Publish at June 12 2024 Updated June 12 2024
With 50 Oscar nominations and 5 statuettes to his name, composer John Williams is a Hollywood legend. He has accompanied some of the most popular sagas, as well as veteran directors such as Steven Spielberg. Star Wars, Jaws, Harry Potter, E.T., Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park: all titles that make well-known tunes resound in our heads. They are all the creation of Mr. Williams.
How did he manage to compose such famous and memorable melodies? Le Monde analyzed the composer's technique. It's all based on the idea of the "leitmotif": characters or concepts are associated with a tune that is repeated several times throughout the film. Richard Wagner was already doing the same thing with his huge operas; Williams has only adopted it for the cinema. For example, to represent the shark, which is practically invisible in Jaws, he uses repeated series of notes, making us feel the threat as it approaches.
The use of a symphony orchestra allows him to adapt his musical motifs even better. For example, the theme of the Empire (and Darth Vader) resonates fully with all the instruments as it gains in power in Episode 5. However, towards the end of the redeemed villain's life, only a harp will recall the notes to signify the demise of the Dark Side and the Empire. It's this mix of techniques that makes the soundtracks of these films nuggets that are still appreciated by music and film lovers alike.
Running time: 10min54
You might also like:
Neuromyths that persist in schools
Neuroscience is young. Indeed, they are fascinating, and may hold the key to our brains. But for the time being, researchers still know very little. As a result, early hypotheses are often overturned by new discoveries. Yet these myths continue to be perpetuated by schools, much to the dismay of scientists.
Why read and study Molière in 2022
Can we read and study Molière in 2022 despite the difference in language level? How and why? Discover the greatest genius of French comedy of all time.
In the field? Let's go out with notebooks!
Observing without intention and without a reading grid arouses interest and curiosity, but rarely contributes to the development of learning. For centuries, scientists have been taking notes of their observations, in notebooks and now sometimes on tablets. In this article, we propose to discover how inspiring these practices can be for students, in science or in interdisciplinarity.
Cultural and historical outing: see it for real
History happened somewhere. History is written with tools and materials in a context. Associative memory works with physical anchors, which is why it's a good idea to go and see, to feel artifacts or copies of them, or to re-enact situations. Sometimes, history is actually being written. There's no shortage of possibilities: thousands of them. Let's get inspired!
"Well-structured feedback and assessments preserve self-esteem and promote student persistence. Students, through a fair process, know their true worth in this environment. A teacher and students working in the same direction creates a pretty positive atmosphere.
