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John Williams February 8, 1932 - Present. By: Carley Longhurst. Childhood. John Williams was born February 8 th , 1932. He was born in Queens, New York. John started studying and learning to play the piano at age 7.
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John WilliamsFebruary 8, 1932 - Present By: Carley Longhurst
Childhood • John Williams was born February 8th, 1932. • He was born in Queens, New York. • John started studying and learning to play the piano at age 7. • He learned to play the trombone, trumpet, and clarinet as well as the piano.
Family • John was the oldest of 3 children, • His dad was a jazz drummer and was one of the original members of the Raymond Scott Quintet. • John and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 16 years old. • Music was very important in this family and had a huge impact on each member.
Education • John Williams graduated high school at North Hollywood High School where he played and composed for the school band. • He then went to UCLA and took courses in piano and composition. • He also studied privately with Bobby Van Eps, the pianist-arranger. • John finished his schooling with a year at Julliard School of Music as a Piano student.
Air Force • Was drafted in 1952 at 20 years old. • Assigned to the United States Air Force. • As part of John’s tour of duty, he conducted and arranged music for service bands. • Only spending 2 years in the air force, he was discharged in 1954.
Starting Out • While studying at Julliard, John worked by playing at numerous nightclubs as a jazz pianist. • Later on, he became an accompanist and conductor for the singer Vic Damone. • John also played for composer Alfred Newman at Twentieth Century Fox. • He was a pianist with Morris Stoloff’s Columbia Pictures staff orchestra in Hollywood at the same time playing for Damone and Newman.
Career • Soon lots of people started to recognize him. • He continued with his serious music in Hollywood with Arthur Olaf Anderson and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. • John’s career then started to pick up a lot. • John Williams first big break was his first screen credit for Because They’re Young. • He was very versatile and wrote music for jazz combos, dance bands, and symphony ensembles.
Career Cont. • John started to write and compose music for many films and became a well-known nominee for the Academy Awards. • In the late 1950’s, Williams became involved with television. • He composed, played, and conducted for many television shows.
CareerCont. • John then made his mark composing serious music. • He conducted and composed many symphonies. • John became the 19th conductor of the Pops symphony. • On April 20, 1980, John Williams made his debut at the Boston Symphony Hall.
Steven Spielberg said, “John became more than just a composer for hire, he was a creative collaborator in all phases of post production, spending every day for fifteen weeks in the mixing studio and editing rooms.”
The Present • John Williams has now cut back on the number of films and television shows he would compose for. • He composes more concert music and conducts his music with orchestras. • John now conducts a lot with the New York Philharmonic.
Movies • There have been lots of movies he has composed music in, including: • Because They’re Young • I Passed for White • Not with My Wife You Don’t • Superman • The Fury • Tom Sawyer • Star Wars • And so many more!
Television • He also composed music for television shows including: • Heidi • Jane Eyre • Time Tunnel • Gilligan’s Island • Lost in Space • And tons more as well!
Accomplishments • The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented John Williams his first Oscar in April 1972 for the musical, Fiddler on the Roof. • His second Academy Award was in March 1976 for the music he composed in the movie Jaws. • Star Wars also brought him many, many more nominees with some awards throughout the years. • John was also nominated for a few Emmy awards for some of the television shows he did.
John Williams once told a reporter of the Chicago Tribune, “My sold motive is musical – to keep the continuity of the great orchestra having a great tradition, and vitalize it as much as I can. I would frankly do it for nothing. “
Influence • John Williams influenced many composers and just people in general throughout his life. • His music is not only enjoyed but changed the way audience experiences films now days. • He was influenced by lots of people himself, but the main person that influenced him was his father.
Bibliography • http://www.sfcv.org/learn/composer-gallery/williams-john?gclid=CP-x1aGV2bICFeaDQgodKnIABw • http://www.dlwaldron.com/JohnWilliamsbio.html • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=john+williams&num=10&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=NaAaWKw3XU7fgM:&imgrefurl=http://www.last.fm/music/John%2BWilliams/%2Bimages/60614903&docid=Cv4Tx7P3u-wQIM&imgurl=http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/60614903/John%252BWilliams%252BPNG.png&w=489&h=386&ei=oEpqUNbVFOiaiQKt6IGIBg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1072&vpy=281&dur=395&hovh=199&hovw=253&tx=210&ty=119&sig=111868724338173319067&page=2&tbnh=137&tbnw=169&start=24&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:20,s:24,i:281 • Current Biography 1980 Pages 431-434