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John Williams (guitarist)
Encyclopedia
John Christopher Williams (born 24 April 1941) is an Australian classical guitar
ist, and a long-term resident of the United Kingdom. In 1973, he shared a Grammy Award win in the 'Best Chamber Music Performance
' category with Julian Bream
for Julian and John (Works by Lawes, Carulli, Albéniz, Granados).
, Australia to an English father, Len Williams, who was later the founder of the London Guitar School and Malaan (née Ah Ket), an Australian-Chinese mother (a daughter of Melbourne barrister William Ah Ket
). In 1952, the family relocated to England. Williams was taught initially by his father, and educated at the Friern Barnet Grammar School
, London. From the age of eleven he attended summer courses with Andrés Segovia
at the Academia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Later, he attended the Royal College of Music
in London from 1956 to 1959, studying piano because the school did not have a guitar department at the time. Upon graduation, he was offered the opportunity to create such a department. He took the opportunity and ran the department for its first two years. Williams has maintained links with the College (and with the Royal Northern College of Music
in Manchester
) ever since.
in London on 6 November 1958. Since then, he has been performing throughout the world and has made regular appearances on radio and TV. He has recorded almost the entire repertoire for the guitar and has extended it by commissioning guitar concerto
s from composers such as Stephen Dodgson
, André Previn
, Patrick Gowers
, Richard Harvey and Steve Gray. He has recorded albums of duets with fellow guitarists, Julian Bream
and Paco Peña
.
John Williams was instrumental in bringing the works of Agustín Barrios
back to popularity. Williams has often spoken highly of Barrios' work, even stating that he believes Barrios is the greatest composer of guitar music. He has also worked with contemporary composers from his native Australia, including Phillip Houghton
, Peter Sculthorpe
, Ross Edwards
and Nigel Westlake
, to produce guitar works that capture the spirit of his homeland. However he has also the music by the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu
, Cuban composer Leo Brouwer
and music from many African countries.
John Williams is a visiting professor and honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music
in London.
He mostly uses Greg Smallman
guitars after using Spanish Fleta during the 1970s
. He is also a composer
and arranger. At the invitation of producer Martin Lewis he created a highly acclaimed classical-rock fusion duet with celebrated rock guitarist Pete Townshend
of The Who
for Townshend's anthemic Won't Get Fooled Again
for the 1979 Amnesty International
benefit show The Secret Policeman's Ball
. The duet was featured on the resulting album and the film version of the show - bringing Williams to the broader attention of the rock audience.
He recorded "Cavatina" by Stanley Myers
. The piece originally included only the first few measures, but at Williams' request, it was re-written for guitar and expanded by Myers. After this transformation, it was used for a film, The Walking Stick
(1970). In 1973, Cleo Laine
wrote lyrics and recorded it as the song "He Was Beautiful" accompanied by John Williams. The guitar version became a worldwide hit single when it was used as the theme tune to the Oscar
-winning film The Deer Hunter
(1978).
). He is a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign
BRIT Award
for Best Classical Recording
Edison lifetime achievement award (2007)
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
ist, and a long-term resident of the United Kingdom. In 1973, he shared a Grammy Award win in the 'Best Chamber Music Performance
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance has been awarded since 1959. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1959 to 1960 the award was known as Best Classical Performance - Chamber Music ...
' category with Julian Bream
Julian Bream
Julian Bream, CBE is an English classical guitarist and lutenist and is one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century. He has also been successful in renewing popular interest in the Renaissance lute....
for Julian and John (Works by Lawes, Carulli, Albéniz, Granados).
Biography
John Williams was born on 24 April 1941 in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia to an English father, Len Williams, who was later the founder of the London Guitar School and Malaan (née Ah Ket), an Australian-Chinese mother (a daughter of Melbourne barrister William Ah Ket
William Ah Ket
William Ah Ket was a noted Australian barrister.Ah Ket was born on 20 June 1876 at Wangaratta, Victoria, the only son and fifth child of Mah Ket and Hing Ung. On 16 November 1912 he had married Gertrude Victoria Bullock at the Kew Methodist Church. They had two sons and two daughters...
