John Williams is one of the most renowned film composers in history. He has penned unforgettable scores for Star Wars, the Indiana Jones series, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Superman,
and countless other films. Fans flock to his many concerts, and with
forty-nine Academy Award nominations as of 2014, he is the second-most
Oscar-nominated person after Walt Disney. Yet despite such critical
acclaim and prestige, this is the first book in English on Williams’s
work and career.
Combining accessible writing with thorough scholarship, and rigorous historical accounts with insightful readings, John Williams’s Film Music explores
why Williams is so important to the history of film music. Beginning
with an overview of music from Hollywood’s Golden Age (1933–58), Emilio
Audissino traces the turning points of Williams’s career and articulates
how he revived the classical Hollywood musical style. This book charts
each landmark of this musical restoration, with special attention to the
scores for Jaws and Star Wars, Williams’s work as conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, and a full film/music analysis of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The result is a precise, enlightening definition of Williams’s
“neoclassicism” and a grounded demonstration of his lasting importance,
for both his compositions and his historical role in restoring part of
the Hollywood tradition.
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