This months SCMT Composer/Musician of the Month is the great film composer John Williams. Williams composed some of the most popular film scores of the last 50 years, including, Jaws, Star Wars, Schindler’s list, Superman, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter to name a few.
I’m sure as music students or parents of music students we have all played or listened to performances of John Williams’ music. There are hundreds of them….all with catchy melodies and well written harmonies that capture the imagination and instantly link to the films they were written for. But have we ever really thought about why it is we love this music so much?
The answer lies with the composer, his great skill in creating such an instantly recognizable melody. Williams once said “Writing a tune is like sculpting, you get four or five notes, you take one out and move one around, and you do a bit more and eventually, as the sculptor says, “In that rock there is a statue, we have to go find it.”
Armed with the theory and practical knowledge of music (and some patience) we can all do some musical sculpting. So why not make February the month to start your composition or inspire your young music students to create a masterpiece…