). In 1952, the family relocated to England. Williams was taught initially by his father, and educated at the Friern Barnet Grammar School
Friern Barnet Grammar School
The Friern Barnet Grammar School was a small independent day school for boys located on Friern Barnet Road, North London.It was later absorbed into the co-educational Woodside Park School foundation which is today known as The North London International School, notably one of the first schools to...
, London. From the age of eleven he attended summer courses with Andrés Segovia
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Torres Segovia, 1st Marquis of Salobreña , known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain...
at the Academia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Later, he attended the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
in London from 1956 to 1959, studying piano because the school did not have a guitar department at the time. Upon graduation, he was offered the opportunity to create such a department. He took the opportunity and ran the department for its first two years. Williams has maintained links with the College (and with the Royal Northern College of Music
Royal Northern College of Music
The Royal Northern College of Music is a music school in Manchester, England. It is located on Oxford Road in Chorlton on Medlock, at the western edge of the campus of the University of Manchester and is one of four conservatories associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
) ever since.
As a classical guitarist
Williams's first professional performance was at the Wigmore HallWigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
in London on 6 November 1958. Since then, he has been performing throughout the world and has made regular appearances on radio and TV. He has recorded almost the entire repertoire for the guitar and has extended it by commissioning guitar concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
s from composers such as Stephen Dodgson
Stephen Dodgson
Stephen Dodgson is a British composer and broadcaster.- Biography :During World War II, he served in the Royal Navy. From 1947 to 1949, Dodgson studied at the Royal College of Music, where he later taught composition. In 1950, he visited Italy on a travelling scholarship, after which he taught in...
, André Previn
André Previn
André George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
, Patrick Gowers
Patrick Gowers
William Patrick Gowers is an English composer mainly known for his film scores.-Film music:Gowers' works include the following music scores: Comic Act , Forever Green , The Hound of the Baskervilles , The Sign of Four , Whoops Apocalypse , Anna Karenina , Smiley's People , I remember...
, Richard Harvey and Steve Gray. He has recorded albums of duets with fellow guitarists, Julian Bream
Julian Bream
Julian Bream, CBE is an English classical guitarist and lutenist and is one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century. He has also been successful in renewing popular interest in the Renaissance lute....
and Paco Peña
Paco Peña
Paco Peña is a Spanish flamenco guitarist. He is regarded as one of the world's foremost traditional Flamenco players.Born in Córdoba, Spain as Francisco Peña Pérez, Paco Peña began learning to play the guitar from his brother at age 6 and made his first professional appearance at 12...
.
John Williams was instrumental in bringing the works of Agustín Barrios
Agustín Barrios
Agustín Pío Barrios , an eminent Paraguayan guitarist and composer, was born in the department of Misiones, Paraguay and died in San Salvador, El Salvador...
back to popularity. Williams has often spoken highly of Barrios' work, even stating that he believes Barrios is the greatest composer of guitar music. He has also worked with contemporary composers from his native Australia, including Phillip Houghton
Phillip Houghton
Phillip Houghton is an Australian classical guitarist and composer. Born in Melbourne, he began studying music at the age of 20 at Melba Conservatorium of Music...
, Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Joshua Sculthorpe AO OBE is an Australian composer. Much of his music has resulted from an interest in the music of Australia's neighbours as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of native Australian music with that of the heritage of the West...
, Ross Edwards
Ross Edwards (composer)
Ross Edwards is an Australian composer of a wide variety of music including orchestral and chamber music, choral music, children's music, opera and film music. He is not to be confused with a British up and coming singer-songwriter of the same name.-Life:Ross Edwards was born in Sydney...
and Nigel Westlake
Nigel Westlake
-Biography:Nigel Westlake's career in music has spanned more than 3 decades.He studied the clarinet with his father, Donald Westlake and subsequently left school early to pursue a performance career in music.Nigel toured Australia and the world playing with ballet companies, a circus troupe,...
, to produce guitar works that capture the spirit of his homeland. However he has also the music by the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu
Toru Takemitsu
was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre...
, Cuban composer Leo Brouwer
Leo Brouwer
Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida is a Cuban composer, conductor and guitarist. He is the grandson of Cuban composer Ernestina Lecuona Casado.-Biography:...
and music from many African countries.
John Williams is a visiting professor and honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
in London.
