One Minute of Musical Perfection
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 27. 08. 2024
- In this episode I break down one of my favorite moments in film music by the great John Williams.
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When Steven Spielberg asked John Williams to score "Schindler's List", he said "You need a better composer than me." Spielberg responded, "I know, but they're all dead." What a compliment.
That's a cool story!
I love that quote as well. And what an emotionally intelligent thing to say. Itâs a way of honoring the greats of the past, while honoring John as the closest we have to a Beethoven or Mozart. Seriously, a genius level comment. That says a lot about Spielbergâs mind and what makes him great.
Awesome
Some repercussions have a decent understanding .
Bach, or Beethoven, would eventually have done it better, maybe. Wagner, definitively not.đŹ
Let's get the Beato/Williams interview ASAP so I can listen to two brilliant music minds talk over my head for 90 minutes!
Hear hear!
Yes please
Hahaha
Oh my god, I would enjoy that video so much
If weâre going to start having classical crossover episodes with Rick then I have a long wishlist
My father was a half-deaf man hardened throughout his life by all the emotional pain a true man can endure: betrayal, abandonment, manipulation, hypocrisy, loneliness and poverty; however, he never cried. Not one single tear. Ever. Until I took him to the ET ride at Universal Studios, there's when I saw the child in him crying to this very same experience. Like a toddler he cried, as much as I am remembering him right now. Thank you, Rick, from the very depths of my heart.
Wow.
Rick, I love you for who you are and for what you do. Thatâs why it pains me so much that I canât share your love for John Williams and Stephen Spielberg. They were made for each other IMHO, masters of manipulation. No thank you. Iâll seek truth, beauty, and art elsewhere. đ
That's so sweet
With so much film music in so many iconic films, I don't think there's a man alive who has touched so many souls as John Williams. We are blessed.
"The end of the film was one of the most significant musical experiences for composer John Williams. After several attempts were made to match the score to the film, Steven Spielberg took the film off the screen and encouraged Williams to conduct the orchestra the way he would at a concert. He did, and Spielberg slightly re-edited the film to match the music, which is unusual since normally the music would be edited to match the film. The result was Williams winning the 1982 Academy Award for Best Original Score."
I was going to tell this exact story, I'm glad someone beat me to it.
Neat!!!
A very smart move on Spielberg's part. He realised that getting the musical component right first was key towards getting the visual component right. The result was a perfect piece of audio visual entertainment. Those were the days!!!!!
I was wondering about this very thing when watching the clip in the video. The timing is so perfect. The music is such a masterpiece I canât believe it would be adjusted to fit the movie like is typically done with soundtracks. Seems like itâd be better to edit the film to fit the score in this case.
Contrast that to the extreme deadlines and pressures he must have worked under trying to score The Rise of Skywalker. âWe have altered the final cut. Pray we donât alter it further.â
I think you could argue that John Williams had a far greater impact on the popular culture of his lifetime than any other composer in history. No other composer's work has touched as many people. There have been better composers, but how many could say that billions of people have heard and loved their work.
I guess Spielberg helped.
I agree, pretty much the soundtrack to my life
đŻ Emotive to fit a feeling to a scene..a scene not of his own creation. đđ Talk about a gun-for-hire...in the "largest stages imaginable". Much, much respect for his insane skills đđ
I watched TV. A lot of Jerry Goldsmith in My ears.
Fax
That crescendo stopping for a moment to allow the solo flute motif is tear-worthy every single time. The last glance at his friend.
The final 15 minutes of E.T. is like a little mini symphony, maybe the greatest 15 minutes of film music ever composed. It has everything - awesome chase music, Williamâs most magical flying music, emotional goodbye music, and a rousing fanfare for the ending. Itâs my favorite thing Williams has ever written and thatâs saying something.
One part of this score thatâs often overlooked is the terrific harp work thatâs really prominent in some of the scenes in Elliotâs room - itâs such a beautiful way to score the new relationship between Elliot and E.T., and to represent that dreamlike moment in your childhood before the cares of the adult world begin to creep in. This film is really one of the best things Williams (and Spielberg for that matter) has ever done.
This is a really thoughtful comment and it felt wrong that the only reply to it was spam, so I'm jumping in to say you inspired me to rewatch and look for the harp. Been a good two decades since I've seen the movie anyway
Great comment. My kids used to watch E.T. On the VCR over and over again, and while I could do other things for most of the movie, the music in the last 10 minutes always pulled me in! The music is simply perfect.
@@JakeR541 Me too!!
