JW Compositions Analysis

[Stohr1984 0]

So i've been studying JW's music and scores for a while now and i've been trying to figure out how the man composes. I've been analyzing how he develops his melodies and chord progression. Has anybody got further than me in figuring out how he makes his music so distinct and dramatic. I would like to hear what other people have come up with.

[Salacius 7]

So i've been studying JW's music and scores for a while now and i've been trying to figure out how the man composes. I've been analyzing how he develops his melodies and chord progression. Has anybody got further than me in figuring out how he makes his music so distinct and dramatic. I would like to hear what other people have come up with.

Haven's really sat down and analyzed his writing but from a few things I play here and there it seems to me that Williams uses modes pretty much most of the time. Never sticks to a key and his melodies transcend and go from mode to mode. But it's obviously much more that that, ie natural talent for melodic composition and also a very strong emotional and physiological connection with music.

[Marcus 390]

Greetings!

Glad to hear of your analysis!

I, too, have devoted quite some time to studying Williams' harmonic and melodic construction, as well as other aspects, and have made many observations that I think have gained me insight into his modus operandi.

It would be very time-consuming indeed to post them here, and unfortunately, all of my work, including theoretical writing, is conducted via pen and paper...

But why don't you PM me? I've scanned and emailed a few things to some other members, and perhaps you'd be interested as well?

Let me offer a couple of observations:

Williams is a "chromatic" composer; his tonalities and modalities are fleeting, yet his music usually retains pitch-centricity, or even key.

A strong cadential point in a large amount of his music is b6 (Ab in C), and Williams frequently mediates between key ares using octatonic subsets/free tetrachordal stuctures. An example could be Ab-Bb-Cb-Dd of an Ab major/ Ab#9 setting, going to a D of a C major setting (in a melodic context, let's say the first four notes are the last four eighth notes of an Ab bar, going into C major with a dotted quarter note D, eighth note C and half note (drop a fourth) G.

This example could also go to demonstrate that Williams very often extends his tonalities to incorporate all chromatic pitches.

Very often, he will encircle key pitches with their chromatic neighbor tones, and typically b2 and maj7 of 1, and #4 and b6 of 5, regardless of harmonic context.

These are of course only superficial, off-the-bat responses, sorry if I'm stating the obvious.

Another thing is, Williams' melodies are very tautly constructed, very Haydnesque, if you will.

He will frequently use sequences, some times very blatantly, often only through minor motivic repetitions/duplications.

This feels like a fairly unsuccesful post, forgive me, I could so easily fall into a rant, and I'm generally more concise if I can offer examples in music...

[Salacius 7]

Greetings!

Glad to hear of your analysis!

I, too, have devoted quite some time to studying Williams' harmonic and melodic construction, as well as other aspects, and have made many observations that I think have gained me insight into his modus operandi.

It would be very time-consuming indeed to post them here, and unfortunately, all of my work, including theoretical writing, is conducted via pen and paper...

But why don't you PM me? I've scanned and emailed a few things to some other members, and perhaps you'd be interested as well?

Let me offer a couple of observations:

Williams is a "chromatic" composer; his tonalities and modalities are fleeting, yet his music usually retains pitch-centricity, or even key.

A strong cadential point in a large amount of his music is b6 (Ab in C), and Williams frequently mediates between key ares using octatonic subsets/free tetrachordal stuctures. An example could be Ab-Bb-Cb-Dd of an Ab major/ Ab#9 setting, going to a D of a C major setting (in a melodic context, let's say the first four notes are the last four eighth notes of an Ab bar, going into C major with a dotted quarter note D, eighth note C and half note (drop a fourth) G.

This example could also go to demonstrate that Williams very often extends his tonalities to incorporate all chromatic pitches.

Very often, he will encircle key pitches with their chromatic neighbor tones, and typically b2 and maj7 of 1, and #4 and b6 of 5, regardless of harmonic context.

These are of course only superficial, off-the-bat responses, sorry if I'm stating the obvious.

