Composer John Williams stops after Indiana Jones: Remember his other scores, winning 5 Oscars?

Legendary composer will leave soundtracks behind
Influenced by Harrison Ford
Indiana Jones 5
John Williams' amazing legacy
First Oscar: 'Fiddler on the Roof' (1971)
Second Oscar: 'Jaws' (1975)
Third Oscar: 'Star Wars' (1977)
Fourth Oscar: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Spielberg adapted scenes to Williams' music
A great innovator
Fifth Oscar: Schindler's List (1993)
Making the soundtrack for 'Schindler's List'
Song from Spielberg's childhood
Harry Potter
All Harry Potters except the last
Grammy for 'Saving Private Ryan'
Meaningful silence for some scenes
Spielberg's praise
Lifetime Achievement Award
Respect from his peers
Soundtracks won't be the same without him
He might return
TV scores: NBC News
Conductor
Controversy at a Boston Pops concert
Williams continues his work on other music
Legendary composer will leave soundtracks behind

John Williams, who has worked on 75 movie soundtracks, is stepping away from Hollywood in order to focus on his music.

Influenced by Harrison Ford

He explained his decision to Associated Press: "At the moment I’m working on 'Indiana Jones 5,' which Harrison Ford – who’s quite a bit younger than I am – I think has announced will be his last film. So, I thought: If Harrison can do it, then perhaps I can, also."

Indiana Jones 5

The latest installment of 'Indiana Jones,' released in June 2023, is likely the composer's final soundtrack.

John Williams' amazing legacy

Incredibly, Williams has won 5 Oscars and 25 Grammys, as well as a host of other major awards. He is the second most nominated person ever, after Walt Disney.

First Oscar: 'Fiddler on the Roof' (1971)

Williams won his first Oscar for 'Fiddler on the Roof' (1971). The movie was adapted from a Broadway musical, and the plot mixes family problems with political tensions.

Second Oscar: 'Jaws' (1975)

His next Oscars - beside many nominations - would be for the scores of Steven Spielberg films. First, there was 'Jaws' whose 'tadam-tadam-tadam-tadam' we all remember as an iconic tune in movie history.

Third Oscar: 'Star Wars' (1977)

Many of us will also remember the soundtrack of 'Star Wars.' It attests to the power of John Williams' compositions. He won the Oscar in 1978.

Fourth Oscar: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Williams also scored the wonderful 'E.T.' (1982). The composer found the task of making a strange alien sympathetic through his music to be a daunting one.

Spielberg adapted scenes to Williams' music

Nevertheless, director Steven Spielberg loved all of his compositions for the movie, and he even edited one of his scenes so it could better fit Williams' music.

A great innovator

Williams experimented greatly on the 'E.T.' soundtrack as he wanted to capture the dichotomy of childlike wonder and terrifying danger. The composer has always innovated, and he has gone on record saying that he would love to see what music will be like a hundred years in the future.

Fifth Oscar: Schindler's List (1993)

This is another film score that many people will remember. 'Schindler's List' (1993) was perhaps the most difficult collaboration between Spielberg and Williams. This sobering movie gives a raw and emotional account of the Holocaust.

Making the soundtrack for 'Schindler's List'

Williams, seen here speaking at the Shoah Foundation, famously told Spielberg that he needed a better composer for the film. Despite the pressure Williams felt, he won another Oscar for this soundtrack.

Song from Spielberg's childhood

'Schindler's List' features violin sequences and the song 'Oyfn Pripetshik', which Spielberg's grandmother often sang when he was young.

Harry Potter

Williams lent his talents to the first three Harry Potter movies because he was friends with director Chris Columbus. Even though he was not involved with the subsequent films, his 'Hedwig's Theme' was used throughout the series.

All Harry Potters except the last

Williams, seen here at a Harry Potter event at Universal Studios, was asked to return for the final film, but unfortunately, scheduling conflicts meant that this was, ultimately, impossible. Nevertheless, many generations of fans associate the film series with his music.

Grammy for 'Saving Private Ryan'

Despite mixed reviews for his work on 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998), he won a Grammy for his soundtrack, while 'Hymn to the Fallen' was played on several radio stations across the USA.

Meaningful silence for some scenes

Williams and director Steven Spielberg made the decision to leave the action scenes in the movie unscored.

Spielberg's praise

Spielberg and Williams are frequent collaborators. Apart from the longevity of this partnership, what is surprising is the many different genres the pair have worked on. What is more, Spielberg, in the sleeve notes of the 'Jurassic Park' OST, declared that: 'I call it an honorable privilege to regard John Williams as a friend'.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Williams won many awards, including a stunning number of 25 Grammys. In 2016, the American Film Institute celebrated Williams by giving him a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Respect from his peers

Apart from his glittering awards, John Williams has earned the respect of his peers. Harrison Ford, at a celebration of 'Star Wars' in California, took the opportunity to state: 'It is a special honour for me to be able to congratulate John on his 90th birthday. I told John on another occasion that we had the chance to be together, and that music follows me everywhere I go. And you know what, I’m happy about it'.

Soundtracks won't be the same without him

As John Williams bows out from the world of movies, all we can do is thank him for scoring our favourite films. His musical genius will be missed in Hollywood!

He might return

However, there is still hope he will return. As the 90+ composer made the surprise announcement of his 'resignation' to Associated Press, he added a hint that he may return to movies again in the future.

TV scores: NBC News

Williams has a career of 60 years behind him. He did not just make film scores but also documentaries and other programs on TV. For example, NBC commissioned him to make a music package for their news and sports shows in 1985. Some of this package is still used today by the network.

Conductor

Since the 1980s, Williams has worked with orchestras. In 2020, he worked with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. This was the first time he worked outside the USA as a conductor.

Controversy at a Boston Pops concert

He famously worked with the Boston Pops Orchestra until 1993, though he nearly quit in 1984 when some players audibly hissed while sight-reading his new composition. After receiving personal apologies from the players involved in the incident, he decided to stay on.

Williams continues his work on other music

Williams's continuous work includes a piano concerto and collaborations with other musicians, based on his album - 'A Gathering of Friends'.

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