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John Williams - Choral pieces


JohnnyD

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What film scores has John Williams utilized a chorus?

How many cues throughout his grand career have utilized any amount of choral elements?

Who can name the most cues and films?

From the most well known pieces to the less well known, all done by the most accomplished composer of our time.

Go!!

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Schindler's List

ESB (synthesized?)

RotJ

TPM

AotC

RotS

Harry Potter (all 3)

Indiana Jones (all 4)

Lincoln

Jurassic Park

Family Plot

Sleepers

Rosewood

Hook

SPR

Superman

The Terminal

Thomas and the King

Penelope

War of the Worlds

John Goldfarb Please Come Home

How to sTeal a Million

Not With My Wife You Don't

Monsignor

Home Alone

Home Alone 2

Heartbeeps

Goodbye Mr. Chips

Call of theChampions

AI

Amistad

Empire of the Sun

and I think that's it?

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Okay, okay. You named the films...name the exact cues, though. Try that.

Oh, and nice job mentioning Call of the Champions.

I guess I can include concert pieces in the challenge.

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indy4, in your list of films, you forgot A Guide for the Married Man.

Alright, I think indy4 has named the most films / TV / concert works of the Maestro where he utilizes choir.

Now, for the second part of the challenge. Who can name the most cues from each of these projects that make use of a chorus or choir?

Good luck.

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Wait, now I am confused. Who is saying that it was a synthesized choir?

If you are right, Maurizio, then you just brightened my day.

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Sorry, I was confusing with the Superman blue box liner notes (which mentions a 6-women choir for the Krypton sequences). My bad!

However, listening to that cue, it's likely Williams used a very small women ensemble for the Cloud City cue as well. It's definitely not a synthesized one.

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Excellent. Looking back on that cue, I always thought that there was a chorus in that section. I cannot believe that slipped from my memory. So many cues! Actually, it has been a while since I listened to Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

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From the liner notes to Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (2 CD Special Edition) -

"Angelic women's voices are heard over the first images of Cloud City..."

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And don't forget Satellite Celebration..! Some of Williams' most powerful choral writing. If only a proper recording existed...

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"Satelite Celebration" is perhaps better known as "Song for World Peace" today and was released on the AMERICAN JOURNEY compilation. There's no choir in that version, though...was there really choir in the original version? It's been a long time since I listened to it so I can't remember.

Edit: Listened to it now. Right you are. Some discrete, but pretty choral harmonies in the original version. Hard to discern in the abysmal sound quality.

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Satellite Celebration? What did the Maestro compose it for? I never heard of that piece.

'Satellite Celebration' (original version, 1994) / 'Song for World Peace' (reworked version, also revised in 2007)

Composed in 1994 for the 1995 New Year’s Day special broadcast, at the request of Seiji Ozawa

Premiered on January 1, 1995 in Tokyo and other cities via satellite (Seiji Ozawa/Saito Kinen – Isaac Stern, Violin and Yo-Yo Ma, Cello)

‘Song for World Peace’ available o­n American Journey (2002)

(John Williams/Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles)

http://www.jwfan.com/?page_id=3750

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I have the American Journey album. I did not know that Song for World Peace was a reworked version of Satellite Celebration.

It originally had a chorus, huh? Interesting.

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From the liner notes to Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (2 CD Special Edition) -

"Angelic women's voices are heard over the first images of Cloud City..."

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Sorry, I was confusing with the Superman blue box liner notes (which mentions a 6-women choir for the Krypton sequences). My bad!

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  • 7 years later...

How many times has JW gone a capella?

 

I can think of two cheats, possible overlays from Azkaban presented on their own:

 

 

and Anthem of Evil:

 

 

and Rosewood:

 

Not sure if something like Duel of the Fates' opening should be counted because of how short it is and the rest doesn't follow it.

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In opposite to John Williams song writing I find his choir work really brillant. Apart from using choir more or less as an instrument in an orchestral piece I would find it more interesting listing the choir woorks that are more or less songs and have actually lyrics like

 

  • Dry your tears, Africa
  • Somewhere in your memory
  • Star of Bethlehem
  • Christmas Star
  • Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas
  • Look down, Lord
  • Light my Way
  • Double Trouble
  • Hymn to Hogwards
  • Thomas and the King

What else?

 

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Right. And probably one could add 

  • Immolation from Schindler's List

And, ah, Duel of the Fates has some sunskrit lyrics. Probably, it could count as well? Is this more an instrumental with choir support or really a choral piece? I don't know.

 

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