BOOK - John Williams's Film Music - by Emilio Audissino

[Ludwig 1,169]

I have just finished reading John Williams's Film Music cover to cover and first of all would like to congratulate Dr. Audissino for writing such a thorough, convincing, and enjoyable book. This is an excellent and much needed contribution to the nearly non-existent body of work on Williams, and Audissino proves beyond a shadow of a doubt just how Williams recaptures much of the spirit of good old classical Hollywood film music.

I would like to share some of the book's highlights with the forum members here for those who are interested. Essentially, Audissino takes the reader through a survey of Hollywood film music history beginning with the silents and reaching Williams' classical revival with the major films of the 1970s. For those who have read something on this before, it will be quite familiar but even so, there are new tidbits to be found and it is always enriching to have the story told through the lens of another scholar, since the interpretation of events is never quite the same. Thus, one may be surprised to read on p. 59 that in the "modern" film music style of the 1960s,

If we examine the works of Ennio Morricone (1928-), John Barry (1933-2011), and Henry Mancini (1924-94), three of the most successful representatives of this new style, it is patent that the classical-style "spatial perceptive function" (the case in which music directs the viewer's attention to a particular element inside the framing) holds a minority position in the new style. Consequently, the Mickey-Mousing and leitmotiv techniques became obsolete.

Of course, Morricone, Barry, and Mancini all wrote "themes" for various characters in the films they scored, whether it was Jill from Once Upon a Time in the West, James Bond, or The Phantom from The Pink Panther. But Audissino's point is that these themes tended to be closed musical numbers and so did not seek to catch the moment-to-moment emotional changes but rather express an emotion that described longer stretches, even an entire scene. And this idea aptly describes a key difference between, say, a Morricone theme and a Korngold leitmotif.

Another great quality of this book is that Audissino manages to find the perfect Williams quote for just about every situation. One of my favourites is his quote of Williams discussing his approach to the main title of Star Wars:

The opening of the film was visually so stunning, with that lettering that comes out and the spaceships and so on, that it was clear that that music had to kind of smack you right in the eye and do something very strong. It's in my mind a very simple, very direct tune that jumps an octave in a very dramatic way, and has a triplet placed in it that has a kind of grab. I tried to construct something that again would have this idealistic, uplifting but military flare to it. And set it in brass instruments, which I love anyway, which I used to play as a student, as a youngster. And try to get it so it's set in the most brilliant register of the trumpets, horns and trombones so that we'd have a blazingly brilliant fanfare at the opening of the piece. And contrast that with the second theme that was lyrical and romantic and adventurous also. And give it all a kind of ceremonial... it's not a march but very nearly that. So you almost kind of want to [Williams laughs] [pat] your feet to it or stand up and salute when you hear it—I mean there's a little bit of that ceremonial aspect. More than a little I think.

And Audissino puts the quote in appropriate context by pointing up the many classical Hollywood traits that pervade this main title music.

The one thing I would question with regard to Star Wars is Audissino's claim that George Lucas "planned to have the music track made of preexisting symphonic selections, or at least to use preexisting themes arranged as leitmotifs for the film," then cites the conversation Lucas had with Williams in which the latter supposed convinced him otherwise. As members here know from my thread on "Busting the Star Wars Myths", I am of the opinion that there has been some kind of mix-up in the communication of this little anecdote. As great as it sounds that Williams was the one who thought Star Wars should have an original score, it just doesn't ring true--why hire one of the hottest composers in Hollywood (who has just won an Oscar) if all he's going to do is arrange old music? My thinking is that Lucas wanted Williams to conjure up something like Holst here or like Stravinsky there, and that this was Lucas' idea for the entire film. And probably the clear references to these composers in the film are the remnants of what might have been for the entire film had Williams not spoken up. I would be very open to hearing Audissino's thoughts on this.