He mostly uses Greg Smallman
Greg Smallman
Greg Smallman is an Australian luthier known worldwide for his innovative guitar designs. Although his guitars are in outward appearance similar to a traditional Spanish classical guitar, there are numerous innovative differences. Among them is the use of a high, arched and carved back for the...
guitars after using Spanish Fleta during the 1970s
Thoughts on guitar education and teaching
John Williams has expressed his frustration and concern with guitar education and teaching, if it is too one-sided, e.g. focusing only on solo playing, instead of giving guitar students a better education including ensemble playing, sight-reading and a focus on phrasing and tone production/variation. Williams notes that "students [are] preoccupied with fingerings and not notes, much less sounds"; some are able "to play [...] difficult solo works from memory", but "have a very poor sense of ensemble [playing] or timing". He notes that students play works from the solo repertoire that is often still too difficult, so that the teachers often put more "emphasis [...] on getting through the notes rather than playing the real substance of each note". To encourage phrasing, tone production and all-round musicianship, Williams arranges for students to play together in ensembles, choosing works from the existing classical-music repertoire, such as the "easier Haydn String Quartets".Other musical genres
Although Williams is best known as a classical guitarist, he has explored many different musical genres. He was a member of the fusion group SkySky (band)
Sky was a British instrumental group that specialised in fusing a variety of musical styles including light rock, progressive rock, classical and jazz. The group's best known members were classical guitarist John Williams, bass player Herbie Flowers Sky was a British instrumental group that...
. He is also a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and arranger. At the invitation of producer Martin Lewis he created a highly acclaimed classical-rock fusion duet with celebrated rock guitarist Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
for Townshend's anthemic Won't Get Fooled Again
Won't Get Fooled Again
"Won't Get Fooled Again" is a song by the rock band The Who which was written by Pete Townshend The original version of the song appears as the final track on the album Who's Next...
for the 1979 Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
benefit show The Secret Policeman's Ball
The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979)
The Secret Policeman's Ball took place over four consecutive nights in London in June 1979. It was a successor to the 1976 show A Poke In The Eye and the 1977 show The Mermaid Frolics.The show was directed by Monty Python alumnus John Cleese and producers Martin Lewis and Peter Walker...
. The duet was featured on the resulting album and the film version of the show - bringing Williams to the broader attention of the rock audience.
He recorded "Cavatina" by Stanley Myers
Stanley Myers
Stanley Myers , was a prolific British film composer who scored over sixty films. Born in Birmingham, as a teenager Myers went to King Edward's School in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham...
. The piece originally included only the first few measures, but at Williams' request, it was re-written for guitar and expanded by Myers. After this transformation, it was used for a film, The Walking Stick
The Walking Stick
The Walking Stick is a 1970 film directed by Eric Till and starring David Hemmings and Samantha Eggar. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Winston Graham...
(1970). In 1973, Cleo Laine
Cleo Laine
Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, DBE is a jazz singer and an actress, noted for her scat singing and vocal range...
wrote lyrics and recorded it as the song "He Was Beautiful" accompanied by John Williams. The guitar version became a worldwide hit single when it was used as the theme tune to the Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-winning film The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter is a 1978 drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino about a trio of Russian American steel worker friends and their infantry service in the Vietnam War. The film stars Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Savage, John Cazale, and George Dzundza...
(1978).
Personal life
Williams and his third wife Kathy reside in London and Australia. He has a daughter Kate, now an established jazz pianist, from his first marriage (to Lindy); and a son, Charlie Williams, from his second marriage (to broadcaster Sue CookSue Cook
Sue Cook is a British broadcaster and author.-Early life:Her father, William, worked for the Commission on Industrial Relations . She has two younger brothers, and lived on Burnham Avenue...
). He is a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is a campaign in the United Kingdom promoting solidarity with the Palestinian people. It was founded in 1982 during the build-up to Israel's invasion of Lebanon.The campaign states:...
Discography
In the following list, compilations or re-editions are denoted by (C) after the album title.1960s
- 1961 Folk-Songs (L'Oiseau-Lyre)
- 1961 Folk Songs (with Wilfred BrownWilfred BrownWilfred Brown was an accomplished English tenor.He was born in Horsham, Sussex and educated at Collyer's School, then at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and Trinity College of Music. Brown was a lifelong member of the Religious Society of Friends...
