John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)
Classic Connection review
'' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who was born on February 8, 1932.")(23 April 2022)
From Jaws to Star Wars, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra celebrates John Williams
CTV News is an American composer, conductor and pianist. In a career that has spanned seven decades, he has composed some of the most popular, recognizable and critically acclaimed

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

s in cinematic history. Williams has won 25

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s, seven British Academy Film Awards, five

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and four Golden Globe Awards. With 52 Academy Award nominations, he is the second most-nominated individual, after

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

. His compositions are considered the epitome of film music and he is considered among the greatest composers in the history of cinema. Williams has composed for many critically acclaimed and popular movies, including the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

'' saga, ''

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

'', '' Close Encounters of the Third Kind'', ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

'', ''

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, d ...

'', the first two ''Home Alone'' films, the ''Indiana Jones'' films, the first two ''Jurassic Park'' films, '' Schindler's List'', '' Saving Private Ryan'', '' Catch Me If You Can'', ''Seven Years In Tibet'', and the first three ''Harry Potter'' films. Williams has also composed numerous classical

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typ ...

s and other works for orchestral ensembles and solo instruments. He served as the Boston Pops' principal conductor from 1980 to 1993 and is its laureate conductor. He has been associated with director

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

since 1974, composing music for all but five of his feature films, and

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the '' Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as c ...

, with whom he has worked on both of his main franchises. Other works by Williams include theme music for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, '' NBC Sunday Night Football'', " The Mission" theme used by

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's v ...

and

Seven News ''7NEWS'' is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in Martin Place, Sydney, while flagship 6pm bulletins ar ...

in Australia, the television series ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...

'' and '' Land of the Giants'', and the

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...

for the first season of ''

Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells. It aired for th ...

''. Williams announced his intention to retire from film score composing after the release of ''Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'' in 2023 to focus more on composing independent orchestral and symphonic pieces. In 2005, the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

selected Williams's score to 1977's ''

'' as the greatest film score of all time. The

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

also entered the ''Star Wars'' soundtrack into the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservat ...

for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Williams was inducted into the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

in 2000, and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2004. His AFI Life Achievement Award in 2016 was the first to be awarded outside of the acting and directing fields. He has composed the score for nine of the top 25 highest-grossing films at the U.S. box office (adjusted for inflation). His work has influenced other composers of film, popular, and contemporary classical music; Norwegian composer

Marcus Paus Marcus Nicolay Paus (; born 14 October 1979) is a Norwegian composer and one of the most performed contemporary Scandinavian composers. As a classical contemporary composer he is noted as a representative of a reorientation toward tradition, tonal ...

argues that Williams's "satisfying way of embodying dissonance and avant-garde techniques within a larger tonal framework" makes him "one of the great composers of any century".

Early life and family

John Towner Williams was born in

Flushing, Queens Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the i ...

, New York City, to Esther (née Towner) and Johnny Williams, a jazz drummer and percussionist who played with the Raymond Scott Quintet. He is the eldest of four children and has three younger siblings: Jerry, Joan, and Donald. Williams said of his lineage: "My father was a

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

man—we were very close. My mother was from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. My father's parents ran a department store in Bangor, Maine, and my mother's father was a cabinetmaker." In 1948, the Williams family moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

where John attended North Hollywood High School, graduating in 1950. He later attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...

, and studied composition privately with the Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. at Sony Classical; retrieved September 29, 2007. During his time in college, Williams was a pianist at a local club. Williams also attended Los Angeles City College for one semester, as the school had a Studio Jazz Band. In 1951, Williams joined the U.S. Air Force, where he played the piano and brass and conducted and arranged music for the U.S. Air Force Band as part of his assignments. In a 2016 interview with the U.S. Air Force Band, he recounted having attended basic Air Force training at Lackland Air Force Base, after which he served as a pianist and brass player, with secondary duties of making arrangements for three years. He also attended music courses at the University of Arizona as part of his service. In 1955, following his Air Force service, Williams moved to New York City and entered the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

, where he studied piano with Rosina Lhévinne. He was originally set on becoming a concert pianist but after hearing contemporary pianists like John Browning and Van Cliburn perform, switched his focus to composition. During this time Williams worked as a jazz pianist in the city's many jazz clubs.

Early career

After his studies at Juilliard and the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music ...

, Williams returned to Los Angeles, where he began working as an orchestrator at film studios. Among other composers, Williams worked with Franz Waxman,

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in composing for films. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely r ...

, and

Alfred Newman Alfred Newman (March 17, 1900 – February 17, 1970) was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of film music. From his start as a music prodigy, he came to be regarded as a respected figure in the history of film music. He won nine Aca ...

, and also with his fellow orchestrators Conrad Salinger and Bob Franklyn. Williams was also a studio pianist and session musician, performing on film scores by composers such as

Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer and conductor known for his work in film and television scoring. He composed scores for five films in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and three in the ''Rambo'' franc ...