Completely agree - those last 15 minutes or so comprise the best soundtrack music by anyone, ever. And, yes, a mini symphony! Fantastic scoring throughout, and it never fails to give me a lump in my throat in those final chords.
Okay this comment gave me goosebumps in its accuracy!!!
John Williams is an absolute legend. HOOK remains a criminally underrated gem in his catalog. And goodness, what a catalog. He just captures the feeling perfectly. Makes my eyes well up.
Was lucky enough to meet John about 20 years ago - really down to earth guy who was more than happy to chat to a complete stranger.
I played Hook on Sega in 1992. It had all the music from the movie. So great!!
Exactly. Without John's musical work, those movies would be something else entirety.
Absolutely love the score to Hook!
Another great one is Joel McNeelyâs score to another Pan movie âReturn To Neverlandâ.
Me too!
Dammit I still cry every time I hear that, I was 19 when ET came out and by the time this final scene ended in the movie theater I was sobbing uncontrollably in my seat and didn't care who saw me. I think part of the reason this movie and that score affected me so deeply was not only because that film spoke to the child deep inside my heart but also my beloved stepdad was dying of colon cancer and I couldn't bear the thought of his leaving us. (He passed before my 20th birthday.) Your explanation of how the music is structured to bring out certain emotions and images is both accurate technically and fascinating in showing how it also touches us as human souls. I didn't realize till years later when I was watching the film again that ET's leaving was sad for Elliot but happy for ET and that while he would miss Elliot he was going home, and I think my stepdad was going 'home' as well and glad to be rid of his terrible pain, even though he grieved over leaving us. But just as Elliot was left with a hope that he might see ET again someday, my family and I had a hope or wish of someday seeing Paul again in some other dimension. No wonder that music still makes me a mess, so many intense feelings stirred, all in one captivated listening experience.
Beautiful. You have summed up the human experience in your comment.
I was wondering who that was crying in the theater there, cuz I know it wasn't me
Thank you for sharing your story. I was only 5 in â82 and I cried hard, literally losing control, as a little boy watching this in the theater. I watched this video and that deep emotional well was stirred again as a 45 year old, out of nowhere. My Mother actually tears up to this day remembering my reaction to this movie when she took me. I had no life-trauma like you had, but it certainly hit me very hard, in large part to the perfect integration of this music with the story. Absolutely stirring and worthy of GOAT status.
I'm so sorry for your loss. But thank you for sharing this memory with us (I lost my beloved stepdad to cancer, too). Wishing you all good things.
@@paramitch â€ïž
There really aren't sufficient words for how much I love John Williams. He literally IS the soundtrack of my life. When you stop to think about all the greatest, most loved, movies in the past 50 years of my life.... he scored them all!
You should do a whole series onf John Williams' soundtracks! ET, Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones...just some of the most classic soundtracks of a generation. He and Vangelis are two of my favourite soundtrack composers.
The soundtracks for jaws and star wars were totally ripped off. The star wars soundtrack was basically ripped from Holst's planets. John Williams plagiarism is pretty well documented of you do a quick google search
@@nigelbaboolal5072 Zzzzzzzz so?
I like James Horner music. Braveheart is my favorite of all time.
@@glissandi exactly
@@nigelbaboolal5072 Rick did a video comparing Williams' Star Wars and Holst's The Planets in back in 2016.
Anyone else think Rick is an absolute genius?! I love music but know nothing about playing instruments or reading notes. Itâs all so natural to Rick. His passion for the details is infectious!
His passion is what makes him so compelling.
I have a few friends like Rick. On top of being musically gifted, of course, a lot of why it seems to come so natural to him is the years of hard work and dedication. Hour after hour after hour of practice and study. I think Rick is great. He is certainly a naturally gifted teacher, that's for sure.
It is his fluency with both music and words that makes his videos so good. He is really gifted.
YES!
Ikr, the joy on Rick's face when he watches the ending scene with the blue light reflecting on his cheeks. It provokes something for me, something profound. I can just imagine Rick staying in the studio overnight trying to brainstorm ideas for his next video. And think to himself , 'you know what I'll just break down the ET theme and tell my 3mil subscribers what makes it great'. This channel is a rabbit hole that i could get lost in for hours and im glad i came across it.đ„ș
This is exactly why I follow you Rick. Your appreciation of music and the education you provide over genres is rare.
Rick, thank you so much for turning people of all ages into more sophisticated, ambitious things, and tangibly making the world slightly better every video you post. So many dark things going, but your videos are a light. Your passion is infectious and your knowledge is inspiring.
