Ok, so I've desided to start this thread, because every once in a while I post something from the Tube or somewhere else (like Johnny Hollow). So I'll be placing all my stuf here, not to make a mess of things. So I'll start with one of the greatest folk bands I've ever known. [url=http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... 7:22cdu56m]Hedningarna[/url:22cdu56m]
Short bio:
Hedningarna are a Swedish and, for some years partly Finnish, folk music band that mixes electronics and rock with elements from old Scandinavian folk music. Their music features Yoik or juoiggus, a traditional Sami form of song.
History
Hållbus Totte Mattson, Anders Stake and Björn Tollin formed Hedningarna in 1987. Hedning is Swedish for heathen. They wanted to go far back to the roots of the Old Norse culture, including the use of ancient instruments not much used in current Swedish folk music. Stake, a trained luthier, also began to invent and build new instruments, to produce new sounds.
In 1988 Hedningarna composed and performed a major part of the music to the stage play Den stora vreden (roughly meaning The Great Wrath) which aroused great interest. Their first album titled Hedningarna was released on Alice Records in 1989. In 1991, Hedningarna began their collaboration with Silence Records. They met the Finnish singers Sanna Kurki-Suonio and Tellu Paulasto. The album Kaksi! (Finnish for two) was released in September of 1992. In 1993 Hedningarna was awarded a Swedish Grammis (the equivalent of Grammy) for The Best Folk Music Album of the year. The sales of Kaksi! reached 35 000 albums, which is very high for a folk music record in Sweden. British Sasha made a remix of Hedningarna's Kruspolska which climbed the charts in England.
The third album Trä (a pun, since "Trä" also sounds a lot like the Swedish word for "Three") was released in September of 1994. Melody Maker wrote "it may sound alien, but yet it sounds like the most essential music on the earth." Hedningarna performed at the Roskilde Festival in the presence of 20 000 people on the second largest stage. In 1995 Hedningarna toured Scandinavia and abroad. A compilation album with songs from Trä and Kaksi! was released in the U.S. By 1995, their albums had been released in Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Thailand, Great Britain and the U.S.
The singers Kurki-Suonio and Paulasto stayed at home in Finland during 1996 for child birth and their studies. Paulasto decided to leave the band, and she was replaced by Anita Lehtola, who had been in the same class as Paulasto at The Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Mattson, Stake and Tollin began work on their new album Hippjokk. Rock bassist Ulf Ivarsson played the new bass mandora built by Mattson. Finnish Sami yoik singer Wimme Saari participated with his singing and famous Norwegian guitarist Knut Reiersrud had also a role in the album. Johan Liljemark played the didgeridoo, which he had learned in Australia while living among the Aboriginals. Hippjokk was released in February of 1997. The band made tours and festival gigs with the singers in Spain and Belgium, and Ulf "Rockis" Ivarsson became a member of Hedningarna. Anders Stake changed his name to Anders Norudde.
During the winter of 1998 Hedningarna travelled to Karelia, Russia to gather inspiration for their new album, Karelia Visa. It was recorded during the spring and summer the same year. A short tour around Spain took place that summer. Ulf Ivarsson left the group after the recordings were finished. Mattson and Tollin together with the violin player Ola Bäckström recorded a CD with music for the dance troupe Virvla. It was released at Silence records in 1999. Sanna Kurki-Suonio released a solo album in Finland the same year. Karelia Visa was released in 1999, and it was followed by concerts in Scandinavia and a three week tour in the USA.
Hedningarna played live to a dance performance based on their music, made and performed by Flying Foot Forum in Minneapolis, USA. The violin player Magnus Stinnerbom joined the group. In 2000, Norudde released a solo album and the percussionist Christian Svensson joined the group, replacing founding member Björn Tollin. The compilation CD 1989-2003 was released in 2003. By then, Hedningarna had sold about 150 000 records. The singers left the group in 2003, and since then the group has again been an instrumental ensemble.
Discography
* Hedningarna (1989)
* Kaksi (1991)
* Trä (1994)
* Kruspolska SASHA mixes (1994)
* Hippjokk (1997)
* Karelia Visa (1999)
* 1989-2003 (2003)
Source: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedningarna:22cdu56m]Wiki[/url:22cdu56m]
There's really not much of their music on the Tube, but some samples I can give. I don't recommend downloading it via torrents, though it is possible (the whole discography can be found there). I do not encourage you to do it.
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=cWkS2PkgmsE:22cdu56m]Heila[/url:22cdu56m]
song: Hedningarna - Heila (True Love)
My truelove is far gone to foreign countries
and I wonder what she'll be doing
Although I am just such a rascal youngster
sometimes my heart is grieving
All kings of flowers grow in the fields
but only a few of the blue ones
I haven't now for a long time been able
to see the sweet eyes of my truelove
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=5vSNVWeUUl0:22cdu56m]Veli[/url:22cdu56m]
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=gFLrrxH0st4:22cdu56m]live show[/url:22cdu56m]
Enjoy.
Music is coming home...
Moderators: Shir'le E. Illios, Bhaern Quel
-
Shir'le E. Illios
- High Priestess
- Posts: 2352
- Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 9:51 pm
- Location: Eilistraee.com
- Contact:
Ooh, quite like that music. Quite lovely. Thanks. 
Love -x-x-x-
Shir'le
Love -x-x-x-
Shir'le
-= Shir'le E. Illios =-
Chosen of Eilistraee
Żywiołak...
As soon as I find more of these nice tunes, I'll post right away.
Edit: Here's more...
This group is called Żywiołak. It's a Polish heavy folk band, whose name may be translated into ELEMENTAL.
First some links:
[url=http://www.myspace.com/zywiolak:1wu2ahxn]My Space[/url:1wu2ahxn]
[url=http://www.jamendo.com/pl/album/3425:1wu2ahxn]the tricky link[/url:1wu2ahxn]
Why? Because it's in Polish. Click the POBIERZ word to download the three available free tracks. Or do the same from My Space. Now some facts about the band:
It was founded in 2006. Wiki won't help you, cause that small article isn't available in English, or any other language apart from Polish for that matter. Anyway, they got two singles out since 2006. They play something extremely good and fun, a style that coresponds with the Slavic tradition in myth and legend. I'm trying to translate some lyrics for you guys. It will take a while, but the first samples should be put here in the following week. The music is very nice. Could be appealing should you like Hedningarna.
Here's something from their official website:
The 'Zywiolak' project is the non-accidental effect of a meeting of two friends of music styles defined as heavyfolk, biometal, folkmetal, or hardfolk...
In their home-bands, both have gone through fascination of Slavic and Celtic music as well as widely defined rock`n`roll.
Robert Jaworski - the founder of Turek-Lódz based band 'ich troLe' - which has shaken the Polish folk scene within just a year since it`s foundation. He is fascinated with medieval music,old instruments, good rock n’roll and folk art. He tried, not very effectively to enliven his ideas for interpretation of Slavic music by playing in 'Warsaw Village Band'. Later, in his own band 'ich troLe', he managed to record his first Slavic composition called: 'Pochwist'.
Early breakdown of the band disable him from realisation of more musical ideas.
Some day his music trail leads him to akin soul - Robert Wasilewski.
Robert Wasilewski - regular guitar-player of the legendary folk band 'Open Folk'.
One of the last active folk musicians in Poland, who grew up listening to bands such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd or Black Sabbath and who draws inspirations from them. For a long time he planned to record his ideas of interpretation of 'folk demonology' Slavic music.
Some of these compositions were already performed by 'Open Folk' the other soon will be played by Zywiolak.
Two men of the same first name decide to join forces and create band that would be led by the motive of folk demonology. That notion is at least abstract for contemporary people in Poland and so far was not directly explored by any Polish folk group.
The subject of pre-Christian beliefs, which became ground for many myths, is a rewarding artistic playground used all over the world not only by musicians. Interested in folk arts, archaeology and encouraged by kind treatment of folk music in media, they decided to once more enliven creatures from domestic legends and tales, which are inseparable parts of Slavic mythology. Creatures which were degraded by Christian tradition to role of devils and dark forces. Contemporary ethnographic and anthropologic research prove that pre-Christian cults were present in 18th century in Poland and their direct remains were visible even shortly before World War II. It’s folk art in which they still live and allude to the past. Painting Easter eggs, drowning Marzanna at the beginning of spring, avoiding greetings through doorsill or knocking in non-painted wood are the best examples of pagan habits that live in present times. All that folk background has become the core of inspirations for Zywiolak.
Many days have passed since the memorable meeting in January 2005. The inspiration-exchanging duet 'Open troL' has been joined by a singer Izebela Byra (known from earlier experience in group 'Detonacja' and other non-folk bands) and Anna Piotrowska (very exuberant singer from bands such as 'Goscie z Nizin'). The rhythmic section was initially taken over by the drummer Michal 'ThOrn' from metal band 'Sphere' who was later exchanged with Maciej Labudzki (regular leader of the Otwock-based reggae team 'Mistik Madzonga'). Complicated and winding roads of all those music characters met one day in Warsaw and the effect of their cooperation gives Polish folk music a new perspective. Those persons are with Zywiolak until this day.
Word Zywiolak (Were-Upheaval, Were-Element) has no direct meaning, it’s no name of any mythical character. It’s just a word-game which is common in contemporary Slavic-type literature. Such words are to be found in book of beasts of Polish issues of RPGs, in poetry of Boleslaw Lesmian , or in artworks of modern generation - author of many lyrics used by Zywiolak - Zgorzelec-based multiartist Grzegorz Zak.
The Band:
The name Zywiolak is to explicitly define energy of our music… 'Zywiolak' is the creation of our Slavic imagination… 'Zywiolak' is the music of elements…
The music:
The music of Zywiolak is a resultant of such music styles as: folk, punk, rockmetal, accoustic transtechno or drum`n`bass. It also takes an application from elements of: dub, chillout or ambient music. This is joined by the sounds of reconstructed antient instruments, recent time inventions and archaic or contenporary vocal techniques.
We suggest: 'polish neoroots music' definition...
Let`s see how will it take a root...
Now some things I've found on the Tube.
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AKXuye7eiQ:1wu2ahxn]Dybuk[/url:1wu2ahxn]
Johny came to me, I’ve been a’waitin;
Welcomed him at night, and told him to leave at dusk.
Ice cold shell awaits by the forest,
Shines the bloody cross-eye,
The lover will never see, runs like a brilliant stallion.
The one that tonight pleases him!
When the night is dark, Johnny runs to Kate.
Dawn till dusk, I my lover await,
For my sweet Johnny.
Dawn till dusk, I my lover await,
For my sweet Johnny, he’s not here!
For his coming to her, pleading for kisses,
The black “Dybuk” will take him through the woods!
For he came to her, pleading for her kisses.
The Raven lot shall feed!
When the his soul is skinned,
Your lips no, but wolf’s claws.
When his corps is dragged by the blackened soul,
Your lips no, but raven claws!
