The Best Film Composer Of All Time

PrefaceThanks to MissLuLu! James Newton Howard is a really great composer and I am pretty sure that Con will come up with fantastic works to show his talent.Meanwhile, I have decided to go with the one and only, John Williams: I consider him as one of the best, if not the best film composer of all time, and throughout this debate I will show you why.It is certainly not easy to demonstrate the greatness of a composer through only four works of music, since such composers more than often have massive discographies that could take months or years to fully appreciate. However, I have chosen four works that I consider to be real jewels of Williams' career and I hope that everyone reading (and listening) this will agree that they are the best of the best in film music.The First PieceI wanted to start with something that is easily recognizable by most people - Star Wars. Many people, including me, consider the Star Wars soundtrack to be the pinnacle of John Williams' productivity and talent. The specific work that I am going to present is called "Throne Room and Finale", a concert version of "The Throne Room / End Title", heard during Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. There are many different recordings and performances of the piece, but the one I really like was fairly recently performed by the LA Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, which you can watch here: The link above should lead you directly to YouTube and the start of the piece, but if it doesn't, the beginning is around 2:16, and the piece ends at about 10:18. I hope it works for everyone (DDO website can be dodgy sometimes), but if it doesn't - message me or comment below, and I'll try to find find a way around that problem. Throughout my argument I will refer to that recording, using timestamps.I consider "Throne Room and Finale" to be the best piece from all of Star Wars, and the reason for that is the multitude of amazing themes, masterfully interwoven with each other. It crowns the whole Star Wars soundtrack, which has rightfully received many awards, including an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, BAFTA and several Grammy Awards in 1977 and 1978.The piece starts with an introductory fanfare (02:16), reminiscent of that heard in Felix Mendelssohn's "Wedding March", which then turns into the Heroic Theme (02:36), based on the Force Theme (which will be heard later). This introduction is probably the best musical introduction that a watcher of a heroic & epic adventure could wish for, sending shivers down everyone's spines from the very first notes.Another repetition of the fanfare leads us to the Theme A of the piece (03:15) followed by Theme B (03:36) and then a repetition of Theme A with a short cadence (03:57). Note how flawlessly all of these themes interconnect, each of them turning into one another, often with the help of ritenute, emphasizing the beauty of the themes. Note the fantastic harmony in those themes, for example, the interaction of the melodies of the violins, the cellos, and the contrabasses in Theme A, giving great satisfaction to the listener.At 04:19 we hear the familiar fanfare again, and then a solo oboe plays the Force Theme (04:28), which is perhaps the most prominent theme of all the Star Wars films. Aren't the pizzicato strings, accompanying the oboe, completely adorable? :D Could you name a film soundtrack that you've listened to lately that was better than what you're hearing right now? I seriously doubt that.After the beautiful Force Theme sequence we hear a variation of Theme A (05:14), which then develops into a stunning show by the brass section - a magnificent little gem in this piece (05:35). If you are thinking of Gustav Holst's "The Planets" right now, know that you're not the only one. Majestic, isn't it?Variations of themes A and B repeat once again, leading us to the culmination of this part of the piece (06:39 - 06:45), and now we are hearing the themes familiar from every Star Wars movie ending - the End Title. If the first melody (06:46) with its fanfares didn't get you, then I am sure that the next sequence, 07:18 onwards, will. 07:26 introduces us to the Star Wars Theme, heard in the beginning of each movie. By now you should have lost count of the amount of shivers you've had. If not, then brace yourself against this:The Princess Leia Theme (07:50) - Ask yourself if there exists a better theme for a Princess. The answer, is, obviously, no. This is simply the best of the best. An amazing melody, with beautiful flute flourishes - a theme that fits better than anything to the adventures and the character of Princess Leia. And the way in which it interconnects with the End Title themes, heard both before and after it, is simply mind-blowing.After another sequence of the themes that we've already heard (08:34-08:54) we can feel that we are nearing the end of the piece. A restatement of Theme B (08:55), heard in the first part of the piece, leads us to the ultimate cadence, based on Theme A (09:51). Here I especially like the effect that the percussion has - the timpani instrument is famous for enhancing cadences, and here they help create the absolute starwarsian ending, full of majesty that is an integral part of John Williams' scores.Summary of the First PieceI hope that the "Throne Room and Finale" has convinced you of the great talent of John Williams. Inspired by other composers, such as Gustav Holst, he manages to bring awe to both Star Wars fans and film music enthusiasts. There are many elements of this piece that make it great, which indeed apply to the Star Wars soundtrack in general - the interconnectedness of the themes and how effortlessly they seem to fit together, the consistently beautiful harmony, the clear and unique leitmotifs of the different characters, coupled with musical flourishes. I also really like how Williams uses these themes throughout the piece - he repeats them when needed, often as different variations of the same theme, bringing musical structure to the piece. Williams also alters between solo and tutti (e.g. The Force theme), emphasizing the primary themes in many ways and showing off their beauty.I've listened to this particular piece countless times, and the more I listen to it, the more I love it. I hope that will be the case for you, the listeners & voters, as well.If you enjoyed this, you'll love what's coming in the next round. But now, over to Con for some James Newton Howard action!