Can't think of a better marriage of education and entertainment as your channel, and that's how education should always be, really! There's no bigger reason to learn than to enjoy life and make life more enjoyable.
Bravo!! Perfectly stated! We are so fortunate to have such an instructor!
RICK!! Youâre bringing so much education and entertainment to peopleâs lives. Iâm wildly appreciative of how you can explain the nuance without being exhaustive.
I just have so much dang fun watching your videos!
My choir is practicing Mozart's Requiem at the moment. Sometimes it's hard to sing because the music is so beautiful and moving it's actually overwhelming.
Lacrimosa is a real tear jerker.
I wouldn't be able to sing that and stay , well, non-blubbery
Yes same with Bach's chaconne in d minor
What a privilege to be able to sing such music.
The scene in Amadeus where Hulce dictates the parts of the Confutatis to Abraham, and then it cuts to the finished piece, is spellbinding.
@@chrispytyo9577 The entire Sequentia is unequaled. My favorite is the Confutatis, probably owing to the "dictation" scene in Amadeus.
John Williams is awesomeness personified. Quite literally the musical voice of the late 20th century. Nobody can evoke emotion like he can. Nobody. His legacy is as important as Mozart, Beethoven and Bach.
It's definitely he and Steve Reich as the most influential composers of that century.
James Horner is another good one
Koji Kondo is up there with him
Morricone, hold my beer 8 )
Marty O' Donnell as well
That beautifully gentle C Lydian melody at the very end is also how the score begins in the first scene. Every time I watch the movie, I start crying as soon as I hear those notes at the start.
I saw John Williams perform the final 15 minute piece from E.T. with the Boston Pops and a huge movie screen showing the film behind them. At the end, I was bawling my eyes out and was embarrassed until I turned around and saw thousands of other people also crying.
I saw that on TV.
I saw ET at an IMAX theater last night. It was the first time I had seen the whole movie since I last seen it in the theater 40 years ago. I had watched this video and watched the ending scene -- and I still could not help crying at the end. The score, along with the acting and the visuals, make it a very powerful scene about love and hope. And seeing it as an adult, I recognize how much abandonment Elliot was feeling from his father leaving, and then going through that sense of abandonment again with ET -- and finding closure. That is the "victory". It is a film that works as pure entertainment, but also on a deeper level of a boy experiencing trauma and finding closure.
I've always compared the last shot of ET with the last shot of Francois Truffaut's 400 BLOWS, which is a shot of the boy's face against a fence. Truffaut actually appeared in Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, so the last scene of ET is, to me, a kind of homage to Truffaut's classic movie, but actually a reversal of the mood, though ET's ending still has echoes of the trauma Elliot has gone through up to that moment, as you suggest. The ET soundtrack album is pure ecstasy, as is the music here in the last scene. I'll never forget the faces of Elliot at the end of ET and Antoione at the end of THE 400 BLOWS. One thing's for sure -- John Williams is the man, and film music is the best classical music of our time, since the birth of the talkies in 1927.
Of all the great music youâve talked about on this channel, Bach, Led Zep, Soundgarden even, I never expected you to bust out the soundtrack to ET as the greatest moment in music lol.
That being said, my momâs bootleg of Star Wars: A New Hope, recorded in the theater on a tape recorder, was the music my brother and I played every night before we went to sleep for a good 20 years. He even took it to Iraq with him when he was in the Army. John Williams is amazing and the emotional impact his music made in our lives is unquestionable.
Great story...
As a trombone player that has had the opportunity to play this with a full symphony orchestra, this song has always given me chills!! Thank you for breaking it all down!!
Fellow trombonist here too. Iâve only played in wind ensembles, but his music is always a challenge to play. You always feel like youâve accomplished something great. :)
Lucky you, a brass player who has had the privilege of playing John Williams live. Nobody, and I mean nobody, going back to the invention of brass instruments, can write a fanfare quite like John Williams.
Excellent!
I was fortunate enough to see John Williams conduct a live orchestra a few years ago...I barely made it through this ET composition without breaking, but I couldn't hold back the tears any longer at Leia's Theme. I had just lost my grandmother, the world had just lost Carrie Fisher, and I sobbed. This video is a good reminder that the music itself is enough to invoke this emotion on its own merit. Brilliance.