The Dybuk’s eye, looks for the soul…
Though they brake my bones, though my skin’s a balizin, that I came to you at night – No regret!
Do not cry for me, your harts voice you hear.
In spirit I shall come to you, though in Dybuk’s corps…
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PLTg2bK ... d:1wu2ahxn]Noc Kupały[/url:1wu2ahxn]
This song was supposed to be played at the Eurovision contest, but it wasn't. Instead, Poland will be represented by a woman with a penis. Sad. Lyrics to this song will appear not long from now.
Edit: 8th May
The translating process is a little too much for me. So no English lyrics, sorry. Hope you liked the music itself though
Edit: Here's more...
This group is called Żywiołak. It's a Polish heavy folk band, whose name may be translated into ELEMENTAL.
First some links:
[url=http://www.myspace.com/zywiolak:1wu2ahxn]My Space[/url:1wu2ahxn]
[url=http://www.jamendo.com/pl/album/3425:1wu2ahxn]the tricky link[/url:1wu2ahxn]
Why? Because it's in Polish. Click the POBIERZ word to download the three available free tracks. Or do the same from My Space. Now some facts about the band:
It was founded in 2006. Wiki won't help you, cause that small article isn't available in English, or any other language apart from Polish for that matter. Anyway, they got two singles out since 2006. They play something extremely good and fun, a style that coresponds with the Slavic tradition in myth and legend. I'm trying to translate some lyrics for you guys. It will take a while, but the first samples should be put here in the following week. The music is very nice. Could be appealing should you like Hedningarna.
Here's something from their official website:
The 'Zywiolak' project is the non-accidental effect of a meeting of two friends of music styles defined as heavyfolk, biometal, folkmetal, or hardfolk...
In their home-bands, both have gone through fascination of Slavic and Celtic music as well as widely defined rock`n`roll.
Robert Jaworski - the founder of Turek-Lódz based band 'ich troLe' - which has shaken the Polish folk scene within just a year since it`s foundation. He is fascinated with medieval music,old instruments, good rock n’roll and folk art. He tried, not very effectively to enliven his ideas for interpretation of Slavic music by playing in 'Warsaw Village Band'. Later, in his own band 'ich troLe', he managed to record his first Slavic composition called: 'Pochwist'.
Early breakdown of the band disable him from realisation of more musical ideas.
Some day his music trail leads him to akin soul - Robert Wasilewski.
Robert Wasilewski - regular guitar-player of the legendary folk band 'Open Folk'.
One of the last active folk musicians in Poland, who grew up listening to bands such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd or Black Sabbath and who draws inspirations from them. For a long time he planned to record his ideas of interpretation of 'folk demonology' Slavic music.
Some of these compositions were already performed by 'Open Folk' the other soon will be played by Zywiolak.
Two men of the same first name decide to join forces and create band that would be led by the motive of folk demonology. That notion is at least abstract for contemporary people in Poland and so far was not directly explored by any Polish folk group.
The subject of pre-Christian beliefs, which became ground for many myths, is a rewarding artistic playground used all over the world not only by musicians. Interested in folk arts, archaeology and encouraged by kind treatment of folk music in media, they decided to once more enliven creatures from domestic legends and tales, which are inseparable parts of Slavic mythology. Creatures which were degraded by Christian tradition to role of devils and dark forces. Contemporary ethnographic and anthropologic research prove that pre-Christian cults were present in 18th century in Poland and their direct remains were visible even shortly before World War II. It’s folk art in which they still live and allude to the past. Painting Easter eggs, drowning Marzanna at the beginning of spring, avoiding greetings through doorsill or knocking in non-painted wood are the best examples of pagan habits that live in present times. All that folk background has become the core of inspirations for Zywiolak.
Many days have passed since the memorable meeting in January 2005. The inspiration-exchanging duet 'Open troL' has been joined by a singer Izebela Byra (known from earlier experience in group 'Detonacja' and other non-folk bands) and Anna Piotrowska (very exuberant singer from bands such as 'Goscie z Nizin'). The rhythmic section was initially taken over by the drummer Michal 'ThOrn' from metal band 'Sphere' who was later exchanged with Maciej Labudzki (regular leader of the Otwock-based reggae team 'Mistik Madzonga'). Complicated and winding roads of all those music characters met one day in Warsaw and the effect of their cooperation gives Polish folk music a new perspective. Those persons are with Zywiolak until this day.
Word Zywiolak (Were-Upheaval, Were-Element) has no direct meaning, it’s no name of any mythical character. It’s just a word-game which is common in contemporary Slavic-type literature. Such words are to be found in book of beasts of Polish issues of RPGs, in poetry of Boleslaw Lesmian , or in artworks of modern generation - author of many lyrics used by Zywiolak - Zgorzelec-based multiartist Grzegorz Zak.
The Band:
The name Zywiolak is to explicitly define energy of our music… 'Zywiolak' is the creation of our Slavic imagination… 'Zywiolak' is the music of elements…
The music:
The music of Zywiolak is a resultant of such music styles as: folk, punk, rockmetal, accoustic transtechno or drum`n`bass. It also takes an application from elements of: dub, chillout or ambient music. This is joined by the sounds of reconstructed antient instruments, recent time inventions and archaic or contenporary vocal techniques.
We suggest: 'polish neoroots music' definition...
Let`s see how will it take a root...Now some things I've found on the Tube.
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AKXuye7eiQ:1wu2ahxn]Dybuk[/url:1wu2ahxn]
Johny came to me, I’ve been a’waitin;
Welcomed him at night, and told him to leave at dusk.
Ice cold shell awaits by the forest,
Shines the bloody cross-eye,
The lover will never see, runs like a brilliant stallion.
The one that tonight pleases him!
When the night is dark, Johnny runs to Kate.
Dawn till dusk, I my lover await,
For my sweet Johnny.
Dawn till dusk, I my lover await,
For my sweet Johnny, he’s not here!
For his coming to her, pleading for kisses,
The black “Dybuk” will take him through the woods!
For he came to her, pleading for her kisses.
The Raven lot shall feed!
When the his soul is skinned,
Your lips no, but wolf’s claws.
When his corps is dragged by the blackened soul,
Your lips no, but raven claws!
The Dybuk’s eye, looks for the soul…
Though they brake my bones, though my skin’s a balizin, that I came to you at night – No regret!
Do not cry for me, your harts voice you hear.
In spirit I shall come to you, though in Dybuk’s corps…
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PLTg2bK ... d:1wu2ahxn]Noc Kupały[/url:1wu2ahxn]
This song was supposed to be played at the Eurovision contest, but it wasn't. Instead, Poland will be represented by a woman with a penis. Sad. Lyrics to this song will appear not long from now.
Edit: 8th May
The translating process is a little too much for me. So no English lyrics, sorry. Hope you liked the music itself though
Korpiklaani...
And now yet another band.
KORPIKLAANI
Short bio from wiki:
Korpiklaani (Forest Clan in Finnish) is a folk metal band from Finland. Korpiklaani is the new name of the band previously called Shaman, that was formed by Jonne Järvelä who still remains the mastermind of Korpiklaani. In contrast to Shaman which recorded songs in the original Sami language, Korpiklaani record mostly in English, but also in Finnish. The musical style is a more conventional folk/thrash metal.
The music of Korpiklaani ranges from the violin-and-guitar paean to the Finnish god of fermentation Pellonpekko, to the "typical" trollish metal "Wooden Pints", to "Crows Bring The Spring".
There has been some amount of collaboration between Korpiklaani and Finntroll, as Samu Ruotsalainen of Finntroll provided session drums for their debut album Spirit of the Forest and Järvelä provided the yoiking for the title track of Finntroll's album Jaktens Tid.
Check them out on [url=http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... 4:2cyj5qzm]MySpace[/url:2cyj5qzm]
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korpiklaani:2cyj5qzm]Wiki[/url:2cyj5qzm]
Here are some of their clips from the Tube:
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=OIc4VHxU7iM:2cyj5qzm]Wooden Pints[/url:2cyj5qzm]
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=XOKbhQbvpPA:2cyj5qzm]Beer Beer[/url:2cyj5qzm]
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=M3ZhkLUcKT8:2cyj5qzm]Happy Little Boozer[/url:2cyj5qzm]
This last one I find particularly personal...
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=7H0_7YPoU3Q:2cyj5qzm]Tervaskanto[/url:2cyj5qzm]
And a very humoristic stident-made clip:
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=FgHzrTwXZ20:2cyj5qzm]Let's drink[/url:2cyj5qzm]
More info from their bio section on MySpace:
KORPIKLAANI (or "Forest Clan") emerged out of the ashes of Shaman, when the band opted to change its name, along with its musical and lyrical expression. The goal was to move away from Shaman’s trademark use of the Sámi language’s strong, impulsive folk metal, as heard on Idja (1999) and Shamániac (2002) and opt for a stronger and more widely accepted sound.
Jonne Järvelä imagined the change of style to be characterized by both a heavier influence of the traditional Finnish folk melodies and of metal. He began to search for musicians able to produce the results he envisioned.
The first addition to the line-up was a young violinist named Jaakko Lemmetty, better known as Hittavainen. It became clear to Jonne after only the first audition that Hittavainen was a perfect match for KORPIKLAANI. Matson (drums), an old friend of Jonne’s, a superb drummer, and the natural choice for the new line-up soon joined the band, bringing with him the talents of his former bass player Arto Tissari and guitarist Toni Honkanen, a.k.a. Honka, into play. Honka knew a skillful percussionist, Ali Määttä, who had previous experience in the folk music scene and he too, was quickly recruited.
Shaman was Jonne Järvelä’s way to express his musical insanity, and that has not changed in KORPIKLAANI. The madness continues.
Many of KORPIKLAANI’s songs come directly from the annals of the Finnish folk archives, but are activated with a fierce twist of metal. This constitutes the major difference between KORPIKLAANI and other folk metal bands, which usually use folk music only as the impulse in metal.
KORPIKLAANI’s music is very Finnish and the band does not fear to be labeled "yokels", living in the middle of the forest. They prefer to draw inspiration from their surroundings,as they so skillfully did on their 2003 NAPALM RECS debut, "Spirit of the Forest". The album presented an indisputable Folk Metal achievement. Its musicality, varying from the mysteriously charming instrumental compositions to the "humppa" melodies that immediately invite the listener to dance along and reflect the entire spectrum of the Finnish Folk Metal art.
With the recording of "Voice of Wilderness" complete and awaiting its 24 Jan 2005 release, the members of KORPIKLAANI concentrated on finding a permanent accordion player. Juho joined the band in the fall of 2004 enabling them to more easily transfer the energetic melodies and Folk Metal atmosphere to the live stage.
But the line-up changes didn’t stop there. Arto began his military service and decided to not continue with the band. As such, Jarkko Aaltonen replaced him in the summer of 2005. Likewise, Ali and Honka parted ways with KORPIKLAANI, as they did not feel they could adequately devote themselves to the band due to personal committments.