For me, the most eye-opening chapter was the one on Williams' early years (Thor will like this, I'm sure). There, after giving a synopsis of Williams personal history during the 1960s and early 1970s, Audissino traces the beginnings of Williams' classical Hollywood revival in several lesser known scores like How to Steal a Million, Fitzwilly, and Not with My Wife, You Don't!, and compares them to scores in the "modern" style by one of the most prominent composers of the time, Henry Mancini. It was fascinating to read this because no one has mentioned the importance of Williams' early scores in any writings on him. They're usually marginalized in favour of the big scores. But Audissino convincingly argues that their leitmotivic, symphonic, and Mickey Mousing qualities are more prominent than in Mancini (and by extension other "modern" style composers of the era).

It is also nice to see that Raiders of the Lost Ark gets a thorough scene-by-scene analysis of how the music functions. If there are any doubts left at this point that Williams drew on classical Hollywood techniques, this chapter puts them to rest. And it's nice to see evidence of Spielberg's own fondness for the classical style of filmmaking discussed as well to further strengthen the argument.

One other thing the book does rather well is to show how much Williams has done to promote film music outside of Hollywood and legitimize it as a form of music worthy of concert performance, recordings, and scholarly study. By the end of the book, especially after the chapter on Wiliams' tenure with the Boston Pops Orchestra, one is astounded by just how much the man has contributed in this vein.

Finally, one handy feature of the book is its two appendices, one giving short synopses of the films Williams has scored for Spielberg and Lucas (okay, we can look this up on Wikipedia, but let's face it, it's a distraction when you're reading the book), and the other is a comprehensive list of Williams' total output.

So if this doesn't convince you to buy and read the book, I don't know what will. It's the kind of thing we need a lot more of, so I'm very glad Audissino has given us a great starting point.

[Ricard 2,275]

Thanks for the review! I'll link it from the main page.

[indy4 155]

Cannot wait to read this over the summer! Thanks Ludwig and Dr. Audissino.

[filmmusic 2,369]

Thank you Ludwig for the review.

But.. how did you get it since it's not out yet?

I see the amazon date is June 12.

Is there another site that sells it already?

I would be looking forward to reading it too.

[Incanus 5,831]

Thank you for this review! I'll be sure to check this out as soon as I am able!

[tedfud 39]

thanks for this. I can't wait to read it...how did you get it so early ...lucky devil

t

[Ludwig 1,169]

Thank you Ludwig for the review.

But.. how did you get it since it's not out yet?

I see the amazon date is June 12.

Is there another site that sells it already?

I would be looking forward to reading it too.

I purchased it through Amazon.ca, where it's been available for the past month or so. Usually Canada gets things later than the US, but this was a lucky exception!

EDIT: By the way - thanks, Ricard!

[filmmusic 2,369]

Thank you Ludwig for the review.

But.. how did you get it since it's not out yet?

I see the amazon date is June 12.

Is there another site that sells it already?

I would be looking forward to reading it too.

I purchased it through Amazon.ca, where it's been available for the past month or so. Usually Canada gets things later than the US, but this was a lucky exception!

Ok, thanks!

[Ludwig 1,169]

I have now edited my OP and converted it into my latest blog post - see below. There are some new things I added to it if you're interested.

http://www.filmmusicnotes.com/book-review-john-williamss-film-music-by-emilio-audissino/

[Naïve Old Fart 10,847]

Is the author of this book a JWfan-er?

[eaudissino 13]

Hello Ludwig,

Thank you very much for your attentive, detailed and appreciative review. In reply to your comment re the Star Wars original music, I must say mine is an interpretation based on a series of points:

1) Lucas had successfully used a compilation score for American Graffiti.

2) from the interviews, it seems that at that time he planned to follow Kubrick's 2001 model and use classical pieces

3) Kubrick again, at the time when Lucas was engaged in the pre-production of SW, had hired Leonard Rosenman (who had not yet won an Oscar but was already an established name) to arrange classical pieces for Barry Lyndon. So, since Lucas seemed somewhat interested in Kubrick's choices he might have given a thought about hiring someone to arrange (Kubrick's "phase 2") instead of simply cut and paste the pieces from the albums.

