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Williams reminisces E.T.

Started by Maurizio, Oct 11 2012 08:05 AM
film music society interviews Jon Burlingame

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#1 Maurizio

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 08:05 AM

A brief but lovely new interview with John Williams about E.T.

http://www.filmmusic...012/101012.html
"It's still baffling to me. I sit down with a pencil and a piece of paper and do my best... The remarkable thing is that my music is heard by billions of people." --John Williams

"Let me say, however, there is no "next" John Williams. Sadly, he is unique--- a figure who simultaneously embodies and transcends the music of all the masters of film music who preceded him (much like Brahms and Wagner of the Romantic era). He comes from a time when the craft of music in film was still one of the ear, heart and mind. Today, sadly, the craft is largely technical. Most composers do not conceive their music "inwardly" but rather at the computer--- and with rather limited skills, musically, at that. The inner spirit knows no boundaries--- our plastic abilities, sadly, do. John is a man of spirit, heart, intellect and soaring music." -- Conrad Pope about John Williams

#2 Miguel Andrade

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 09:06 AM

Very nice indeed :)
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#3 Incanus

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 09:10 AM

A very nice article by Jon Burlingame and some nice anecdotes from Williams, old and new. :)

Ars superior est vita hominum.

"We pop out and come into the world and music is there. We didn't invent it - it's all organised in the atmosphere by divinity or whatever. It's a miracle." - John Williams-

I think music is a stream of some kind. It could be blood. It could be water. It could be ether. Whatever it is it seems to be a living, organic force that’s in motion, that serves humanity and is part of humanity and part of what describes us as humans. We sing, play, dance, all the things that we do. And there is a vibrant and great literature we have been given. ... As musicians, we join the stream. We swim in the stream with all the other millions of music makers. It’s a life force, a strong one, surrounding us and we are part of it. -John Williams-

#4 Stefancos

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 10:08 AM

It's a pity the E. T. anecdote isn't really true.

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#5 Luke Skywalker

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 02:24 PM

yeah... maybe spielberg didnt told williams he hacked up the piece choosing his favorite takes...
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#6 russds

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 02:58 PM

Very nice little article. I like Spielberg's praise, "this nation's greatest composer and our national treasure...Without question, John Wiiliams has been the single most significant contributor to my success". Reminds me that JW is so much more than just a great film composer.

Sorry off topic slightly, i looked at that AFI top 15 film scores, and I can't believe raiders (or better yet, (although i'm sure i'm in the minority ToD)) score isn't on there! Blasphemy! :)
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#7 Alexander

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 03:51 PM

yeah... maybe spielberg didnt told williams he hacked up the piece choosing his favorite takes...


Do you want to hear horn flubs or wrong notes when you listen to your favorite music? No.

That's why they record several takes. Even Max Steiner did this.

#8 karelm

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 03:54 PM

Does anyone know who the roster of players were for the E.T. original score? Someone was able to dig this up for 1941 so I suspect the details are out there.

#9 Joe Brausam

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 04:16 PM




yeah... maybe spielberg didnt told williams he hacked up the piece choosing his favorite takes...


Do you want to hear horn flubs or wrong notes when you listen to your favorite music? No.

That's why they record several takes. Even Max Steiner did this.


Heh, there are horn flubs abound in E.T., especially the upper register work at the end. But I enjoy it, it reminds you that there are humans performing.
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#10 Wojo

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 05:18 PM

Yes, that's why I liked the replacement refs. They reminded me that humans were monitoring the games.

@Wojo: stop being facetious.

#11 phbart

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 08:32 PM

"There have been three different album configurations of E.T. over the years (every note of the 76-minute score has now been released)."


Really???

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Posted 11 October 2012 - 11:46 PM

The score is more than 76 minutes. Probably just an error and unfortunately not letting slip that the complete score is being released. That photo of Williams is sensational. He looks especially wizardly.

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#13 mrbellamy

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Posted 12 October 2012 - 01:00 AM

Very nice little article. I like Spielberg's praise, "this nation's greatest composer and our national treasure...Without question, John Wiiliams has been the single most significant contributor to my success". Reminds me that JW is so much more than just a great film composer.

