John Williams : a composer's life / Tim Greiving.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Greiving, Tim, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Williams, John, 1932-.

Williams, John.

Composers--United States--Biography.

Composers.

Motion picture music--United States--History and criticism.

Motion picture music.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

viii, 630 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2025.

Summary:

"The first biography of a great American composer of the cinema age. John Williams is one of the most important film composers of all time, having almost singlehandedly revived the Hollywood symphonic scoring tradition and helped restore the livelihood of American orchestras through the popularity of film music programming. His film music, in the words of director Oliver Stone, "came to stand for the American culture." In John Williams: A Composer's Life, the first biography of the composer, Tim Greiving offers an engaging account of a man whose body of work is well-known but whose personal life has consistently remained very private. Williams wrote the memorable scores and hummable themes for a staggering number of popular touchstones across multiple generations -- among them Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and the Harry Potter series -- and earned more Oscar nominations than any individual artist in the history of the motion picture Academy. He also composed dozens of concerti, fanfares, and other concert works and was a national presence as music director of the Boston Pops for more than a decade. He inspired countless children to pursue a career in the orchestra and won the respect of the classical community worldwide. Seeking to understand what drove Williams's musical productivity and its effects on the lives of those close to him, Greiving delves deeply into the composer's decades-long career, uncovering countless new stories and revelations. Throughout, he analyzes and describes Williams's film scores, recalling them primarily in narrative and emotional terms rather than purely musicological ones, and in doing so emphasizes one of Williams's principal strengths: his musical storytelling. With unprecedented interview access to Williams and those close to him, Greiving presents the definitive portrait of a beloved but famously private doyen of twentieth-century pop culture. Featuring 175 exclusive interviews -- including with Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, George Miller, Mia Farrow, Hans Zimmer, Yo-Yo Ma, session musicians, family members, and friends -- John Williams: A Composer's Life is the first and last word on the great court composer of the cinema age, the musical conductor of our collective memory" -- Jacket flap.

Contents:

Introduction : Dreaming backward

Part I. Hollywood

The ancestral home, 1877-1932

Very first adventure, 1932-1950

Leaving home, 1951-1956

Love theme, 1957-1968

In search of unicorns, 1969-1974

The beginning of a friendship, 1972-1976

Binary sunset, 1977

Death on the carousel, 1978-1979

The miracle of the ark, 1980-1983

Part II. Tanglewood

Cadillac of the skies, 1983-1987

Somewhere in my memory, 1988-1991

Journey to the island, 1991-1996

Duel of the fates, 1997-1999

Where dreams are born, 2000-2003

Confluence, 2004-2008

Simple gifts, 2008-2014

Old friends, 2015-2019

Reunion and finale, 2020-2024

Epilogue : Heartwood

Acknowledgments : Close encounters with the white goddess.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [563]-618) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Greiving, Tim. John Williams

ISBN:

9780197620885

0197620884

9780197620908

0197620906

OCLC:

1499660225