Rick, you havenât even hit your full stride yet brother. Keep doing what your doing. BIGGER things to come for you. Youâre so informative/instructional and entertaining!! Request: Keep interviewing legends! Itâs so great to watch you converse with them all and you do a GREAT job of listening and letting them express...whatever they have to express! Looking forward to seeing you in Seattle in a few weeks!
John Williams, if you really think about it, has written the soundtrack to most of our lives! Such a brilliant composer, arranger, and conductor for DECADES! Making symphony music POPULAR! I think it will be so hard for anyone to match him in the future.
I would be more starstruck meeting John Williams than I would meeting Spielberg or Ford, for that reason!
@@ChuckWortman he is great, but my greatest regret is to never have seen ennio morricone directing his own music live.
Y E S !!!
The final sequence of E.T. is still one of the greatest bits of film making and composition EVER. Just those first few notes still bring me to tears.
From the moment E.T. wakes up...the bike chase, the landing, every beat is perfect.
I've recently come to understand that this is why modern movies that use classic or well-known tunes for their soundtrack irk me. The Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack is of course phenomenal, but the feelings that you get from the music just aren't....earned by the film. They're borrowed. Like I can't tell you how lame the Star Trek Beyond sequence that uses the Beastie Boys Sabatage is, even though I love that song. I just doesn't fit. Composing music to fit a movie is just so much more classy than slapping an existing track over a scene.
@@JayCAlan hard to disagree with that. An original score that truly captures the heart of the film is magic. Michael Giaccino is the closest we have to John Williams, though thank heaven John is still with us.
Speaking of Star Trek, the opening sequence of that first JJ Abrams Star Trek film, the part where George Kirk sacrifices himself to save the crew? Good lord GiaccinoâŠ.nailed it. Tears every time.
@@JayCAlan Perfectly said! A movie can use all kinds of music I love, and I'll still love those songs and I'll enjoy the movie. But the movie didn't exactly earn the feelings.
I love Rick's expressions as he listens to any piece of music - now that's entertainment!
Dude. Thank you SO much for making this video. Finally, someone who gets it. For the past 40 years, this piece of music has been more important to me than I can express. Your video helped me understand why.
Agreed. It's stunning.
John Williams is the pinnacle of music scoring. He uses all the hooks to make really powerful, engaging, moving, and memorable soundtracks that take their movie to a whole new level. Thank you, Rick, for reminding us what a treasure trove of memories JW has given the world.
Are soundtracks also a lost art?
There'll never be another John Williams, that's for sure.
@ I wouldnât say itâs a lost art at all. John Williams was an absolute master of a more classical soundtrack approach: traditional orchestral instrumentation delivering unforgettable melodic passages that become, in a way, the focus of a scene. Right now in cinema a more textural approach to scoring is in fashion: evocative non-traditional instrumentation that becomes part of the on screen environment, itâs more about atmosphere. Hans Zimmer for example. Thereâs melody but itâs understated compared to the rich soundscape itâs contained in. If you compare Star Warâs soundtrack and HZâs Dune they are radically different approaches to scoring a sci-fi epic . Both have their merits and there is tremendous artistry in both. Maybe John Williams being SO good pushed cinematic scoring in a new direction- because no one was going to out Williams JW haha. You start to hear imitations that sound cheap and dated by comparison. So a shift in style makes sense :)
@@mrnelsonius5631 thank you!! great!!
you are absolutely right, Zimmer is a genius. Different approaches. But I miss JW, Morricone, and also the TV masters, Mission Impossible, Lonely Man (Hulk), Charlie's Angels, Knight Rider...but maybe it's just nostalgia đ
@ Ennio Morricone might be my favorite composer :) Talk about evocative and memorable. Thereâs so many greats and we are blessed
John Williams is a national treasure, along with all of his incredible music! And please sit down with Layla for a fun family viewing of ET!
I very much hope that Layla, as well as the rest of your family, has viewed ET by now. It is, was and always will be a timeless classic and I would love to read about Layla's reaction and opinion of the movie.
John Williams is amazing. He comes up with these huge orchestral themes having such grandeur- themes which grab our hearts and minds with such power. Then he does something like the score to Catch Me If You Can, a completely different animal- smooth 1960s jazz. He can do anything.
My father took me to the cinema to watch this movie when I was very little, and I remember perfectly crying so much when ET got into the ship, saying "I donÂŽt want him to go". This scene is so emotional and this amazing music makes it even more.
I cried - as I always do when I hear this music. Not sure why, but it just hits you in such a way. Great reminder of the power of music.. why songs can bring you right back to a place/time/event⊠John Williams is a MASTER; thank-you for this wonderful breakdown, and reminder of why he is!
