Quintus

People, come to the Chicago JW concert next November and let's have a big party!

OK I took a few pictures from last night's small dinner at The Pour House - here they are!
Stefan and Foxfan:

Me, Ren, Ren's fiancee Dan, Stefan, Foxfan:

Ren and Stefan:

I'll post the full size versions to Facebook as soon as I can


And of course tonight, I will take lots of pictures at the larger group JWFan dinner, and of the concert itself, and of all of us waiting for John Williams outside Symphony Hall after the show. And maybe I'll even remember to turn my flash on!

At first I thought Jon Snow could become an interesting character but his random drift through the show is a bit disappointing, specially since he's one of the characters in the single most interesting location.

Were I extremely positive about the music in the first trailer, the music i hear now is shamelessly generic, there is no theme whatsoever but some bland repetitive motive and driving synthesized percussion. It sounds all like Batman 2.0. Nothing original. Disappointing. Let's hope it's not part of the score but actually from a stock of trailer music.

The Hobbit prologue was awful. ..one of the worst parts of the film.

Works fine for me!

So is the theme song for this film Johnny Cash's A Boy Named Su?

One of the greatest themes ever written for movies, sorry.

Jerry Goldsmith was the ultimate chameleon film composer, though even then, he does have his own distinct sound.
Lyrical solo trumpet passages, i-IV progressions, low piano/synth ostinati, frequent metrical changes (i.e. 7/8 to 13/8 to 5/4), fondness for jazz harmonies (i.e. Lydian chords, major 7ths, suspended 4ths, minor 9ths etc...), string pizzicati (often with harp), studio echo (tape echo, MXR echoplex, or electric flutes w/echo and delay), septuplet and sextuplet runs in winds and strings, tutti horn triplet figures, fourths and fifths (i.e. the Klingon theme), snarling trombone glissandi, use of major 7ths and flat 9ths/augmented octave (intervals common in serialist works, due to them being inversions of minor 2nds), ad lib vocalistions from human voices, whole tone/augmented clusters (the harmony that opens the original Main Title to ALIEN), low horns playing 1/4 tone pitch bends, pizzicato and arco between bridge and tailpiece on strings, key clicks on woodwinds, tapping mouthpieces on trombones and tubas, col legno and snap pizz, guiro, cricket clickers, angklungs, cuicas, vibraphone w/ motor on, 1/4 tone vibrato on strings, various 'prepared piano' effects (i.e. wire brush glissandi, various mallets on the lowest strings, paper or staples to alter the sound), lowest octave of the piano, Balinese and Javanese gongs, muted strings, flutter-tonguing brass, rub rods, boo bams, bowed tremolo string clusters, static pedal point with shifting major triads above, clusters that aren't necessarily contained within one octave (i.e. the recurrent 'idée fixe' chord in THE OMEN - two juxtaposed quartal chords: G#-A#-C#-D# below and C-D-G-A above, or white note cluster in one octave, and black notes in the other) etc...
The sheer stress of having to write so much music under short time constraints, or the appeal of the familiar, means that one will fallback on certain tried-and-true techniques and work methods.
Yeah, that's pretty neat. I think it's Ab-Bb-B-D-E-G (octatonic cluster) to Bb-B-C-Db-F#-A (another one a half-step up, though this time that added B gives it a jagged 4-note chromatic cluster), and back to the first chord. Startling device - especially considering it never reappears again in the recorded score.
I'd argue that it's not they don't exhibit stylistic variety, but that they don't have much of musical personality, or craft. A self-assuredness and mastery of their own idiom that the greats had in spades.
To be honest, I think John Williams could do a Danny Elfman or Thomas Newman pastiche, and make it more compelling and re-listenable than the real thing.

