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Defending John Williams
Posted on January 14, 2012 at 7:17 pm
Tonight on Facebook I posted the following:
Watching The Empire Strikes Back – easily the best of the six. And the score… my god, John Williams is the MASTER.
Predictably, some commenters dismissed him as a ‘hack’, someone who doesn’t write original music but instead plagiarizes the great classical composers. To this I say NO WAY. Yes, he sometimes writes in the style of Wagner, or Holst, or Elgar, or Stravinsky, etc. Sometimes he writes in completely different styles, like in “Catch Me If You Can” or “Memoirs of a Geisha.”
If that is your criticism of his music, though, I challenge you to actually try it sometime. Simply try composing – convincingly – in the style of Elgar, or Holst, or Debussy. So hard. Now write two+ hours of music in 8-12 weeks, and do it so that every gesture expertly serves the film, brings the characters to life and gives the story a flawless sense of atmosphere and architecture. Now do it over and over again, sometimes 5 or 6 times a year, for FIFTY years. Oh, and while you’re at it, write a couple dozen of the most memorable melodies in the history of western music.
To me, his complete mastery of styles should be CELEBRATED, not criticized. Not that John Williams needs me defending him; he seems to be doing fine all by himself. If he just sticks with it, I think he might have a bright future in film music…
17 Comments
Marques L. A. Garrett on January 14, 2012 at 7:43 pm
I agree with you. That was a wonderful response to what so many people have to say…especially those who haven’t written more than 20 measures in a beginning theory class.
Katie on January 14, 2012 at 7:47 pm
I totally agree! As a most amateur composer, it’s difficult to even get one measure on the page sometimes. And why shouldn’t the great composers who came before us be emulated? They are considered the greats for a reason! If nothing else, JW is bringing great music to people who may otherwise never hear something like it, maybe even inspiring them to look up Holst, Wagner, or others. As a choir teacher, I am always looking for ways to get my students interested in these great composers who came long before us. Music in films such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc. makes information that seems ancient to my students a little easier to relate to. He IS the master.
Johan de Meij on January 14, 2012 at 7:58 pm
Bravo Eric! 100% true what you say. JW is one of my HEROES! After you, of course…. :-)
Niko Umar - Durr on January 14, 2012 at 8:44 pm
I applaud this rant. I grew up listening to everybody critisize JW for plagerization and it got really annoying after a while, so I’m glad to have some evidence to back me up :D
KevDog on January 14, 2012 at 8:58 pm
I’m willing to bet my house that between all the haters, they have written exactly zero movie scores.
Maarten 'T Hart on January 14, 2012 at 10:09 pm
I love John Williams, and he’s a master craftsman. Plagiarism? Well, you have to admit some inspiration when it comes to the Star Wars main theme and Korngold’s “Kings Row” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AokqzpdA3M), E.T. and Hanson’s “Second Symphony” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN4li1lVReQ&feature=related). But compare that with for example Michael Giacchino’s “Off to Work” from “The Incredibles” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJiGK56JX2k&t=10), and how it relates to Les Baxters “Voodoo Dreams” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5FRc4cTUSg&t=16).
LaJmOn on January 14, 2012 at 10:45 pm
Also, almost all works of art borrow from previous works. That is the essence of influence. Very little true Avant-garde works are appreciated in their time or ever at all. Where did JW supposedly steal the iconoc opening to “Jaws”?
Joseph Spence on January 15, 2012 at 2:38 am
John Williams is easily the greatest film composer of all time. Not simply because he writes amazing memorable themes and complicated music. The mastery that he has is creating music that emotionally and psychologically penetrates the core of every frame of the movie. Be it the theme of a character, or a dramatic cue, the grand Maestro adds so much to the story that he himself could be considered a director. Not many composers can write scores that one can listen to without visuals, and still be able to see the movie in the minds eye with the same visceral effect as it would on screen.