The current lineup has been stable ever since, and KORPIKLAANI made with "Tales along the Road" a strong successor to "Voice of Wilderness". Tales along the Road is the first album that has more songs in Finnish than in English. This is a logical step for a band that feels so close to their roots and the Finnish folk music. It was also enhanced by the excellent lyrics written by Juha Jyrkäs (a.k.a. Virva Holtiton). His lyrics are written according to the traditional "Kalevala" style. In "Tales along the Road" folk and metal mingle even stronger to an irresistible unity, as well for lovers of traditional folk music, as for metal enthusiasts, and of course for beer lovers!
In June 2007 the next album "Tervaskanto" was released. In Tervaskanto the folk-metal style has even more taken shape. The songs are energetic, catchy and very melodic. Most lyrics are written again by Juha Jyrkäs who became more or less permanently engaged as lyrics writer. This album only has two songs in English, but the booklet contains, as usual, translations of the lyrics and some background information. The usual mix of skillfully played genuine instruments, rough vocals, original melodies, outstanding lyrics, energy, joy and beer, made Tervaskanto to a highlight for many people.
KORPIKLAANI performed through the years on many stages and many festivals. To see this band live is an unforgettable experience. When KORPIKLAANI plays, it is party time for the band, but maybe even more for the audience that soon changes in one big happy, whirling pit, where everyone has a great time, and all daily worries are forgotten.
The great times on stage and the enthusiasm of the audience inspired the band to write even more songs, and already in February 2008 another album will be born: "Korven Kuningas" (The king of the woods). In the meantime songs of Tervaskanto will show up among the many catchy songs that KORPIKLAANI already plays on stage.
And of course their official website:
[url=http://www.korpiklaani.com/:2cyj5qzm]KORPIKLAANI[/url:2cyj5qzm]
Hope you'll enjoy it...
KORPIKLAANI
Short bio from wiki:
Korpiklaani (Forest Clan in Finnish) is a folk metal band from Finland. Korpiklaani is the new name of the band previously called Shaman, that was formed by Jonne Järvelä who still remains the mastermind of Korpiklaani. In contrast to Shaman which recorded songs in the original Sami language, Korpiklaani record mostly in English, but also in Finnish. The musical style is a more conventional folk/thrash metal.
The music of Korpiklaani ranges from the violin-and-guitar paean to the Finnish god of fermentation Pellonpekko, to the "typical" trollish metal "Wooden Pints", to "Crows Bring The Spring".
There has been some amount of collaboration between Korpiklaani and Finntroll, as Samu Ruotsalainen of Finntroll provided session drums for their debut album Spirit of the Forest and Järvelä provided the yoiking for the title track of Finntroll's album Jaktens Tid.
Check them out on [url=http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... 4:2cyj5qzm]MySpace[/url:2cyj5qzm]
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korpiklaani:2cyj5qzm]Wiki[/url:2cyj5qzm]
Here are some of their clips from the Tube:
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=OIc4VHxU7iM:2cyj5qzm]Wooden Pints[/url:2cyj5qzm]
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=XOKbhQbvpPA:2cyj5qzm]Beer Beer[/url:2cyj5qzm]
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=M3ZhkLUcKT8:2cyj5qzm]Happy Little Boozer[/url:2cyj5qzm]
This last one I find particularly personal...
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=7H0_7YPoU3Q:2cyj5qzm]Tervaskanto[/url:2cyj5qzm]
And a very humoristic stident-made clip:
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=FgHzrTwXZ20:2cyj5qzm]Let's drink[/url:2cyj5qzm]
More info from their bio section on MySpace:
KORPIKLAANI (or "Forest Clan") emerged out of the ashes of Shaman, when the band opted to change its name, along with its musical and lyrical expression. The goal was to move away from Shaman’s trademark use of the Sámi language’s strong, impulsive folk metal, as heard on Idja (1999) and Shamániac (2002) and opt for a stronger and more widely accepted sound.
Jonne Järvelä imagined the change of style to be characterized by both a heavier influence of the traditional Finnish folk melodies and of metal. He began to search for musicians able to produce the results he envisioned.
The first addition to the line-up was a young violinist named Jaakko Lemmetty, better known as Hittavainen. It became clear to Jonne after only the first audition that Hittavainen was a perfect match for KORPIKLAANI. Matson (drums), an old friend of Jonne’s, a superb drummer, and the natural choice for the new line-up soon joined the band, bringing with him the talents of his former bass player Arto Tissari and guitarist Toni Honkanen, a.k.a. Honka, into play. Honka knew a skillful percussionist, Ali Määttä, who had previous experience in the folk music scene and he too, was quickly recruited.
Shaman was Jonne Järvelä’s way to express his musical insanity, and that has not changed in KORPIKLAANI. The madness continues.
Many of KORPIKLAANI’s songs come directly from the annals of the Finnish folk archives, but are activated with a fierce twist of metal. This constitutes the major difference between KORPIKLAANI and other folk metal bands, which usually use folk music only as the impulse in metal.
KORPIKLAANI’s music is very Finnish and the band does not fear to be labeled "yokels", living in the middle of the forest. They prefer to draw inspiration from their surroundings,as they so skillfully did on their 2003 NAPALM RECS debut, "Spirit of the Forest". The album presented an indisputable Folk Metal achievement. Its musicality, varying from the mysteriously charming instrumental compositions to the "humppa" melodies that immediately invite the listener to dance along and reflect the entire spectrum of the Finnish Folk Metal art.
With the recording of "Voice of Wilderness" complete and awaiting its 24 Jan 2005 release, the members of KORPIKLAANI concentrated on finding a permanent accordion player. Juho joined the band in the fall of 2004 enabling them to more easily transfer the energetic melodies and Folk Metal atmosphere to the live stage.
But the line-up changes didn’t stop there. Arto began his military service and decided to not continue with the band. As such, Jarkko Aaltonen replaced him in the summer of 2005. Likewise, Ali and Honka parted ways with KORPIKLAANI, as they did not feel they could adequately devote themselves to the band due to personal committments.
The current lineup has been stable ever since, and KORPIKLAANI made with "Tales along the Road" a strong successor to "Voice of Wilderness". Tales along the Road is the first album that has more songs in Finnish than in English. This is a logical step for a band that feels so close to their roots and the Finnish folk music. It was also enhanced by the excellent lyrics written by Juha Jyrkäs (a.k.a. Virva Holtiton). His lyrics are written according to the traditional "Kalevala" style. In "Tales along the Road" folk and metal mingle even stronger to an irresistible unity, as well for lovers of traditional folk music, as for metal enthusiasts, and of course for beer lovers!
In June 2007 the next album "Tervaskanto" was released. In Tervaskanto the folk-metal style has even more taken shape. The songs are energetic, catchy and very melodic. Most lyrics are written again by Juha Jyrkäs who became more or less permanently engaged as lyrics writer. This album only has two songs in English, but the booklet contains, as usual, translations of the lyrics and some background information. The usual mix of skillfully played genuine instruments, rough vocals, original melodies, outstanding lyrics, energy, joy and beer, made Tervaskanto to a highlight for many people.
KORPIKLAANI performed through the years on many stages and many festivals. To see this band live is an unforgettable experience. When KORPIKLAANI plays, it is party time for the band, but maybe even more for the audience that soon changes in one big happy, whirling pit, where everyone has a great time, and all daily worries are forgotten.
The great times on stage and the enthusiasm of the audience inspired the band to write even more songs, and already in February 2008 another album will be born: "Korven Kuningas" (The king of the woods). In the meantime songs of Tervaskanto will show up among the many catchy songs that KORPIKLAANI already plays on stage.
And of course their official website:
[url=http://www.korpiklaani.com/:2cyj5qzm]KORPIKLAANI[/url:2cyj5qzm]
Hope you'll enjoy it...
Johnny Hollow!!!!
Ok, I know I've posted this earlier, but now it's time for a full revelation of Johnny Hollow...
Firts, their [url=http://www.johnnyhollowmusic.com/indexf ... l:1okl1csk]website[/url:1okl1csk].
Short bio:
Johnny Hollow - Biography
Johnny Hollow is Gothic chamber music for the 21st century. Like a siren’s call, their unique blend of dark electronic and orchestral sounds have attracted fans since 2003. Their music has received critical acclaim from such diverse publications as Rue Morgue (Canada), Fiend (Australia), Funprox (Netherlands) and Legends (US). ‘Bag of Snow’, the single from their independently release debut album, was featured on a compilation CD for D-Side (France) and Club Electra Magazine (Japan) respectively. Recipients of online accolades (People’s Choice Website of the Year) and intensely loyal fan support, johnnyhollow.com boasts an active forum (500+ members), an extensive global membership in excess of 3000 addresses and at least 3 unaffiliated fan sites.
Conceived as holistic artistic vision, Johnny Hollow is Janine White (vocals, electro acoustics, and keyboards), Kitty Thompson (cello) and Vincent Marcone (artistic design). Both classically trained, Janine White and Kitty Thompson weave the threads of piano and cello to an unnatural end creating a tapestry of madness and passion throughout the band’s soundscape. Completing this audio transcendence, the darkly disturbing images of Juno winning artist Vincent Marcone transport the observer to a place where darkness is but the beginning of the journey.
"This is not the last you will hear from this three-headed beast."
They had two albums, at least that's how many I am aware of. Both are accesable on the net. The latest is just a listanable one, and that I've posted earlier. But just to be sure you don't miss it:
[url=http://thishollowworld.net/:1okl1csk]Dirty Hands[/url:1okl1csk]
The previous one from 2003 is downloadable. Legally. You just have to solve a short and simple riddle for each track.
And [url=http://www.johnnyhollowmusic.com/2003/:1okl1csk]here[/url:1okl1csk] it is.
Enjoy. The riddles are very fun to do and easy. The more easy should someone come across [url=http://zestriddle.ovh.org/:1okl1csk]Zest Online Riddles[/url:1okl1csk]
Zest is best viewed in the ME, as it shows the source file. Clues to solving the riddles are everywhere. Sometimes you need to view the source, sometimes save the image and check it in some image editor (making it lighter, darker, lots of different stuff). And they're great fun. O and the music really gets to you.
Anyway, enjoy.
Firts, their [url=http://www.johnnyhollowmusic.com/indexf ... l:1okl1csk]website[/url:1okl1csk].
Short bio:
Johnny Hollow - Biography
Johnny Hollow is Gothic chamber music for the 21st century. Like a siren’s call, their unique blend of dark electronic and orchestral sounds have attracted fans since 2003. Their music has received critical acclaim from such diverse publications as Rue Morgue (Canada), Fiend (Australia), Funprox (Netherlands) and Legends (US). ‘Bag of Snow’, the single from their independently release debut album, was featured on a compilation CD for D-Side (France) and Club Electra Magazine (Japan) respectively. Recipients of online accolades (People’s Choice Website of the Year) and intensely loyal fan support, johnnyhollow.com boasts an active forum (500+ members), an extensive global membership in excess of 3000 addresses and at least 3 unaffiliated fan sites.