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 origi ...

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

, and Henry Mancini. With Mancini he recorded the scores of 1959's '' Peter Gunn'', 1962's ''Days of Wine and Roses'', and 1963's ''

Charade Charade or charades may refer to: Games * Charades, originally "acting charades", a parlor game Films/TV * ''Charade'' (1953 film), an American film featuring James Mason * ''Charade'' (1963 film), an American film starring Cary Grant and Au ...

''. With Elmer Bernstein, he performed on the score of Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions' '' Sweet Smell of Success''. Williams plays the piano part of the guitar-piano ostinato in the famous Mancini ''Peter Gunn'' title theme. On the ''Peter Gunn'' soundtrack, he collaborated with guitarist Bob Bain, bassist Rolly Bundock, and drummer

Jack Sperling Jack Sperling (August 17, 1922 – February 26, 2004) was an American jazz drummer who performed as a sideman in big bands and as a studio musician for pop and jazz acts, movies, and television. Career In 1941 he played with trumpeter Bunny Be ...

, many of whom were also featured on the '' Mr. Lucky'' television series. Williams was the pianist for the soundtrack for the adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's musical, the 1961 ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'', and the 1960 film, '' The Apartment''. Williams during this time period was known as Johnny Williams, and under this name, released several jazz albums, including ''World on a String'' and ''The John Towner Touch''. Williams also served as music arranger and bandleader for a series of popular music albums with the singers Ray Vasquez and

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final ...

Film and television scoring

Although skilled in a variety of 20th-century compositional idioms, Williams's most familiar style may be described as a form of neoromanticism, which was inspired by the late 19th century's large-scale orchestral music—in the style of

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

and their

concept Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs. They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by ...

of leitmotif—that inspired his film music predecessors. Williams's first film composition was for ''You Are Welcome''—a promotional film for the tourist information office of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, created in 1954 when Williams was stationed at Pepperrell Air Force Base. Williams's first feature film composition was in 1958 for the

B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

Daddy-O ''Daddy-O'' is a 1958 B-movie starring Dick Contino, Sandra Giles and Bruno VeSota. It was directed by Lou Place and written by David Moessinger. The film is notable for its soundtrack as being the debut film score for John Williams. The film ...

'', and his first screen credit came two years later in ''

Because They're Young ''Because They're Young'' is a 1960 American drama film directed by Paul Wendkos and starring Dick Clark as Neil Hendry, an American high-school teacher who tries to make a difference in the lives of his students. The film co-stars Tuesday Weld, ...

''. Williams also composed music for various television programs in the same time period including the pilot episode of ''

'', '' Bachelor Father'' (1959–60), the '' Kraft Suspense Theatre'', ''

'' (1965–68), ''

The Time Tunnel ''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science fiction TV series written around a theme of time travel adventure starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction television series an ...

'' (1966–67), and '' Land of the Giants'' (the last three created by the prolific TV producer Irwin Allen). He also worked on several episodes of '' M Squad''. He soon gained notice in Hollywood for his versatility in composing jazz, piano, and symphonic music. Williams received his first Academy Award nomination for his score for 1967's ''Valley of the Dolls'', and was nominated again for his score for 1969's ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips''. He won his first Academy Award for his score adaptation for the 1971 film ''Fiddler on the Roof''. In 1972, he composed the score for the Robert Altman-directed psychological thriller '' Images'' (recorded in collaboration with noted percussionist Stomu Yamashta), which earned him another nomination in the category Best Music, Original Dramatic Score at the 1973

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

s. Williams's prominence grew in the early 1970s thanks to his work for now-film producer Irwin Allen's disaster films. He wrote the scores for 1972's ''The Poseidon Adventure'' and 1974's '' The Towering Inferno''. He also scored Universal's 1974 film ''Earthquake'' for director Mark Robson, completing a "trinity" of scores for the decade's highest-grossing "disaster films", and the 1972 film '' The Cowboys'', a western starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

and directed by

Mark Rydell Mark Rydell (born Mortimer H. Rydell; March 23, 1929) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has directed several Academy Award-nominated films including '' The Fox'' (1967), '' The Reivers'' (1969), ''Cinderella Liberty'' (1973) ...

. In 1974, director

approached Williams to compose the music for his feature directorial debut, '' The Sugarland Express''. They teamed up again a year later for Spielberg's second film, ''

''. Widely considered a classic suspense film, its score's ominous, two-note ostinato has become synonymous with sharks and approaching danger. The score earned Williams his second Academy Award, his first for an original composition. Shortly thereafter, Spielberg and Williams began a long collaboration on their next feature film, '' Close Encounters of the Third Kind''. During the two-year collaboration, they crafted its distinctive five-note figure that functions both in the background music and as the communications signal of the film's extraterrestrials. Williams also used a system of musical hand signals in the film that were based on hand signs created by John Curwen and refined by Zoltán Kodály. In 1975

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...

chose Williams to score his classic climbing film '' The Eiger Sanction''. During the same period, Spielberg recommended Williams to his friend and fellow director

, who needed a composer to score his ambitious 1977 space epic film ''

''. Williams eventually delivered a grand symphonic score in the fashion of Gustav Holst's orchestral suite '' The Planets,'' as well as

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

, Antonín Dvořák, and

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...