MaestroKneebone on January 15, 2012 at 5:47 am
Eric, I read your original post about Williams’ scores and decided not to get myself involved in the feeding frenzy of naysayers… Your reply was spot on. His music has allowed those films to have the strong emotional impact that they do. Furthermore, since he draws on stylistic elements from other great composers, I’m willing to bet that people are more likely to explore those genres who normally wouldn’t. I have had the privilege of conducting on the Skywalker Sound scoring stage (http://www.skysound.com) up in Marin with my students and all of them will tell you that it’s been the highlight of their high school careers. This wouldn’t have the prestige or the inspiration that it does without John’s music (even though he recorded most of his work in London!). So thank you for this bit of advocacy. While it won’t change too many negative opinions, his music certainly has had a much more positive effect on the world.
Jon Fisher on January 15, 2012 at 11:47 pm
Thank you for writing this! ^_^ And it’s so true… I could never compose like John Williams and I don’t understand why there are so many criticizers out there. He is the man. I’ve been listening to him since I was practically an infant.
Leanne Veitch on January 18, 2012 at 10:12 pm
Yep. In Australia and New Zealand we call it “tall poppy syndrome” – the willingness of people to cut down and abuse anyone who is doing well in their field.
While I don’t think Williams is in the league of Gershwin and Bernstein, and others of the last hundred years I could name, he is excellent at what he does, and anything but a hack.
And hey, who can go past a shark tank in an aquarium without going “dah duhn…dah duhn…dah duhn dah duhn dah duhn dah duhn!” ;-)
Olivier on January 19, 2012 at 9:14 am
Criticizing is easy…. composing is not !
Quoting the famous end scene to the animated ‘Ratatouille’ :
“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talents, new creations. The new needs friend”
I always found this monologue so touching and insightful.
John Williams has nothing to fear… he is the master of his craft… and the fact that his themes are so engrained in everyone’s mind (and heart sometimes) is a testimony to his brilliance.
It takes a master to defend another one. Thank you, Mr Whitacre.
A recent fan of yours from France.
Derrick on January 20, 2012 at 9:56 am
Too right! John Williams is a beast and a giant of the industry in whose shadow the rest of us wake.
David Johnson on January 22, 2012 at 10:09 am
What I like bout this is the fact you stood up and spoke to JW’s defense in a surefire solid way. In this case it really did take one to know one.
The way you wrote that did not attack any of the people who criticized him, just firmly stated your view.
Nicely done.
Kalaisan on March 18, 2012 at 5:07 am
As an ardent listener of classical music and film music and a juvenile composer, I must say John Williams is truly amongst the greats of composers. I really appreciate this stand for defence, but as you pointed out, I really believe the man needs no defending. Williams is universally recognized as a great composer and the intricacy of his compositional skills far exceed that of any Holst influence. Yes, some of his greats like Star Wars had great Holst and Wagnerian influences (but come on, in today’s day and age, Holst has come to influence many modern composers). But Williams is well known for his originality and his powerful music from the dramatic power of Schindler’s List to the genuine magic of E.T., there is no doubt that Williams is a genius.
He is my absolute favourite film composer, and one of my favourite composers of all time (including classical composers). He is truly great. Again, a great post, and while Williams has his critics (as every artist does), he is in no need of defense, his masterful repertoire confirms this.
I’m a fan of your work by the way.
David on March 18, 2012 at 9:50 am
Thank you, Mr. Whitacre, for this post. I would like to add, however, that while Williams definitely borrows stylistic elements and occasionally even a passage from other composers, even his least original scores have stylistic elements unique to John Williams. That is, he does have his own style; he is much more than a top notch imitator. I consider his works to be as worthy of admiration and usually as original as any composer from the concert hall.
Of course you never denied this, but you never explicitly stated it either, and I thought it ought be stated.
I’m a big fan of your work Mr. Whitacre – thank you for all you do for the world of music!
Eric on March 18, 2012 at 5:34 pm
You’re right, David, I never explicitly stated it, and I should have. He does have his own incredible style, and as you say it is there in everything he writes.