The music of John Williams (born 1932) needs no introduction because he is the astoundingly prolific movie composer of over 75 scores including some of the greatest blockbusters of all time. He has been nominated for 54 Academy Awards and won five: Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982) and Schindler's List (1993). But don’t forget Indiana Jones, Superman, Harry Potter, etc. In addition, Williams has written theme music for TV (NBC News) and marches for the Olympic Games -- the 1984, 1988, 1996 Summer Olympics, and the 2002 Winter. It is hard to imagine a composer in history whose orchestral music is more well known to the public.
Williams has expressed all the “blockbuster” emotions whether soaring through the sky with a cape or a via bicycles, expressing pure evil or the triumph over it -- magical spells, the brute attacks of a monstrous shark, the poignancy of suffering persecution, and quiet heroism confronting it. Williams's "Flying Theme," playing as the silhouettes of the boys soar on their bicyclesagainst a full moon, completes one of themost unforgettable shots in movie history.
It is no great insight to say that, since the early 20th century, movies ARE the dominant cultural Art Form. And to be one of the leading composers utterly essential to the success of that Art Form is to be considered with our fine, classical composers. Bravo, John Williams!