Hollywood composers Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The Star Wars theme is among the most widely recognized in film history, and the " Force Theme" and " Princess Leia's Theme" are well-known examples of leitmotif. Both the film and its score were immensely successful—it remains the highest grossing non-

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...

recording of all time—and Williams won another

Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by t ...

. In 1980, Williams returned to score '' The Empire Strikes Back'', introducing " The Imperial March" as the theme for Darth Vader and the

Galactic Empire Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fantasy and science fiction, particularly in works known as 'space operas'. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background or written about the growth and/or decline of ...

, " Yoda's Theme", and " Han Solo and the Princess". The original ''

'' trilogy concluded with the 1983 film '' Return of the Jedi'', for which Williams's score provided most notably the " Emperor's Theme", " Parade of the Ewoks", and " Luke and Leia". Both scores earned him Academy Award nominations. John Williams scoring Raiders

Williams scored the 1976

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

film ''

Family Plot ''Family Plot'' is a 1976 American black comedy thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in his final directing role. It was based on Victor Canning's 1972 novel ''The Rainbird Pattern'', which Ernest Lehman adapted for the screen. The film ...

''. Williams did not much like the film, but did not want to turn down the chance to work for Hitchcock. Hitchcock merely told him to remember one thing, "Murder can be fun." Hitchcock was very satisfied with the result. Williams worked with director Richard Donner to score the 1978 film ''

''. The score's heroic and romantic themes, particularly the main march, the Superman fanfare and the love theme, known as "Can You Read My Mind", appeared in the four sequel films. For the 1981 film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark'', created by Lucas and directed by Spielberg, Williams wrote a rousing main theme known as "The Raiders March" to accompany the film's hero, Indiana Jones. He composed separate themes to represent the

Ark of the Covenant The Ark of the Covenant,; Ge'ez: also known as the Ark of the Testimony or the Ark of God, is an alleged artifact believed to be the most sacred relic of the Israelites, which is described as a wooden chest, covered in pure gold, with an ...

, the character Marion, and the story's Nazi villains. Additional themes were featured in his scores to the subsequent '' Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'', a prequel (1984), '' Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' (1989), and '' Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' (2008). Williams composed an emotional and sensitive score to Spielberg's 1982 fantasy film ''

'', for which he was awarded a fourth Academy Award. In 1985, Williams was commissioned by NBC to compose a television news music package for various network news spots. The package, which Williams named " The Mission", consists of four movements, two of which are still used heavily by NBC today for '' Today'', '' NBC Nightly News'', and ''

Meet the Press ''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television Sunday morning talk shows, news/interview program broadcast on NBC. It is the List of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running program on American television, though the curr ...

''. The Spielberg–Williams collaboration resumed with the 1987 film '' Empire of the Sun'', and still continues, spanning genres from science fiction thrillers (1993's ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...

)'' to somber tragedies 2005's ''

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

'' to Eastern-tinged melodramas (2005's ''

Memoirs of a Geisha ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the story of Nitta Sayuri and the many trials she faces on the path to becoming and w ...

'', directed by Rob Marshall) to dramatic war films (1998's '' Saving Private Ryan)''. Spielberg has said, "I call it an honorable privilege to regard John Williams as a friend." "...and I consider it a privilege to call John my Friend." In his Academy Award-nominated score for ''

The Accidental Tourist ''The Accidental Tourist'' is a 1985 novel by Anne Tyler that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 1985 and the Ambassador Book Award for Fiction in 1986. The novel was adapted into a ...

'' (1988), Williams developed the two main theme sections in different ways, turning the mood lighter or darker through orchestration and an unexpected use of

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s. 1993's '' Schindler's List'' proved to be a challenge for Williams, and after viewing the rough cut with Spielberg, was originally hesitant to score the film, being so overcome with emotion watching the cut. He told Spielberg, "I really think you need a better composer than I am for this film." Spielberg then replied, "I know, but they're all dead." Williams enlisted the help of classical violinist Itzhak Perlman to play the main theme for the film. Williams then garnered his fourth Oscar for Best Original Score, his fifth Academy Award overall. In 1999, Lucas launched the first of three prequels to the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy. Williams was asked to score all three, starting with '' The Phantom Menace''. Along with themes from the previous films, Williams created new themes to be used as leitmotifs in 2002's ''

Attack of the Clones Attack may refer to: Warfare and combat * Offensive (military) * Charge (warfare) * Attack (fencing) * Strike (attack) * Attack (computing) * Attack aircraft Books and publishing * ''The Attack'' (novel), a book * ''Attack No. 1'', comic an ...

