Jediwashington

Yes, this is the only part confusing me. If and when I have time, I would be willing to arrange something, but the copyright part concerns me, since getting rights to arranging and public performance requires a lot more time on my part than just writing. ~JW

Anyone that doesn't use live recordings ticks me off a little. At least Santaolla records his guitar stuff live (of himself...). Media Ventures is on contract to use a few live musicians, but I don't like the way it's made, the style of the music, or the artistry involved. It just doesn't appeal to me. The way they use orchestral samplers sometimes, they might as well get a rock band to score the film. Doesn't mean the music sucks, I just don't think it should be considered film score music. ~JW

I'm trying to learn the instrument right now to play in "Guys and Dolls" our school's musical. I've learned many instruments, but clarinet is different. Very rewarding and wonderful tones are easily accessible, yet virtuosity very difficult to attain. I've never played an instrument where successful tone came first before the technical aspects. As for my favorite moments of clarinet in Williams writing, they are not moments of solos, but blend moments. In "American Journey" there is a beautiful clarinet and bassoon section at the very beginning of "Flight and Technology" that is very nice. There is the same kind of style all over the place in Saving Private Ryan, such as the beginning of "Finding Private Ryan" and 5:26 into "Omaha Beach," or 2:50 into revisiting Normandy. "High school teacher" has wonderful writing all over the place. E.T. 2:25 into "Sending the signal" is nice writing also. The Terminal is beautiful clarinet playing by Emily Bernstein shortly before she died. This is a photo of her at the session that David Weiss took (oboist) and posted online. And no one can forget how he saterized the instrument in the Cantina Band. It's a shame Williams doesn't use clarinet more often. I think as he's grown older, he's come to appreciate the quiet subtlety attainable with the instrument. as for other wonderful uses of Clarinet, "Entry March of the Boyars" by Johan Halvorsen is wonderful. Jazz clarinet is wonderful by Benny Goodman. Percy Grainger also did some wonderful writing for Clarinet for Wind Ensemble. ~JW

I find it disappointing that the classical community heralds programmatic music, but only if it's a ballet or opera. Try and throw film music in there or many musicals, and they raise their noses and look the other way. I also think theres a bit of jealousy among the classical community, as film score composers actually make a living, unlike many art composers. It's just sad that music educators of the highest caliber cannot embrace all music. That they must hold a grudge against certain genres simply because they have locked tempos and a different style. A very high double standard from a community that usually heralds itself as Liberal. What colleges are these? I'm looking around for schools right now, and I'd like to know this. ~JW

Man, he's looking more energetic than I thought he was. ~JW

There are enough free independently recorded samples out there at various sites, that you could conceivably get together nearly an orchestras worth of samples. The problem comes that the consistency isn't there, and the quality isn't always there. The best idea is to save up and buy an actual sampler. I myself have Garritan (The finale Version, which is blech), and my favorite choice, East West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra - Silver, which I plug into Cubase. The main ones known out there are (in descending order of quality in my opinion): East West Quantum Leap (silver, gold or platinum) Vienna Synth Library, HALion Symphonic Orchestra, Garritan Series Library's, Gigastudio (Sample runner, but has series of Library's) Most composers use a mix of them along with independent samples, or custom samples. I've found some free independent samples out there though that sound pretty nice. Just look around for sampled instruments on google. You should be able to find most things you need at low cost. No Garuntee on quality unless it's all done the same, like in the library's above. ~JW

Yeah, Paul Lavender is a composer who constantly takes Williams work and makes band arrangements for High School and lower bands. Chris Curnow also does/did this. As for the recording, with the current state of technology, I would not be surprised if it was synthesized, but I think this is live, just close miced to the point of fakeness. ~JW

