John Williams' principal instrument

Does anyone know what John Williams actually plays?

 

He studied piano at Julliard.
I assume that is what he composes on as well but I don't know for certain!

 

Composers almost always compose on the piano. It's the easiest instrument to compose on.

Thanks, though. I was just curious, since I'm quite possibly becoming a composition major myself. Though my areas are voice and French horn...

 

most composers should know how to play every instrument in the orchestra so they know the ranges and capabilities of each instrument.

 

He played piano in an ochestra at some moviestudio before starting composing himself.

 

Definitely piano.

He played the piano part to the Peter Gunn theme and I believe he also played the piano accompaniment to Marilyn Monroe in "Some like it hot."

 

I don't think John Williams "keyboard composes." Most of the great composers didn't although there are a lot of exceptions. It's slightly amateurish.

 

Hmnn, I wouldn't understand why.....
I can't think of a better way to flesh out ideas, although I'm no composer, so what do I know?

 

Well most great composers can hear the music in their heads and from that all they have to do is write it down. I suppose the problem with keyboard composing is that it doesn't give you a great sense of the orchestration. Williams' orchestration is by far the best amongst film composers. It's not even close. Others in his field seem more flat and one dimensional. They lack any kind of melodic, harmonic, or orchestral complexity that Williams has. Of course just because you compose from the keyboard doesn't mean you can't orchestrate effectively. It's just the more natural orchestrators don't do that and Williams seems so natural I would be surprised if he did keyboard compose.

 

"Williams' orchestration is by far the best amongst film composers. It's not even close. Others in his field seem more flat and one dimensional. They lack any kind of melodic, harmonic, or orchestral complexity that Williams has."

Yodaman -

That all depends on the other composers you are listening to does it not? (and your own personal tastes of course).

Williams' orchestrations are clearly masterful (no doubts there), and IMO he's getting better with age, but holding him up as the paragon of orchestration seems a little much to me.

In the field of American Cinema composers, I would certainly see him as having no equal, but if you take a short leap over the pond you'll find some of the most genuinely bizarre, inventive and ingenious orchestrations coming from Europe's finest - Ennio Morricone (the great unsung hero of film score composition).

Even at a cursory glance (and regardless of whether the music appeals to you or not), there is no denying Morricone's enormous influence on modern film composition, and specifically in orchestration also. Think of the iconic status of scores such as The Good The Bad & The Ugly (or any of the Leone scores for that matter) - or look at the culture of scoring post "The Mission" (for which "the Mission" clones receive awards whilst Morricone got none).

All one needs to do is listen to the techniques of choral scoring prevalent in recent Hollywood cinema - pick out the "biggies" - the vast majority of these will likely owe something to a Morricone score (ie be an almost direct rip-off) or at the very least borrow from his orchestration techniques.

Sorry if i'm being pedantic, or seem a bit aggressive about the subject - it's a subject dear to my heart. I love JW's music - hell i've grown up listening to it at the cinema and at home. I couldn't say how many of his scores i've heard over the years. Without JW & his SW scores, I wouldn't have been so predisposed to search out other film composers, so what i've said isn't to decry his great talent. On the contrary. But having listened to somewhere in the region of 300 or so of Morricone's scores, IMO, it's a no-contest on the specific area of orchestration. I guess that's why I take issue somewhat with your sentiments.

Anyway, just my opinion.

 

Williams has also recorded a guitar album.
Granados and Albeniz...

 

I think you'll find that is the guitarist John Williams not the composer John Williams.
Same names but 2 different guys!

 

I'm sure Williams played that excellent piano music in the ET credits. Am I wrong?

 

"most composers should know how to play every instrument in the orchestra so they know the ranges and capabilities of each instrument."

Um, no. I can't play any brass instruments, but after talking to players for less than 15 minutes, I am fully aware of the ranges and difficulties of the instruments, which jumps are difficult, which finger jumps aren't easy etc. I don't think a composer needs to be able to play all the instruments at all.