'' and 2005's ''

Revenge of the Sith Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." P ...

''. Most notable of these was " Duel of the Fates", an aggressive choral composition in the style of Verdi's

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

, utilizing harsh

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

lyrics that broadened the style of music used in the ''Star Wars'' films. It used vocal melodies instead of his usual compositions using brass instruments. Also of note was "Anakin's Theme", which begins as an innocent childlike melody and morphs insidiously into a quote of the sinister "Imperial March". For ''Episode II'' Williams composed "Across the Stars", a love theme for Padmé Amidala and

Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator Geor ...

(mirroring the love theme composed for ''The Empire Strikes Back''). The final installment combined many of the themes created for the series' previous films, including "The Emperor's Theme", "The Imperial March", "Across the Stars", "Duel of the Fates", "The Force Theme", "Rebel Fanfare", "Luke's Theme", and "Princess Leia's Theme", as well as new themes for General Grievous and the film's climax, titled "Battle of the Heroes". In the new millennium, Williams scored the first three film adaptations of J. K. Rowling's widely successful book series ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at ...

''. As with his ''Superman'' theme, the most important theme from Williams's scores for the ''Harry Potter'' films, "Hedwig's Theme", was used in the fourth through eighth films (''

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fourth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, a wizard in his fourth year at Hogwarts ...

'', ''

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Wi ...

'', '' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'', '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'', and '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2''), scored by Patrick Doyle (''Goblet of Fire''),

Nicholas Hooper Nicholas Hooper is a British film and television composer and guitarist. He has scored the award-winning BBC productions ''Land of the Tiger'' and '' Andes to Amazon'', as well as the TV movies ''The Girl in the Café'' and ''My Family and Other ...

(''Order of the Phoenix'' and ''Half-Blood Prince'') and Alexandre Desplat (''Deathly Hallows''). Like the main themes from ''Jaws'', ''Star Wars'', ''Superman'', and ''Indiana Jones'', fans have come to identify the ''Harry Potter'' films with Williams's original compositions. Williams was asked to return to score the film franchise's final installment, ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2'', but director

David Yates David Yates (born 8 October 1963) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter, who has directed feature films, short films, and television productions. He is best known for directing the final four films in the ''Harry Potter'' ser ...

said that "their schedules simply did not align", as he would have had to provide Williams with a rough cut of the film sooner than was possible. In 2002, for the 20th anniversary edition of ''

'', Williams composed a reorchestrated score for the

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

logo segueing to music from the movie. In 2006, '' Superman Returns'' was directed by Bryan Singer, best known for directing the first two films in the ''X-Men'' series. Singer did not request Williams to compose a score for the intentionally Donner-esque film, but he employed the skills of '' X2'' composer

John Ottman John Ottman (born July 6, 1964) is an American film composer and editor. He is best known for collaborating with director Bryan Singer, composing and/or editing many of his films, including '' Public Access'' (1993), '' The Usual Suspects'' (19 ...

to incorporate Williams's original ''Superman'' theme as well as those for Lois Lane,

Krypton Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is of ...

and

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar/G ...

. In 2011, the "Main Title Theme" and elements of "Can You Read My Mind" were used in the final scene of "Finale", the series finale of

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...

/ CW television series ''

''. Don Davis, recommended by Williams to the producers, performed a similar role for '' Jurassic Park III''. In 2008, Williams returned to the ''Indiana Jones'' series to score the fourth film, '' Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull''. He received a Grammy nomination for his work on the film. ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' was also the only film score from the ''Indiana Jones'' film series not to be nominated for an Academy Award. Also in 2008 Williams composed music for two documentaries, ''Warner at War'' and ''A Timeless Call'', the latter directed by Spielberg. In 2011, after a three-year absence from film scoring, Williams composed the scores for Spielberg's '' The Adventures of Tintin'' and '' War Horse''. Both scores received overwhelmingly positive reviews and earned Academy Award nominations, the latter also being nominated for a Golden Globe. The Oscar nominations were Williams's 46th and 47th, making him the most nominated musician in Academy Award history (having previously been tied with

's 45 nominations), and the second most nominated overall, behind Walt Disney. Williams won an

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally de ...

for his score for ''The Adventures of Tintin''. In 2012, he scored Spielberg's film '' Lincoln'' and subsequently received his 48th Academy Award nomination. In February 2013, Williams expressed interest in working on the ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy, saying: "Now we're hearing of a new set of movies coming in 2015, 2016... so I need to make sure I'm still ready to go in a few years for what I hope would be continued work with George." He also scored the 2013 film '' The Book Thief'', his first collaboration with a director other than Spielberg since 2005. The score earned him an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations and a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. It was his 44th nomination for Best Original Score (and 49th overall), setting a new record for the most nominations in that category (he tied

's record of 43 nominations in 2013). In 2015, Williams scored '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', earning him his 50th Academy Award nomination. He was also set to write the score for '' Bridge of Spies'' that year, which would have been his 27th collaboration with Spielberg, but in March 2015 it was announced that Thomas Newman would score it instead, as Williams's schedule was interrupted by a minor health issue. This was the first Spielberg film since ''

The Color Purple ''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.

