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JW Directly Quoting Other Pieces


ConorPower

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I watched How to Steal A Million for the first time the other day and was struck by JW quoting "La Marseillaise". It reminded me of Steiner and Casablanca. I wonder if it's a direct homage, or just that they both did the same thing for similar reasons. But it had me wondering...

How often does JW directly quote other pieces in both his film and concert works? Not just homaging/imitating/playing in a style of Romantic or old Hollywood composer, but specifically recalling a different tune; and not him quoting himself, like Yoda's theme in E.T., or Jaws in 1941; or something that really sounds like something else, but wouldn't be an intended citation (like Siegfried in Kenobi or 'Twelve Days of Christmas' in Sugarland Express). I can think of a few obvious ones, but don't know if there are more.

La Marseillaise - How to Steal a Million

Campton Races - The Reivers

When You Wish Upon A Star - Close Encounters

Der Rosenkavalier - A.I.

Tis The Gift to Be Simple - 'Air and Simple Gifts'

and there are those folk tunes in Lincoln, but I'm unsure of how involved he was with them?

 

Edit [other suggestions]:

Jealousy & Rule Britannia & Wedding March & Stars and Stripes Forever - Not With My Wife You Don't

We May Never Love Like This Again, Maggie Shoots Pool, The More I See You - The Towering Inferno

Spanish Ladies - Jaws

Downtown - Jaws 2

Rakes of Mallow & Deep in the Heat of Texas & Hooray for Hollywood & Deutschland Über Alles - 1941

The Stars and Stripes Forever - Pops on the March

The British Grenadiers - Empire of the Sun

New York, New York (from On the Town) & America (from West Side Story) & Happy Birthday To You (from your last birthday) - For New York (Variations on Themes of Leonard Bernstein)

Garryowen & When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - Always 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game - Hook

Carol of the Bells & We Wish You a Merry Christmas  - Home Alone 1

We Wish You A Merry ChristmasHome Alone 2

La Vie En Rose - Sabrina

Buglar's Dream - Olympic Fanfare 

Wedding March - The Terminal

Academic Festival OvertureIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Je Veux Vivre - The Adventures of Tintin

Happy Birthday to You - Happy Birthday Variations

Brazil - SW The Last Jedi

Hooray for Hollywood - Centennial Overture (for the Hollywood Bowl)

 

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15 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Rakes Of Mallow

 

I still can't help thinking of that tune as the theme from The Quiet Man though :lol:.  I have to think Spielberg wanted that tune used specifically as a nod to The Quiet Man, given that we know it's one of his favorite movies (and of course later used in ET).  Not sure if I've ever seen him confirm that though.

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1 hour ago, GerateWohl said:

"Not with My Wife, You Don't" is full of musical quotes, but I don't have a list at hand.

Interesting! I'm not too familiar with some of those 60s comedies, I'll have to check it out!

 

1 hour ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Rakes Of Mallow, and Deep In The Heart Of Texas, in 1941

I knew I recognised Mallow in 1941, couldn't place it at the time! (Verry embarrassing, as an Irish person). Can't say I recall/know The Towering Inferno example though? 

 

 

56 minutes ago, luKe17879 said:

I remember there being a little fun quote of Brahms' Academic Festival Overture in A Whirl Through Academe from KotCS (Indy 4) :)

Ah good one! I'd forgotten about that.

 

 

There seems to be a fair few. Much more than I thought; but unsurprising given the sheer amount of music.

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We also have to mention "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," the classic Jerome Kern ballad, used in Always, especially in that jaw-droppingly gorgeous arrangement found in the alternate end credits on the LLL set.

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4 hours ago, Stu said:

We also have to mention "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," the classic Jerome Kern ballad, used in Always, especially in that jaw-droppingly gorgeous arrangement found in the alternate end credits on the LLL set.

 

And he also quotes Garryowen in that score

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If Williams had scored Ready Player One, I wonder if he'd have quoted a lot of things or have stayed away from that overall. I image he'd have quoted Back to the Future at least. 

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3 hours ago, MrJosh said:

If Williams had scored Ready Player One, I wonder if he'd have quoted a lot of things or have stayed away from that overall. I image he'd have quoted Back to the Future at least. 

 

I was kinda surprised how little Silvestri himself quoted BTTF. I don't remember him doing any big statement of the main theme or anything, just a couple Easter Egg references to underscore. 

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16 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

If you like you can check out the whole movie on YouTube

Brilliant! Watched it last night! It really isn't very good; felt like a slog to get through I caught 'Rule Britannia' and the 'Wedding March', but there were definitely some famous marching tunes that I just didn't know the names of.

I also found a bunch of the other comedies on YouTube, so thanks so much for pointing that out to me!

14 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

"Je veux vivre" at the start of "The Pursuit of the Falcon" in Tintin

Good one! Can't believe I forgot that.    

 

17 hours ago, Stu said:

We also have to mention "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," the classic Jerome Kern ballad, used in Always,

 

12 hours ago, Jay said:

And he also quotes Garryowen in that score

I have to get into Always. One of the few Spielberg films that I've only seen the once. Don't listen to the OST must either. Thanks for these.

 

I'll edit my first comment to compile all these together!

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19 hours ago, ConorPower said:

I watched How to Steal A Million for the first time the other day and was struck by JW quoting "La Marseillaise". It reminded me of Steiner and Casablanca. I wonder if it's a direct homage, or just that they both did the same thing for similar reasons. But it had me wondering...

How often does JW directly quote other pieces in both his film and concert works? Not just homaging/imitating/playing in a style of Romantic or old Hollywood composer, but specifically recalling a different tune; and not him quoting himself, like Yoda's theme in E.T., or Jaws in 1941; or something that really sounds like something else, but wouldn't be an intended citation (like Siegfried in Kenobi or 'Twelve Days of Christmas' in Sugarland Express). I can think of a few obvious ones, but don't know if there are more.

La Marseillaise - How to Steal a Million

Campton Races - The Reivers

When You Wish Upon A Star - Close Encounters

Der Rosenkavalier - A.I.

Tis The Gift to Be Simple - 'Air and Simple Gifts'

and there are those folk tunes in Lincoln, but I'm unsure of how involved he was with them?

 

Edit [other suggestions]

Rule Britannia & Wedding March - Not With My Wife You Don't

Rakes of Mallow & Deep in the Heat of Texas & Hooray for Hollywood - 1941

The British Grenadiers - Empire of the Sun

Garryowen & When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - Always 

La Vie En Rose - Sabrina

Academic Festival Overture - IJ Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Je Veux Vivre - The Adventures of Tintin

Brazil - SW The Last Jedi

Hooray for Hollywood - Centennial Overture (for the Hollywood Bowl)

 

 

4 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Take Me Out To The Ball Game, in HOOK.

Ah I love that one!

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58 minutes ago, ConorPower said:

I caught 'Rule Britannia' and the 'Wedding March', but there were definitely some famous marching tunes that I just didn't know the names of.

And most prominently "Jealousy", the tango tune during the cartoon at the beginning.

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For New York.

Quote

For New York utilizes themes from Bernstein's musicals On the Town and West Side Story ("New York, New York" and "America", respectively), though the climax also contains subtle references to "Happy Birthday to You". A performance of the piece lasts approximately three minutes.

 

And 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas" at the start of the Home Alone end credits and at the start of one of the versions of "Merry Christmas" from Home Alone 2

 

Buglar's Dream at the start of Olympic Fanfare on the Summon The Heroes CD.

 

Pops on the March

Quote

Another break strain ensues, this time featuring not only the march theme but bits and pieces of John Philip Sousa’s The Stars Stripes Forever (the piece associated more than any other with Fiedler and the Pops). This evolves into a C major restatement of the first strain — with the piccolo tune from Sousa’s famous march heard as counterpoint but played by the horn section!

 

I'm all out of ideas! - No, I'm not!

Here Comes The Bride in The Terminal's "Officer Torre's Wedding".

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47 minutes ago, BB-8 said:

Oif'n Pripetchik by M.M. Warshawsky (1848–1907) - used in Schindler's

Interesting! I wonder, in these types of instances, if that is a Williams or a Spielberg choice? And in this case, is it Williams setting/arrangement the cue, or a traditional arrangement? 

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A unique arrangement was recorded for the film, and included on the OST album, but then in the film itself Spielberg didn't use it and put it in the recording found on the Billy Bathgate OST album instead. 

 

Same deal with "Jerusalem of God" - a unique arrangement of that was also recorded for the film and included on the OST album, but in the film Spielberg used the recording found on the Pour Sacha OST album instead.

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7 minutes ago, TownerFan said:

Btw, John did write an original arrangement for a Hebrew song ("Eli, Eli" aka "A Walk to Caesarea") used in the Israel prints of the film replacing "Yeroushalaim Chel Zahav".

 

Interesting... is there a video of this? I assume he didn't personally conduct or oversee the recording of this arrangement, or it would've been included on the LLL expansion?

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Just now, crumbs said:

 

Interesting... is there a video of this? I assume he didn't personally conduct or oversee the recording of this arrangement?

 

It was indeed arranged and recorded by him in LA in March 1993. I think it was actually officially released on an album, but I have to check.

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5 hours ago, Sergeant said:

Wasn't the story that Nicholson's character  whistled Devil's Dance in the film and it was performed by JW?😜

I dunno.
I'm hardly any expert on every detail. :P

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4 hours ago, crumbs said:

Interesting... is there a video of this?

 

In Israel, that's how Schindler's List always airs, I believe...

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1 hour ago, Jay said:

Nope

 

There is this five-note repetitive motif when Pinocchio and  Geppetto appear and I was naively assuming some kind of quote.

 

 

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