Favorite short musical moments in Williams scores?

[Bellosh 3,941]

Someone shut him down

 

Han solo to c3po

[Doo_liss 6,634]

9 minutes ago, Bellosh said:

Someone shut him down

 

Han solo to c3po

Ackchually, it's "Shut him up or Shut him down"

 

😉

[Jay 39,755]

1 hour ago, Bellosh said:

how many of us, simply go about our day, forgetting that JW slipped in one of his best action pieces in his famed career half way through a cue.

 

 

Thanks for posting this video.  For whatever reason I hadn't listened to any of War Horse in a while, and just checking out this great action cue for the first time in a while really hit me nicely.  What a cool cue in a wonderful score!

[Schilkeman 1,331]

8 hours ago, Presto said:

 

😉

I'm making friends as always, I see.

[Bellosh 3,941]

The whole cue

 

 

 

 

[Damien F 1,774]

At 2:50 of The Motorcade when the evocative rendition of the main theme enters amongst a cacophony of snares and other intense orchestral sounds.

 

 

[Bellosh 3,941]

2 minutes ago, Damien F said:

At 2:50 of The Motorcade when the evocative rendition of the main theme enters amongst a cacophony of snares and other intense orchestral sounds.

 

 

 

best moment in the score for me.

 

so powerful. the bagpipes at 3:05!

[Damien F 1,774]

5 hours ago, Bellosh said:

 

best moment in the score for me.

 

so powerful. the bagpipes at 3:05!

 

I could be wrong but I always assumed they were Irish Uilleann bagpipes which would be JW hinting at Kennedy's Irish heritage. I can't really tell the difference between Irish pipes and Scottish ones though.

[Bellosh 3,941]

Me neither my dude but now I know there's more than one type of bagpipe 😀

[Loert 2,740]

Love the short atonal bit between 8:43-8:47. "Strap in!"

 

 

[Haasch 9]

My favorite musical bit, or one of them, is the tail end of The Moisture Farm from Star Wars, "Why I should stick my neck out". Just woodwinds galore, then that little bit of horn. Couldn't have been more than 30 seconds, but so much mirth packed in.

[Richard P 4,267]

From one of my earliest viewings of Home Alone 2 I loved the string motif when Tim Curry is snooping in Kevin's room:

 

 

[Nemesis 254]

Love the roaring of the horns at 2:47 of Helen's Theme

 

 

[Edmilson 9,122]

 

 

[mrbellamy 6,796]

On my mind for no particular reason 

 

 

[Doo_liss 6,634]

2:17-2:34

 

 

[mrbellamy 6,796]

One of those great Williams moments that just comes out of nowhere 

 

[Schilkeman 1,331]

That whole long violin line ending in the suspension. An amazing moment.

 

 

[Edmilson 9,122]

I just mentioned this cue on the other thread and now I had to listen to it again. The movie is a beloved childhood favorite and that scene always made me emotional when I was a kid due to JW's magnificent music.

 

 

It's criminal that he left such a wonderful cue out of the OST. 

[Loert 2,740]

Perhaps not the most original thing to post in this thread but I love love LOVE the trumpets between 6:23-6:26 here:

 

 

[Muad'Dib 1,876]

Absolutely ADORE this little bit with the wah-wah brass

 

 

[Schilkeman 1,331]

23 minutes ago, Muad'Dib said:

Absolutely ADORE this little bit with the wah-wah brass

 

 

Yeah, it sound like some Cotton Club Duke Ellington, or Cab Calloway. A different feel from the Benny Goodman Cantina Band.

[Bayesian 1,435]

Has this breathtakingly impactful moment been discussed yet? I'm talking about the devastating piano at 4:20, but you really need to watch the whole buildup to that moment to get the proper impact. I was watching A.I. on Paramount+ and that moment hits like a gut punch.

 

 

 

[karelm 3,099]

4 hours ago, Bayesian said:

Has this breathtakingly impactful moment been discussed yet? I'm talking about the devastating piano at 4:20, but you really need to watch the whole buildup to that moment to get the proper impact. I was watching A.I. on Paramount+ and that moment hits like a gut punch.

 

 

 

It's an underrated film and score.  The anguish of the mom is heartfelt because of her loss.  I think this film is a nice bookend to CEOTTK with its Pinocchio overtones.  In that film, Roy wished to be an eternal child despite his adult responsibilities.  Here, David is literally an eternal child because he was built that way though wished to be real and grow.  I thought the score was a real departure and full of unrequited longing.  

[artguy360 1,908]

11 hours ago, Bayesian said:

Has this breathtakingly impactful moment been discussed yet? I'm talking about the devastating piano at 4:20, but you really need to watch the whole buildup to that moment to get the proper impact. I was watching A.I. on Paramount+ and that moment hits like a gut punch.