:Tenor) - 1961 A Spanish Guitar (Westminster)
- 1963 Twenty Studies for Guitar (Westminster)
- 1963 Jacqueline du PréJacqueline du PréJacqueline Mary du Pré OBE was a British cellist. She is particularly associated with Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor; her interpretation has been described as "definitive" and "legendary." Her career was cut short by multiple sclerosis, which forced her to stop performing at 28 and led to her...
: Recital (EMI) - 1964 CBS [Columbia] Records Presents John Williams (CBS)
- 1965 Virtuoso Music For Guitar (CBS)
- 1965 Two Guitar Concertos (Rodrigo and Castelnuovo-Tedesco) (CBS)
- 1967 More Virtuoso Music for Guitar (CBS)
- 1968 Two Guitar Concertos (Rodrigo and Dodgson) (CBS)
- 1968 Haydn and Paganini (CBS)
- 1969 Virtuoso Variations for Guitar (CBS)
- 1969 Concertos by Vivaldi and Giuliani (CBS)
- 1969 Songs for Voice and Guitar (CBS)
1970s
- 1970 John Williams Plays Spanish Music (CBS)
- 1970 Webern: Complete Works (CBS/Philips)
- 1971 Songs of Freedom - Theodorakis (CBS)
- 1971 The Raging Moon (EMI)
- 1971 200 Motels (United Artists)
- 1971 Changes (Cube Records)
- 1971 Music for Guitar and Harpsichord (CBS)
- 1972 Guitar Recital (I & II) (C) (Ace of Diamonds)
- 1972 Together (a.k.a. Julian and John) (RCA)
- 1972 Gowers Chamber Concerto, Scarlatti Sonatas (CBS)
- 1972 PrevinAndré PrevinAndré George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
and Ponce Concertos (CBS) - 1972 Greatest Hits-The Guitar (C) (Columbia)
- 1972 John Williams Plays More Spanish Music and Other Favourites (C) (CBS)
- 1973 Music from England, Japan, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina and Mexico (CBS)
- 1973 The Height Below (Cube Records)
- 1974 Rhapsody (CBS)
- 1974 Together Again (a.k.a. Julian and John 2) (RCA)
- 1974 Rodrigo & Villa-Lobos (CBS)
- 1974 John Williams' Greatest Hits (C) (CBS)
- 1975 Bach: Complete Lute Music (CBS)
- 1976 Best Friends (with Cleo LaineCleo LaineDame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, DBE is a jazz singer and an actress, noted for her scat singing and vocal range...
)(RCA) - 1976 Duos (CBS)
- 1976 John Williams and Friends (CBS)
- 1976 Villa-Lobos and Scarlatti (C) (CBS)
- 1977 The Sly Cormorant Argo (Decca)
- 1977 John Williams Plays Patrick GowersPatrick GowersWilliam Patrick Gowers is an English composer mainly known for his film scores.-Film music:Gowers' works include the following music scores: Comic Act , Forever Green , The Hound of the Baskervilles , The Sign of Four , Whoops Apocalypse , Anna Karenina , Smiley's People , I remember...
(C) (CBS) - 1977 John Williams plays Spanish Favourites (C) (Decca)
- 1977 John Williams plays Bach and Scarlatti (C) (Decca)
- 1977 Guitar Recital (Double LP) (C) (Decca)
- 1977 Castelnuovo-TedescoMario Castelnuovo-TedescoMario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was an Italian composer. He was known as one of the foremost guitar composers in the twentieth century with almost one hundred compositions for that instrument. In 1939 he migrated to the United States and became a film composer for some 200 Hollywood movies for the next...
, ArnoldMalcolm ArnoldSir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE was an English composer and symphonist.Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was ranked with Benjamin Britten as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain...
and DodgsonStephen DodgsonStephen Dodgson is a British composer and broadcaster.- Biography :During World War II, he served in the Royal Navy. From 1947 to 1949, Dodgson studied at the Royal College of Music, where he later taught composition. In 1950, he visited Italy on a travelling scholarship, after which he taught in...
Concertos (CBS) - 1977 John Williams ~ Barrios (CBS)
- 1977 Mermaid Frolics (Polydor)
- 1978 Malcolm ArnoldMalcolm ArnoldSir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE was an English composer and symphonist.Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was ranked with Benjamin Britten as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain...
and Leo BrouwerLeo BrouwerJuan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida is a Cuban composer, conductor and guitarist. He is the grandson of Cuban composer Ernestina Lecuona Casado.-Biography:...