'' (1985) not scored by Williams. In 2016, Williams composed the score for Spielberg's ''

The BFG ''The BFG'' (short for ''The Big Friendly Giant'') is a 1982 children's book written by British novelist Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It is an expansion of a short story from Dahl's 1975 book ''Danny, the Champion of the World'' ...

'', which opened in July 2016. In 2017, Williams scored the animated short film ''

Dear Basketball ''Dear Basketball'' is a 2017 American animated film written and narrated by Kobe Bryant and directed and animated by Glen Keane, with music by John Williams. The film is based on a letter Bryant wrote for ''The Players' Tribune'' on November 29, ...

'', directed by Glen Keane and based on a poem by Kobe Bryant. He also wrote the music for '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'', the eighth episode of the saga, and

's drama film '' The Post'', both of which opened in December 2017. Williams contributed "The Adventures of Han" and several additional demos for the 2018 standalone ''Star Wars'' film '' Solo: A Star Wars Story'', while John Powell wrote the film's original score and adapted Williams's music. A three-disc box set compilation of all of Williams's musical scores for Spielberg's films, ''John Williams &

: The Ultimate Collection'', was released on March 17, 2017, and includes two previous score compilations from 1991 and 1995. Williams's body of work in film composing was featured in the 2017 film '' SCORE: A Film Music Documentary''. The documentary was written and directed by

Matt Schrader Matt Schrader is an American filmmaker. He is best known for writing and directing '' Score: A Film Music Documentary'' (2016) and creating the biopic podcast series Blockbuster. He's credited with Emmy Award-winning investigative journalism fo ...

, a former

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the '' CBS Evening News'', '' CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 4 ...

reporter. It was funded via Kickstarter, and also included appearances by 47 other composers. In March 2018, Williams announced that following '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'', which was released in December 2019, he would retire from composing music for the ''

'' franchise: "We know J. J. Abrams is preparing one ''Star Wars'' movie now that I will hopefully do next year for him. I look forward to it. It will round out a series of nine, that will be quite enough for me." Williams makes a cameo in the film as Oma Tres, a

Kijimi The fictional universe of the '' Star Wars'' franchise features multiple planets and moons. While only the feature films and selected other works are considered canon to the franchise since the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disne ...

bartender. In July 2018, Williams composed the main musical theme for

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisio ...

and Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park attraction '' Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge''. William Ross, who conducted the symphonic recording of the theme with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

(LSO) on Williams's behalf, additionally arranged Williams's original composition in different musical contexts for use, recording nearly an hour of musical material at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music ...

in November 2018. Williams won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for his ''Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Symphonic Suite''. In June 2019, ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...

'' listed Williams as one of hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the

2008 Universal fire On June 1, 2008, a fire broke out on the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood, an American film studio and theme park in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, California. The fire began when a worker used a blowtorch to warm asph ...

. That same year, he served as music consultant for Spielberg's 2021 film adaptation of ''

''. Williams is attached to score Spielberg's next film ''

The Fabelmans ''The Fabelmans'' is a 2022 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and written and produced by Tony Kushner and Spielberg. It is a semi-autobiographical story loosely based on Spielberg's adolescence and first years as ...

'', scheduled to be released on November 23, 2022. He also composed the theme music for the ''Star Wars'' miniseries ''Obi-Wan Kenobi''. In June 2022, Williams announced that '' Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'', the fifth and final '' Indiana Jones'' film, scheduled for a 2023 release, would likely be his last film score as he plans to retire from film and focus on composing concert music.(this article explicitly confirms that Williams was born on February 8, 1932; "Williams, who turned 90 on Tuesday")

Conducting, performing, and other classical works

From 1980 to 1993, Williams served as the Boston Pops Orchestra's Principal Conductor, succeeding Arthur Fiedler. Williams never met Fiedler in person but spoke to him by telephone. His arrival as the Pops' new leader in the spring of 1980 allowed him to devote part of the Pops' first PBS broadcast of the season to presenting his new compositions for ''The Empire Strikes Back''. Williams almost ended his tenure with the Pops in 1984 when some players hissed while sight-reading a new Williams composition in rehearsal; Williams abruptly left the session and tendered his resignation. He initially cited mounting conflicts with his film composing schedule, but later admitted a perceived lack of discipline in, and respect from, the Pops' ranks, culminating in this latest instance. After entreaties by the management and personal apologies from the musicians, Williams withdrew his resignation and continued as principal conductor for nine more years. In 1995, he was succeeded by Keith Lockhart, the former associate conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Williams is now the Pops' Laureate Conductor, thus maintaining his affiliation with its parent, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Williams leads the Pops on several occasions each year, particularly during their Holiday Pops season and typically for a week of concerts in May. He conducts an annual Film Night at both Boston Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, where he frequently enlists the

Tanglewood Festival Chorus The Tanglewood Festival Chorus, directed by James Burton, is a chorus which performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops in major choral works. The Tanglewood Festival Chorus (TFC) was organized in the spring of 1970, when founding c ...

