John Williams

"Once again, John Williams has exceeded my expectations and produced a lavish, rich, moving and thrilling score. Every fan of Star Wars—and of great music—is in his debt."

―George Lucas about John Williams' score for Revenge of the Sith^[src]

John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)^[1] is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. He has composed nearly all of the music heard in the Star Wars films. He has also composed scores for multiple other well-known movies and television shows, including Indiana Jones, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Superman.

Biography

File:Maestro Williams.jpg

Williams conducting the London Symphony Orchestra

In 1977, he composed the music for Star Wars, which turned out to be a huge success. Star Wars became the best-selling score-only soundtrack of all time and won him an Oscar.

Williams's son, Joseph Williams, chose a musical career like his father. The two worked together on Return of the Jedi and Attack of the Clones.

Rick McCallum stated at Star Wars Reunion II that he had hoped to have John Williams on the musical score for the Star Wars live-action TV series and added that each episode would have had its own original score.

Discography

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner
Imperial Attack
The Dune Sea of Tatooine/Jawa Sandcrawler
The Hologram / Moisture Farm
Binary Sunset
Landspeeder Search/Attack of the Sand People
Tales of a Jedi Knight/Learn About the Force
Burning Homestead
Mos Eisley Spaceport
Cantina Band (Source Music)
Binary Sunset (Alternate)
Princess Leia's Theme
The Millennium Falcon/Imperial Cruiser Pursuit
Destruction of Alderaan
The Death Star/The Stormtroopers
Wookiee Prisoner/Detention Block Ambush
Shootout in the Cell Bay/Dianoga
The Trash Compactor
The Tractor Beam / Chasm Crossfire
Ben Kenobi's Death / TIE Fighter Attack
The Battle of Yavin (Launch from the Fourth Moon/X-Wings Draw Fire/Use the Force)
The Throne Room/End Title

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Main Title/The Ice Planet Hoth
The Wampa's Lair/Vision of Obi-Wan/Snowspeeders Take Flight
The Imperial Probe/Aboard The Executor
The Battle of Hoth (Ion Cannon/Imperial Walkers/Beneath the AT-AT/Escape in the Millennium Falcon)
The Asteroid Field
Arrival on Dagobah
Luke's Nocturnal Visitor
Han Solo and the Princess
Jedi Master Revealed/Mynock Cave
The Training of a Jedi Knight/The Magic Tree
The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)
Yoda's Theme
Attacking a Star Destroyer
Yoda and the Force
Imperial Starfleet Deployed/City in the Clouds
Lando's Palace
Betrayal at Bespin
Deal With the Dark Lord
Carbon Freeze / Darth Vader's Trap / Departure of Boba Fett
The Clash of Lightsabers

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Main Title/Approaching the Death Star/Tatooine Rendezvous
The Droids are Captured
Bounty for a Wookiee
Han Solo Returns
Luke Confronts Jabba/Den of the Rancor/Sarlacc Sentence
The Pit of Carkoon/Sail Barge Assault
The Emperor Arrives/The Death of Yoda/Obi-Wan's Revelation
Alliance Assembly
Shuttle Tydirium Approaches Endor
Speeder Bike Chase/Land of the Ewoks
Jabba's Baroque Recital (Source Music)
Jedi Rocks (Source Music)
Parade of the Ewoks
Luke and Leia
Brother and Sister/Father and Son/The Fleet Enters Hyperspace/Heroic Ewok
The Emperor's Theme
The Battle of Endor I (Into the Trap/Forest Ambush/Scout Walker Scramble/Prime Weapon Fires)
The Lightsaber/The Ewok Battle
The Battle of Endor II (Leia is Wounded/The Duel Begins/Overtaking the Bunker/The Dark Side Beckons/The Emperor's Death)
The Battle of Endor III (Superstructure Chase/Darth Vader's Death/The Main Reactor)
Leia's News/Light of the Force
Victory Celebration/End Title
Ewok Feast/Part of the Tribe (Source Music)
The Forest Battle (Concert Suite)

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Star Wars Main Title and the Arrival at Naboo
Duel of the Fates
Anakin's Theme
Jar Jar's Introduction and the Swim to Otoh Gunga
The Sith Spacecraft and the Droid Battle
The Trip to the Naboo Temple and the Audience with Boss Nass
The Arrival at Tatooine and the Flag Parade
He is the Chosen One
Anakin Defeats Sebulba
Passage Through the Planet Core
Watto's Deal and Kids at Play
Panaka and the Queen's Protectors
Queen Amidala and the Naboo Palace
The Droid Invasion and the Appearance of Darth Maul
Qui-Gon's Noble End
The High Council Meeting and Qui-Gon's Funeral
Augie's Great Municipal Band and End Credits

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

The Adventures of Han^[2]

