Happy 80Th Birthday

To the one of the most influential film composers of all-time, I salute you.

You have inspired so many people to become composers. You introduced many of us to leitmotifs in film, and interpolated the melodies of Holst, Strauss, and Wagner in your music.

Your 1977 film score is ranked as the Greatest American Film Score ever.

http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/scores25.pdf?docID=222

You have inspired me to become the composer I am today!

Happy Birthday John Williams!

Yeah, he's definitlly my all time favorit!! Happy Birthday to the Grand Master ^^

Sigh not to take away from Williams who earned the respect and accolades he has garnered but the granddaddy of modern film music is Bernhard Hermann. Hermann was deploying the Wagnerian leitmotif technique , blues , etc into his scores long before many other composers. In addition his orchestration still strikes me as far more fascinating than a fair amount of modern film composers.

Williams has done a wonderful job incorporating Hermann's innovations as well as many other composers into his own film voice to create a discernable personal style - that in itself is a great achievement in a field where there is much pressure to conform to predecessors or peers styles.

Sigh not to take away from Williams who earned the respect and accolades he has garnered but the granddaddy of modern film music is Bernhard Hermann. Hermann was deploying the Wagnerian leitmotif technique , blues , etc into his scores long before many other composers. In addition his orchestration still strikes me as far more fascinating than a fair amount of modern film composers.

Williams has done a wonderful job incorporating Hermann's innovations as well as many other composers into his own film voice to create a discernable personal style - that in itself is a great achievement in a field where there is much pressure to conform to predecessors or peers styles.

Can we leave this scraggy out at least on his birthday.

what's so terrible about what I said? DId I desecrate the shrine of John Williams? Look composers are just people, and I am adverse to calling any particular composer a Grand Master or one of the most influential. As you have told me Max, out by you they don't even know who he is. Yet there may be some wonderful film composers wrongfully neglected because they happen not to be an American living near on of the big film centers of the world - just ask if there are some wonderful Bollywood film composers unjustly neglected here in the West?

I also practice what I preach - I don't post inane - oh my god it's Chopin's birthday the greatest composer of piano music ever. That's silly hero worship and basically a lie.

I think what Max was trying to say that let's not debate on a "Happy Birthday" thread.

What can be missed if Herman is the grand-daddy, John Williams is Big Daddy! hahahah!!!

what's so terrible about what I said? DId I desecrate the shrine of John Williams? Look composers are just people, and I am adverse to calling any particular composer a Grand Master or one of the most influential. As you have told me Max, out by you they don't even know who he is. Yet there may be some wonderful film composers wrongfully neglected because they happen not to be an American living near on of the big film centers of the world - just ask if there are some wonderful Bollywood film composers unjustly neglected here in the West?

I also practice what I preach - I don't post inane - oh my god it's Chopin's birthday the greatest composer of piano music ever. That's silly hero worship and basically a lie.

I'm sure you know I'm perfectly aware of both Herrmann's and Williams' places in film music history. Yes, where I live, there are a lot of older composers who've lived most of their lives behind the Iron Curtain and obviously aren't too familiar with American culture. But since the fall of the USSR we've had more and more cultural influence from the West and now plenty of young people are into film music. The older generation is more familiar with Soviet film music. I've heard a lot of it and I can tell you that apart from just a few gems, it was way behind its Western counterparts. And from what I've heard of Bollywood music I really don't expect them to have some kind of Indian John Williams over there.

John Williams is one of the greatest living film composers. I don't disagree with anything you said, Chris, but by saying it in this thread you were just shitting on our parade.

lolol John Williams sux

"Eh, he's nothing special."

I like that kind of egoist and envy people....

Ok Max point taken. I guess here in the West I just get tired of hearing a bit too many pale imitations of John Williams (and vain attempts at Hermann) that I get a little cranky. It's like when I mentioned the Bulgarian polyphony style to you which still has a bit of freshness here but as you said Max, out by you it is so overdone it is to the point of schtick.

No matter what you think of Williams' music, he always manages to create such hilarious drama with only his mention. It's really remarkable. Personally I couldn't care either way.

yes! The moderators did their job! Thanks!

So...can we continue to discuss the original thread without much trolling? :eyebrow: :happy:

He got scolded.

If by scolded you mean being in the wrong place at the wrong time for the equivalent of someone going back to their former school, having left it for quite some time, and being told, 'Hey man! That's my seat!', then yes, I was scolded.

10 points for anyone who notices the irony of me deleting irrelevant posts and then making one of my own.

I thought you suck Elliot Carter :lol:

Kind of irks me however that this thread isn't really a discussion thread. Hence all the trolling. Maybe I should move it elsewhere, like repertoire? Any suggestions? Clearly there's nothing to discuss here, and arguing over john williams is kind of old hat, or?

Only thing I would add: only when someone has achieved at least the equivalent of what ol' John has, he'll be in a position to say "John sucks".

Only thing I would add: only when someone has achieved at least the equivalent of what ol' John has, he'll be in a position to say "John sucks".

That is so ridiculous I am actually laughing right now. Yeah you can't criticize a book until you become a published author or a movie until you become a famous movie director. No, the Star Wars prequels don't suck, become Lucas then you can give your personal opinion on them.

Or you could be honest and say "Stop not liking things I like!"

Only people who have achieved at least the equivalent of what "ol' John" has are in any position to demand specific conditions for others to say their opinions on "ol' John."

Only when one has had the same amount of success in music as Justin Bieber, can they be in a justifiable position to say "Justin Bieber sucks".

Provided that what this guy does was actually music.

That is so ridiculous I am actually laughing right now.

What I find really laughable is that a gang of musical nobodies are throwing mud at each other about John Williams's success - like he would ever care about their opinion. For better or worse his place in film music history is assured - we'd better work on earning our own.

What I find really laughable is that a gang of musical nobodies are throwing mud at each other about John Williams's success - like he would ever care about their opinion. For better or worse his place in film music history is assured - we'd better work on earning our own.

Don't be so hard on yourself for being a nobody, maybe you'll hit it big time eventually!

What if we don't write film music or are uninterested in securing a place in film music history?

Then you could try making a significant contribution in whatever field of music you're interested or able in. Or do whatever you want to enjoy yourself.

Nobody cares what Williams thinks about what we think about him. Are you going to retract that ludicrous statement or will you continue to be angry because some people don't like what you do?

Ian and Dominus sucks and just envy nobodies with crap pieces of music who will never be so talented and succesfull as John Williams so they come here trolling. That's what is laughable :D :D :D Learn some more guys!

wehehehe terrible but true sentence dude :D