Concertos (CBS) - 1978 Stevie (CBS)
- 1978 John Williams Plays PaganiniNiccolò PaganiniNiccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
(C) (CBS) - 1978 John Williams Collection (C) (CBS)
- 1978 Travelling (Cube Records)
- 1978 Manuel Ponce (CBS)
- 1979 John Williams plays Stephen Dodgson (C) (CBS)
- 1979 Julian Bream & John Williams Live (RCA)
- 1979 Recollections (C) (CBS)
- 1979 Sky (Ariola)
- 1979 The Secret Policeman's Ball (Island)
- 1979 The Deer Hunter (Capitol)
- 1979 Cavatina(C) (Cube Records)
- 1979 John Williams at His Best (C) (Neon)
- 1979 Morning Sky (C) (Cube Records)
- 1979 Bridges (C) (Lotus Music/K-Tel)
- 1979 Spotlight on John Williams (2LP) (C) (Cube Records)
1980s
- 1980 Guitar Quintets (CBS)
- 1980 The Platinum Collection (2LP) (C) (Cube Records)
- 1980 The Guitar Music of John Williams (C) (Tellydisc)
- 1980 Sky 2 (Ariola)
- 1981 Great Performances: Rodrigo (C) (CBS)
- 1981 Echoes of Spain - Albeniz (CBS)
- 1981 Sky 3 (Ariola)
- 1982 John Williams and Peter HurfordPeter HurfordPeter Hurford OBE is a British organist, born St Cecilia's day 1930 in Minehead, Somerset.Educated at Blundell's School, he later studied both music and law at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating with dual degrees, subsequently obtaining an enviable reputation for both musical scholarship and...
Play Bach (CBS) - 1982 Sky Forthcoming (Ariola)
- 1982 Just Guitars: A Concert in Aid of The Samaritans (CBS)
- 1982 Portrait of John Williams (CBS/Sony)
- 1983 SkySky (band)Sky was a British instrumental group that specialised in fusing a variety of musical styles including light rock, progressive rock, classical and jazz. The group's best known members were classical guitarist John Williams, bass player Herbie Flowers Sky was a British instrumental group that...
Five Live (Ariola) - 1983 The Honorary Consul Island (single)
- 1983 Let The Music Take You (CBS/QNote)
- 1983 The Guitar is the Song: A Folksong Collection (CBS/Sony)
- 1983 Cadmium ... (Ariola)
- 1984 Rodrigo (CBS)
- 1985 Bach, HandelHANDELHANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
, MarcelloAlessandro MarcelloAlessandro Marcello was an Italian nobleman, poet, philosopher, mathematician and musician.-Biography:...
: Concertos (CBS/Sony) - 1985 Hounds of Love (EMI Manhattan)
- 1986 Echoes of London (CBS)
- 1986 Classic Aid: Concert in Aid of The UNHCR (CBS)
- 1986 The Essential Collection (C) (Castle)
- 1986 Le Grand Classique (C) (CBS/Guy Laroche)
- 1987 Emma's War (Filmtrax)
- 1987 Paul Hart Concerto for Guitar and Jazz Orchestra (CBS/Sony)
- 1987 Fragments of a Dream CBS/ (Sony)
- 1987 Unforgettable John Williams (C) (Castle)
- 1988 A Fish Called WandaA Fish Called WandaA Fish Called Wanda is a 1988 crime-comedy film written by John Cleese and Charles Crichton. It was directed by Crichton and an uncredited Cleese, and stars Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin. The film is about a jewel heist and its aftermath...
