Hal Stein 2 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 John Williams is a hack! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Fabulin 3,510 Posted October 23, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 23, 2019 21 minutes ago, Avi Galinsky said: Since the beginning of time people have gone to extremes to ease their job or work. Music is no exception, music has been ripped off without credit to the original composer. This can get messy, and sometimes end up in the court room. But not every rip-off is illegal or wrong, sometimes it can be a theory or idea that is borrowed, as an inspiration to the new music. Other times its an homage to the original piece. Lets jump into some cases and judge for ourselves: Plagiarism or inspiration? I wish to inform you kindly that you are trying to teach hardcore John Williams / film music nerds, many with multi-decade experience, some being musical professionals, trivial, discussed to death observations about obvious inspirations behind some of the most popular moments in his music. Calling Williams a plagiarist or accusing him of low morals or professionalism is a good way to make yourself look foolish around here. Use the search function of the forum and you will find more than you can possibly imagine that has been said on that and any other topic. Other than that: Welcome... to JWFan Montre, Arpy, Sharkissimo and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 In twenty years of JWFAN nobody's ever raised this before here, nope! Montre and Ollie 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mstrox 6,643 Posted October 23, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 23, 2019 https://tenor.com/WmW9.gif Fabulin, Jurassic Shark and Arpy 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Disco Stu 15,495 Posted October 23, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 23, 2019 Ii2, Bayesian and Fabulin 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post The Illustrious Jerry 3,356 Posted October 23, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 23, 2019 I have an example I thought I'd share: http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/23371-the-definitive-john-williams-plagiarismhomage-thread http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/30624-plagiarism-or-inspiration/ VERDICT- Plagiarism MikeH, Ii2, Dixon Hill and 8 others 2 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,232 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 Anyone else miss Sharky and the gang? Sharkissimo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,281 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 Who? Jurassic Shark and Sharkissimo 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted October 24, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 24, 2019 This is a good thread topic even though it may be an oft-repeated one. I for one think the issue of Williams's creativity is largely misunderstood. All the best music throughout time tends to be based on craft and not invention. But is Williams a major creative contributor? He has a knack for taking a lot of best ideas from past composers (albeit sometimes subconsciously) and making something much more cohesive and listenable. This is the very philosophy that music doesn't need to be composed with notes, as in previous note-combinations discovered by people, but that music can now be composed using a palette of whole ideas previously discovered by people, a palette to invent a new sound and craft, with Williams this is often achieved by a rather lofty and light type of passion, packed full of timeless themes written more effectively for this genre, a real sense of movement and rhythm, a sensitive imagination and appreciation for how music always makes us feel during a story. I think this is becoming more and more true, when a composer like Williams has a difficult-to-mimick ability to string old ideas into something so effective in both catchiness and telling a story, it can be said that he is a true innovator. He's able to 'classicize' these newer concepts, no longer inventing standalone concepts like previous composers, but inventing a new way of how to put these concepts together more beautifully and lastingly. This all comes down to the final aim--creating an aesthetic that is more big-picture and complete. Some might say this can only be achieved within Classical structure. Most composers however, aren't to embrace this perfection in music, but embrace expansion. Expansion gets the feelers and imagination fired up, while composing 'perfect' music is a tedious, pain-staking task. But as I said, all the best composers throughout time were crafters. They painstakingly aimed for this higher aesthetic. It seems, those who take the comparative approach will critique Williams for not being original, while those who take a personal approach listening without bias might really enjoy his music and orchestration as achieving a kind of thematic program perfection, sounding better than his direct influences, having substance and a special emotionality to it that is much more weightless and intangible. Individuals, if they choose, can step back from the notion that more obvious areas within a work need to evolve, as Williams evolved his music in many subtler ways like Mozart did with classical. No one was saying Mozart's greatness was about threading together a new era and interpretation, he moreso was about writing epic classical music and amazing melodies of which the foundation was already there. Williams in the same fashion wrote the most catchy themes for film in the past century, sometimes with great style developing out lesser composers' themes. Being a composer is also altogether not necessarily about originality. In Stravinsky's famous words about great composers stealing, valid composition can be about combining different ideas to give great reformation to a school of thought. Williams didn't attempt to stab at Korngold or his contemporaries--instead he took lots of influences of contemporary film and revisited older composer philosophies, like Mahler did with Wagner. It seems there are different interpretations to what people desire from new composers, originality or improving on what's there? Being a good composer can simply be about writing good music hands down, in a new combination. Williams made some upgrades in the quality of his musical approach and orchestration from his direct contemporary influences, so if a composer's quality is about simply great-sounding music, he might fit that bill also. Fabulin, _deleted_ and Hal Stein 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasey Kockroach 2,343 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Is Bernard Herrmann a hack for ripping off Richard Band's Re-Animator theme? Ollie and mstrox 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,326 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 I miss the John Williams that borrowed from the classical masters. His music today sounds so John Williamsy and I'm not sure if I like it. _deleted_ and Sharkissimo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbellamy 6,272 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Man, I’m even getting sick of that Stravinsky quote. Fabulin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 2 hours ago, Borodin said: while those who take a personal approach listening without bias might really enjoy his music and orchestration as achieving a kind of thematic program perfection, sounding better than his direct influences, having substance and a special emotionality to it that is much more weightless and intangible. You are having the bias here. Nothing against people enjoying film composer stuff more than classical masters of different musical eras, but a statement like this more reflection of ignorance and the inability to deal with classical forms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 What do you mean by classical forms in direct influence to Williams's film music? Examples? Despite many Classical fans saying it was the greatest era for composition, I also think this is a matter of opinion. Great composers don't stop being born, but according to Classicists they're all born within a century of each other. Just doesn't ring a bell in my experience. Machaut of the 14th century and J.S. Bach of the 17th century began something monumental in music, but then comes the 20th century and music has evolved in other ways to a broader, more holistic orchestral scope that can't be limited by classical theory and form, nor understood by classical composers. In fact it is right to say Haydn or Mozart probably didn't know as much about music as we'd like to think, despite them writing some of the best pieces. They were limited to their genres and didn't know much about the deeply creative theoretical and mathematical processes of the 14th and 15th centuries. The very purpose of Haydn and Mozart's music would utterly fail to meet earlier standards, and if you were to interpret each century with its correct lens, you would have a very different opinion on classical music. Interpreting everything through a classical lens you fail to hear the intended purpose of other music. It's not enough to say that Classical achieves the best purpose, because it is simply a small-group opinion, one I never say to necessarily disagree with as it is a valueable perspective. Though there is nothing wrong with saying composing a futuristic palette of scapes for a space opera, or a timbric swirling suite for a modern adventure, is not the best purpose in music, nor is it to say something with a sick melody and beat that's easy to dance to. All these varying usages of music evolve with the times, and if you have no use for music A over B, it suffices to say music A is not a requirement of any sort. Debussy knew this the best out of all the major composers, who dubbed Chopin as the greatest composer, from reimagining a whole new interpretation to music's purpose. Debussy was more an unparalleled inventor than any German composer ever was, and also the greatest influence to film music. It's no wonder pieces from his favorite composer sound so effective for film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHfQCfUTlXE/ On 24/10/2019 at 3:05 AM, publicist said: Nothing against people enjoying film composer stuff more than classical masters of different musical eras, but a statement like this more reflection of ignorance and the inability to deal with classical forms. The latter doesn't quite match the former. I think you meant "There's something wrong with people enjoying film composer stuff more than classical masters of different musical eras" and not "I have nothing against it" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,024 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 4 hours ago, publicist said: You are having the bias here. Nothing against people enjoying film composer stuff more than classical masters of different musical eras, but a statement like this more reflection of ignorance and the inability to deal with classical forms. Well said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 5 hours ago, Borodin said: The latter doesn't quite match the former. I think you meant "There's something wrong with people enjoying film composer stuff more than classical masters of different musical eras" and not "I have nothing against it" ? I think you got the gist of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 And that would make sense if there were a unified measure of quality for a single species, one that isn't limited by presumptive generalizing, but fortunately we each have psychic strands of esotericism (speciation, diversification, superior discoveries of certain qualia than others)--some extreme like the case with Debussy, the more creative the vision the more diversified the selectiveness of one's carnal adornments. Hence this continual revision of mechanical expectations is the only change that keeps matter, our existence, in motion. There will never in a million years be agreement, because there is no objective or aim to evolution and its particular memes and offshoots. Even classical music, it will be forgotten long after there's an objective reason for it to be--the subjective, transient reasons will prevail as they always have, and humanity cannot or ever will exist as a single state of realization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,493 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 If you like it, its "inspraitation", if you don't like it, it's "plagiarism". Nothing simpler than perception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ii2 210 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Guys, I have BIG news. Jay Zario is Avi Galinsky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,510 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 . Ii2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 4 hours ago, Borodin said: And that would make sense if there were a unified measure of quality for a single species, one that isn't limited by presumptive generalizing, but fortunately we each have psychic strands of esotericism (speciation, diversification, superior discoveries of certain qualia than others)--some extreme like the case with Debussy, the more creative the vision the more diversified the selectiveness of one's carnal adornments. Hence this continual revision of mechanical expectations is the only change that keeps matter, our existence, in motion. There will never in a million years be agreement, because there is no objective or aim to evolution and its particular memes and offshoots. Even classical music, it will be forgotten long after there's an objective reason for it to be--the subjective, transient reasons will prevail as they always have, and humanity cannot or ever will exist as a single state of realization. That's probably why many current composers - like Williams himself - often state how they are still awed by Bach (fill in your preferred choice) and don't think his clarity could ever be surpassed. It's only film music fans that always claim that new=better. Bollocks, i say. It's just because you're so hooked to movies and their music as a by-product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 They've been indoctrinated by the musico-academic complex! The accepted history of music is a thin tissue of lies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,024 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Weird thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Where's James Horner when you need him most? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,024 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Looking down at us, laughing. _deleted_ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Probably. Rightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 On 10/24/2019 at 11:30 AM, publicist said: That's probably why many current composers - like Williams himself - often state how they are still awed by Bach (fill in your preferred choice) and don't think his clarity could ever be surpassed. It's only film music fans that always claim that new=better. Bollocks, i say. It's just because you're so hooked to movies and their music as a by-product. And whether Bach, in the arts, can be surpassed, oft has no bearing on whether x composer could also be surpassed with their own newly-evolved archetypes. It is only the case that Bach has been a foundational progress point, and yet with many others, diversification does not cleave to these historical passages. Your understanding on this is backwards. The information that real composers understand the best composers by universal principle, while works only retroactively by principle, isn't well-informed to how cultural evolution has always worked, and is the exact opposite phenomenon of what is happening, with just as many famous musicians not just fans, like the classic example of Chopin not even nearing an end-all be-all expert to Debussy. Perhaps it's the case that some populations are so hooked on movies, like in your example, and this interpretation is the esoteric leap for a new cultural refining of knowledge via visual arts. Probably not so simple and one-dimensional. Williams however (whether he prefers Bach to his own musical imaginings) doesn't need to be the expert in any regard. The phenomenon of interpretive diversification via only one example, "Williams and his contemporaries' successful experiments" suffice to say, will happen in either a small or large way with no one correct visionary founder or direction. It happens regardless, in new derivatives of populations where one of these offshoot and cut the other interpretations off, and will and has, by a matter of time and environment, certainly happen. People rigidly clenching on to old traditions to only have them unbarred away, is only what we observe throughout time. What you'd like to happen in musical theory, is never going to happen, in fact, it is progressively doing the opposite. You have individual opinions with no finalized criterion applying to these selections of populations, because there is no set desire and destination for the human species at this very time, nor does there need to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hal Stein 2 Posted November 2, 2019 Author Share Posted November 2, 2019 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,385 Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 @Borodin, you evade the discussion by referring back to the Old Subjectivity Argument (OSA), so you kinda lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 He wrote a longer post, so really he won. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 Firstly, not sure why this thread is being bumped about our discussion, when it's settled. Secondly, people attempting to pigeonhole some sense of universality into their cookie-cutter fantasy ethnology, makes them logically lose an argument. Not I. You can't avoid the unavoidable, scientific fact of permanent human evolutionary non-standard. This entropy is the very scientific basis of why you can get up in the morning, breathe and enjoy music, despite your memory cells soon terminating. Whether you want to standardize ethnology, via auditory theory (such as music), has no bearing on you being ignorant to basic biology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 Or it's you, trying to validate your endless drivel that frankly is just a load of bollocks. mrbellamy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 Try forming an argument before you post. It will better help activate areas of your brain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 Why, no. Not for this sad attempt at appearing erudite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 It's the weekend so you're probably bored or drunk. I'll give you a free pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted November 4, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted November 4, 2019 Plagiarism and drawing upon your great peers: Original Thinking and shitting on everything around you: I'll take plagiarism in my music, thanks! Score, _deleted_ and Bayesian 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KK 3,307 Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 Ooph. This thread reeks of Neo-neo JWFan... Dixon Hill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 13 hours ago, KK said: Ooph. This thread reeks of Neo-neo JWFan... Neo2 KK 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,510 Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,493 Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 "Neo-neo Doctor". Nah. Doesn't work. 3 hours ago, Blumenkohl said: Neo2 Neo³ Three times the fanboys. Three times the posts. Three times the emojis. "This time, JWfan is hiding in the most terrifying place of all". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 Morpheus is fightin' Neo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpy 4,145 Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 Twice the pride, double the fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 11 hours ago, Modest Expectations said: What is "neo-neo JWFan"? Never-neverland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 Moira!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hal Stein 2 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tydirium 1,166 Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 Listened to this score last night and couldn't help but notice a similarity: Hal Stein 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Parker 3,040 Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 On 10/23/2019 at 11:21 AM, Jay Zario said: 7.The Nightmare Before Christmas (This is Halloween) Next up we have another Burton - Elfman collaboration, 1993's animated musical "The Nightmare Before Christmas". But first we need to take a listen to a snippet from the original theme for the 1954 Japanese film Godzilla, written by Akira Ifukube. And now Elfman's "This is Halloween". I couldn't find anyone comparing these two pieces of music, but they are really similar. I think the effect of changing time signatures from 4/4 to 5/4 was an effective device Elfman borrowed from Godzilla. They also both use two consecutive descending second intervals each an eighth note, here are the notes for Godzilla. And here is "This is Halloween" Verdict - Plagiarism 8. Batman (Waltz to the Death) The main theme for the Joker in 1989's "Batman" is very unique because the music is part of the character's persona as oppose to other themes that simply reflect the character. This waltz clearly has roots in Koji Kondo's iconic music for the original Super Mario Bros arcade game released in 1985. First we will listen to the original 8-bit version. But in order to compare this properly we must listen to a version done by the Boston Pops Orchestra. And here is "Waltz to the Death" by Danny Elfman. The first few seconds are extremely similar, I slowed down "Waltz to the Death" a little and combined the two, take a listen. Waltz of the Underwater.mp3 91.84 kB · 0 downloads I am not sure if this intro is part of the theme or the way the Boston Pops changed keys, that being said the rest of the two themes are too similar to be coincidental. Verdict - Plagiarism wait what the fuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hal Stein 2 Posted February 19, 2020 Author Share Posted February 19, 2020 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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