This is something I (and countless others, I'm sure) have thought about from time to time. It's more of an accumulation of small things, I'm sure. Putting one's finger on exactly what those are requires varying degrees of knowledge about music theory. I can offer some rather low-level observations about a variety of (mostly orchestration-related) techniques Williams is fond of:
* For certain types of big, brassy fanfares, he'll often use block chords in the trumpets, with the trombones playing the same thing an octave below, sometimes with some chords in slightly different inversions. The horns are sometimes used to fill in the gaps, reinforce the middle voices, and/or double the trumpets.
* In dissonant passages, Williams likes to use an unusual chord that I'm not sure what to call. An example would be (in ascending order) C-Ab-B. Williams will stack this sort of chord against other chords in all kinds of ways to create various sorts of tension.
* Action music very often calls for ascending runs in the woodwinds, sometimes doubled by the strings, piano, and/or percussion. Typically, these are not chromatic - they instead follow a scale that's appropriate to the harmonic structure of the music at that moment. The flutes, oboes, and clarinets will all play the entire run in two, three, or even four octaves, with the individual instruments dropping out or dropping an octave when they start to get too high. (These choices are typically made by his orchestrators - in WIlliams' sketch, he just writes out the run in a single octave and writes "wind" above it. His orchestrators understand that he wants it broken up among all these instruments according to their respective ranges.)
* Lush or sweeping melodies are often given to all the strings except the basses. The violins, violas, and cellos all play the melody in octaves, although the top octave or two in the violins are primarily what you hear. Meanwhile, the basses will be playing a pizzicato bassline that emphasizes the downbeats. Trombones or horns will be given simple chords in the middle of their range, with the woodwinds perhaps doubling the strings or interjecting little contrapuntal lines.
* Williams seems to be a fan of open spacing in the strings. For passages heavily featuring the strings, many of the chords will only hit every other note, creating a less densely packed sound. There are also certain types of chords and chord progressions he tends to prefer in these passages, but I have a hard time articulating generalizations about those. He also tends to flow freely from divisi to unisono in each part, depending on what that part of the passage calls for. (This is also handled by the orchestrator at times, but he's very specific in his sketches at other times.)
* Aleatoric effects are very useful for stuff that's supposed to sound tense or frightening. This happens most often with the strings...he'll give a series of low pitches to the cellos and basses and tell them to play quickly ad lib, for instance. Or have the violins and violas play random pizzicato notes, or glisses at varying speeds. Sometimes the piano and/or harp will get involved, adding a little more definition to the randomness. The woodwinds also get these sorts of notations sometimes (notably in TLW), although those effects tend to be less noticeable. With the exception of the x-shaped noteheads in the piccolos marked "highest pitch" or "shriek!", that is. Those can be quite piercing.
* Quick-ish runs and figures with violin and viola tremolos are often used to add a frantic edge to action music, often just as background to other stuff. These are typically really tough to analyze because they don't follow any immediately obvious harmonic structure. (Yet they somehow sound so good...)
* Muted trombones make for a snarly, sinister sound that Williams loves to use in darker passages. Sharp, biting, isolated notes are effective, as are slow glisses and dramatic crescendos and whatnot. Williams also uses mutes fairly often in the trumpets, most commonly to add a bright edge to sinister tone clusters. Horns get muted or stopped with surprising frequency...he calls for metal mutes, fiber mutes, all kinds of stuff. These are also often used to create a more sinister sound, or at least more veiled and introspective.
* Six horns in unison make for a very strong sound that Williams loves...as do I. Great for full-on melodies or fanfare-like counterpoint. He's also a fan of giving heroic melody lines to three or four trumpets in unison, although with these, he's more likely to allow the lower trumpets to deviate from the melody for parts of the passage.
* On a related topic, horns in their lowest register can create an ominous, unusual substitute for the low brass. They're not too agile or pretty-sounding when you take them that low, but three to six horns delivering a few simple, deep pedal tones can really produce an awesome sound.
* It's rather rare for Williams to stay in one key for long, unless he's in the midst of a long melody line or a fairly monotonous passage. He's constantly modulating from key to key, and not through especially trite chord progressions, either. I find that this lends a certain sense of motion and change to his music that I much prefer to the rather static key signatures often found in pop music - and classical music, for that matter. Other film composers do this, too, but there's something idiosyncratically wonderful about Williams' continual, effortless, unobtrusive shifting from key to key. (And these keys may be only subtly implied, or so fleeting that their durations can be measured in beats, not measures...let alone dozens of measures, or whole cues.)
* Synths are very often used to double the strings, add special sound effects (wind, animal vocalizations, hissing, explosions, etc.), mimic percussion, mimic celeste, double the piano, or create timbres that are similar to dulcimers or other less common instruments. These effects range from very prominent to so subtle it's almost impossible to make them out when you already know what they're playing, but they're very common.
* Aside from soloistic capacities, Williams mainly uses piano to double the basses and cellos, to create deeply resonant effects with very low clusters, to create percussive clangs with very high clusters, to double runs and punctuated octaves in the woodwinds, or to play fluid and unobtrusive arpeggios that serve as background for more important material. Oh, and he also likes to do quick, dissonant, ascending arpeggios, often doubling harp and/or some sort of synth sound, for moments of surprise or shifts in mood.
* Synth celeste plus woodwinds and sometimes trumpet can make for a nice, not-too-serious sound, particularly with short, staccato phrases.
* Harp glissandos are used shamelessly all over the place, especially in louder music. Great for accentuating a crescendo, or for adding texture to a longer passage ad lib.
* Parallel thirds show up in a lot of different contexts. Parallel minor chords, too, for that matter, with certain chords going into different inversions as needed.
* Sort of similar...Williams has written a number of passages that give the horns and strings a series of major chords (that don't really fit together into any single scale), such that the top note creates a melody in a minor key. There's usually a pedal tone beneath. Examples include the motif that's used in several scenes on Utapau in ROTS, the music that plays as the rebels are getting ready to leave their station in ROTJ, and the theme from TLW.
* There's no denying that Williams' preferred recording techniques and performance styles have influenced his sound. When a different orchestra plays his music in a different hall, the results can be remarkably different. Still recognizable as Williams, sure, but there are a lot of subtle but recognizable things about the way Williams' scores are generally played and recorded and mixed and whatnot. These have, of course, changed over the years with different technologies and venues and trends and whatnot.
* Let's talk percussion. Snare drums or field drums ("drums" or "deep drums"), cymbals ("piatti"), and bass drum ("gran cassa") are crucial for passages that are militaristic. Sometimes even a few ruffs and simple figures on a snare drum are enough. Vibraphone and marimba often get to softly reinforce harmonic material. Xylophone is most frequently associated with punctuated notes in the woodwinds, sometimes doubled by anvil. Glockenspiel is chiefly used to add brilliance to a melodic line in, say, the trumpets. The timpani are featured all over the place in a wonderfully idiomatic way. Various types of tom toms ("tuned drums" or "deep tuned drums") are great for lending some punch to action music without sounding too militaristic. Various types of "ethnic" percussion (tabla, log drums, etc.) show up for more mysterious effects...triangle adds playful sparkle or dazzling shimmer...tambourine adds an almost dancelike festivity...etc. Typically, the percussion parts are not riddled with rudiments or anything...they don't really sound like they were written by a percussionist, but they're perfectly playable, and they sound extremely idiomatic without sounding like something a drummer just sat down and improvised. They serve the music well.
* Williams' modern action music is typically so harmonically complex that you almost might as well not even bother trying to figure out why it sounds the way it does. In the 70s and 80s, he preferred a slightly more straightforward style of action music that kept things a little harmonically simpler, with a relatively small number of discrete musical ideas going on at any given moment, most of which were pretty bold and accessible. Ostinatos, fanfares, recognizable melodies, comparatively sparse arpeggios and runs and chords. As Williams has continued to gain musical experience and knowledge, he's developed a style of action music that is so "advanced" that it's actually become off-putting to some fans. (That and the over-reliance on certain specific techniques in the music.)
* When the woodwinds get the melody, it's not unusual for Williams to double the oboes and clarinets, or flutes and oboes and clarinets. Gives a rich sound that's less immediately identifiable with any one instrument.
* Last but certainly not least...it's all about the boom-tzzzzz. Once you start paying attention to Williams' good old bass-drum-hit-followed-by-cymbal-crash tool, you'll notice it throughout his action music, as early as the 70s (at least) and as late as KOTCS. I even had one of his sketched boom-tzzzzz's in my sig for a while.
But of course, these are all just pieces of the puzzle. Not a comprehensive list by any means. They're not individually TOO specific to Williams, either. Figuring out why Williams sounds like Williams in broader terms is something that's very difficult to do.
EDIT: I hoped you'd show up, Prometheus. Time to use Google to learn some new music theory terms. EDIT AGAIN: Gasp! You're so right about the octatonic scale. The Hungarian scale seems most common when he's going for a so-called "ethnic" or non-Western feel. Have you noticed it in other contexts, as well?

