Opinion on John Williams Signature Collection

[Lockdown 238]

Hello, I wasn't sure where to post about this, but I am looking into purchasing the Across the Stars and The Force Awakens Signature Editions sheet music? Are they truly what the Orchestra's played when they were at the recording sessions?

[Datameister 2,042]

The Signature Editions are overall quite good, and quite faithful to the original works. What you're getting is typically only modified very slightly from the original - things like changing the number of horns or getting rid of synth parts. There also may be structural changes where Williams has written a new intro or ending, things like that. But the parts that are from the films aren't brand-new arrangements - they're adapted only slightly from the originals.

[zoltan_902 141]

You should expect for the signature editions to be adapted slightly, as they are intended to be commercially published (by Hal Leonard) and commercially performable versions of the cues form the films. Many of the main themes of each movie will be recorded as 'concert' arrangements on the original soundtrack album, such that they only have vague resemblance to that actually heard int he film, or may only be heard in such form in the end credits.

 

Stating the obvious, JW signs off on the signature edition publications, and to the best of my knowledge supervises the orchestrations and structures of the pieces personally.

 

Some Signature Edition vary considerably from the material they are originally based, merely to make them commercially existing entities in their own right. For example, 'Escapades for Saxophone and Orchestra', is based on various themes from 'Catch Me If You Can', but is in fact expanded in duration and orchestration to pose as a quasi saxophone concerto.

 

If you're looking for actual manuscripts from the recordings, the Signature Editions won't be it. There are, apparently, bootleg versions of these floating around the web, but I'll need equal advice on finding these as you do.

 

 

[Jediwashington 59]

I have the Star Wars signature edition, and it is basically the concert suites. I can basically echo the same thought. They are meant for orchestras to perform in concert, not as study scores of the film. I look forward to someone taking on his work and cataloging it in 50 years or so, but until then, it will probably be hard to track down originals of his scores.

 

If you're truly attempting to study the scores as they are in the film, your best bet is JoAnn Kane Music Preparation Services. He has used them for decades regardless of the studio he is working with, but you would have to go there to look at them most likely and probably only get approval for educational reasons, as they are still under stiff copyright.