, the BSO's official chorus. Williams has written many concert pieces, including a symphony; a concerto for horn written for Dale Clevenger, the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenu ...

's principal horn; a concerto for clarinet written for Michele Zukovsky, the Los Angeles Philharmonic's principal clarinetist, in 1991; a sinfonietta for wind ensemble; a cello concerto premiered by Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in 1994; concertos for the flute and violin recorded by the

; and a trumpet concerto, which was premiered by

The Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Se ...

and their principal trumpet Michael Sachs in September 1996. His bassoon concerto, "

The Five Sacred Trees John Williams composed ''The Five Sacred Trees'' for Judith LeClair, the principal bassoonist of the New York Philharmonic in 1995, to honor the orchestra's 150th anniversary. The first performance was given by LeClair and the New York Philharmon ...

", which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic and principal bassoon player Judith LeClair in 1995, was recorded for Sony Classical by Williams with LeClair and the London Symphony Orchestra. Williams was the subject of an hour-long documentary for the BBC in 1980, and was featured in a report on ''

20/20 Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...

'' in 1983."John Williams: Videos"
from the John Williams Fan Network, June 2, 2007. John Williams & Stanley Donan

He composed the "

Liberty Fanfare ''Liberty Fanfare'' is a composition for orchestra by John Williams. Written in 1986, the piece was commissioned to celebrate the Centennial of the Statue of Liberty on July 4 that year. However, it was actually premiered a month beforehand, on ...

" for the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the United States. The copper statue, ...

's rededication; "We're Lookin' Good!" for the Special Olympics in celebration of the 1987 International Summer Games; and themes for the 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2002 Olympic Games. One of his concert works, "Seven for Luck", for soprano and orchestra, is a seven-piece song cycle based on the texts of former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove. "Seven for Luck" had its world premiere by the Boston Symphony under Williams with soprano Cynthia Haymon. John Williams Hollywood Bowl

Williams makes annual appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the

, and took part as conductor and composer in the orchestra's opening gala concerts for the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003. In 2004, he both served as the Grand Marshal for the Rose Parade, and directed "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Rose Bowl. In April 2005, Williams and the Boston Pops performed the "Throne Room Finale" from ''Star Wars'' at opening day in

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and Boston Braves (baseball), since 1953, i ...

as the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, having won their first

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...

championship since 1918, received their championship rings. For Game 1 of the 2007 World Series, Williams conducted a

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...

-and-drum ensemble in a new dissonant

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orche ...

of the "

Star Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bo ...

". In February 2004, April 2006, and September 2007, Williams conducted the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. The initial program was intended to be a one-time special event, and featured Williams's medley of Oscar-winning film scores first performed at the previous year's

s. Its unprecedented popularity led to two concerts in 2006: fundraising gala events featuring personal recollections by film directors

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...

and

. Continuing demand fueled three more concerts in 2007, which all sold out. These featured a tribute to the musicals of film director Stanley Donen, and had the distinction of serving as the New York Philharmonic season's opening event. After a three-season absence, Williams conducted the Philharmonic once again in October 2011. Maestro Williams also conducted the National Symphony Orchestra, the

U.S. Army Herald Trumpets The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets is a musical ensemble of the United States Army chiefly responsible for signaling the approach of the President of the United States at state occasions with entrance and exit fanfares. The unit is also charged with p ...

, the Joint Armed Forces Chorus, and the Choral Arts Society of Washington in his new arrangement of "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the ...

" for the anthem's 200th anniversary. The performance was held at ''

A Capitol Fourth ''A Capitol Fourth'' is an annual Independence Day concert special broadcast by PBS. It is presented from the west lawn of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., and is also simulcast by NPR and the American Forces Network. The ...

'', an Independence Day celebration concert in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2014. On April 13, 2017, at Star Wars Celebration Orlando, Williams performed a surprise concert with the

Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is Central Florida's resident professional orchestra, appearing in more than 125 performances each season. Founded in 1993. At over $4 million, the Orlando Philharmonic has the largest endowment of any arts i ...

featuring "Princess Leia's Theme" (a tribute to the recently deceased Carrie Fisher), "The Imperial March" and "Main Title", followed by George Lucas saying, "The secret sauce of Star Wars, the greatest composer-conductor in the universe, John Williams". German classical violinist

Anne-Sophie Mutter Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 29 June 1963) is a German violinist. She was supported early in her career by Herbert von Karajan. As an advocate of contemporary music, she has had several works composed especially for her, by Sebastian Currier, Henr ...