Same. Music resonates with everything that makes us human. Especially amazing songs like this. Just magical.
The magic of being a kid and watching this movie and listening to this music. When movie producers thought kids deserved the best.
Saaaaame
Absolutely! Doesnât make any difference whether you speak English or Swahili or Mandarin - this music bores into your SOUL!
That music lifted the scene to a level that had me crying like a baby....beautiful.
I totally agree. I'm 67 years old and I get chills and tear up everytime I listen to this. Like many Lucas and Spielberg films, it's hard to imagine the movie being effective without the music.
Totally surprised and delighted by this choice of "one minute of musical perfection"! John Williams never gets old. His scores have walked with many of us through our childhood and into adulthood. We have a lot of great movie moments and memories that are made by his music. And thank you for the masterful breakdown of this piece.
Over the years you have definitely taught me the most about music then any other teacher, you're the best Rick!!
Actually Rick's videos made me buy an acoustic guitar.
"I love the sound of John Williams in the morning" - sounds like victory indeed! You must be very proud of your daughter Rick!
Rick Beato, a wonderful teacher and talent who brings tremendous passion and knowledge and love for music. Providing wonderful insights of the artistry, craftmanship and greatness of music. Besides all that he has a wonderful spirit, that is why we love him. Thank you Rick
I had no idea what Rick was going to play for us. As soon as he fired up John Williams E.T., I started crying like a baby about 2 minutes in.
You are the best Rick!
same here
I couldn't agree more! Rick is the best friend I've always wanted to share music with!
Same! I was absolutely stunned and thrilled!
'The Natural' is the one that always gets me. Goosebumps every time. I don't even remember much of the movie I was so young, but the theme is one of the most triumphant, uplifting pieces of music I've ever heard.
Randy Newman! His uncle was also a famous film composer, and wrote the 20th Century Fox fanfare (Alfred Newman)
I agree. Perfect match for tone of movie.
It really is uplifting isn't it? John Williams is a true master.
He's really good at stealing. And Hollywood would give ETs saucer the pride ufo wash/trail. Never a lost opportunity with these folks.
@@ChrisDragotta OMG!! Get a life! This movie was made in 1982 when there was rampant homophobia everywhere in American society including Hollywood.
As a piccolo player this is my all-time favourite score to play, so many nice solos for me! Williams knows how to make use of instrumental colours - such a genius!
John Williams comes from a very interesting lineage. His father was studio drummer Johnny Williams who also played with the famous Raymond Scott Quintette who did all the great cartoon music and such. And his son is currently the lead singer in TOTO. Fascinating. John Williams also played jazz piano and recorded a lot in the studio as a pianist. He played the classic Peter Gunn riff.
John Williams is, simply put, the Maestro of Maestros. He is now ninety years old and, per his work on Kenobi, still has it.
đ
Kenobi should never have been made.. it was never going to work... Luke getting chased by a sith inquisitor?... absolute nonsense....just doesn't fit with the story and characters of a new hope
I have always LOVED the fact that John Williams had the foresight to take major seventh chords (ET, Indiana Jones, etc), put them in the BRASS, and play them at FFF. So freaking awesome.
The French Horns dropping the hammer at the end is face-melting.
@@adambrigham8234 oh yeah!
I literally have goosebumps. Simply an amazing piece of music.
I hear the cracking emotion in your voice as you narrate, Rick. Weâre all feeling it!
John Williams would be the first to confess his debt to Stravinsky, Holst, Copland, Barry and countless others upon whose shoulders all score composers stand and soar.
He is a plagiarist of the 1st. order, Rick must be drunk
@@thebones Interesting. Back in the days of Stravinsky, et al., the other composers considered it an honor to be "sampled," as it were.
My guitar teacher once told me "theres seven white notes and 5 black notes, anything you can think of has already been thought of, nothing is original so you might as well steal from the best"
I love how you donât restrict yourself in your music appreciation. My tastes are all over the map too, but classical music is tied for first place with rock for me. Where would we be were it not for symphonic/orchestral music? Prog would never have happened without it. And then there's also blues, jazz and cowboy/folk songs that led to what we would consider mainstream rock and roll. Keep bringing in the classical stuff! I sure hope that people enjoy it as much as I do.
I cannot listen to this piece or watch this movie clip without being moved to tears. Every. Time. Thank you Rick, for the reminder and the analysis. And for you being you. đđčđ”
In my humble opinion, John Williams is the greatest composer of our time. The totality of his work is astounding.