Another thing is, Williams' melodies are very tautly constructed, very Haydnesque, if you will.

He will frequently use sequences, some times very blatantly, often only through minor motivic repetitions/duplications.

This feels like a fairly unsuccesful post, forgive me, I could so easily fall into a rant, and I'm generally more concise if I can offer examples in music...

Thanks but it was a mere observation. It need much more work for it to become an analysis lol.

On the other hand I can see you have devoted a lot of time.

Sure thing I would love to have a look at your work

Thanks Marcus!

[gkgyver 1,645]

A strong cadential point in a large amount of his music is b6 (Ab in C), and Williams frequently mediates between key ares using octatonic subsets/free tetrachordal stuctures. An example could be Ab-Bb-Cb-Dd of an Ab major/ Ab#9 setting, going to a D of a C major setting (in a melodic context, let's say the first four notes are the last four eighth notes of an Ab bar, going into C major with a dotted quarter note D, eighth note C and half note (drop a fourth) G.

This example could also go to demonstrate that Williams very often extends his tonalities to incorporate all chromatic pitches.

Very often, he will encircle key pitches with their chromatic neighbor tones, and typically b2 and maj7 of 1, and #4 and b6 of 5, regardless of harmonic context.

That's why I love musically trained people on this board.

Especially when they add something like

These are of course only superficial, off-the-bat responses, sorry if I'm stating the obvious.

[Eric_JWFAN 11]

Greetings!

Glad to hear of your analysis!

I, too, have devoted quite some time to studying Williams' harmonic and melodic construction, as well as other aspects, and have made many observations that I think have gained me insight into his modus operandi.

It would be very time-consuming indeed to post them here, and unfortunately, all of my work, including theoretical writing, is conducted via pen and paper...

But why don't you PM me? I've scanned and emailed a few things to some other members, and perhaps you'd be interested as well?

Let me offer a couple of observations:

Williams is a "chromatic" composer; his tonalities and modalities are fleeting, yet his music usually retains pitch-centricity, or even key.

A strong cadential point in a large amount of his music is b6 (Ab in C), and Williams frequently mediates between key ares using octatonic subsets/free tetrachordal stuctures. An example could be Ab-Bb-Cb-Dd of an Ab major/ Ab#9 setting, going to a D of a C major setting (in a melodic context, let's say the first four notes are the last four eighth notes of an Ab bar, going into C major with a dotted quarter note D, eighth note C and half note (drop a fourth) G.

This example could also go to demonstrate that Williams very often extends his tonalities to incorporate all chromatic pitches.

Very often, he will encircle key pitches with their chromatic neighbor tones, and typically b2 and maj7 of 1, and #4 and b6 of 5, regardless of harmonic context.

These are of course only superficial, off-the-bat responses, sorry if I'm stating the obvious.

Another thing is, Williams' melodies are very tautly constructed, very Haydnesque, if you will.

He will frequently use sequences, some times very blatantly, often only through minor motivic repetitions/duplications.

This feels like a fairly unsuccesful post, forgive me, I could so easily fall into a rant, and I'm generally more concise if I can offer examples in music...

Thanks but it was a mere observation. It need much more work for it to become an analysis lol.

On the other hand I can see you have devoted a lot of time.

Sure thing I would love to have a look at your work

Thanks Marcus!

Marcus is one of the best posters on this board.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

That's why I love musically trained people on this board.

Especially when they add something like

I agree with you. Imagine what we non-music people could have learned here with all the time and attention we dedicate to this place.

But bitching about Lucasfilm and the new composer for Harry Potter probably is probably useful too. Somehow.

[AI 0]

I'll give you my two cents. Marcus already said a lot of things for you to think about..

Williams composes from a jazz aesthetic. He is far superior to other film composers because of this, and the fact that he is supremely musically talented and knowledgable.

A: he uses extended harmonies, 7th and 9th chords, mainly.

B: he uses syncopation between upper and lower parts.