1. In a studio far, far away…

2.  John Williams Born February 8, 1932 in New York City Still kickin’ at 80- years-old!

3.  Jedi Master…  One of the most influential film composers of all time. He composed the music for many classic films such as E.T., Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, and yes, Star Wars.  “[He] has composed the music and served as a music director for more than one hundred films” (johnwilliamscomposer.com)

4.  Education  Studied composition privately with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco at UCLA  Studied piano with Madame Rosina LhZvinne at Juilliard School of Music.

5.  Achievements Outside of Film  Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra from 1885 to 1993  Currently holds the title of Boston Pops Laureate Conductor  Served from 1952 to 1954 in the Air Force  He conducted and arranged music for the Air Force Band during that time.

6.  Achievements in Film  Nominated for 45 Academy Awards  He has won five of them (For Jaws, Star Wars, E.T., Schindler’s List, and Fiddler on the Roof (arrangements) Other great awards:  Has received two Emmy Awards, seven BAFTAs, 18 Grammy Awards, and has been inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame

7.  Composer  Compositional style: Creates a sense of wonder and majesty in his music, “His music for George Lucas’s Star Wars has been credited with bringing back the symphonic film score at a time when film composers had begun to turn more and more frequently to popular music as the basis for their scores.” (Candelaria and Kingman 289-90)  Famous for using leitmotifs in his work.  Many heroic themes  Music tends to use a lot of brass instruments.

8.  Compositions: Star Wars “The Imperial March”“The Force Theme”  http://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=QzntZLH cYy0 http://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=QzntZLH cYy0  Listen for use of Leitmotif, powerful marching band-style rhythm, and heavy use of brass.  http://www.youtube.c om/watch?feature=pla yer_detailpage&v=- LCbflIPONM#t=79s http://www.youtube.c om/watch?feature=pla yer_detailpage&v=- LCbflIPONM#t=79s  Listen for iconic awesomeness.

9.  Compositions: Jurassic Park “Welcome to Jurassic Park” Rawr!  http://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=OM_kM Xoew40 http://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=OM_kM Xoew40  Listen for the majestic overtones present in the music.

10.  Indeed Closing statement: More listening examples:  Truly, this man is a genius. Totally deserving of the praise and awards, this man revolutionized the film industry.  Questions? (hopefully I have answers)  Jaws Theme Jaws Theme  Superman Theme Superman Theme  Harry Potter Theme Harry Potter Theme  Indiana Jones Theme (!) Indiana Jones Theme (!)

11.  References  ed. "Bio." JohnWilliamsComposer.com. Sony BMG Music Entertainment, 18 2005. Web. 5 Dec 2012. http://web.archive.org/web/20051018143945/http://w ww.sonyclassical.com/artists/williams_composer/adbio. html http://web.archive.org/web/20051018143945/http://w ww.sonyclassical.com/artists/williams_composer/adbio. html  ed. "John Williams Biography." Film Music Box. Film Music Box, 27 2007. Web. 5 Dec 2012. http://web.archive.org/web/20070927011739/http://w ww.filmmusicbox.com/boutique_us/page_actus_page.cf m?code_lg=lg_us&num_actus=3 http://web.archive.org/web/20070927011739/http://w ww.filmmusicbox.com/boutique_us/page_actus_page.cf m?code_lg=lg_us&num_actus=3  Candelaria, Lorenzo, and Daniel Kingman. American Music: A Panorama. 4th concise. Boston: Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2012. 289-90. Print.