Sorry off topic slightly, i looked at that AFI top 15 film scores, and I can't believe raiders (or better yet, (although i'm sure i'm in the minority ToD)) score isn't on there! Blasphemy! :)


This made me want to look up the list...but look at what Wikipedia has at #1! http://en.wikipedia...._of_Film_Scores

Star Wars won that poll! http://www.afi.com/1...s/scores.aspx

Whose sick idea of a joke is this? :angry:

#14 Koray Savas

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Posted 12 October 2012 - 02:40 AM

Robert Sherman is the next John Williams.

In 50 years Herrmann will be forgotten.

#15 KK.

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Posted 12 October 2012 - 02:44 AM


Very nice little article. I like Spielberg's praise, "this nation's greatest composer and our national treasure...Without question, John Wiiliams has been the single most significant contributor to my success". Reminds me that JW is so much more than just a great film composer.

Sorry off topic slightly, i looked at that AFI top 15 film scores, and I can't believe raiders (or better yet, (although i'm sure i'm in the minority ToD)) score isn't on there! Blasphemy! :)


This made me want to look up the list...but look at what Wikipedia has at #1! http://en.wikipedia...._of_Film_Scores

Star Wars won that poll! http://www.afi.com/1...s/scores.aspx

Whose sick idea of a joke is this? :angry:


That's weird. The last time I checked the AFI list on wikipedia, it had Star Wars first (as it should be). Is this some new updated list?

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#16 BloodBoal

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Posted 12 October 2012 - 10:35 AM

The score is more than 76 minutes. Probably just an error and unfortunately not letting slip that the complete score is being released. That photo of Williams is sensational. He looks especially wizardly.

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Looks like he's fencing.

#17 chuckster312

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Posted 12 October 2012 - 10:37 AM


The score is more than 76 minutes. Probably just an error and unfortunately not letting slip that the complete score is being released. That photo of Williams is sensational. He looks especially wizardly.

Posted Image


Looks like he's fencing.


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#18 Incanus

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Posted 12 October 2012 - 11:05 AM

Actually he is casting a spell. The picture was taken milliseconds before the pyrotechnics began. None in the orchestra survived.

Ars superior est vita hominum.

"We pop out and come into the world and music is there. We didn't invent it - it's all organised in the atmosphere by divinity or whatever. It's a miracle." - John Williams-

I think music is a stream of some kind. It could be blood. It could be water. It could be ether. Whatever it is it seems to be a living, organic force that’s in motion, that serves humanity and is part of humanity and part of what describes us as humans. We sing, play, dance, all the things that we do. And there is a vibrant and great literature we have been given. ... As musicians, we join the stream. We swim in the stream with all the other millions of music makers. It’s a life force, a strong one, surrounding us and we are part of it. -John Williams-

#19 chuckster312

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Posted 12 October 2012 - 11:06 AM

I suppose he's dueling this guy

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#20 ciarlese

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Posted 13 October 2012 - 12:58 AM

"There have been three different album configurations of E.T. over the years (every note of the 76-minute score has now been released)."


Really???


The article has a "nearly" just before "every note" that make it correct.

#21 indy4

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Posted 13 October 2012 - 02:04 AM

They must have just added that.
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#22 Incanus

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Posted 13 October 2012 - 05:46 AM

They must have gotten an angry JWFan ultimatum then.

Ars superior est vita hominum.

"We pop out and come into the world and music is there. We didn't invent it - it's all organised in the atmosphere by divinity or whatever. It's a miracle." - John Williams-

I think music is a stream of some kind. It could be blood. It could be water. It could be ether. Whatever it is it seems to be a living, organic force that’s in motion, that serves humanity and is part of humanity and part of what describes us as humans. We sing, play, dance, all the things that we do. And there is a vibrant and great literature we have been given. ... As musicians, we join the stream. We swim in the stream with all the other millions of music makers. It’s a life force, a strong one, surrounding us and we are part of it. -John Williams-

#23 Jason LeBlanc

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Posted 14 October 2012 - 10:28 PM

If you count the laserdisc isolated score, I think it all has been released
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#24 phbart

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Posted 18 October 2012 - 08:01 PM

Hmm... maybe. I see the Laserdisc isolated score more as an "extra feature", and not much as an official release.

It's not accessible to everybody, unlike the CD releases. You need hardware that is not manufactured anymore, plus there's the inconvenience of changing sides (I think there're 5 sides on E.T.), the huge gaps of silence between tracks (since it's suposed to be in sync with the film).

But, yes, we have music there that's not available anywhere else.
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