4) Williams had just won an Oscar for Jaws but he was not yet "JOHN WILLIAMS" and therefore I wouldn't find it too strange that he might have been asked to arrange music instead of composing new one (and Williams got his first Oscar for his musical direction and arrangements of someone else's music in Fiddler on the Roof). Williams is a great arranger and I think he already had that reputation at that time.

5) I found strange that Williams said in the 1977 LP liner notes that he'd rather have original music instead of one piece of Stravinsky here, one piece of Tchaikovsky there, etc... This sound strange to me: the Hollywood norm WAS to have original symphonic music in a film, not compilations or arrangements of repertoire concert music -- those were exceptions. So why should Williams have mentioned this preference for original music (the norm) if there had been no idea on Lucas' part to do something different from the norm?

But, I repeat, this is my interpretation of the interviews and the historical circumstances. And it is valid as a tentative interpretation, until someone finds out something conclusive about this issue.

Thanks again and best regards to all the people in the JWFAN forum.

[Jay 40,462]

Is the author of this book a JWfan-er?

http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=23990&p=967735

[Ludwig 1,169]

Hello Ludwig,

Thank you very much for your attentive, detailed and appreciative review. In reply to your comment re the Star Wars original music, I must say mine is an interpretation based on a series of points:

1) Lucas had successfully used a compilation score for American Graffiti.

2) from the interviews, it seems that at that time he planned to follow Kubrick's 2001 model and use classical pieces

3) Kubrick again, at the time when Lucas was engaged in the pre-production of SW, had hired Leonard Rosenman (who had not yet won an Oscar but was already an established name) to arrange classical pieces for Barry Lyndon. So, since Lucas seemed somewhat interested in Kubrick's choices he might have given a thought about hiring someone to arrange (Kubrick's "phase 2") instead of simply cut and paste the pieces from the albums.

4) Williams had just won an Oscar for Jaws but he was not yet "JOHN WILLIAMS" and therefore I wouldn't find it too strange that he might have been asked to arrange music instead of composing new one (and Williams got his first Oscar for his musical direction and arrangements of someone else's music in Fiddler on the Roof). Williams is a great arranger and I think he already had that reputation at that time.

5) I found strange that Williams said in the 1977 LP liner notes that he'd rather have original music instead of one piece of Stravinsky here, one piece of Tchaikovsky there, etc... This sound strange to me: the Hollywood norm WAS to have original symphonic music in a film, not compilations or arrangements of repertoire concert music -- those were exceptions. So why should Williams have mentioned this preference for original music (the norm) if there had been no idea on Lucas' part to do something different from the norm?

But, I repeat, this is my interpretation of the interviews and the historical circumstances. And it is valid as a tentative interpretation, until someone finds out something conclusive about this issue.

Thanks again and best regards to all the people in the JWFAN forum.

Thanks for clarifying, Emilio. You raise good points here. Still, the first four points you mention are circumstantial rather than definitive. It's that last one that seems strange, as you say. And that's where I think there has been a great deal of misinterpretation by others, inferring that Star Wars was originally to have a Kubrick-style compilation score. You do allow for an alternative in your book, so I'm not saying there's anything the matter with your fine work. I only think there is some confusion that needs to be cleared up.

In any case, the alternative you presentn is that Lucas wanted pre-existing classical music arranged as leitmotifs. And yes, that would account for Williams' quote, but it doesn't sit well with other pieces of evidence. First, why would Spielberg recommend Williams coming off of Jaws if that was the case? Williams had never arranged for Spielberg, so the recommendation would seem inappropriate. But most of all, there are two quotes from Lucas himself that have not been accounted for in arguments for a compiled or arranged score. I give these below (from The Making of Star Wars).

Quote 1 - Lucas on why he chose Williams

I really knew the kind of sound I wanted. I knew I wanted an old-fashioned, romantic movie score, and I knew he was very good with large orchestras.

Quote 2 - Lucas on what type of score he wanted

We wanted a very Max Steiner-type of romantic movie score.

