John Williams’s Work Voted in Top Ten of Best Scores of All Time
Recently, Classic FM listeners voted for the top 100 best movie soundtrack of all time. Racking up the most movie soundtracks within the top ten of this list is John Williams, the musical genius behind the first three Harry Potter films.
Taking up four different top spots, Williams’s work from Schindler’s List, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Jurassic Park currently sit at No. 2, 4, 7, and 9, respectively.
Howard Shore’s work in the Lord of the Rings came in first for the sixth year running, while Hans Zimmer’s work on Gladiator takes third place. Elijah Wood, who portrayed Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, attributes a film score to the overall identity of a film.
I think film scores are always extremely important with regard to the atmosphere and the emotional connection that you have to a film.
In regard to the competition, Wood gives up Williams’s work as an example.
They sort of transcend the films themselves, almost like John Williams’ (scores). The pieces from Star Wars are so iconic. We hear the music, we know the films, and I think to a certain degree that’s the case with Rings too, with Howard Shore’s score.
It is anything but a surprise that John Williams’s work made it on the list. The emotional response and familiarity elicited from any of the scores in Potter alone is legendary and unforgettable. It is amazing how the magic of Potter continues to live on even after the films have ended.
What do you think of these results? What has been your favorite Williams’s film score?