Conceived as holistic artistic vision, Johnny Hollow is Janine White (vocals, electro acoustics, and keyboards), Kitty Thompson (cello) and Vincent Marcone (artistic design). Both classically trained, Janine White and Kitty Thompson weave the threads of piano and cello to an unnatural end creating a tapestry of madness and passion throughout the band’s soundscape. Completing this audio transcendence, the darkly disturbing images of Juno winning artist Vincent Marcone transport the observer to a place where darkness is but the beginning of the journey.
"This is not the last you will hear from this three-headed beast."
They had two albums, at least that's how many I am aware of. Both are accesable on the net. The latest is just a listanable one, and that I've posted earlier. But just to be sure you don't miss it:
[url=http://thishollowworld.net/:1okl1csk]Dirty Hands[/url:1okl1csk]
The previous one from 2003 is downloadable. Legally. You just have to solve a short and simple riddle for each track.
And [url=http://www.johnnyhollowmusic.com/2003/:1okl1csk]here[/url:1okl1csk] it is.
Enjoy. The riddles are very fun to do and easy. The more easy should someone come across [url=http://zestriddle.ovh.org/:1okl1csk]Zest Online Riddles[/url:1okl1csk]
Zest is best viewed in the ME, as it shows the source file. Clues to solving the riddles are everywhere. Sometimes you need to view the source, sometimes save the image and check it in some image editor (making it lighter, darker, lots of different stuff). And they're great fun. O and the music really gets to you.
Anyway, enjoy.
Now, a tribute to a person, whose music all remember, know and love. A symbol. Here is:
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is an American composer, conductor and pianist. In a career that spans six decades, Williams has composed many of the most famous film scores in history, including those for Jaws, Star Wars, Superman, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Hook, Schindler's List, and the Harry Potter film series. In addition, he has composed theme music for four Olympic Games, NBC Nightly News, numerous television series and concert pieces. He served as the principal conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra from 1980 to 1993, and is now the orchestra's laureate conductor.
Williams is a five-time winner of the Academy Award.[1] With 45 Academy Award nominations, Williams is together with composer Alfred Newman the second most nominated individual after Walt Disney.[2] He was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in 2000, and was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004.
Early life and family
John Williams was born on February 8, 1932, in Floral Park, New York, the son of Esther and John Williams, Sr., who was a percussionist.[3] In 1948, his family moved to Los Angeles, where he attended North Hollywood High School. He later attended the University of California, Los Angeles and Los Angeles City College, and studied privately with composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.[4] In 1952, Williams was drafted into the United States Air Force, where he conducted and arranged music for the Air Force Band as part of his duties.
After his service ended in 1955, Williams moved to New York City and entered Juilliard School, where he studied piano with Rosina Lhévinne.[4] During this time he worked as a jazz pianist at New York's many studios and clubs. He also played for composer Henry Mancini: The session musicians were John Williams on piano, Rolly Bundock on bass, Jack Sperling on drums, and Bob Bain on guitar—the same lineup featured on the "Mr. Lucky" TV series. Williams recorded with Henry Mancini on the film soundtracks of Peter Gunn (1959), Charade (1963), and Days of Wine and Roses (1962). He was known as "Little Johnny Love" Williams in the early 1960s, and served as arranger and bandleader on a series of popular albums with singer Frankie Laine.
Williams was married to actress Barbara Ruick from 1956 until her death on March 3, 1974. They had two children together. One of those children is Joseph Williams, former lead singer for the band Toto; another is Jenny Williams, also a singer, who was born in 1956. He married for a second time on June 9, 1980, to his current wife, Samantha Winslow. Williams is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, the national honorary fraternity for college band members.
[edit] Film scoring
John Williams at the Avery Fisher Hall.
John Williams at the Avery Fisher Hall.
While skilled in a variety of twentieth-century compositional idioms, Williams's most familiar style may be described as a form of neoromanticism,[5] inspired by the same large-scale orchestral music of the late 19th century—especially Wagnerian music and its concept of leitmotif—that inspired his film-composing predecessors.[6]
After his studies at Juilliard, Williams returned to Los Angeles and began working as an orchestrator in film studios. Among others, he had worked with composers Franz Waxman, Bernard Herrmann, and Alfred Newman. He was also a studio pianist, performing in scores by composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, and Henry Mancini (for whom he played the opening riff to Peter Gunn).[7][8] Williams began to compose music scores for television series programs in the late 1950s, eventually leading to Lost in Space and The Time Tunnel. Williams's first major film composition was for the B-movie Daddy-O in 1958, and his first screen credit came two years later in Because They're Young. He soon gained notice in Hollywood for his versatility in composing jazz, piano and symphonic music. He received his first Academy Award nomination for his score to the 1967 film Valley Of The Dolls, and was nominated again in 1969 for Goodbye, Mr. Chips. He won his first Academy Award for his adapted score to the 1971 film Fiddler On The Roof. By the early 1970s, Williams had established himself as a composer for large-scale disaster films, with scores for The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, and The Towering Inferno; the last two films, scored in 1974, borrowing musical cues from each other.
In 1974, Williams was approached by Steven Spielberg to compose the music for his feature directorial debut, The Sugarland Express. The young director had been impressed with Williams's score to the 1969 film The Reivers, and was convinced the composer could provide the sound he desired for his films. They re-teamed a year later for the director's second film, Jaws. Widely considered a classic suspense piece, the score's ominous two-note motif has become nearly synonymous with sharks and approaching danger. The score earned Williams a second Academy Award, his first for an original composition. Shortly afterwards, Williams and Spielberg began preparing for their next feature film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Unusual for a Hollywood production, Spielberg's script and Williams's musical concepts were developed at the same time and were closely linked. During the two-year creative collaboration, they settled on a distinctive five-note figure that functioned both as background music and the communication signal of the film's alien mothership. Williams employed a system of musical hand signals in the film, based on a method invented by Zoltan Kodaly. Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released in 1977.
In the same period, Spielberg recommended Williams to his friend and fellow director George Lucas, who needed a composer to score his ambitious space epic, Star Wars. Williams produced a grand symphonic score in the fashion of Richard Strauss and Golden Age Hollywood composers Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Max Steiner. Its main theme—"Luke's Theme"—is among the most widely-recognized in motion picture history, and the "Force Theme" and "Princess Leia's Theme" are well-known examples of leitmotif. The film and its soundtrack were both immensely successful, and Williams won another Academy Award for Best Original Score. In 1980, Williams returned to score The Empire Strikes Back, where he famously introduced "The Imperial March" as the theme for Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire. The original Star Wars trilogy concluded with the 1983 film Return of the Jedi, for which Williams's score provided the "Emperor's Theme" and the climactic "Final Duel." Both scores earned Williams Academy Award nominations. It has been noted that the 1942 film The Talk of the Town (film) carries thematic music similar to that found within the Star Wars films.
John Williams conducting the music score to Raiders Of The Lost Ark in the Avery Fisher Hall.
John Williams conducting the music score to Raiders Of The Lost Ark in the Avery Fisher Hall.
Williams worked with director Richard Donner to score the 1978 film Superman. The score's heroic and romantic themes, particularly the main march, the Superman fanfare and the love theme, known as "Can You Read My Mind", would appear in the four subsequent sequel films. For the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, Williams wrote a rousing main theme known as "The Raiders's March" to accompany the film's hero, Indiana Jones. He also composed separate themes to represent the Ark of the Covenant, the character Marion and the Nazi villains of the story. Additional themes were featured in his scores to the sequel films Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Williams composed an emotional and sensitive score to Spielberg's 1982 fantasy film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The music conveys the film's benign, child-like sense of innocence, particularly with a spirited theme for the freedom of flight, and a soft string-based theme for the friendship between characters E.T. and Elliott. The film's final chase and farewell sequence marks a rare instance in film history, in which the on-screen action was re-edited to conform to the composer's musical interpretation. Williams was awarded a fourth Academy Award for this score.
The 1985 film The Color Purple is the only feature film directed by Steven Spielberg for which John Williams did not serve as composer. The film's producer, Quincy Jones, wanted to personally arrange and compose the music for the project. Williams also did not score Twilight Zone: The Movie, but Spielberg had directed only one of the four segments in that film; the film's music was written by another veteran Hollywood composer, rival Jerry Goldsmith, chosen by lead director and producer John Landis. The Williams-Spielberg collaboration resumed with the director's 1987 film Empire of the Sun, and has continued to the present, spanning genres from blockbuster fluff (1993's Jurassic Park), to somber tragedies (1993's Schindler's List, 2005's Munich), to Eastern-tinged melodramas (2005's Memoirs of a Geisha, eventually helmed by Rob Marshall). Spielberg has said, "I call it an honorable privilege to regard John Williams as a friend."[9][citation needed]
In 1999 George Lucas launched the first of a series prequels to the original Star Wars Trilogy. Williams was asked to score all three films, starting with Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Along with themes from the previous movies, Williams created new themes to be used as leitmotifs in Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). Most notable of these was "Duel of the Fates", an aggressive choral movement utilizing harsh Sanskrit lyrics that broadened the style of music used in the Star Wars films. For Episode II, Williams composed "Across the Stars", a love theme for Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker (mirroring the love theme composed for the second film of the previous trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back). The final installment combined many of the themes created for the entire series, including "The Emperor's Theme", "The Imperial March", "Across the Stars", "Duel of the Fates", "A Hero Falls", "The Force Theme", "Rebel Fanfare", and "Luke's Theme" and "Princess Leia's Theme." Few composers have scored an entire series of this magnitude: The combined scores of all six Star Wars films add up to music that takes a full orchestra more than 14 hours to perform entirely.
In the new millennium, Williams was asked to score the film adaptation of the widely successful young adult's book series, Harry Potter. He went on to score the first three installments of the franchise. As with his Superman theme, the most important theme from Williams' scores for the film adaptations of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, dubbed "Hedwig's Theme", has been used in the fourth and fifth movies in the series (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), scored by Patrick Doyle and Nicholas Hooper respectively. Like the main themes from Star Wars, Jaws, Superman, and Indiana Jones, fans have come to identify the Harry Potter films with Williams' original piece.
In 2006, Superman Returns was released, under the direction of Bryan Singer, best known for directing the first two movies in the X-Men series. Singer did not request Williams to compose a score for the new movie; instead, he employed the skills of X2 composer John Ottman to honorably incorporate Williams' original Superman theme, as well as those for "Lois Lane" and "Smallville." Don Davis performed a similar role for Jurassic Park III, recommended to the producers by Williams himself. (Film scores by Ottman and to a lesser extent Davis are often compared to those of Williams, as both use similar styles of composition.)
Between October 2007 and January, Williams wrote the score to the new film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. In February 2008, he spent 12 days with the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra recording the score[citation needed], and an official soundtrack was released on May 20th, 2008, two days before the film's theatrical release. He will most likely be scoring Steven Spielberg's future projects Lincoln and Interstellar. His agency has confirmed that he will be scoring Lincoln. He has also expressed an interest in composing the score for the seventh and final film in the Harry Potter film series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.[10]. It is reported that Williams will score Jurassic Park IV and Superman: Man of Steel.