(Milan) - 1988 The BaroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
Album (CBS/Sony) - 1988 John Williams - The Collection (C) (Castle)
- 1989 Spirit of the Guitar: Music of the Americas (CBS/Sony)
- 1989 The Great Guitar Concertos (2CD) (C) (CBS)
- 1989 Spanish Guitar Favourites (C) CBS
- 1989 Guitar Concertos (2CD) (C) (CBS)
- 1989 Rodrigo Concertos (C) (CBS)
- 1989 Rodrigo and Albéniz (C) (CBS)
- 1989 The Golden Guitar (C) (CBS)
1990s
- 1990 Leyenda (CBS)
- 1990 Bach: Four Lute Suites (C) (CBS)
- 1990 Vivaldi Concertos (Sony)
- 1990 Spanish Guitar Music (C) (Essential Classics)
- 1991 Guitar Recital (C) (Decca)
- 1991 Latin American Guitar Music by BarriosAgustín BarriosAgustín Pío Barrios , an eminent Paraguayan guitarist and composer, was born in the department of Misiones, Paraguay and died in San Salvador, El Salvador...
and PonceManuel Maria PonceManuel María Ponce Cuéllar was a Mexican composer active in the 20th century. His work as a composer, music educator and scholar of Mexican music connected the concert scene with a usually forgotten tradition of popular song and Mexican folklore...
(C) (Essential Classics) - 1991 Rodrigo, Giuliani and Vivaldi (C) (Essential Classics)
- 1991 The Best of John Williams (C) Music Club
- 1992 Takemitsu (Sony)
- 1992 Iberia (Sony)
- 1993 The Seville Concert (Sony)
- 1993 Together Again (Expanded Edition on CD) (RCA)
- 1993 Together (Expanded Edition on CD) (RCA)
- 1994 From Australia (Sony)
- 1994 The Great Paraguayan (From The Jungles of Paraguay) (Sony)
- 1994 Julian BreamJulian BreamJulian Bream, CBE is an English classical guitarist and lutenist and is one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century. He has also been successful in renewing popular interest in the Renaissance lute....
and John Williams Ultimate Collection (C) (BMG) - 1995 George Martin presents the Medici Quartet (Classic FM)
- 1996 The Mantis & the Moon (Sony)
- 1996 Guitar Concertos by Richard HarveyRichard HarveyRichard Harvey is a BAFTA Award–winning British musician and composer. He is best known for his film and television soundtracks...
(Concerto Antico) and Steve Gray (Sony) - 1996 DodgsonStephen DodgsonStephen Dodgson is a British composer and broadcaster.- Biography :During World War II, he served in the Royal Navy. From 1947 to 1949, Dodgson studied at the Royal College of Music, where he later taught composition. In 1950, he visited Italy on a travelling scholarship, after which he taught in...
and Rodrigo (C) (Essential Classics) - 1996 Paganini, Scarlatti, Giuliani & Villa-Lobos (C) (Essential Classics)
- 1996 Bach Lute Music: Volume 1 (C) (Essential Classics)
- 1996 Bach Lute Music: Volume 2 (C) (Essential Classics)
- 1996 John Williams Plays the Movies (and The World of John Williams) (Sony)
- 1997 The Black Decameron (Sony)
- 1997 The Very Best of John Williams (C) (Crimson)
- 1997 Great Expectations (Atlantic)
- 1998 In My Life (MCA)
- 1998 The Guitarist (Sony)
- 1999 Spanish Guitar Favourites (C) (Decca)
- 1999 Bach and ScarlattiDomenico ScarlattiGiuseppe Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer who spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. He is classified as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical style...
(C) (Belart) - 1999 Guitar Moods (C) (Decca)
- 1996 Great Performances - RodrigoJoaquín RodrigoJoaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez , commonly known as Joaquín Rodrigo, was a composer of classical music and a virtuoso pianist. Despite being nearly blind from an early age, he achieved great success...
(C) (Sony) - 1999 SchubertFranz SchubertFranz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
and GiulianiMauro GiulianiMauro Giuseppe Sergio Pantaleo Giuliani was an Italian guitarist, cellist and composer, and is considered by many to be one of the leading guitar virtuosi of the early 19th century.- Biography :...
(Sony) - 1999 The Prayer Cycle (Sony)
- 1999 When Night Falls (Sony)
- 1999 Plague and the Moonflower (Altus)
2000s
- 2000 Classic Williams - Romance of the Guitar (C) (Sony)
- 2000 The Essential John Williams (C) (Metro)
- 2000 English Guitar Music (C) (Essential Classics)
- 2001 The Magic Box (Sony)
- 2001 John Williams Plays Bach (C) (Sony) "Music For You"
- 2001 Invocación Y Danza (C) (Sony)
- 2001 Perpetual Motion (Sony)
- 2003 The Guitarist (Expanded Edition) (Sony)
- 2003 The Seville Concert (Expanded Edition) (Sony)
- 2003 El Diablo Suelto - Guitar Music of Venezuela (with Alfonso Montes) (Sony)
- 2004 Rosemary and Thyme (Sanctuary Classics)
- 2004 The Ultimate Guitar Collection (2CD) (C) (Sony)
- 2005 Bryn TerfelBryn TerfelBryn Terfel Jones CBE is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Leporello, but has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Wagner....