John's musical genius is the great manipulator of movies! The near perfection of his writing takes your mind to beyond simply sitting in a theatre. It fully draws you into the moment!
Just hearing that again brought a tear to my eyes Rick, and then to have your break down of why it works was just the cherry on the cake.
Your daughter seems to have a very good ear for musical mood.
Nobody conveys emotion like John Williams, especially when paired with Spielberg or Lucas. When it comes to celebrity and pop culture, John Williams has had the most profound effect on my life. The sheer virtuosity of his compositions are just breath taking and has a longer list of hits than anybody not named Beethoven or Mozart. He wears his influences on his sleeve, sometimes a little too much, but everything he writes is pure emotion. I got the pleasure of seeing him at the beginning of this summer in Pittsburgh and even at his age, the show was electric and extremely emotional. I've been to high energy shows like Slipknot, U2, and Paul McCartney, but John Williams was on another level. By the end half the people, if not all, were in full tears of joy and emotion from his scores, everybody has chills, everybody was in awe, and the standing ovation went on for a full 15 minutes (there were also 4 encore pieces with their own standing ovations too), it was incredible!
Iâd give my left nut to personally applaud John Williams, to thank him for all the feels! That must have been amazing!
Wow. The Schindlerâs List violin piece holds up with the best in any genre.
When weâre all long gone people will still be listening to John Williams, just like we listen to Bach and Mozart now.
John Williams is the man. His scores never cease to amaze.
My go to John Williams music is â Journey to the Island â from Jurassic Park.
Epic and wonderful.
Yes! Same for me. Saw and heard it played live in the Royal Albert Hall, tears in my eyes, it was so amazing
Very similar vibe as the ET theme. And Indiana Jones. And Star Wars. Love them all - John Williams has a distinct style of setting up the different moods throughout his songs.
Imperial March
The Throne Room and End Title, Star Wars Episode IV. We closed our wedding with itâŠ
The Chairman's Waltz
I couldnât agree more. The E.T finale is an absolutely magnificent piece of music.
Rick PLEASE take this as a huge compliment!!!!! You are One of the most influential people helping me become hopefully a better person and singer. Barely a singer but working on it, Thank you Rick so much for your support over the years.
I agree completely.
Out of his repertoire it's the greatest piece of music John Williams ever composed.
It never gets old.
John Williams has been the score to my childhood.
Every 70-80s kid ever!
Nobody conveys emotion like Rick Beato listening to John Williams!
I was fortunate enough to see this movie with my 6 year old son and his friend. That was a magical moment for me. The music was the cherry on the cake of that experience.
John Williams is clearly one of the GREATEST composers of all time. Just STUNNING.
John William's 'Superman - The Movie' theme hits me the same way. He's a maestro. Nowadays - I feel the same way about Hans Zimmer. Different eras. Different styles. Same chills on the back of the arms and neck.
Oh the build up at the beginning is so great.
You can sing along with it, Su-Per-Maaaaan!
Rick, I would love your review of The Superman March from Superman: The Movie. :)
I feel the same way. I'm totally a fan of Hans Zimmer as well as John Williams.
Iâve been fortunate enough to see Hans twice on his live tour a few years ago, and also got to see John conduct the St Louis Symphony in a one-off performance of his greatest works. Both were astounding!
Music is everything to a movie and John Williams is a master. His compositions always make you feel the emotion of the climax in movies or blow you away like during the opening crawl for Star Wars.
YES! When I was in college years ago my music theory professor and I were constantly at each others throats about John Williams. This professor was the very definition of pretentious. He kept trying to convince all his students that Williams was a hack. He convinced a lot of them too. Not me, though. I argued with him non stop. The only ammunition he had was comparing the imperial march to Holst's Mars, the bringer of war. That and "There's nothing particularly complex in his scores."
My argument was always "Complicated doesn't mean better." I would argue that Williams isn't a classical composer. He's a film composer. His job is to enhance the movie through music and anyone who says he hasn't done that as good or better than any other film composer is full of crap. ET, Jaws and Indiana Jones were my aces in the hole for that argument.
To this day I don't know how I managed to pass that class. He did everything he could to fail my ass.
You might have passed because you used music theory to argue your point of view. Sometimes professors play devil's advocate to see if their students can put together and defend cohesive argument; those that do tend to do very well.
Not saying this was the case with your professor, he might have just hated Williams, but you still wound up learning something from him so it wasn't a total loss.
