The Lost Folio

This thread shows very well why no film music composer employs (or has been assigned) opus numbers, and why in general most concert composers abandoned them over 100 years ago. They are very impractical and unsuited to the realities of contemporary music. A complete and detailed catalogue is a great thing to have, but a numbering scheme is something else entirely. For John Williams, I would only assign numbers to the concert works. And even there, there would be lots of unconventional numbering issues.

In the U.S., I've often seen the BBC Music Magazine sold at Barnes & Noble. Worth a visit or a call if you live near one.

Does anyone know the recording dates of The Missouri Breaks? Unlike nearly all other expanded scores, this one doesn't indicate them in the booklet.

I updated my piano collection website with info on the latest publication of The Rise of Skywalker. It's interesting to note that the ad changed from "features Williams' arrangements" to "Williams-approved ... arrangements". I wonder if Williams was actually ever approached to do these new arrangements, and never did, resulting in the delay from an original January publication to late March. https://sites.google.com/view/johnwilliamspiano/home/folios?authuser=0#h.p_TYU-7pMebwcY

Hal Leonard announced the piano book in their January Herald, but for some reason, its publication has been delayed. I wouldn't be surprised if the book ends up just being a compilation of themes from all 9 films, with perhaps one or two themes from The Rise of Skywalker. https://issuu.com/halleonard/docs/1318911_herald_january2020_web.

The Superman and Home Alone folios are very hard to find now. The best way to start is to see if your local library does interlibrary loans. You might get some folios that way, especially if you are in the U.S. As for E.T., I only have the original 1982 folio with me, but I am almost 100% sure that the 2002 reprint had exactly the same arrangements. There was also an easy piano folio published (I don't list the easy alternatives on my website), so maybe you are thinking of that one? Do you actually own both and can compare? I agree there is a lot of material in Lost Crusade that coul

New update to The John Williams Piano Collection! I added a bibliography of books and academic articles written about John Williams's music. This will be of interest mostly to scholars and researchers who wish to get a quick overview of where studies of John Williams stand; but I think it's a fine addition to a website devoted to John Williams "on paper." Hope it can be of interest to some of you! Here's the link: https://sites.google.com/view/johnwilliamspiano/bibliography

This is a common way of writing 8th notes in vocal music: 8th notes are detached when they set different syllables. So many possibilities!! I'll try to watch Animal House soon to check if any of the music matches the "published" melody. But then, unless we watch a bunch of 1962 TV, we might not find out until the sheet music shows up in some archive... It's interesting that, apart from "America... the Dream Goes On", none of the songs you listed as "Other" in your thread were recorded at the time of their composition. I demand a list of Williams' failed projec

Thanks @Thor for watching it for us! But I'm not convinced: this clip from Animal House does not match the published melody. I don't deny a forgotten 1962 song could show up in a 1978 movie - let's believe the soundtrack listing from the database - but it's really surprising. And even if it ends up in Animal House, it does not explain the song's mysterious sources... I'm also not so sure about the Diamond Head connection anymore. The title song was published by Columbia Pictures Music Corporation, not by Hawaii Music Company.

A 1964 advertisement for sheet music includes the first line of music of two rare and early Johnny Williams songs, with the mention "Complete Copies at Your Music Dealers." Sadly, none of the two songs show up in any archives that I know, as if they were not actually published, or had a very, very limited print. The first song "Tomorrow" is from the series Wagon Train, but the source of the second song "The Way of a Wand'rer" is a mystery! It was entered for copyright on 15 Nov 1962 and it is advertised as a publication from Hawaii Music Company, possibly connecting it with Diamond

Done! I hope I didn't make any mistake with the lyricists. (Wagon Train was confusing: Herbert was definitely a lyricist in those years, but Wilson could have been co-composer.)

Let's just say that Bespin and I have different perspectives. (A while ago, I actually asked him if he wanted to combine our websites. I let you guess his answer...) I wish there could be a single, extensive website about the different aspects of JW's career. I did my website because I believed it was time for a John Williams bibliography. There are so many lists of works, but I could not find a list of publications. That's what I tried to do with The John Williams Piano Collection. I know not many people here seem to play piano, but I hope the information I provide can be useful t

I finally added Seven for Luck to my website. I also added "Dream Away" from The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, with lyrics by Paul Williams (who also did Cinderella Liberty that same year, 1973). It was officially published in a 1978 Paul Williams anthology. I should have a look at it in a week or two.

Well, after all, it looks like "The Same Hello, the Same Goodbye" has been published! It's in the Barbra Streisand folio What Matters Most: Barbra Streisand Sings the Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman (Cherry Lane Music, 2013). I couldn't find a separate sheet music for the song, yet, but since it's copyrighted 2008-2009, I wouldn't be surprised to find it somewhere else too. Do we know when it would have been composed? I listed it as 2008 on my website since that is the copyright date.

Great list @Thor! I'll add a link to your list on my website. I see that all the major songs have been published, but would you say there are some unpublished highlights?