friends even scheduled a viewing of it into my bachelor party in 2011. @Jurassic Shark, not that I am aware of.

I thought so! Seriously, though, thank you much for this identification. My three year old is obsessed with the Star Wars music (like his father). We've played it innumerable times, especially ESB, hence this motif getting stuck in my head. He can identify many of the big themes. In the music for Yoda's Death, he could positively identify (without prompting, mind you) "Darth Vader's Theme," "the Main Theme," "Yoda's Theme," and "the Force Theme," after two or three notes each, in succession! Incidentally, "The Battle of Hoth" makes for great snow-shoveling music. ~Conor

I have an unknown motif from Star Wars in my head, possibly heard early on in Episode V, at least. I am attaching a transcription of what is in my head. Can anyone identify its thematic attachment, if any? ~Conor

Has anyone discussed the fact that 20th Century Fox is not involved in this movie? Doesn't that mean there will be no Fanfare? Will it be Disney's castle and the Bad Robot? What music goes there? I hope Disney's castle gets Randy Newman's Toy Story opener! ~Conor

I like "Pamela."