BTR1701

Overall, I like the score but I'm at a loss as to why the Terminator anvil/percussion ostinato rhythm by Brad Fiedel was left off the soundtrack album. It's in the movie several times, most notably at the very beginning and right before the end credits. Nothing wrong with an entirely new score as long as there is a nod to what has become a signature for the entire franchise. Even the Terminator TV series used it in its opening sequence for each episode. Michael Giacchino and Jerry Goldsmith and Leonard Rosenman all had the foresight to recognize that Alexander Courage's signature fanfare had become as much a part of Star Trek as any of the characters and included it in their respective scores. Elfman should have done the same here. [As I say this, I have to wonder if maybe it wasn't Elfman's choice. Since the Fiedel theme *was* in the film, this may be a case of some sort of legal/copyright thing getting in the way of putting it on the album, which, if true, is just one more example of how our broken system of intellectual property does nothing but screw things up for everyone involved.]

Just last night I finished a transcription of the "Man Against Beast" score (or "Sea Attack Number One", depending on which version of the soundtrack you have) into Finale from the original almost-impossible-to-read handwritten manuscript. If you read music and would like a copy, I'd be happy to send you the PDF file. Email me at btr1701@gmail.com if you're interested.

Star Trek: Wrath of Khan

Composers/musicians never retire. To as us to is to ask us to stop breathing. That's the way it is with most artists. About three years ago Stephen King announced his "retirement" from writing. Since then he's come out with about a dozen short stories and three books, with another on the way for next year. Talent won't be silenced, apparently.

I have to work the inauguration. All these people paying thousands of dollars a night for a place to stay and willing to sit for hours on some muddy patch of grass in the cold and I'm being forced to be there when I'd rather be at home watching from the comfort of my armchair. Wow maybe you can meet John Williams Already have once, several years ago. Didn't get to say much. Just a handshake and a comment about being a fan, before he moved on to someone else.

It's actually not just the trumpets. It's nearly the entire orchestra. Only the strings, trombones and horns are exempt. The strings are playing long, sustained dissonances. The trombones have a growling sextuplet lick going on in the background and the horns are resting. Everyone else is playing the eight-note ostinato in half-step dissonances all up and down the scale, accompanied by a slap-stick in the percussion to drive the down-beat home. (I've been studying the written score to "Miracle of the Ark" lately and it's an amazing piece of writing.)

I have to work the inauguration. All these people paying thousands of dollars a night for a place to stay and willing to sit for hours on some muddy patch of grass in the cold and I'm being forced to be there when I'd rather be at home watching from the comfort of my armchair.

I....want....one..... BTW - is that a Taylor trumpet in the corner? not the Silver one (I think that's maybe an Eb? Schilke, maybe?) but the one further over..... No, they're both Bach Strads, both silver. The one on the left is a C trumpet (less than a year old, hence its bright, shiny new finish). The other is the Bb that I've had since 1984 and has been through four years of high school and four years of college marching bands. It's a little beat up and the finish has faded and darkened over the years.

You can put your Indy score box set in it I don't like to open it. Bad things tend to happen. I didn't have them myself. A friend who works Lucasfilm had access to them and made the Ark for me.

I'm happy with him scoring any movie. Harry Potter is fine but not being a fan, I usually just end up buying the soundtrack and listening to the music without ever seeing the actual films. What I'd really love is for Williams to score the new Star Trek film. I know Giacchino already has that gig but it would have been very interesting to see what Williams would do with Star Trek, if given the chance.

I thought it was illegal for the IPS's to give them confidential information. Familiar with the PATRIOT ACT? I am very familiar with the PATRIOT Act and it has nothing to do with this issue, nor does it authorize or compel a private business (an ISP) to release information on its customers to another private organization (the RIAA) regarding a matter of civil litigation.

I didn't buy anything especially for this year's movie but I've had a full-size replica of the Ark for several years now, created from the same molds as the original prop in the film. Add a bullwhip and a fedora and it makes a nice display piece.

Having recently been fortunate enough to peruse the original written conductor's scores to "Desert Chase", I was surprised to find out that it's actually three separate cues (Indy in Pursuit, Truck Chase and Indy's Feats) combined into one. The fact that it stays so musically coherent that it flows as one coherent piece of music only adds to its beauty.

Well, if that's all he wanted to do, he wouldn't have had to actually perform them during the concerts. One or two run-throughs at the rehearsal would have been enough.

I did a search in the archives and couldn't find it so I can't say how it compares. But if you want my version, just send your e-mail address to me at btr1701@ix.netcom.com and I'll zap you the PDF file.

I recently obtained the printed score to Williams's NBC Sunday Night Football theme and was surprised to find that it's actually a mini-suite in three movements: 1. Wide Receiver 2. Screen Pass 3. Taking the Field However, all the recordings I can find of it (and the bit that's actually played on NBC during the football games) consist solely of the first movement. I'm wondering if there's there a complete recording of it anywhere out there.

Yes, I've always been a fan of the A L I E N score. Goldsmith's unusual instrumentation (conch shells, didjeridu, serpent and shawm) really lends the whole an unearthly feel. I live in the Washington DC area and recently when I was at the Library of Congress, I came across the complete handwritten score for the entire film. I've slowly been transcribing it into Finale whenever I have some free time and converting it into PDF files with the goal of having a nicely bound printed score to go along with the soundtrack.

I don't have the actual orchestral scores (if only!) but I was in college (University of Texas) back when "Last Crusade" was originally released and I have the score to an arrangement one of the assistant band directors put together for one of our half-time shows that year of highlights from the soundtrack. It's completely unauthorized (before the internet, the whole notion of copyright wasn't nearly as fascist as it is now) and the arranger kind of mixed things together in regard to the various cues in order to make it flow better for a marching band show, but it doesn't pull any punches in terms of complexity. It's not like most marching band arrangements of Williams's music where everything is simplified for less skilled musicians. The cues that make up the suite are: Indy's Very First Adventure Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra The Keeper of the Grail Belly of the Steel Beast End Titles (Raiders March) For years, all I've had was a faded Xerox of the conductor's score (handwritten) and I coincidentally decided about three weeks ago to transcribe it all into Finale and have it spiral bound to make it look nice and pretty along with all my other Williams scores. I'd be happy to e-mail it to you in PDF format if you're interested or you think it will help with your project. Just e-mail me at btr1701@ix.netcom.com and let me know.

as a big fan of Mrs Dushku, can you tell us more about her ? how is she in real life , etc ?? what kind of music does she listen to ??? are you still friend with her ? how have you meet her ? thanks. I find her to be a very sweet and down-to-earth person, friendly and kind. But then again, that stands to reason because if she weren't, I wouldn't be friends with her, would I? :-) It's hard to keep track of what she's listening to at any given moment. I don't see her regularly (we live on separate coasts) but she likes many genres of music. Some classical, some jazz, classic rock and pop tunes. She of course likes Simple Plan and Nickelback, since she appeared in videos for both groups. Last time I saw her, she had a CD by a group called Darling Violetta in her player.

Eliza Dushku has been a friend of mine for several years. Met a bunch of celebrities through her.

I'd just love to have the sheet music/scores to either cue. Both are among my favorites but like much of Williams's best music, I can't find the printed scores anywhere. The only things available in orchestral score format seem to be suites of the main titles of Williams's more popular films. If anyone can point me to a place where I can either purchase professionally printed scores of cues like "Desert Chase" or "Miracle of the Ark" (or even fan transcriptions/MIDI versions if it's in traditional musical notation) I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.