[edit] Conducting and performing
Williams signing an autograph after a concert
Williams signing an autograph after a concert
From 1980 to 1993, Williams succeeded the legendary Arthur Fiedler as Principal Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. Williams never personally met Fiedler, although he did speak with him on the telephone. His arrival as the new leader of the Pops in the spring of 1980 allowed him to devote part of the Pops' first PBS broadcast of the season to presenting his new compositions for The Empire Strikes Back, in addition to conducting many Fiedler audience favorites.
Williams almost ended his tenure with the Pops in 1984.[11] Considered a customary practice of opinion, some players hissed while sight-reading a new Williams composition in rehearsal. Williams abruptly left the session and turned in his resignation, reportedly due to mounting conflicts with his film composing schedule as well as a perceived lack of discipline in the Pops' ranks, culminating in this latest instance. After entreaties by the management and personal apologies from the musicians, Williams reconsidered his resignation and continued for nine more years.[12] In 1995 he was succeeded by Keith Lockhart, the former associate conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops.
Williams is now the Laureate Conductor of the Pops, thus maintaining his affiliation with its parent, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), resident of Symphony Hall in the Massachusetts capital. Williams leads the Pops on several occasions each year, particularly during their Holiday Pops season and typically for a week of concerts in May. He conducts an annual Film Night at both Boston Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, where he frequently enlists the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, official chorus of the BSO, to provide a choral accompaniment to films (such as Saving Private Ryan).
Williams makes annual appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and took part as conductor and composer in the orchestra's opening gala concerts for Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003.
Williams has written many concert pieces, including a symphony, Concerto for Horn written for Dale Clevenger, principal hornist of the Chicago Symphony, Concerto for Clarinet written for Michele Zukovsky (Principal Clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic) in 1991,[13] a sinfonietta for wind ensemble, a cello concerto premiered by Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in 1994, concertos for the flute and violin recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, tuba, and a trumpet concerto, which was premiered by the Cleveland Orchestra and their principal trumpet Michael Sachs in September 1996. His bassoon concerto, The Five Sacred Trees, which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic and principal bassoon player Judith LeClair in 1995, was recorded for Sony Classical by Williams with LeClair and the London Symphony Orchestra.
He is also an accomplished pianist, as can be heard in various scores in which he provides solos, as well as a handful of European classical music recordings.
Stanley Donen (left) and John Williams, Avery Fisher Hall
Stanley Donen (left) and John Williams, Avery Fisher Hall
In addition, in 1985, Williams composed the well-known NBC News theme "The Mission" (which he performs in concert to signal the final encore), "Liberty Fanfare" for the re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty, "We're Lookin' Good!" for the Special Olympics in celebration of the 1987 International Summer Games, and themes for the 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2002 Olympic games. His most recent concert work "Seven for Luck", for soprano and orchestra, is a seven-piece song cycle based on the texts of former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove. "Seven for Luck" was given its world premiere by the Boston Symphony under Williams with soprano Cynthia Haymon.
John Williams also made a rare appearance on the BBC in 1980 to explain what life as a composer is like and how demanding it is to get everything just right.[citation needed]
In April 2004, February 2006, and September 2007, he conducted the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. The initial program was intended to be a one-time special event, and featured Williams' medley of Oscar-winning film scores first performed at the previous year's Academy Awards. Its unprecedented popularity led to two concerts in 2006—fund-raising gala events featuring personal recollections by film directors Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Continuing demand fueled three more concerts in 2007, which all sold out. These featured a tribute to the musicals of film director Stanley Donen, and had the distinction of serving as the opening event of the New York Philharmonic season.[14]
The funny part:
Pop culture references
* In the Family Guy episode "Brian Does Hollywood", John Williams is presented as a nominee for Best Musical Score in the fictional Adult Movie Awards. Unlike the other nominees, he is shown conducting a 48-piece orchestra.
* In the Family Guy sixth season opener "Blue Harvest" (the working title of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi), John Williams is seen conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, performing "The Force Theme" from Star Wars, as well as the theme for The People's Court. Later, Luke (played by Chris) finds the charred remains of Williams and the orchestra at his burning homestead and laments that the rest of the show will have to be scored by Danny Elfman, who is immediately beheaded.
* In the 1995 Simpsons episode "The Springfield Connection", Homer complains about a Springfield Pops performance of music from Star Wars by exclaiming, "They're butchering the classics! John Williams must be rolling around in his grave."
* In the Roy Zimmerman song "Guns In Space," John Williams is mentioned in the line "or they just don't like a war for which John Williams does the score."
You can watch the episodes of Family Guy on : [url=http://www.familyguyx.net/:2i0atq94]Family Guy[/url:2i0atq94]
What and when did he do?
Film scores
The following list consists of select films for which John Williams wrote the score and/or songs. Those films for which his music won an Oscar are in bold.
1950s
* Daddy-O (1958)
1960s
* Because They're Young (1960)
* I Passed for White (1960)
* The Secret Ways (1961)
* Bachelor Flat (1962)
* Diamond Head (1963)
* Gidget Goes to Rome (1963)
* The Killers (1964)
* None but the Brave (1965)
* The Rare Breed (1966)
* John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
* Valley of the Dolls (1967) Oscar nomination (songs written by André and Dory Previn)
* A Guide for the Married Man (1967)
* Fitzwilly (1967)
* The Reivers (1969) Oscar nomination
* Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) Oscar nomination
1970s
* Storia di una donna (1970) His only score written for a foreign movie
* Jane Eyre (1970)
* Fiddler on the Roof (1971) Oscar winner
* Images (1972) Oscar nomination
* The Poseidon Adventure (1972) Oscar nomination
* The Cowboys (1972)
* Cinderella Liberty (1973) Oscar nomination
* The Long Goodbye (1973), also title song.
* The Paper Chase (1973)
* Tom Sawyer (1973) Oscar nomination shared with Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman
* The Towering Inferno (1974) Oscar nomination
* The Sugarland Express (1974)
* Jaws (1975) Golden Globe, BAFTA & Oscar winner
* The Eiger Sanction (1975)
* Family Plot (1976)
* Midway (1976)
* The Missouri Breaks (1976)
* Black Sunday (1977)
* Star Wars (1977) Oscar, Golden Globe & BAFTA winner
* Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Oscar nomination
* The Fury (1978)
* Superman (1978) Oscar nomination & double Grammy nominations
* 1941 (1979)
* Dracula (1979)
1980s
* Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Oscar & double Grammy nominations, BAFTA winner
* Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Oscar & double Grammy nominations
* Monsignor (1982)
* Yes, Giorgio (1982) Oscar nomination
* E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Golden Globe, Oscar & BAFTA winner
* Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) Oscar nomination
* Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) Oscar nomination
* The River (1984) Oscar nomination
* SpaceCamp (1985)
* Empire of the Sun (1987) Oscar nomination, BAFTA winner
* The Witches of Eastwick (1987) Oscar nomination
* The Accidental Tourist (1988) Oscar nomination
* Born on the Fourth of July (1989) Oscar nomination
* Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Oscar nomination
1990s
* Stanley and Iris (1990)
* Presumed Innocent (1990)
* Home Alone (1990) double Oscar nominations
* Hook (1991) Grammy & Oscar nominations
* JFK (1991) Oscar nomination
* Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
* Far and Away (1992)
* Jurassic Park (1993)
* Schindler's List (1993) Oscar, Grammy and BAFTA winner
* Nixon (1995) Oscar nomination
* Sabrina (1995) double Oscar nominations
* Sleepers (1996) Oscar nomination
* Rosewood (1997)
* The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
* Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
* Amistad (1997) Grammy & Oscar nominations
* Stepmom (1998)
* Saving Private Ryan (1998) Golden Globe, Grammy & Oscar nominations
* Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) Grammy nomination
* Angela's Ashes (1999) Grammy & Oscar nomination
2000s
* The Patriot (2000) Oscar nomination
* A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) Grammy & Oscar nominations
* Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) Oscar & double Grammy nominations
* Catch Me if You Can (2002) Oscar nomination
* Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
* Minority Report (2002)
* Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Grammy nomination
* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Grammy & Oscar nominations (soundtrack)
* The Terminal (2004)
* Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) double Grammy nominations
* War of the Worlds (2005) Grammy nomination
* Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) Golden Globe, BAFTA and Grammy winner, Oscar nomination
* Munich (2005) Oscar nomination, Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition
* Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman (2006)
* Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)
* "Duo Concertante for violin and viola" (2007)
* Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
* Untitled Abraham Lincoln biopic (2008)
The Olympics
Audio samples of Olympic themes by John Williams
Olympic Fanfare and Theme
Play sound
Theme music for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
Problems listening to the file? See media help.
Williams has composed music for four of the Olympic Games held in the last 26 years. They are:
* "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" – 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles
o Written specifically for the opening ceremonies. In a 1996 re-release, the opening trumpet fanfare was replaced with Bugler's Dream, a previous Olympic Theme written by Leo Arnaud. This recording has been used as the theme for NBC's Olympic coverage ever since.
* "The Olympic Spirit" – 1988 Summer Olympics, Seoul
o Commissioned by NBC Sports for their television coverage.
* "Summon the Heroes" – 1996 Summer Olympics, Atlanta, Georgia
o Written in commemoration of the Centennial of the Modern Olympic Games. Premiering on July 19, 1996, the piece features heavy use of the brass and wind sections and is approximately six minutes in length. (Principal Boston Pops trumpeter Timothy Morrison played the opening solo on the album recording.) It has been arranged for various types of ensembles, including wind ensembles. This theme is now used prevalently by NBC for intros and outros to commercial breaks of the Olympics.
* "Call of the Champions" – 2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City, Utah
[edit] Television themes
* For NBC:
o NBC News - The Mission
+ NBC Nightly News
+ The Today Show
+ Meet The Press
o NBC Sunday Night Football[15]
* Amazing Stories
* Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (Wicket's theme reprised from Return of the Jedi)
* Land of the Giants
* Lost in Space
* The Time Tunnel
* Jack & Bobby (Excerpts from The Patriot original score)
Awards
John Williams has won a total of five Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. He has been nominated for 21 Golden Globes and 59 Grammys. With 45 Oscar nominations, Williams currently holds the record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person.[16][17] He is also the second most nominated person in the history of the Academy Awards, tied with late fellow film composer Alfred Newman, to Walt Disney's 59. Forty of Williams' Oscar nominations are for Best Original Music Score and 5 are for Best Original Song. All five winners are in the former category.
Williams has also received two Emmy Awards and four nominations, seven BAFTAs, twenty Grammy Awards, and has been inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. In 2004 he received a Kennedy Center Honor. He also won a Classical Brit award in 2005 for his soundtrack work of the previous year.