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

Galaxy's Edge^[3]

Obi-Wan Kenobi (television series) (2022)

Obi-Wan

Filmography

Year	Title	Contribution(s)
2019	Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker	Oma Tres

Awards

Academy Awards

Williams (with Jonathan Tunick, winner for Best Score Adaptation-A Little Night Music) holding his Oscar for Best Original Score

Year	Project	Category	Result
1977	Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope^[4]	Best Original Score	Won
1980	Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back^[4]	Best Original Score	Nominated
1983	Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi^[4]	Best Original Score	Nominated
2015	Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens^[5]	Best Original Score	Nominated
2017	Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi^[6]	Best Original Score	Nominated
2019	Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker^[7]	Best Original Score	Nominated

BAFTA Awards

Year	Project	Category	Result
1978	Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope^[8]	Original Film Music	Won
1980	Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back^[8]	Original Film Music	Won
2015	Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens^[9]	Original Film Music	Nominated
2019	Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker^[10]	Original Film Music	Nominated

Sources

Notes and references

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Battlefront II Updates, A Look Into Poe Dameron's Past, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
↑ Burlingame, Jon: 'Solo' Locks In Key 'Star Wars' Veteran (EXCLUSIVE) (2017-12-30). Variety (archived from the original on August 2, 2020)
↑ John Williams - Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Symphonic Suite (Audio Only) on the DisneyMusicVEVO YouTube channel (backup link)
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Awards (2006-06-05). The John Williams Web Pages (archived from the original on June 10, 2002)
↑ The 88th Academy Awards on oscars.org published by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (archived from the original on October 18, 2020)
↑ The 90th Academy Awards on oscars.org published by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (archived from the original on October 16, 2020)
↑ The 92nd Academy Awards on oscars.org published by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (archived from the original on October 20, 2020)
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 BAFTA Awards Search (John Williams). British Academy of Film and Television Arts (archived from the original on August 9, 2020)
↑ Film in 2016 on awards.bafta.org published by British Academy of Film and Television Arts (archived from the original on October 31, 2020)
↑ Film in 2020 on awards.bafta.org published by British Academy of Film and Television Arts (archived from the original on July 31, 2020)

External links

John Williams at the Internet Movie Database
John Williams on Wikipedia
JOHN WILLIAMS Fan Network
Ross, Alex: The Force Is Still Strong with the "Star Wars" Composer John Williams (2020-07-21) on newyorker.com published by The New Yorker (archived from the original on September 1, 2021)
John Williams Celebration: Performance & Interview | Sound/Stage on the LA Phil YouTube channel (July 8, 2022) (backup link)

Real-world music

Soundtracks
Saga: IV · V · VI Original Soundtrack Anthology · The Corellian Edition · Ultimate Vinyl Collection Ultimate Soundtrack Edition · Ultimate Digital Collection Video games: Shadows of the Empire · Republic Commando · The Old Republic: Collector's Edition · YouTube playlist Battlefront · Battlefront II · Jedi: Fallen Order · Squadrons · Tales from the Galaxy's Edge
Sheet music books
Music from the Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition · Selections from Star Wars Star Wars: A Musical Journey: Episodes I-VI · Star Wars Episodes I, II & III Instrumental Solos Star Wars for Beginning Piano Solo
Music videos
"Lapti Nek" · A Hero Falls
Other
Bantha Music · Christmas in the Stars · Lapti Nek Dance Remix · Tusken Music · Headspace

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In other languages

[This_Week!_Ep2-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Battlefront II Updates, A Look Into Poe Dameron's Past, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)

[2] Burlingame, Jon: 'Solo' Locks In Key 'Star Wars' Veteran (EXCLUSIVE) (2017-12-30). Variety (archived from the original on August 2, 2020)

[Galaxy's_Edge_VEVO-3] John Williams - Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Symphonic Suite (Audio Only) on the DisneyMusicVEVO YouTube channel (backup link)

[The_JW_Pages-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Awards (2006-06-05). The John Williams Web Pages (archived from the original on June 10, 2002)

[5] The 88th Academy Awards on oscars.org published by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (archived from the original on October 18, 2020)

[6] The 90th Academy Awards on oscars.org published by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (archived from the original on October 16, 2020)

[7] The 92nd Academy Awards on oscars.org published by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (archived from the original on October 20, 2020)

[BAFTA-8] 8.0 ^8.1 BAFTA Awards Search (John Williams). British Academy of Film and Television Arts (archived from the original on August 9, 2020)

[9] Film in 2016 on awards.bafta.org published by British Academy of Film and Television Arts (archived from the original on October 31, 2020)

[10] Film in 2020 on awards.bafta.org published by British Academy of Film and Television Arts (archived from the original on July 31, 2020)

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John Williams

Contents

Biography