What a wonderful post, Goodmusician. It's too bad it got a little over looked. I really agree with him here though. There is much less respect for the ear of the audience, and what used to be called banter is now called a film score. Now granted there are valid reasons for why it is that way now, but none of them excuse the fact that Film Music should not be Video game music, in the sense that current video game music just keeps going with no relevance to the current action. Now composers might be able to catch a good mood overall, but thats not good enough, especially when there are millions of dollars and a large reputation to live up to from past composers who were able to do better with a pencil, paper, a clunky projector and sometimes a piano. I find a sad amusement in the fact that Williams is the best film composer out there right now, and he hasn't ever used a computer in his scoring. Technology has hurt the film industry more than it has helped it. I see more and more uses of it as a crutch. Replacing actors, over mixing the sound with no limits on the amount of sound effects going on at once, replacing good old explosions, and worst of all, bad sound editors messing with a work of art. I don't think Monet would trust a graphic designer to finish his work, or Tchaikovsky would trust Hans Zimmer to finish a ballet for him. Why does anybody let sound editors mess with music than? There is a lack of subtlety and respect for the audience in the film industry now, and I find it upsetting that the industry has turned to this after such a wonderful history. ~JW

yeah, hook seems to be popular. They were using a Cincinnati Pops recording of the hook theme to advertise a regular Cincinnati symphony concert a while back on the radio. ~JW

There are many more deserving people for this award. I'm disappointed in The Academy and all responsible for this decision. Sure, Morricone finally getting his Oscar is beautiful, but it doesn't make up for the fact that a sub-par score that shouldn't even qualify has received the highest honor a film score can. I feel it degrades the award. Who is going to want to enter their scores they've worked so hard on when they know that the decision process is flawed and political? It's not fair to those who have worked so hard for so long, like Thomas Newman. ~JW

that's cool. Nice job last night! What do you play? ~JW

Welcome to the board! I had the pleasure of talking to Maestro Kunzel for several minutes at a concert I went to a long time ago when I was very young. A very gracious man indeed. It's nice living in Cincinnati and having him here so often to perform with the pops. Enjoy your stay! ~JW

As a composer myself, I have a great love of studying his scores, especially when I'm in a writers block so to speak. The transitions he writes in his music are not awkward at all, but very purposeful. Chord progressions he uses have a very jazz taste to them, but because he buries the defining jazz notes, we don't hear it so much without think about it. This shows a lot in his brass parts, which use a lot of jazz voicings. What I find most interesting about Williams is his organization. Many of the orchestrations are very detailed like a piece of music that had taken a year to write, when we all know he does this in only weeks. now this could be the part of his orchestrator, but I doubt it, as he did his own orchestrations for many films. Like someone who was mentioning his sketches was saying, that he only uses two wind lines usually, which I find interesting. They're usually given what I like to call "Dress" lines. Just little splashes of color here and there, like his fabulous flute runs. The doubling he uses is so discrete too. I wouldn't have thought there were flutes playing unison under the trumpets in "Hymn to the Fallen." Once you hear it though, one realizes how much it changes the sound. I also learned about how thin orchestration is effective. I thought there was more going on in the opening of Yoda's Theme, when it's pretty thin. Chords and melody. It's helped me immensely learn how to compose effectively for orchestra. Definitely worth the price tag of some of these. ~JW

Ahh, George Lucas and his failed attempts to make near perfection better. ~JW

I'm looking at the original score scans I have, and It's just one piano, and the line is difficult, yes, but it's playable. The piano players they have for these scores are insanely good. Probably have been sight reading since they were kids and can work magic on music like this. As for Williams playing, it's possible, but I bet the session pianist did it. There's only two options though: Williams tracked in later, Williams conducting, session pianist. The part right after that is too difficult to go without a conductor given the 3/8 measure, though they could have used a click track, that was not something Williams would have done in the early 80's. He's only resorted to click tracks for some very difficult sections that won't ever line up otherwise. He did all of the original Star Wars without a click track. I'm betting on a session pianist played it though, as it's difficult to track in later lines like that, though I guess you could have tracked the piano ahead of time and used that. Williams conducting and playing at the same time would make the session pianist obsolete, which he needed for the rest of the score since he needed to conduct the rest of the credits. Again, there could be a cut there, but I don't hear one, the piano line for the next couple bars is able to be heard, and it sounds the same as the piano before, so I think it's a fade out done at the session, so I think it was just one take, which is typical with credits music. There's no reason for the click track in credits music. I don't think it's Williams. I could be wrong though. I'm sure someone is around that played at the session who could tell us. ~JW