Williams' richly thematic and highly popular 1977 score to the first Star Wars film was selected in 2005 by the American Film Institute as the greatest American movie score of all time. His scores for Jaws and E.T. also appeared on the list, at #6 and #14, respectively.[18]
[edit] Grammy awards
* Jaws (1975) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* Star Wars (1977) (Best Pop Instrumental Performance)
* Main Title from Star Wars (1977) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* Star Wars (1977) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* Main Title Theme from Superman (1979) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* Superman (1979) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* Flying (Theme from E.T.) (1982) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* E.T. (1982) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* Flying (Theme from E.T.) (1982) (Best Arrangement on an Instrumental Recording)
* Olympic Fanfare and Theme (1984) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* Schindler's List (1993) (Instrumental Composition for a Motion Picture or Television)
* Saving Private Ryan (1998) (Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television)
* Theme from Angela's Ashes (2000) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* Memoirs Of A Geisha (2007) (Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media)
* A Prayer For Peace (Theme from Munich) (2007) (Best Instrumental Composition)
[edit] Golden Globe Awards
* Jaws (1975) (Best Original Score)
* Star Wars (1977) (Best Original Score)
* E.T. (1982) (Best Original Score)
* Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) (Best Original Score)
[edit] Emmy Awards
* Heidi (1968) (Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition)
* Jane Eyre (1971) (Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition)
[edit] Academy Award Nominations (excluding wins)
* Valley of the Dolls (1967) (Scoring-adaptation or treatment)
* The Reivers (1969) (Original Score)
* Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) (Scoring-adaptation of treatment)
* Images (1972) (Original Dramatic Score)
* The Poseidon Adventure (1972) (Original Dramatic Score)
* Tom Sawyer (1973) (Original Song Score and Adaptation-or-Scoring: Adaptation)
* Cinderella Liberty (1973) (Original Dramatic Score)
* Nice to Be Around (from Cinderella Liberty) (1973) (Song)
* The Towering Inferno (1974) (Original Score)
* Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) (Original Score)
* Superman (1978) (Original Score)
* The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Original Score)
* Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (Original Score)
* If We Were in Love (from Yes, Giorgio) (1982) (Song)
* Return of the Jedi (1983) (Original Score)
* Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) (Original Score)
* The River (1984) (Original Score)
* Empire of the Sun (1987) (Original Score)
* The Witches of Eastwick (1987) (Original Score)
* The Accidental Tourist (1988) (Original Score)
* Born on the Fourth of July (1989) (Original Score)
* Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) (Original Score)
* Home Alone (1990) (Original Score)
* Somewhere in My Memory (from Home Alone) (1990) (Song)
* JFK (1991) (Original Score)
* When You're Alone (from Hook) (1991) (Song)
* Nixon (1995) (Original Dramatic Score)
* Sabrina (1995) (Original Musical or Comedy Score)
* Moonlight (from Sabrina) (1995) (Song)
* Sleepers (1996) (Original Dramatic Score)
* Amistad (1997) (Original Dramatic Score)
* Saving Private Ryan (1998) (Original Dramatic Score)
* Angela's Ashes (1999) (Original Score)
* The Patriot (2000) (Original Score)
* A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) (Original Score)
* Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) (Original Score)
* Catch Me If You Can (2002) (Original Score)
* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) (Original Score)
* Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) (Original Score)
* Munich (2005) (Original Score)
[edit] Media
* Music from Harry Potter arr. by Jerry Brubaker
* Music from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones arr. by Jerry Brubaker
* Music from Munich: "Hatikva (The Hope)" arr. by Jerry Brubaker
* Music from Munich: "Prayer for Peace (Avner's Theme)" arr. by Jerry Brubaker
Where he may be found?
[url=http://groups.myspace.com/index.cfm?fus ... 2:2i0atq94]MySpace[/url:2i0atq94]
Surprisingly, most of the videos on You Tube, when you type Star Wars main theme, or any other for that matter, are made by Japanese orchestras. Like:
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=TIqRlubnkjA& ... d:2i0atq94]Star Wars Main Theme[/url:2i0atq94]
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=TIqRlubnkjA& ... d:2i0atq94]Imperial March[/url:2i0atq94]
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=o1c05_yXmaI:2i0atq94]Indiana Jones main theme[/url:2i0atq94]
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=VQTWNjr25WQ& ... d:2i0atq94]Jurassic Park main theme[/url:2i0atq94]
And many, many, many, many more, as you can read, from the late '50s.
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is an American composer, conductor and pianist. In a career that spans six decades, Williams has composed many of the most famous film scores in history, including those for Jaws, Star Wars, Superman, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Hook, Schindler's List, and the Harry Potter film series. In addition, he has composed theme music for four Olympic Games, NBC Nightly News, numerous television series and concert pieces. He served as the principal conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra from 1980 to 1993, and is now the orchestra's laureate conductor.
Williams is a five-time winner of the Academy Award.[1] With 45 Academy Award nominations, Williams is together with composer Alfred Newman the second most nominated individual after Walt Disney.[2] He was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in 2000, and was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004.
Early life and family
John Williams was born on February 8, 1932, in Floral Park, New York, the son of Esther and John Williams, Sr., who was a percussionist.[3] In 1948, his family moved to Los Angeles, where he attended North Hollywood High School. He later attended the University of California, Los Angeles and Los Angeles City College, and studied privately with composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.[4] In 1952, Williams was drafted into the United States Air Force, where he conducted and arranged music for the Air Force Band as part of his duties.
After his service ended in 1955, Williams moved to New York City and entered Juilliard School, where he studied piano with Rosina Lhévinne.[4] During this time he worked as a jazz pianist at New York's many studios and clubs. He also played for composer Henry Mancini: The session musicians were John Williams on piano, Rolly Bundock on bass, Jack Sperling on drums, and Bob Bain on guitar—the same lineup featured on the "Mr. Lucky" TV series. Williams recorded with Henry Mancini on the film soundtracks of Peter Gunn (1959), Charade (1963), and Days of Wine and Roses (1962). He was known as "Little Johnny Love" Williams in the early 1960s, and served as arranger and bandleader on a series of popular albums with singer Frankie Laine.
Williams was married to actress Barbara Ruick from 1956 until her death on March 3, 1974. They had two children together. One of those children is Joseph Williams, former lead singer for the band Toto; another is Jenny Williams, also a singer, who was born in 1956. He married for a second time on June 9, 1980, to his current wife, Samantha Winslow. Williams is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, the national honorary fraternity for college band members.
[edit] Film scoring
John Williams at the Avery Fisher Hall.
John Williams at the Avery Fisher Hall.
While skilled in a variety of twentieth-century compositional idioms, Williams's most familiar style may be described as a form of neoromanticism,[5] inspired by the same large-scale orchestral music of the late 19th century—especially Wagnerian music and its concept of leitmotif—that inspired his film-composing predecessors.[6]
After his studies at Juilliard, Williams returned to Los Angeles and began working as an orchestrator in film studios. Among others, he had worked with composers Franz Waxman, Bernard Herrmann, and Alfred Newman. He was also a studio pianist, performing in scores by composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, and Henry Mancini (for whom he played the opening riff to Peter Gunn).[7][8] Williams began to compose music scores for television series programs in the late 1950s, eventually leading to Lost in Space and The Time Tunnel. Williams's first major film composition was for the B-movie Daddy-O in 1958, and his first screen credit came two years later in Because They're Young. He soon gained notice in Hollywood for his versatility in composing jazz, piano and symphonic music. He received his first Academy Award nomination for his score to the 1967 film Valley Of The Dolls, and was nominated again in 1969 for Goodbye, Mr. Chips. He won his first Academy Award for his adapted score to the 1971 film Fiddler On The Roof. By the early 1970s, Williams had established himself as a composer for large-scale disaster films, with scores for The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, and The Towering Inferno; the last two films, scored in 1974, borrowing musical cues from each other.
In 1974, Williams was approached by Steven Spielberg to compose the music for his feature directorial debut, The Sugarland Express. The young director had been impressed with Williams's score to the 1969 film The Reivers, and was convinced the composer could provide the sound he desired for his films. They re-teamed a year later for the director's second film, Jaws. Widely considered a classic suspense piece, the score's ominous two-note motif has become nearly synonymous with sharks and approaching danger. The score earned Williams a second Academy Award, his first for an original composition. Shortly afterwards, Williams and Spielberg began preparing for their next feature film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Unusual for a Hollywood production, Spielberg's script and Williams's musical concepts were developed at the same time and were closely linked. During the two-year creative collaboration, they settled on a distinctive five-note figure that functioned both as background music and the communication signal of the film's alien mothership. Williams employed a system of musical hand signals in the film, based on a method invented by Zoltan Kodaly. Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released in 1977.
In the same period, Spielberg recommended Williams to his friend and fellow director George Lucas, who needed a composer to score his ambitious space epic, Star Wars. Williams produced a grand symphonic score in the fashion of Richard Strauss and Golden Age Hollywood composers Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Max Steiner. Its main theme—"Luke's Theme"—is among the most widely-recognized in motion picture history, and the "Force Theme" and "Princess Leia's Theme" are well-known examples of leitmotif. The film and its soundtrack were both immensely successful, and Williams won another Academy Award for Best Original Score. In 1980, Williams returned to score The Empire Strikes Back, where he famously introduced "The Imperial March" as the theme for Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire. The original Star Wars trilogy concluded with the 1983 film Return of the Jedi, for which Williams's score provided the "Emperor's Theme" and the climactic "Final Duel." Both scores earned Williams Academy Award nominations. It has been noted that the 1942 film The Talk of the Town (film) carries thematic music similar to that found within the Star Wars films.
John Williams conducting the music score to Raiders Of The Lost Ark in the Avery Fisher Hall.
John Williams conducting the music score to Raiders Of The Lost Ark in the Avery Fisher Hall.
Williams worked with director Richard Donner to score the 1978 film Superman. The score's heroic and romantic themes, particularly the main march, the Superman fanfare and the love theme, known as "Can You Read My Mind", would appear in the four subsequent sequel films. For the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, Williams wrote a rousing main theme known as "The Raiders's March" to accompany the film's hero, Indiana Jones. He also composed separate themes to represent the Ark of the Covenant, the character Marion and the Nazi villains of the story. Additional themes were featured in his scores to the sequel films Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Williams composed an emotional and sensitive score to Spielberg's 1982 fantasy film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The music conveys the film's benign, child-like sense of innocence, particularly with a spirited theme for the freedom of flight, and a soft string-based theme for the friendship between characters E.T. and Elliott. The film's final chase and farewell sequence marks a rare instance in film history, in which the on-screen action was re-edited to conform to the composer's musical interpretation. Williams was awarded a fourth Academy Award for this score.