I donât if he did it better than any other, he just did what he was supposed to do, flawlessly. No need to rank them. Bernard Hermann was supposed to scare you in Psycho and he did. A person doing doing their job well is one of the most persuasive arguments for the existence of God and the imago dei in all of us. Iâm sure your worth as a musician was proved in spite of the professor.
Well.....Williams recycles a fair bit of material.............and so did Rossini....he recycled just a slight bit....I mean pretty much everything he ever wrote.
@@arielatom68a56 Literally everyone does it. Everyone. There's nothing new under the sun.
See.... even I just did it, too.
@@facepalmdaily4404 Exactly
This music elicits such a strong emotional response for me. Brings tears to my eyes. Sweeping, powerful, completely satisfying. As usual you do such a stellar job explaining things.
I'm in my 50's and this scene still makes me tear up.
Totally Man! What still gets me more is when the Mom takes Elliott away from ET..đ„č
I was so glad to see you post this - I thought I was the only one. Just hearing this music got me choked up!
Me too. 50s. Still tear up.
Definitely would love to see some more film scores get some love. Thereâs some really spectacular compositions out there, and clearly John Williams is the greatest gift to cinema.
After John Barry
@@petermanley7525 Yeah, loved the early Bond music since I was 12!
Have to put Williams above Barry personally. Probably my favourite film composer, followed by Ennio Morricone.
Nobody else in the whole world is as good at their job as John Williams is at his.
John Williams could not do this without a lifelong passion for Music and an intense study of the Masters of Music.
Without apology or hint of doubt, John Williams is my favorite musician of all time. I've gotten more hours of joy from his work than I could even count. My wife and I got to see one of his Hollywood Bowl shows in the early 2000's, and it's still one of the highlights of my life. Great breakdown, Rick, and great choice! That ending fanfare with the high B flat also reminds me very much of his Olympic fanfare. The man just knows how to phrase things to use every instrument to its fullest.
John Williams is truly the modern day Mozart. Truly the GOAT of movie soundtracks.
I was 7 years old when I went to see this movie in the theater. My shirt was soaked by the end as I used it to wipe away tears because I was with my big brother and didnât want him to think I was being a baby. I remember this as if it were yesterday, but as we were leaving the theater an old man saw me and said âdonât feel bad kid. I cried, too.â 40 years later I still choke up while watching this movie.
I always say movie score is the greatest of all for us in the modern era, because it draws from great music of the past and so often plays on emotion. Even incidental music in cinema/score is worth paying close attention to.
This music never fails to give me goosebumps, and it matches so perfectly with what's happening in the movie. It is such brilliance, it dazzles.
The way you feel about this is how I feel about James Hornerâs theme for Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. Itâs a soundtrack that matches the greatness of its movie.
Oh yeah, I love that soundtrack... That whole buildup where the Enterprise tries to escape the imminent detonation of the Genesis device right through to Spock's death scene? - That part where Kirk has just noticed his friend isn't actually sat in his chair and makes a run to Engineering; those strings, higher and higher! - Oh my effing god! Beautiful.
Rest in peace, James. [bumps chest, kiss peace kiss to the sky]
@@banana_junior_9000 Throws the LLAP salute at the heavens
He also did "Thunderheart," which has a pretty strong soundtrack. At the end, there's a moment really tugs at me; very few notes on the piano, but it punches through hard!
You couldn't have picked a better piece. It bring tears to my eyes every time i hear that music. Thankyou
John Williams plucks musical perfection out of the ether and translates it for the rest of us to hear.
It just shows how John Williams' magic can reach the core of our emotions through music. Leyla's first impression illustrates that.
I literally got chills the SECOND you hit play. Unbelievable score!
Love the music pick! For me, George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" does it every time.
Larry Adler got to travel on the Queen Mary's maiden voyage in return for doing a live broadcast from the ship. He finished playing only for the radio engineer to say "Can you play it again? I lost signal after a few bars so we need to do it again". "Why didn't you stop me?" said Adler. "Oh, I just love Rhapsody in Blue" replied the engineer.
For me the problem with Rhapsody in Blue is that after the first 1-2 minutes all I can see in my mindâs eye is Tom and Jerry. And I apologise if this now happens to you after reading this comment.
@@roderickramsay8538 That's funny, but it won't. TX
Me too. I enjoy both peices, but to me William's work is more conventional and Gershwin's more original.
@@roderickramsay8538 For me, it's United Airlines.