and Williams, introduced to each other by their mutual friend

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

, collaborated on an album, "Across the Stars", on which Mutter played themes and pieces from Williams's film scores in his new arrangements for violin. It was released in August 2019. John Williams Boston Pops 2018

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra invited Williams to lead concerts in January 2020, his first engagement with a European orchestra, for an all-Williams concert featuring Mutter as soloist. The concert included many pieces from the" Across the Stars" Album. The resulting concert album, "John Williams in Vienna", became the best-selling orchestral album of 2020, reaching the top 10 in many countries and topping the US and UK classical charts. The orchestra also commissioned a new procedural from Williams for their annual Philharmonikerball, replacing the 1924 fanfare by

. Williams conducted the Berlin Philharmonic from October 14-16th, 2021, marking his second engagement with a European orchestra and his first with the Berlin Philharmonic. In 2022, in celebration of his 90th birthday, Williams conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in March, and was honored on August 20 with a tribute at Tanglewood. The tribute at Tanglewood featured musicians

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-sell ...

, Yo-Yo Ma, and Branford Marsalis. The Boston Symphony Orchestra performed some of Williams' most well-known music, with Williams himself conducting the "Raiders March" from the Indiana Jones movies at the end of the show. On December 12, 2022, John Williams, at the age of 90, conducted the Filarmonica della Scala in his first concert in Italy, at the historical Teatro

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

, in Milan.

Legacy

John Williams is regarded as one of the most influential film composers. His work has influenced other film composers, as well as contemporary classical and popular music. The Norwegian classical composer

argues that Williams's "very satisfying way of embodying dissonance and avant-garde techniques within a larger tonal framework" makes him "one of the great composers of any century". Similarly, Williams's film music has clear influences from other classical and film composers, including Holst, Stravinsky, Korngold, and others. But while many have specifically referenced the similarities, these are generally attributed to the natural influence of one composer on another.

Personal life

In 1956, Williams married Barbara Ruick, an American actress and singer, and remained married until her death in 1974. They had three children: Jennifer (Jenny) Williams Gruska (b. 1956), Mark Towner Williams (b. 1958), and Joseph Williams (b. 1960); the latter is best known as the lead singer of Toto. In 1980, Williams married Samantha Winslow, a photographer.

Honors

John Williams has been nominated for 52

, winning five; six

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s, winning three; 25

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

s, winning four; 71

s, winning 25; and has received seven British Academy Film Awards. With 52 Oscar nominations, Williams currently holds the record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person, and is the second most nominated person in Academy Awards history behind

's 59. Forty-six of Williams's Oscar nominations are for Best Original Score and five are for Best Original Song. He won four Oscars for Best Original Score and one for Best Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score ''( Fiddler on the Roof)''. He has received several academic honors. In 1980, Williams received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music. Williams received an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classified ...

in 1993, from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

in 2017, and from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

in 2021. Williams was made an honorary brother of Kappa Kappa Psi at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

in 1993, upon his impending retirement from the Boston Pops. Since 1988, Williams has been honored with 15 Sammy Film Music Awards, the longest-running awards for film music recordings. In 2000, Williams received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. Williams has been inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and the

Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by '' Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its disti ...

. Williams was honored with the annual Richard Kirk award at the 1999 BMI Film and TV Awards, recognizing his contribution to film and television music. In 2004, he received a Kennedy Center Honor. He won a Classic Brit Award in 2005 for his soundtrack work of the previous year. Williams has won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for his scores for ''Star Wars'', '' Close Encounters of the Third Kind'', ''Superman'', ''The Empire Strikes Back'', ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'', ''Angela's Ashes'', ''Munich'', ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'', and ''The Book Thief''. The competition includes not only composers of film scores, but also composers of instrumental music of any genre, including composers of classical fare such as

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning co ...

and

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small nu ...

. In 2003, the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...

accorded Williams its highest individual honor, the Olympic Order. In 2009, Williams received the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons ...

in the White House in Washington, D.C., for his achievements in symphonic music for films, and "as a pre-eminent composer and conductor

hose A hose is a flexible hollow tube designed to carry fluids from one location to another. Hoses are also sometimes called '' pipes'' (the word ''pipe'' usually refers to a rigid tube, whereas a hose is usually a flexible one), or more generally ...

scores have defined and inspired modern movie-going for decades". In 2012, Williams received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2013, Williams was presented with the

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV and/or th ...

Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016, Williams was made a ''

Chevalier De L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is t ...

'' –

Government of France The Government of France (French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...

In 2018, the performing rights organization Broadcast Music, Inc. established The John Williams Award, of which Williams became the first recipient. Also the same year, Williams received the Grammy Trustees Award which is a Special Merit Award presented to individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance (and some performers through 1983), to the field of recording. In 2020, Williams won the

for "Best Instrumental Composition" for composing ''Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Symphonic Suite'', and he received his 52nd Oscar nomination for "Best Original Score" at the 92nd Academy Awards for '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.'' In 2020, Williams received the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society as well as the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts (jointly with

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classi ...

