Popular Post Aliandra 90 Posted October 23, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted October 23, 2022 I just found this: One of Leonard Rosenman's former students (this guy: https://www.plu.edu/music/staff/clement-reid/) shared Rosenman's thoughts on John Williams (I also had no idea that Williams apparently studied with Rosenman at some point - does anyone have more information about this?): "It's great to read about Leonard Rosenman. I studied with him at USC in the spring of 1979, he being my composition teacher, and it was really fun. I had brought in a choral piece that I kind of liked, but he didn't. It was a bit background sounding, and he said it didn't have enough profile. I said that you can kind of get used to it. He said, "you can get used to anything after a while, including cancer." Those were his words! He had a great natural wit. Somehow he didn't care for John Williams either, whom he had taught at some point. He said that his film music was great, but his concert music sounded like "an old man's ball." I thought that was a hilarious expression. Anyway, he liked to just express his opinion, and was also very helpful as a teacher. I was writing a kind of cantata of sorts, with Walt Whitman texts, and he helped with instrumentation a lot. He had a wonderful warm personality, and it was fun and happy to be around him. I hope someday to express to his kids what a great experience it was to study with him." Source (comment section): https://www.lukaskendall.com/post/remembering-leonard-rosenman I also found this short documentary about Rosenman made by his grandson: Anyway, it would have been interesting to know more about John Williams's studies with Rosenman, does anyone here have any information whatsoever about that? This was news to me, I have never heard that before. Ricard, BB-8, Cerebral Cortex and 3 others 2 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 4,633 Posted October 23, 2022 Share Posted October 23, 2022 In 1979, he would have heard the flute concerto and not much else (unless Williams had private concerts for the violin concerto and such). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post pete 903 Posted October 23, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted October 23, 2022 There were others before the flute and violin concerti, Nostalgic Jazz Odyssey and Essay for Strings. And if Williams was his student, he probably would have written pieces for him to critique. And the thread could also be titled "Rosenman loves Williams' film music". That aside, it's a fascinating anecdote! Fabulin, Once and Jilal 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chen G. 3,943 Posted October 23, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted October 23, 2022 Doug Adams once made the remark that print made Rosenman sound way more crotchety than he actually was. Tallguy, Fabulin and pete 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,493 Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 9 hours ago, Chen G. said: Doug Adams once made the remark that print made Rosenman sound way more crotchety than he actually was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerebral Cortex 3,357 Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 Stuff like this just pisses me off because it reminds me of another thing it'd be INCREDIBLE to be able to ask Williams about while he's with us but most likely won't get his thoughts on because the only questions interviewers can ask him are the most insipid base interviewing questions imaginable. enderdrag64 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB-8 3,461 Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 Pure envy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerateWohl 4,326 Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 11 hours ago, Chen G. said: Doug Adams once made the remark that print made Rosenman sound way more crotchety than he actually was. Yes. Picking such quotes out of context after so many years open up more questions than they answer. And even then I could relate to a statement like "The Essay for Strings sounds like an old man's ball". Which could basically mean, it has texture and maturity, but is lacking juice and energy. Chen G. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Andy 4,079 Posted October 24, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted October 24, 2022 Well, now I am going to be paying much more attention to old men's balls to see if this critique has merit. Martinland, Manakin Skywalker, GerateWohl and 1 other 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerateWohl 4,326 Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 2 hours ago, Andy said: Well, now I am going to be paying much more attention to old men's balls to see if this critique has merit. It depends on your view, if this is criticism or a compliment. Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy 4,079 Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 First time I heard Rosenman’s Star Trek IV theme I thought it sounded like Santa Claus’s balls. And he’s pretty old, so.. MikeH 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant Burnette 654 Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 If someone is a titan, there's no need to explain who he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallguy 3,361 Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 2 hours ago, Bryant Burnette said: If someone is a titan, there's no need to explain who he is. I once had to explain to a group of people who John Williams was. I always figured that everybody just knew. Goldsmith? No. Bernstein? No. Horner? No. But EVERYBODY knows WILLIAMS. Right?!? Bryant Burnette 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tom 4,633 Posted October 25, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted October 25, 2022 2 hours ago, Bryant Burnette said: If someone is a titan, there's no need to explain who he is. Sometimes people do not remember the Titans. MikeH, 1977, Andy and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,510 Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 16 minutes ago, Tallguy said: I once had to explain to a group of people who John Williams was. I always figured that everybody just knew. Goldsmith? No. Bernstein? No. Horner? No. But EVERYBODY knows WILLIAMS. Right?!? I've recently met a few seemingly well-educated Greeks and brought up Vangelis in a conversation, even going as far as to tell them his real name (Evangelos Papathanassiou). They had no idea who that was. 1977, Corellian2019 and Loert 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corellian2019 383 Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 2 hours ago, Fabulin said: I've recently met a few seemingly well-educated Greeks and brought up Vangelis in a conversation, even going as far as to tell them his real name (Evangelos Papathanassiou). They had no idea who that was. This. I attended a Greek cultural street festival last month and to my surprise, no one knew who he was. At the time, I chalked it up to Greek-Americans perhaps not being as familiar with him as native Greeks, but with what you're saying about Greek intellectuals also not recognizing him...well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerateWohl 4,326 Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 I believe, there are a lot of well educated German people who never heard about Klaus Schulze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 2 hours ago, GerateWohl said: I believe, there are a lot of well educated German people who never heard about Klaus Schulze. Chances are they did, but they would probably refer a train conductor or local politician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,172 Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 Many even think Atlas, a literal Titan, holds up the Earth on his shoulders, so… (it's the sky, not the Earth) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,624 Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 I tend to agree with Leonard Rosenman (if he was talking about the flute concerto and such) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1977 1,743 Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 Well John Williams has better teeth, so there Leonard Rosenman! Didn't he also say somewhere that he wrote better themes than Williams? Ta da ta da da dah RO-BO-COPPP!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew 590 Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 I'm not all that fond of Williams' concert music either. I wish he would channel his soundtrack style into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,463 Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 Just now, Drew said: I'm not all that fond of Williams' concert music either. I wish he would channel his soundtrack style into it. But then it would just be.....more soundtrack music? I like the fact that it's often in a very different style. That being said, do check out his tuba concerto if you haven't already. It's like unreleased Jabba music, man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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