Why couldn't "Billy Oblivion" have been composed by John Williams?

[Josh500 1,615]

Here's a funny story. I had my portable digital media player on shuffle and came across this track. "Billy Oblivion" from JPIII. I was busy with something else and at first I didn't recognise it and I was like, "What the hell. What is this? Is this from my newly acquired 'Towering Inferno'?"

 

It wasn't,  of course. See, I was convinced this was a JW track. But then this does sound remarkably like something JW would write, don't you think?

 

If you didn't know better, would you be able to tell that it is not? (Maybe the orchestration isn't quite complex enough?)  If so, how? And don't kid yourself.

[Marcus 390]

Had to look this up on YouTube.

 

The string lines, and the overall handling of sonic elements (timbral and textural combinations), make it clear to me this wouldn't have been penned by JW.

 

It's more a matter of the sum of it, and not necessarily the particulars, although there are also specific elements that stick out as foreign to Williams' style. 

 

The string writing, the harmonic writing (especially in the ostinato)... Generally, although the textures are fairly busy, this music is less complex than similar music by JW. 

 

Also, there are a couple of more "elusive" qualities missing: A sense of orchestral panache, of idiomatic flair (Williams always by design finds ways to "showcase" sections of the orchestra more specifically; this track feels like it was conceived with a more "generic" soundscape in mind), and of a certain playful elegance, even in a more agitated piece like this.

 

 

[Josh500 1,615]

Hmmm, well said! I agree.

 

There's a certain something missing, something that takes your breath away and makes you go Wow!! It's good, but not JW good.

[Datameister 2,044]

I don't think I'd ever mistake that track for Williams' work, but it is quite good. One of my favorites from that score.

[Richard Penna 3,696]

I think the entire birdcage sequence is awesome, musically. I really latched onto it when I saw the film.

 

Knowing nothing about music, I simply don't see what else JW would've brought to the table.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

It's good, but there's a sense of self-inhibition that comes with stepping into the shoes of another composer. Adding to Marcus's observations, it's a much smaller, more mid-rangy sound than the Williams of 2001. Both in the orchestration and recording--the absence of any synth doubling is quite key, I think.

[Loert 2,515]

Here'a a question I'd like to put to you all:

 

Why couldn't "Duel of the Fates" NOT be by Williams?

 

In other words, how would you convince somebody that Williams composed that track? (based on Williams' other works)

[Jilal 569]

The incorporation of (and inspiration by) a mythical tale concerning trees from the British Isles into the lyrics (cfr. The Five Sacred Trees and the Horn Concerto) is definitely very Williams-esque. Aside from that, the harmony (suspensions etc.), counterpoint, rhythm and orchestration are fairly typically Williams, as is the elegant use of the ostinato. Of course, you could go as far as discussing everything in great detail.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I for one am glad that Williams isn't the only composer on the planet. 

 

He has many imitators in the theater and concert hall who should be called out for their lack of personal perspective, but Davis is not one of them.  What he's written here is his own music, and it should be judged as that, not weighed against the pointless standard of "would Williams have done this?"

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I for one am glad to have you at the helm for 3 weeks. I don't think these kids can steer.