I'm sure that study is interesting and largely valid, but I wouldn't consider it gospel on the matter. Pop music, yes. Ultra specialist? No.
This I can definitely agree with.

For a moment there I thought to myself, is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 10 already?

I wouldn't want a Giacchino-Williams collaboration.
Also, this "film composers aren't real composers/artists" attitude is what composers like Williams fought against their entire careers. Your first statement is a perpetuation of a stereotype that has plagued wonderful artists from the Steiners and Roszas to our modern day Williams. It seems you have adopted the stereotype, but tweaked it just enough to let John Williams in, in the process missing the spirit of these men's efforts against this stereotype for the last century. What a shame.

I'm saving it for my visit to the theater next month.

Star Wars.

Star Wars.

Star Wars.

Everything that comes of that man's mouth is poetry at this stage.

This.
I too am not surprised at all. Williams cares about his work for the Star Wars series as much as his fans do. He's very grateful for the success, visibility and opportunities it brought to his career, very much like he feels for his association with Steven Spielberg. So, in this sense, it's not surprising he still wants to be part of this world.
Also, I think John is still a very young soul and, as it appears from the brief quote in this interview, he's very excited to see what new things he can bring to the table. One could think he would feel (legitimately) unmotivated after six films of the same series. But I think his enthusiasm and sense of wonder is absolutely genuine.
I really hope to get at 81 with just half the energy and vitality he shows!

Maybe now my favourite American comedy actor can get on with season 9.

If only all cancelled tv shows were wrapped up so satisfyingly. Serenity was an elegant resolution, filled with spirit and just the right amount of bittersweet loss.

Episode VII needs to show that while we were watching the prequels, Bobby Ewing was just in the shower, and those movies were only dreams.

I'm hearing that this trailer is awesome, but I've been avoiding it. I was already gonna see the film, the last trailer already extra-sold me. I think I want to just experience it in full from this point.

Unabashed romantic epics like E.T. and Titanic. Particularly because high drama and action when woven with soaring pathos is what gives me the film music shivers and satisfaction more than anything else.

Done: