Do you think John Williams works in his hotel rooms?

[BuzzLightyear 143]

As he has mentioned in some interviews, he tries to write every day.

So I've often wondered if John Williams works in his hotel rooms while he's on concert tour, like in Vienna or somewhere else?

 

What do you think? Does he compose on tour, even without piano? Or does he maybe do orchestrations and things like that? 

[Jay 37,287]

I think for a lot of his travel he's in a rented house and not a hotel, and that house is probably one with a piano

 

I think when he is in a hotel with no piano, he's probably not composing that day

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

Oh! "Works". I thought it said something else.

[Andy 4,083]

I picture the Maestro alone on his bed, using his Talkboy recorder to order a large cheese pizza just for himself using someone else's credit card, after giving his chewing gum to the concierge as a tip.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

Yeah, and when he pays for it, he shouts: "Keep the change, ya filthy animal!".

[pete 903]

I recall the “Going to School” duet from Geisha for piano and cello was written in a hotel room. I think Yo-Yo Ma said in an interview that he was in his hotel room when Williams surprised him with the manuscript for it.   And I imagine he always stays in a hotel room with a piano… maybe.  I think most of the presidential suites in big hotels have a piano.. well at least the Grand Hyatt in Seoul does. I’m sure in major cities his staff could find a room with a piano 

 

found it.. well Yo-Yo Ma doesn’t say if Williams was staying in the same hotel - just that Yo-Yo received the piece when he was in a hotel  Maybe not as they were both in LA. … from 2:30

 

https://youtu.be/2Bgi6unlPFY

 

 

[Miguel Andrade 1,260]

Yo-Yo Ma was in an hotel, not Williams. 

 

But in old interviews he stated that he requested a piano on his room, so he could keep working in whatever he was writting. 

And the place he stays at Tanglewood also provides him with a piano, I think.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

I bet the other guests love him (!).

[mrbellamy 6,272]

I don't know why I immediately pictured John Williams in a 2-star hotel room haha. Of course he'd be able to get a sizable place with a piano wherever he went.

[JTN 2,002]

5 hours ago, Jay said:

I think for a lot of his travel he's in a rented house and not a hotel, and that house is probably one with a piano

 

I think when he is in a hotel with no piano, he's probably not composing that day

I agree. To be more specific, I don’t think he wrote music while in Vienna or Berlin. His trips were so short and he probably focused all his energy on staying healthy and the concerts (and doing some sightseeing) that he didn’t compose any music at the hotel or at the Musikverein. One week without composing is not much time, and I believe that he doesn’t need a piano to compose, he can write down melodies into his sketchbook and he can revise and develop them later at home on the piano. 

[Marian Schedenig 8,173]

2 hours ago, Miguel Andrade said:

But in old interviews he stated that he requested a piano on his room, so he could keep working in whatever he was writting.

 

Next time he comes to Vienna I'll have to ring up the Imperial and ask what a stay in the room next to his costs.

[karelm 2,903]

When he's on a family vacation, yes, he requests a grand piano in the room.  It's his version of "vacation" to play music.  This was described by his family members and the Newman family who are family friends.  His version of a vacation is writing music.

[JTN 2,002]

35 minutes ago, karelm said:

When he's on a family vacation, yes, he requests a grand piano in the room.  It's his version of "vacation" to play music.  This was described by his family members and the Newman family who are family friends.  His version of a vacation is writing music.

I wonder when he was last on a traditional family vacation. In the past 5 or so years he seemed to be busier than ever with either composing a film score, or conducting concerts (in 2020 perhaps, but it's highly unlikely given the pandemic). Maybe he had more vacations when his children were younger. 

 

What's certain is that he was on a ten-day holiday in Hawaii between April 6 and April 16, 1976. He got back on the 16th and wrote a thank you-letter to Alfred Hitchcock, and then went to New York for ten days. 

[Thor 7,465]

9 hours ago, JTW said:

I wonder when he was last on a traditional family vacation. In the past 5 or so years he seemed to be busier than ever with either composing a film score, or conducting concerts (in 2020 perhaps, but it's highly unlikely given the pandemic). Maybe he had more vacations when his children were younger. 

 

I read in some interview awhile back that he said his wife, Samantha Winslow, has a place (i.e.a cabin?) up in the Berkshire mountains, so I wouldn't be surprised if he combines his Tanglewood concerts with a visit there now and then. Providing it's still easily accessible for a 90-year-old.

[Jurassic Shark 12,028]

13 hours ago, Miguel Andrade said:

And the place he stays at Tanglewood also provides him with a piano, I think.

 

Hasn't he said that he usually brings his own piano to Tanglewood?

 

9 hours ago, karelm said:

When he's on a family vacation, yes, he requests a grand piano in the room.  It's his version of "vacation" to play music.  This was described by his family members and the Newman family who are family friends.  His version of a vacation is writing music.

 

Yes, didn't he compose parts of Catch during a holiday?

[BB-8 3,461]

Some hotels, like Hotel Imperial, may be able to provide a piano.

 

And the rooms are large enough.

 

 

[GerateWohl 4,333]

2 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Hasn't he said that he usually brings his own piano to Tanglewood?

He must be related to Pippi Longstocking.

 

[Quintus 5,399]

In the mid eighties when he was visiting Wales he stayed in a four berth static caravan and he had a Yamaha keyboard plugged in just to keep him going in case he had any cool ideas.

[Tom 4,634]

10 minutes ago, Quintus said:

In the mid eighties when he was visiting Wales he stayed in a four berth static caravan and he had a Yamaha keyboard plugged in just to keep going in case he had any cool ideas.

There is even footage of this:

 

[Quintus 5,399]

Haven Holiday clubs and gift shops have really gone downhill since then. 

[BB-8 3,461]

[Naïve Old Fart 9,496]

1 hour ago, Quintus said:

In the mid eighties when he was visiting Wales he stayed in a four berth static caravan and he had a Yamaha keyboard plugged in just to keep going in case he had any cool ideas.

What was he doing in Wales (except, maybe, to get inspired by Sao Guan)?

[BB-8 3,461]

5 hours ago, Quintus said:

In the mid eighties when he was visiting Wales he stayed in a four berth static caravan and he had a Yamaha keyboard plugged in just to keep him going in case he had any cool ideas.

 

 

[publicist 4,643]

There's probably a piano app on his iphone. 

[Jim Ware 526]

If we look at the fax numbers at the top of Williams' insert sketches for The Phantom Menace...

We see two numbers. The 0181 number is Dakota Music - the music prep company for the film. The other number - 01714931895 - was the phone number for the Four Seasons on Park Lane in Central London. The hotel does indeed have piano that can be hired for events (and presumably composer guests).