John Williams, the 93-year-old composer responsible for some of the most iconic film scores in cinema history, including 'Jaws,' 'Jurassic Park,' and 'Star Wars,' has made a surprising revelation in a forthcoming biography: he has a fundamental distaste for film music as an art form.
Despite his five Oscars and a record 54 nominations, Williams believes that 'as an art form film music pales in comparison to history's great works'.
In the rare interview for a biography by Tim Greiving, Williams stated, 'I never liked film music very much,' and added that it's 'ephemeral' and 'fragmentary'.
He feels that the high regard for film music is often a 'nostalgic' notion and that it shouldn't hold the same place in a concert hall as the best music in the classical canon.
Williams's comments were described as 'shocking' and 'genuinely self-deprecating' by Greiving, who noted that the composer referred to his film-scoring assignments as 'just a job'.
However, Greiving also argues that Williams took the job more seriously than anyone else in history, elevating film music to a high art form despite his personal prejudice against it.
Williams's illustrious career includes scoring over 100 movies, such as the 'Indiana Jones' films, 'E.T.,' 'Schindler's List,' and the first three 'Harry Potter' movies.
His music has been praised for its crucial role in enhancing a film's emotion and atmosphere, from the two haunting notes of 'Jaws' to the mournful lament in 'Schindler's List'.
He has also composed numerous concert works and served as the music director of the Boston Pops for over a decade.
A new concert performance of his most famous scores, titled 'John Williams: The Concert Works,' is scheduled to take place at Cadogan Hall in London on October 27, with an accompanying album.
Despite his five Oscars and a record 54 nominations, Williams believes that 'as an art form film music pales in comparison to history's great works'.
In the rare interview for a biography by Tim Greiving, Williams stated, 'I never liked film music very much,' and added that it's 'ephemeral' and 'fragmentary'.
He feels that the high regard for film music is often a 'nostalgic' notion and that it shouldn't hold the same place in a concert hall as the best music in the classical canon.
Williams's comments were described as 'shocking' and 'genuinely self-deprecating' by Greiving, who noted that the composer referred to his film-scoring assignments as 'just a job'.
However, Greiving also argues that Williams took the job more seriously than anyone else in history, elevating film music to a high art form despite his personal prejudice against it.
Williams's illustrious career includes scoring over 100 movies, such as the 'Indiana Jones' films, 'E.T.,' 'Schindler's List,' and the first three 'Harry Potter' movies.
His music has been praised for its crucial role in enhancing a film's emotion and atmosphere, from the two haunting notes of 'Jaws' to the mournful lament in 'Schindler's List'.
He has also composed numerous concert works and served as the music director of the Boston Pops for over a decade.
A new concert performance of his most famous scores, titled 'John Williams: The Concert Works,' is scheduled to take place at Cadogan Hall in London on October 27, with an accompanying album.
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