The 1985 film The Color Purple is the only feature film directed by Steven Spielberg for which John Williams did not serve as composer. The film's producer, Quincy Jones, wanted to personally arrange and compose the music for the project. Williams also did not score Twilight Zone: The Movie, but Spielberg had directed only one of the four segments in that film; the film's music was written by another veteran Hollywood composer, rival Jerry Goldsmith, chosen by lead director and producer John Landis. The Williams-Spielberg collaboration resumed with the director's 1987 film Empire of the Sun, and has continued to the present, spanning genres from blockbuster fluff (1993's Jurassic Park), to somber tragedies (1993's Schindler's List, 2005's Munich), to Eastern-tinged melodramas (2005's Memoirs of a Geisha, eventually helmed by Rob Marshall). Spielberg has said, "I call it an honorable privilege to regard John Williams as a friend."[9][citation needed]
In 1999 George Lucas launched the first of a series prequels to the original Star Wars Trilogy. Williams was asked to score all three films, starting with Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Along with themes from the previous movies, Williams created new themes to be used as leitmotifs in Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). Most notable of these was "Duel of the Fates", an aggressive choral movement utilizing harsh Sanskrit lyrics that broadened the style of music used in the Star Wars films. For Episode II, Williams composed "Across the Stars", a love theme for Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker (mirroring the love theme composed for the second film of the previous trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back). The final installment combined many of the themes created for the entire series, including "The Emperor's Theme", "The Imperial March", "Across the Stars", "Duel of the Fates", "A Hero Falls", "The Force Theme", "Rebel Fanfare", and "Luke's Theme" and "Princess Leia's Theme." Few composers have scored an entire series of this magnitude: The combined scores of all six Star Wars films add up to music that takes a full orchestra more than 14 hours to perform entirely.
In the new millennium, Williams was asked to score the film adaptation of the widely successful young adult's book series, Harry Potter. He went on to score the first three installments of the franchise. As with his Superman theme, the most important theme from Williams' scores for the film adaptations of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, dubbed "Hedwig's Theme", has been used in the fourth and fifth movies in the series (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), scored by Patrick Doyle and Nicholas Hooper respectively. Like the main themes from Star Wars, Jaws, Superman, and Indiana Jones, fans have come to identify the Harry Potter films with Williams' original piece.
In 2006, Superman Returns was released, under the direction of Bryan Singer, best known for directing the first two movies in the X-Men series. Singer did not request Williams to compose a score for the new movie; instead, he employed the skills of X2 composer John Ottman to honorably incorporate Williams' original Superman theme, as well as those for "Lois Lane" and "Smallville." Don Davis performed a similar role for Jurassic Park III, recommended to the producers by Williams himself. (Film scores by Ottman and to a lesser extent Davis are often compared to those of Williams, as both use similar styles of composition.)
Between October 2007 and January, Williams wrote the score to the new film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. In February 2008, he spent 12 days with the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra recording the score[citation needed], and an official soundtrack was released on May 20th, 2008, two days before the film's theatrical release. He will most likely be scoring Steven Spielberg's future projects Lincoln and Interstellar. His agency has confirmed that he will be scoring Lincoln. He has also expressed an interest in composing the score for the seventh and final film in the Harry Potter film series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.[10]. It is reported that Williams will score Jurassic Park IV and Superman: Man of Steel.
[edit] Conducting and performing
Williams signing an autograph after a concert
Williams signing an autograph after a concert
From 1980 to 1993, Williams succeeded the legendary Arthur Fiedler as Principal Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. Williams never personally met Fiedler, although he did speak with him on the telephone. His arrival as the new leader of the Pops in the spring of 1980 allowed him to devote part of the Pops' first PBS broadcast of the season to presenting his new compositions for The Empire Strikes Back, in addition to conducting many Fiedler audience favorites.
Williams almost ended his tenure with the Pops in 1984.[11] Considered a customary practice of opinion, some players hissed while sight-reading a new Williams composition in rehearsal. Williams abruptly left the session and turned in his resignation, reportedly due to mounting conflicts with his film composing schedule as well as a perceived lack of discipline in the Pops' ranks, culminating in this latest instance. After entreaties by the management and personal apologies from the musicians, Williams reconsidered his resignation and continued for nine more years.[12] In 1995 he was succeeded by Keith Lockhart, the former associate conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops.
Williams is now the Laureate Conductor of the Pops, thus maintaining his affiliation with its parent, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), resident of Symphony Hall in the Massachusetts capital. Williams leads the Pops on several occasions each year, particularly during their Holiday Pops season and typically for a week of concerts in May. He conducts an annual Film Night at both Boston Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, where he frequently enlists the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, official chorus of the BSO, to provide a choral accompaniment to films (such as Saving Private Ryan).
Williams makes annual appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and took part as conductor and composer in the orchestra's opening gala concerts for Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003.
Williams has written many concert pieces, including a symphony, Concerto for Horn written for Dale Clevenger, principal hornist of the Chicago Symphony, Concerto for Clarinet written for Michele Zukovsky (Principal Clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic) in 1991,[13] a sinfonietta for wind ensemble, a cello concerto premiered by Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in 1994, concertos for the flute and violin recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, tuba, and a trumpet concerto, which was premiered by the Cleveland Orchestra and their principal trumpet Michael Sachs in September 1996. His bassoon concerto, The Five Sacred Trees, which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic and principal bassoon player Judith LeClair in 1995, was recorded for Sony Classical by Williams with LeClair and the London Symphony Orchestra.
He is also an accomplished pianist, as can be heard in various scores in which he provides solos, as well as a handful of European classical music recordings.
Stanley Donen (left) and John Williams, Avery Fisher Hall
Stanley Donen (left) and John Williams, Avery Fisher Hall
In addition, in 1985, Williams composed the well-known NBC News theme "The Mission" (which he performs in concert to signal the final encore), "Liberty Fanfare" for the re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty, "We're Lookin' Good!" for the Special Olympics in celebration of the 1987 International Summer Games, and themes for the 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2002 Olympic games. His most recent concert work "Seven for Luck", for soprano and orchestra, is a seven-piece song cycle based on the texts of former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove. "Seven for Luck" was given its world premiere by the Boston Symphony under Williams with soprano Cynthia Haymon.
John Williams also made a rare appearance on the BBC in 1980 to explain what life as a composer is like and how demanding it is to get everything just right.[citation needed]
In April 2004, February 2006, and September 2007, he conducted the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. The initial program was intended to be a one-time special event, and featured Williams' medley of Oscar-winning film scores first performed at the previous year's Academy Awards. Its unprecedented popularity led to two concerts in 2006—fund-raising gala events featuring personal recollections by film directors Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Continuing demand fueled three more concerts in 2007, which all sold out. These featured a tribute to the musicals of film director Stanley Donen, and had the distinction of serving as the opening event of the New York Philharmonic season.[14]
The funny part:
Pop culture references
* In the Family Guy episode "Brian Does Hollywood", John Williams is presented as a nominee for Best Musical Score in the fictional Adult Movie Awards. Unlike the other nominees, he is shown conducting a 48-piece orchestra.
* In the Family Guy sixth season opener "Blue Harvest" (the working title of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi), John Williams is seen conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, performing "The Force Theme" from Star Wars, as well as the theme for The People's Court. Later, Luke (played by Chris) finds the charred remains of Williams and the orchestra at his burning homestead and laments that the rest of the show will have to be scored by Danny Elfman, who is immediately beheaded.
* In the 1995 Simpsons episode "The Springfield Connection", Homer complains about a Springfield Pops performance of music from Star Wars by exclaiming, "They're butchering the classics! John Williams must be rolling around in his grave."
* In the Roy Zimmerman song "Guns In Space," John Williams is mentioned in the line "or they just don't like a war for which John Williams does the score."
You can watch the episodes of Family Guy on : [url=http://www.familyguyx.net/:2i0atq94]Family Guy[/url:2i0atq94]
What and when did he do?
Film scores
The following list consists of select films for which John Williams wrote the score and/or songs. Those films for which his music won an Oscar are in bold.
1950s
* Daddy-O (1958)
1960s
* Because They're Young (1960)
* I Passed for White (1960)
* The Secret Ways (1961)
* Bachelor Flat (1962)
* Diamond Head (1963)
* Gidget Goes to Rome (1963)
* The Killers (1964)
* None but the Brave (1965)
* The Rare Breed (1966)
* John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
* Valley of the Dolls (1967) Oscar nomination (songs written by André and Dory Previn)
* A Guide for the Married Man (1967)
* Fitzwilly (1967)
* The Reivers (1969) Oscar nomination
* Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) Oscar nomination
1970s
* Storia di una donna (1970) His only score written for a foreign movie
* Jane Eyre (1970)
* Fiddler on the Roof (1971) Oscar winner
* Images (1972) Oscar nomination
* The Poseidon Adventure (1972) Oscar nomination
* The Cowboys (1972)
* Cinderella Liberty (1973) Oscar nomination
* The Long Goodbye (1973), also title song.
* The Paper Chase (1973)
* Tom Sawyer (1973) Oscar nomination shared with Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman
* The Towering Inferno (1974) Oscar nomination
* The Sugarland Express (1974)
* Jaws (1975) Golden Globe, BAFTA & Oscar winner
* The Eiger Sanction (1975)
* Family Plot (1976)
* Midway (1976)
* The Missouri Breaks (1976)
* Black Sunday (1977)
* Star Wars (1977) Oscar, Golden Globe & BAFTA winner
* Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Oscar nomination
* The Fury (1978)
* Superman (1978) Oscar nomination & double Grammy nominations
* 1941 (1979)
* Dracula (1979)
1980s
* Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Oscar & double Grammy nominations, BAFTA winner
* Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Oscar & double Grammy nominations
* Monsignor (1982)
* Yes, Giorgio (1982) Oscar nomination
* E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Golden Globe, Oscar & BAFTA winner
* Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) Oscar nomination
* Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) Oscar nomination
* The River (1984) Oscar nomination
* SpaceCamp (1985)
* Empire of the Sun (1987) Oscar nomination, BAFTA winner
* The Witches of Eastwick (1987) Oscar nomination
* The Accidental Tourist (1988) Oscar nomination
* Born on the Fourth of July (1989) Oscar nomination
* Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Oscar nomination
1990s
* Stanley and Iris (1990)
* Presumed Innocent (1990)
* Home Alone (1990) double Oscar nominations
* Hook (1991) Grammy & Oscar nominations
* JFK (1991) Oscar nomination
* Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
* Far and Away (1992)
* Jurassic Park (1993)
* Schindler's List (1993) Oscar, Grammy and BAFTA winner
* Nixon (1995) Oscar nomination
* Sabrina (1995) double Oscar nominations
* Sleepers (1996) Oscar nomination
* Rosewood (1997)
* The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
* Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
* Amistad (1997) Grammy & Oscar nominations
* Stepmom (1998)
* Saving Private Ryan (1998) Golden Globe, Grammy & Oscar nominations
* Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) Grammy nomination
* Angela's Ashes (1999) Grammy & Oscar nomination
2000s
* The Patriot (2000) Oscar nomination
* A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) Grammy & Oscar nominations
* Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) Oscar & double Grammy nominations
* Catch Me if You Can (2002) Oscar nomination
* Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
* Minority Report (2002)
* Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Grammy nomination
* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Grammy & Oscar nominations (soundtrack)
* The Terminal (2004)
* Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) double Grammy nominations
* War of the Worlds (2005) Grammy nomination
* Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) Golden Globe, BAFTA and Grammy winner, Oscar nomination
* Munich (2005) Oscar nomination, Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition
* Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman (2006)
* Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)
* "Duo Concertante for violin and viola" (2007)
* Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
* Untitled Abraham Lincoln biopic (2008)
The Olympics
Audio samples of Olympic themes by John Williams
Olympic Fanfare and Theme
Play sound
Theme music for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
Problems listening to the file? See media help.