If one combines these quotes with the "strange" one Williams gives, and if we are to believe that they are all credible, then the compilation idea starts to fall apart. The only way these quotes all seem to agree is if what Lucas was talking about was a score in which the themes were from classical works, as you say, but were re-composed into a new original score, something like Steiner's Casablanca. There, Steiner uses "As Time Goes By", the Marseillaise, the Deutschlandlied, and "Die Wacht am Rhein", but they're used as raw material for an original score. No one would call Steiner's score compiled or even arranged. It's an original score based on pre-existing themes, which is quite different from a complied or arranged score.

Consider also that, in talking with Lucas, Williams says that "I felt we needed our own themes". So clearly, the themes were going to be unoriginal. But they're re-use throughout the score would have to have been planned to be original from the start. And this is the confusion that needs to be cleared up (again, from all past sources, not your book per se). The Kubrick-style score is, for me, one of the great myths of the plans for the Star Wars score.

Again, congratulations on a very fine book. Hopefully there will be more from you on Williams in the years to come.

[Amer 2,330]

Ludwig,

I also think the possibility of thinking of using existing pieces of classical repertoire might have been discussed in the very early stages of the meetings. Williams own quote "I felt we needed our own themes" super imposes the thought that other existing themes/music may have been considered. The above quotes that you refer to while accurate reflect the mood of when it was strongly decided to go with an original symphonic score. The quotes more or less gravitate with the sole idea of creating a brand new original themes and mood of the film. Just my few cents here. Look forward to order my copy too.

[Ludwig 1,169]

On 6/5/2014 at 1:43 AM, azahid said:

I also think the possibility of thinking of using existing pieces of classical repertoire might have been discussed in the very early stages of the meetings. Williams own quote "I felt we needed our own themes" super imposes the thought that other existing themes/music may have been considered.

Well, yes. But everyone seems to think it was an "either/or" situation - that either classical compositions were going to be used as the score or they weren't.

This is what they call a "binary opposition" that simplifies matters that may exist on more of a spectrum rather than at opposite poles.

All I'm saying is that people never consider the possibility that the classical pieces may have been planned to be used as mere raw materials for an original score rather than simply arranged or used in their original form, like in 2001. That, to me, fits all the evidence the best. Lucas' talk about having an "old-fashioned" and "Steiner-type" movie score, which he says he always wanted for the film, just doesn't make sense otherwise.

[Incanus 5,831]

And people who work so rapidly and move from one project to the next might not remember with absolute clarity everything that took place in a project that they undertook nigh 40 years ago. We often tend to overlook the fact that these stories receive a good amount of variation over the years through the interviews as film makers try to give an old story a slightly new spin. What we might consider to be an interesting vital piece of information is not even considered meaningful by them because it was just part of the work and a passing experimental phase in the project that took its final form a bit later.

[Quintus 5,506]

Fascinating info here, thanks.

Congratulations on your book, eaudissino. I'm absolutely certain, judging by Ludwig's exacting and favourable reactions to it, that JWFan resident 'Sharky' couldn't have "written this in his sleep."

What an arse!

All the best mate

[Naïve Old Fart 10,847]

Is the author of this book a JWfan-er?

Oops! I guess he is. No offence Emilio, but I just wasn't sure. I'll be keeping a firm eye on my local Waterstones, form now on.

[eaudissino 13]

Fascinating info here, thanks.

Congratulations on your book, eaudissino. I'm absolutely certain, judging by Ludwig's exacting and favourable reactions to it, that JWFan resident 'Sharky' couldn't have "written this in his sleep."

What an arse!

All the best mate

Is the author of this book a JWfan-er?

Oops! I guess he is. No offence Emilio, but I just wasn't sure. I'll be keeping a firm eye on my local Waterstones, form now on.

Thank you all very much!

[indy4 155]

Mine arrived today! Can't wait to start reading!

[crocodile 8,758]

I received this today as a belated Christmas present from my friend. Very thoughtful.

 

 

Karol 

[tomsmoviemadness 3,704]

I'm pretty late to game, but I'm reading the book at the moment. I'm enjoying it immensly