). In 2021, Williams received an honorary degree from the

. In 2022, Williams was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, "for services to film music", one of the final two knighthoods awarded during the Queen's seventy-year reign.

Charting hits (U.S., ''Billboard'')

Concert works

Concertos

*1969: Concerto for Flute and Orchestra *1976: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra *1985: Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra *1991: Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra *1993: Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra, ''

'' *1994: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra *1996: Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra *1997: Elegy for Cello and Orchestra *2000: ''TreeSong'' for Violin and Orchestra *2002: ''Heartwood: Lyric Sketches'' for Cello and Orchestra *2002: ''Escapades'' for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra (adapted from the '' Catch Me If You Can'' film score) *2003: Concerto for Horn and Orchestra *2009: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra *2009: ''On Willows and Birches'', for Harp and Orchestra *2011: Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra *2014: ''Scherzo'' for Piano and Orchestra *2017: ''Markings'' for Violin, Strings and Harp *2018: ''Highwood's Ghost, An Encounter'' for Cello, Harp and Orchestra *2021: Second Violin Concerto

Other orchestral works

*1965: Prelude and Fugue (recorded on ''

Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra ''Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra'' is an album by bandleader Stan Kenton recorded in 1965 by Capitol Records.Vosbein, PStan Kenton Discographyaccessed July 4, 2016 Reception Critical opinion remains divided. The Allmus ...

'' (Capitol, 1965)) *1965: Symphony No. 1 *1965: Essay for Strings *1968: Sinfonietta for Wind Ensemble *1975: ''

Thomas and the King ''Thomas and the King'' is a stage musical with music by John Williams, lyrics by James Harbert, and a book by Edward Anhalt. It is based on the story of Thomas Becket and Henry II of England, and set in 12th century England. It opened at Her M ...

'' – Musical *1980: Jubilee 350 Fanfare *1984: Olympic Fanfare & Theme *1986: ''

'' *1987: A Hymn to New England *1988: Fanfare for Michael Dukakis *1988: ''

For New York ''For New York (Variations on Themes of Leonard Bernstein)'' (originally titled ''To Lenny! To Lenny!'') is a one-movement orchestral composition by the American composer John Williams. Written as a tribute to fellow composer and conductor Leon ...

'' *1990: Celebrate Discovery *1993: Sound the Bells! *1994: Song for World Peace *1995: Variations on Happy Birthday *1999: ''

American Journey ''American Journey'' (originally titled ''The Unfinished Journey'') is a six-part orchestral composition by the American composer John Williams. The piece was commissioned by U.S. President Bill Clinton to accompany a multimedia presentation tit ...

'' *2003: '' Soundings'' *2007: Star Spangled Banner *2008: ''A Timeless Call'' *2012: Fanfare for Fenway *2012: Seven for Luck for soprano and orchestra *2013: For 'The President's Own' *2014: Star Spangled Banner

Chamber works

*1951: Sonata for Piano *1997: ''Elegy'' for Cello and Piano *2001: ''Three Pieces'' for Solo Cello *2007: Duo Concertante for Violin and Viola *2009: ''

Air and Simple Gifts ''Air and Simple Gifts'' is a quartet composed and arranged by American composer John Williams for the January 20, 2009, inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. The first public performance of the piece was in W ...

'' for violin, cello, clarinet and piano *2011: Quartet ''La Jolla'' for violin, cello, clarinet and harp *2012: ''Rounds'' for solo guitar *2013: ''Conversations'' for solo Piano *2014: ''Music for Brass'' for Brass Ensemble and Percussion

Discography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John 1932 births 20th-century American composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists 20th-century classical composers 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century jazz composers 21st-century American composers 21st-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American pianists 21st-century classical composers 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century jazz composers AFI Life Achievement Award recipients American classical composers American classical pianists American contemporary classical composers American film score composers American jazz composers American jazz pianists American male classical composers American male classical pianists American male conductors (music) American male film score composers American male jazz composers American male jazz pianists American music arrangers American television composers Animated film score composers Annie Award winners Atlantic Records artists Best Original Music BAFTA Award winners Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Brit Award winners CBS Records artists Classical musicians from New York (state) Columbia Records artists Composers for piano Composers from New York City Decca Records artists Deutsche Grammophon artists DreamWorks Records artists Edison Classical Music Awards Oeuvreprijs winners Golden Globe Award-winning musicians Grammy Award winners Hollywood Records artists Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Jazz-influenced classical composers Jazz musicians from New York (state) Juilliard School alumni Kennedy Center honorees Living people Male television composers MCA Records artists Military personnel from New York City Musicians from New York City Musicians from Queens, New York North Hollywood High School alumni People from Floral Park, New York People from Flushing, Queens Primetime Emmy Award winners Recipients of the Olympic Order Sony Classical Records artists UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture alumni United States Air Force airmen United States National Medal of Arts recipients