Williams has composed music for four of the Olympic Games held in the last 26 years. They are:
* "Olympic Fanfare and Theme" – 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles
o Written specifically for the opening ceremonies. In a 1996 re-release, the opening trumpet fanfare was replaced with Bugler's Dream, a previous Olympic Theme written by Leo Arnaud. This recording has been used as the theme for NBC's Olympic coverage ever since.
* "The Olympic Spirit" – 1988 Summer Olympics, Seoul
o Commissioned by NBC Sports for their television coverage.
* "Summon the Heroes" – 1996 Summer Olympics, Atlanta, Georgia
o Written in commemoration of the Centennial of the Modern Olympic Games. Premiering on July 19, 1996, the piece features heavy use of the brass and wind sections and is approximately six minutes in length. (Principal Boston Pops trumpeter Timothy Morrison played the opening solo on the album recording.) It has been arranged for various types of ensembles, including wind ensembles. This theme is now used prevalently by NBC for intros and outros to commercial breaks of the Olympics.
* "Call of the Champions" – 2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City, Utah
[edit] Television themes
* For NBC:
o NBC News - The Mission
+ NBC Nightly News
+ The Today Show
+ Meet The Press
o NBC Sunday Night Football[15]
* Amazing Stories
* Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (Wicket's theme reprised from Return of the Jedi)
* Land of the Giants
* Lost in Space
* The Time Tunnel
* Jack & Bobby (Excerpts from The Patriot original score)
Awards
John Williams has won a total of five Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. He has been nominated for 21 Golden Globes and 59 Grammys. With 45 Oscar nominations, Williams currently holds the record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person.[16][17] He is also the second most nominated person in the history of the Academy Awards, tied with late fellow film composer Alfred Newman, to Walt Disney's 59. Forty of Williams' Oscar nominations are for Best Original Music Score and 5 are for Best Original Song. All five winners are in the former category.
Williams has also received two Emmy Awards and four nominations, seven BAFTAs, twenty Grammy Awards, and has been inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. In 2004 he received a Kennedy Center Honor. He also won a Classical Brit award in 2005 for his soundtrack work of the previous year.
Williams' richly thematic and highly popular 1977 score to the first Star Wars film was selected in 2005 by the American Film Institute as the greatest American movie score of all time. His scores for Jaws and E.T. also appeared on the list, at #6 and #14, respectively.[18]
[edit] Grammy awards
* Jaws (1975) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* Star Wars (1977) (Best Pop Instrumental Performance)
* Main Title from Star Wars (1977) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* Star Wars (1977) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* Main Title Theme from Superman (1979) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* Superman (1979) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* Flying (Theme from E.T.) (1982) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* E.T. (1982) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
* Flying (Theme from E.T.) (1982) (Best Arrangement on an Instrumental Recording)
* Olympic Fanfare and Theme (1984) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* Schindler's List (1993) (Instrumental Composition for a Motion Picture or Television)
* Saving Private Ryan (1998) (Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television)
* Theme from Angela's Ashes (2000) (Best Instrumental Composition)
* Memoirs Of A Geisha (2007) (Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media)
* A Prayer For Peace (Theme from Munich) (2007) (Best Instrumental Composition)
[edit] Golden Globe Awards
* Jaws (1975) (Best Original Score)
* Star Wars (1977) (Best Original Score)
* E.T. (1982) (Best Original Score)
* Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) (Best Original Score)
[edit] Emmy Awards
* Heidi (1968) (Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition)
* Jane Eyre (1971) (Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition)
[edit] Academy Award Nominations (excluding wins)
* Valley of the Dolls (1967) (Scoring-adaptation or treatment)
* The Reivers (1969) (Original Score)
* Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) (Scoring-adaptation of treatment)
* Images (1972) (Original Dramatic Score)
* The Poseidon Adventure (1972) (Original Dramatic Score)
* Tom Sawyer (1973) (Original Song Score and Adaptation-or-Scoring: Adaptation)
* Cinderella Liberty (1973) (Original Dramatic Score)
* Nice to Be Around (from Cinderella Liberty) (1973) (Song)
* The Towering Inferno (1974) (Original Score)
* Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) (Original Score)
* Superman (1978) (Original Score)
* The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Original Score)
* Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (Original Score)
* If We Were in Love (from Yes, Giorgio) (1982) (Song)
* Return of the Jedi (1983) (Original Score)
* Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) (Original Score)
* The River (1984) (Original Score)
* Empire of the Sun (1987) (Original Score)
* The Witches of Eastwick (1987) (Original Score)
* The Accidental Tourist (1988) (Original Score)
* Born on the Fourth of July (1989) (Original Score)
* Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) (Original Score)
* Home Alone (1990) (Original Score)
* Somewhere in My Memory (from Home Alone) (1990) (Song)
* JFK (1991) (Original Score)
* When You're Alone (from Hook) (1991) (Song)
* Nixon (1995) (Original Dramatic Score)
* Sabrina (1995) (Original Musical or Comedy Score)
* Moonlight (from Sabrina) (1995) (Song)
* Sleepers (1996) (Original Dramatic Score)
* Amistad (1997) (Original Dramatic Score)
* Saving Private Ryan (1998) (Original Dramatic Score)
* Angela's Ashes (1999) (Original Score)
* The Patriot (2000) (Original Score)
* A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) (Original Score)
* Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) (Original Score)
* Catch Me If You Can (2002) (Original Score)
* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) (Original Score)
* Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) (Original Score)
* Munich (2005) (Original Score)
[edit] Media
* Music from Harry Potter arr. by Jerry Brubaker
* Music from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones arr. by Jerry Brubaker
* Music from Munich: "Hatikva (The Hope)" arr. by Jerry Brubaker
* Music from Munich: "Prayer for Peace (Avner's Theme)" arr. by Jerry Brubaker
Where he may be found?
[url=http://groups.myspace.com/index.cfm?fus ... 2:2i0atq94]MySpace[/url:2i0atq94]
Surprisingly, most of the videos on You Tube, when you type Star Wars main theme, or any other for that matter, are made by Japanese orchestras. Like:
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=TIqRlubnkjA& ... d:2i0atq94]Star Wars Main Theme[/url:2i0atq94]
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=TIqRlubnkjA& ... d:2i0atq94]Imperial March[/url:2i0atq94]
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=o1c05_yXmaI:2i0atq94]Indiana Jones main theme[/url:2i0atq94]
[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=VQTWNjr25WQ& ... d:2i0atq94]Jurassic Park main theme[/url:2i0atq94]
And many, many, many, many more, as you can read, from the late '50s.
Let Me Introduce You To The End
This is a very nice Polish/American band. The vocals may not be all THAT great but it is great in all. Very melancholic. Can't really say there's much info about it, but still :
Influences
Nick Cave and the bad seeds, Spiritualized, The Cure, Depeche mode, John Prine, The Smashing Pumpkins, God speed, This mortal coil, The hope blister, Radiohead, Coldplay, Myslovitz, Dr. Dre, Mercury Rev, Damien Rice, David Bowie, Einsturzende neubauten, Joy Divison, Kanye West, Laibach, Maximilian Hecker, Miles Davis, Mogwai, New order, Nine Inch nails, Oasis, Pink Floyd, Rachel, Richard Ashcroft, The Verve, Seigmen, Sigur Ros, Spacemen 3, Sunny day real estate.
Sounds Like
Nick Cave and the bad seeds, Spiritualized, The Cure, Depeche mode, John Prine, The Smashing Pumpkins, God speed, This mortal coil, The hope blister, Radiohead, Coldplay, Myslovitz, Mercury Rev, Damien Rice, Einsturzende neubauten, Joy Divison, Maximilian Hecker, Mogwai, New order, Nine Inch nails, Oasis, Pink Floyd, Rachel, Richard Ashcroft, The Verve, Seigmen, Sigur Ros, Spacemen 3, Sunny day real estate.
[url=http://www.letmeend.com/:2gh9xfzs]Here[/url:2gh9xfzs] is there website.
[url=posting.php?mode=reply&t=1091:2gh9xfzs]Here[/url:2gh9xfzs] is their profile on MySpace.
Enjoy.
This is a very nice Polish/American band. The vocals may not be all THAT great but it is great in all. Very melancholic. Can't really say there's much info about it, but still :
Influences
Nick Cave and the bad seeds, Spiritualized, The Cure, Depeche mode, John Prine, The Smashing Pumpkins, God speed, This mortal coil, The hope blister, Radiohead, Coldplay, Myslovitz, Dr. Dre, Mercury Rev, Damien Rice, David Bowie, Einsturzende neubauten, Joy Divison, Kanye West, Laibach, Maximilian Hecker, Miles Davis, Mogwai, New order, Nine Inch nails, Oasis, Pink Floyd, Rachel, Richard Ashcroft, The Verve, Seigmen, Sigur Ros, Spacemen 3, Sunny day real estate.
Sounds Like
Nick Cave and the bad seeds, Spiritualized, The Cure, Depeche mode, John Prine, The Smashing Pumpkins, God speed, This mortal coil, The hope blister, Radiohead, Coldplay, Myslovitz, Mercury Rev, Damien Rice, Einsturzende neubauten, Joy Divison, Maximilian Hecker, Mogwai, New order, Nine Inch nails, Oasis, Pink Floyd, Rachel, Richard Ashcroft, The Verve, Seigmen, Sigur Ros, Spacemen 3, Sunny day real estate.
[url=http://www.letmeend.com/:2gh9xfzs]Here[/url:2gh9xfzs] is there website.
[url=posting.php?mode=reply&t=1091:2gh9xfzs]Here[/url:2gh9xfzs] is their profile on MySpace.
Enjoy.
-
Celessarel
- Maid
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Thu May 15, 2008 10:55 pm
Ohhh, I was ever so surprised to find Korpiklaani in here.
I absolutely adore this band. I saw them in concert twice, last year and the year before and it was really amazing. They are great performers and as soon as they started playing, the whole audience was singing and dancing along with their songs. It's music you don't only hear, but feel with your entire body.
I wanted to see them this year at the pagan festival, but tickets were sold out about half a year in advance, so I was too late.
I absolutely adore this band. I saw them in concert twice, last year and the year before and it was really amazing. They are great performers and as soon as they started playing, the whole audience was singing and dancing along with their songs. It's music you don't only hear, but feel with your entire body.
I wanted to see them this year at the pagan festival, but tickets were sold out about half a year in advance, so I was too late.