: Simple Gifts (Deutsche Grammophon) - 2005 The Essential John Williams (2CD) (C) (Metro)
- 2005 Testament (BBC/Testament)
- 2006 Great Performances - BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
Lute Suites (C) (Sony) - 2006 John Williams & John EtheridgeJohn EtheridgeJohn Michael Glyn Etheridge is a British jazz/fusion guitarist associated with the Canterbury Scene....
: Places Between (Sony) - 2008 From a Bird
- 2011 The Guitarist (3CD)
Awards and recognitions
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music PerformanceGrammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance has been awarded since 1959. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1959 to 1960 the award was known as Best Classical Performance - Chamber Music ...
- Julian BreamJulian BreamJulian Bream, CBE is an English classical guitarist and lutenist and is one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century. He has also been successful in renewing popular interest in the Renaissance lute....
& John Christopher Williams for Julian and John (Works by LawesHenry LawesHenry Lawes was an English musician and composer.He was born at Dinton in Wiltshire, and received his musical education from John Cooper, better known under his Italian pseudonym Giovanni Coperario, a famous composer of the day...
, CarulliFerdinando CarulliFerdinando Maria Meinrado Francesco Pascale Rosario Carulli was an Italian composer for classical guitar and the author of the first complete classical guitar method, which continues to be used today. He wrote a variety of works for classical guitar, including concertos and chamber works...
, AlbénizIsaac AlbénizIsaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual was a Spanish Catalan pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music idioms .-Life:Born in Camprodon, province of Girona, to Ángel Albéniz and his wife Dolors Pascual, Albéniz...
, GranadosEnrique GranadosEnrique Granados y Campiña was a Spanish pianist and composer of classical music. His music is in a uniquely Spanish style and, as such, representative of musical nationalism...
) (1973Grammy Awards of 1973The 15th Grammy Awards were held on March 3, 1973, and were the first to be broadcast live on CBS, after the first two ceremonies were on ABC. CBS has been the TV home for the Grammy Awards ever since. The awards recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1972...
)
BRIT Award
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
for Best Classical Recording
- John Williams for Portrait of John Williams (1983)
Edison lifetime achievement award (2007)
Reviews
- "Williams sailed with characteristic fluency through the Suite for Lute [Bach Partita No. 3] [...] there are perhaps more scholarly performances that would include some creative ornamentation, but Williams played with a rhythmic solidity, fluid sense of line and a romantic rather than a Baroque rubatoTempo rubatoTempo rubato is a musical term referring to expressive and rhythmic freedom by a slight speeding up and then slowing down of the tempo of a piece at the discretion of the soloist or the conductor...
. There were also uncharacteristic accentsAccent (music)In music, an accent is an emphasis placed on a particular note,either as a result of its context or specifically indicated by an accent mark.Accents contribute to the articulation and prosody of a performance of a musical phrase....
, disassociated color changes, and surprising glissandoGlissandoIn music, a glissando is a glide from one pitch to another. It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French glisser, to glide. In some contexts it is distinguished from the continuous portamento...
s from time to time." - "No guitarist alive [...] could [...] rattle through a Bach Gigue more cleanly. And yet, there remained something stiff and standoffish - prosaic, almost - about much of the performance."
- "This appearance, his first solo recital in New York in 13 years, testified to the continued healthy state of his fingers, but left one unpersuaded of his communicative powers on deeper levels. He is a musician who seems reluctant to reveal himself in his playing, so seriously constricting the expressive range of his music making that piece after piece comes out sounding much like what went before. There is such a thing in music as brilliant sameness."
- "John Williams's digital debut is a little disappointing. The solo items are forwardly balanced and the sound is somewhat clinical."
- "[John Williams] ended his appearance just as he began it; with mind-blowing finger work and unquestionable mastery of the instrument."
External links
- John Williams, Sonic Music site
- John Williams, the guitarist's music site