He's pretty difficult to get a hold of I've heard. I tried to send him something via his agency, gorfaine Schwartz, and it never got through. I'm sure there's something out there mentioning his fan Address. I remember the first time I heard John's Music and acctually "heard" it. I was, oh, 8 I think, and visiting Universal Studios. They have this Jurassic Park ride, and while a few others in my family went on it with my father, me and my mother stayed behind. They were piping in music from the film to set the mood of the area and I remember being there on a bench in the park at sunset, leaning over the top of the bench to where the speaker was, striving to block out the crowd noise and listen to what I would later know was the fanfare from the film. It was looped and played over and over again and every single time it brought me to shivers hearing the trumpets atop the strings. I must have listened to that little fragment 50 times, and every time I was just as facinated. It never got old, and I didn't even want to leave the area when it was time to move on. Well, my life was never the same again obviously. Mr. William's music has always been a constant for me, it could even detemine how I feel that day. The first time I listened to "Saving Private Ryan," I was solumn for days. From the beautiful Chorales he's written to the frantic Schertzos that are barely playable, from the power of his fanfares to the mystique of his greatest childrens scores. From the most horrific of moments, to the most loving and delicate: Williams has never ceased to strike a chord with the soul in us all at one point, and all this while timing precisely to an image with pinpoint precision. He has an eternal gift that I'm thankful he shares with us all. Thank you for sharing with us for 75 years, and may you have the health to continue sharing for many years to come! ~Drew R. Cincinnati, Ohio

humm...well, while not a concerto, Richard Strauss features the cello prominently in his "Don Quixote" tone poem. The usage of solo cello as Quixote himself has wonderful moments. Definately worth a listen. The Phildephia orchestra premiered Carnigie hall a year or so ago with Yo-Yo Ma on cello, a wonderful performance indeed. ~JW

Anyway, I don't assume he'll be doing anything but spielburg films from now on. I don't think he puts in as much time for other directors, but he seems to love doing spielburg films. What wonderful news about the viola Concerto. I wonder if it's for Michael Kugel. Roberto Diaz is also pretty well known. My bets are on one of those two. ~JW

9 chances out of 10 that he'll use an independent hired orchestra in the Sony Scoring facility (Formally MGM Studios). ~JW

I'm currently a junior in High school, and have scored a film for a college director who is now seeking jobs and lives near Hollywood. My other projects include marching band arrangements, Orchestral arragements and compositions, dixieland group arragements, several piano solos, and a few concert band pieces. My real hope is to be a good film score conductor and orchestrator, even though many composers are starting to do all 3 jobs. I intend to attempt study of either film music composition/orchestration or Music Education. Hopefully I can find more work to improve my skills before college starts to take over though. I also have no problem scoring other media, such as video games, TV and commercials. Hopefully I'll make it. I'm still very young though. ~Drew R. (JW)

I played english Horn and oboe on a few movements from his LOTR Symphony. It was wonderfully written and just in the right registers of our instruments, which isn't all that frequent in band liturature. If I'm not mistaken, the original symphony was for an expanded wind ensemble, correct? I think there were cello and bass parts, but everyone else was wind ensemble until he converted it to orchestra. Was this latest symphony full orchestral? ~JW

I think he was recording The Last Crusade, or writing Hook. Around that time. ~JW

How neat! I always wanted to put together an over the top light display. It'll be my senior year in high school next year, so maybe I'll have a chance to. :^) Congratulations on raising so much money! I'm sure the hospital will appriciate it. Medical procedures and materials are getting so expenseive. ~JW

Heh heh heh... nice. ~JW

Neat, I never noticed that. Nice find. It is kinda like that. ~JW