 

 

 

One of my favorite musical moments from the score. So dark and powerful.

[Schilkeman 1,331]

Mickey-mousing is a sometimes derided art, but it requires all the timing and craft of a composer and a comedian. A favorite bit of mine from TPM

 

Such a fluid, rounded sound from the horns here. This era of LSO is one of the greatest horn sections of all time, and this score is full of great writing for them.

 

This moment is pure opera; anger and tragedy. With a great build up until the big hit at 3:30, an all-time Star Wars moment for me.

 

Such a great build-up and use of rhythm. That brass! Maurice Murphy played orchestral trumpet like the lead in a jazz band.

 

Needlessly complicated brass writing that kicks ass.

 

I've always loved the flute trio that opens this suite, followed by the beautiful solo horn. An underrated theme.

 

A nice little callback to the Rite of Spring desert music in ANH with the solo bassoon.

 

Some great motivic writing between 3:00 and 5:00. Williams' gift is melody. His genius is transitions.

 

The whole first minute or so of this cue is lovely, with a nice callback to the Order 66 music, and the piano chime for Rey's Theme.

 

[artguy360 1,908]

Rey's theme played on piano by JW himself no less!

[Edmilson 9,122]

This march towards doom is one of my favorite John Williams action moments of all time 

 

 

[Brando 2,181]

Fantastic section!

[LB Makes Stuff 304]

1:57 and on is soooooo beautiful. Though the most calm variations on the three themes, they’re easily the best in the entire score. I’d love to hear this live.

[LB Makes Stuff 304]

Oh, one more. This cue is unavailable on any releases of the score, but it’s used twice in a row and is so good. Hopefully the next LLL expansion is this score.  

 

[Edmilson 9,122]

What cue is that?

[Arnaud2 41]

One very special moment everybody knows but I think no one mentioned: the few seconds of music, less than thirty for sure, just before the Death Star explodes in Star Wars. What is it? 49 or 50 times the same note with brass written like percussions. Amazing!

[geom_00 70]

I haven't gotten to read all of this topic, but something for me, the answer is complicated.

 

I'm not sure WHY I like this so much, but to me it just is a beautiful snippet of music.  In Hymn to the fallen, this small snippet flutters away, but it is beautiful.

 

[Brando 2,181]

When Hook turns to face the camera and the audience gets their first glimpse at Hook:

 

 

[mrbellamy 6,796]

2:27-2:40

 

 

[Andy 5,215]

Wrong thread

[mrbellamy 6,796]

23 minutes ago, Brando said:

When Hook turns to face the camera and the audience gets their first glimpse at Hook:

 

 

 

Also relevant to this thread, I can never get enough of 5:15

[Holko 10,396]

3 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

 

Also relevant to this thread, I can never get enough of 5:15

Would be so much better if they didn't throw out the Carpet Theme

[Jay 39,755]

That gives me hope you'll do a score restore video series!

[Holko 10,396]

Sigh. Fiiiiine.

[mrbellamy 6,796]

12 hours ago, Holko said:

Would be so much better if they didn't throw out the Carpet Theme

 

Idk, I do like the energy of the music just dropping in with that first step. 

[Bellosh 3,941]

this rendition of the raiders march that just comes outta nowhere

 

 

[Brando 2,181]

That scene and section in the film is so weird, there’s an insert and possibly dialed out music, and then the spot you mentioned pops up randomly as the rest of the cue continues and ends.

[Jay 39,755]

20 minutes ago, Bellosh said:

this rendition of the raiders march that just comes outta nowhere

 

 

Glorious!!!!!!

[Loert 2,740]

This is what I love about JW's music, you're just listening along to what would seem like generic background music, then out of nowhere you get gorgeous, ethereal sections like this:

 

1:13 - 1:52

 

 

[stravinsky 217]

 

One of my all time favourite moments from 1977. A self contained cue in itself this is all of 30 seconds long. In it Williams manages to sound cutesy & heimish whilst underlining that a minor crisis has been averted. R2 is reunited with Threepio. Just utterly magical. 

[Jay 39,755]

On 03/06/2024 at 9:39 PM, Brando said:

When Hook turns to face the camera and the audience gets their first glimpse at Hook:

 

soooooo goood

 

On 06/06/2024 at 8:11 AM, stravinsky said:

One of my all time favourite moments from 1977. A self contained cue in itself this is all of 30 seconds long. In it Williams manages to sound cutesy & heimish whilst underlining that a minor crisis has been averted. R2 is reunited with Threepio. Just utterly magical. 

 

Yes!  I always loved it too!

[BB-8 4,047]

 

 

 

[Edmilson 9,122]

Oh those poor brass players from the London Symphony Orchestra...