Rather than a single piece of music, this time I choose to go with a composer, John Williams.
There is little one can say about composer John Williams that doesn’t involve superlatives. Lots and lots of superlatives. In over 5 decades of work, Williams has scored some of the most popular movies Hollywood has offered, and much of that work has become so embedded in popular culture that it’s almost impossible to avoid it. The score of every Star Wars movie, every Indiana Jones movie, the first 3 Harry Potter movies, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters, Saving Private Ryan-all his. Plus a lot more, the names of which you’d mostly recognize-110 in all.
I won’t bore you with more of his accomplishments. Go read his biography. For such an accomplished man, it’s not long.
Last week, I posted a video of a performance of The Emperor’s March from the Star Wars series. While it may be one of his better known works, for me it was more of a comment than a considered choice. This week’s may be no less a comment, but it’s one of his lesser known works, Liberty Fanfare. Reminiscent of another favorite composer of mine, Aaron Copeland, it was composed for the rededication ceremony of the Statue of Liberty in 1986. It’s the America that was and that can be again.
I can’t and won’t say John Williams has changed my life. I will say he’s provided the soundtrack for more than a bit of it.