I sing in my church choir, I can read music, I can even plunk out a few easy songs on the piano, but I also love learning about music theory. Last night at rehearsal our director went into some music theory about the song we're singing Sunday, and how the composer was using the transitions in order for us to be able to hit the key changes correctly, and she apologized for going into theory because she loves it so much. I was eating it up.
The more I listen/watch Rick, the more I learn, and the more I'm impressed with his musical knowledge. It blows my mind that he can actually hear those other modes (Lydian, Pentatonic, Aeolian, Dorian, etc.) in the music. Thank you, Rick. And it's amazing that you were able to put together an 11-minute video studying a piece of music about 1:15 minutes long.
And put your kids on the payroll, they're great!
Itâs a bit longer than a minute, but for me the greatest in this category is Il Triello by Ennio Morricone, from the final duel of the Good the Bad and the Ugly. For me, itâs the finest example of music that enhances whatâs on screen, but is itself enhanced by the cinematography. The dramatic progression means so much more with the weight of the characters behind it. Pure symbiosis. I go there whenever I need to feel motivated and inspired :)
That said, John Williams is a genius in his own right, and one of the finest composers to have lived.
The entire soundtrack for TGTBATU is the greatest! Second favorite might be the soundtrack of "Conan the Barbarian" by Basil Poledouris. Nothing to do with the subject of the video but just had to reply when I saw you bring up Ennio Morricone and TGTBATU. đ€Ł
For overall body of work, yeah John Williams is probably numero uno.
When enough time has passed, it will be seen that Ennio Morricone and Bernard Herrmann were the greatest film composers. Both orchestrated their own music, something that can't be said by Williams, although I also love Williams.
I had really similar feelings about the music in the first star wars movies. It was as much a character as it was a soundtrack. Almost like a nonverbal narrator. Truly genius work
Many people rave about Hanz Zimmer and I canât remember 1 melody he has ever composed. He creates a great wall of sound that I forget when I get out of the theater, but John Williams controls your emotions in a way that is absolutely magical.
What makes it great in one word, emotion. Music is a language in and of itself, it contains a message and a conversation. It asks a question and furnishes the reply.
I was a kid in the 1970s and Williams' themes from Star Wars were the first movie soundtracks to make me notice the soundtrack. The crash to start the opening credits, The Imperial March, and The Force Theme (played during the Tatoine sunset) are still some of my favorite soundtrack pieces.
I had the privilege of seeing John Williams perform live in NYC and in Boston. In NY, they had a screen behind the NY Philharmonic and they played clips from the movies while the orchestra conducted by John Williams himself, played live to the scenes. With E.T., it was the last 15 minutes of the movie. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. He is the greatest film composer of all time.
As a certified geezer finger-picker, i appreciate your body of work on this channel.You're also one of the few real music guys that have interviewed Tommy Emmanuel. That, too was great. Keep up the good work.
I've never seen your channel before and not had the pleasure of "meeting" you, but you have just solved a conundrum that has vexed me since childhood.
When I walked out of ET I was crying, and my mom asked me if I liked it, and my response was a sobbing "no I hate it, because I love it more than Star Wars!" - but that wasn't it.
What I was really feeling is the love in John Williams' music, and now I understand.
Thank you sir.
I totally agree. John Williams at his absolute best
From one Chris Young to another, totally agree!
Williams' main theme from Seven Years in Tibet is beautiful as is the theme from Schindler's List. His ability to do both moving and spine tingling is almost unmatched.
The John Williams Signature Edition scores are so instructive to look through and have taught me so much about orchestration.
The movie and the score are one of those moments in life where you feel so lucky to be alive to have been there. The emotional power of music and cinema at its highest.
E.t is the definition of storytelling and soundtrack working in perfect harmony...it doesn't get better than that in my opinion
I've played the concert suite more times than I can count, and the entire film with our orchestra. The last 15 minutes is a tremendous feat.
Not enough can be said about the work John Williams puts into his melodies. He doesn't just wake up one day and the ET theme pours out - he painstakingly tries every interval and note combination over and over and over again until he finds the ones that sound "inevitable." He is the ultimate representative of hard work, and how it can pay off.
Isn't it marvelous how J Dubs inspires generations upon generations of music lovers - actually all humans, he transcends time space emotion logic beauty - he will live forever. Loved this video and seeing your pure enjoyment of this immortal music.
I have to agree with you on this beautiful orchestral harmony of sound. Every time I hear it, I can feel the tears trying to break free! That's the whole purpose of music, for me, is to evoke and make a person feel that in their heart. John Williams is a master of the art of music.