Back in 2008 I composed a musical for Easter, following the events of the last week in the life of Jesus Christ. It was all part of the "Hope 08" churches together activities we saw that year. It was performed twice, in my church and also in a local school, by the members and soloists … Continue reading Hope Rising
music
The Accidental Tourist
Continuing in my occasional blog entries reviewing one score by the wonderful John Williams for every year of my life, we come to 1988, the year I turned 18, and the score to The Accidental Tourist. By this year, I'd been an ardent fan for about 4 years, having discovered that the same person who … Continue reading The Accidental Tourist
Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings
Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings I released this, my 5th album, last week. It's been a very long time coming. I actually began working on some of the pieces on this album way back in about 1989, (always a Tolkien nut!) Then, when I heard that Peter Jackson was making the Lord of … Continue reading Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings
A John Williams Score for every Year of my Life: 1987 – Empire of the Sun
Oh no! What do I do? In 1987, the year I turned 17, John Williams released two fantastic soundtrack albums, and I truly don't know which one I love more. That year was the year of "The Witches of Eastwick" and "The Empire of the Sun". Both are phenomenal scores. I fell in love with … Continue reading A John Williams Score for every Year of my Life: 1987 – Empire of the Sun
A John Williams Score for Every Year of my Life – 1985 – The River
OK, I'm cheating a little here. There was no score by John Williams in 1985. It was the first year since 1960 that didn't see a new score by Williams. Many of the years since that time had seen numerous scores. That tells you something about his work ethic, and how sought after he was. … Continue reading A John Williams Score for Every Year of my Life – 1985 – The River
A John Williams Score for Every Year of my Life – 1984 – Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas took a different direction with Indiana Jones in the sequel to 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark". For one, the film is actually a prequel, with the action taking place in 1935, mainly set in India (after a short prelude in China). This was apparently to avoid using the Nazis … Continue reading A John Williams Score for Every Year of my Life – 1984 – Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
A John Williams Score for Every Year of my life – 1983 Return of the Jedi
Just before Christmas I had the wonderful experience of watching The Return of the Jedi screened with a live orchestra playing the score. I'd seen the first two films in the saga in the same way a few years ago - and this one was held back a year by the pandemic. It's a curious … Continue reading A John Williams Score for Every Year of my life – 1983 Return of the Jedi
A John Williams score for every year of my life – 1982 – E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
E.T: I remember clearly going to see it for the first time, at the age of twelve. I remember seeing the posters, some of which had a boy and a... thing lying on hospital beds surrounded by plastic sheets, and I wondered what on earth I was going to see. And then the lights went … Continue reading A John Williams score for every year of my life – 1982 – E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
A John Williams Score for Every Year of my Life 1981 – The Raiders of the Lost Ark
With this, the first in the series of Indiana Jones films, John Williams created yet another outstanding opus - that surrounding the wisecracking, whip-swinging, fedora-wearing hero and sometimes archaeologist, Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford may have played the titular hero (and it's a wonder that despite his resemblances and affinities to a certain smuggler in a … Continue reading A John Williams Score for Every Year of my Life 1981 – The Raiders of the Lost Ark
How far to update old songs?
I'm working on a new album release, which will contain some songs which are 25 to 30 years old. Some of them were written when I was very young, and before I'd really become the person I am. In some ways, they reflect my black and white view of the world back then. As we … Continue reading How far to update old songs?
When is it Finished?
I suffer from George Lucas Syndrome. Now before you all grab your medical encyclopaedias to look that up, actually, it does exist, but not in the way I mean it. Apparently the urban meaning is "A situation in which sci-fi movies often sacrifice good-quality acting and a coherent story in order to milk in the special effects." But that's not the … Continue reading When is it Finished?
Writer’s Block
I'm sure all creatives, people who try to make a living from their creations, suffer this at some point. And it's not, by the way, confined to writers. I've been fighting with a new song all day, and it still isn't playing ball. My ideas sound hackneyed, flat. And that's just to me. I wouldn't … Continue reading Writer’s Block
A John Williams Score for Every Year of my Life 1980 – The Empire Strikes Back
It's a while since I wrote one of these posts on the work of my favourite composer, John Williams. I've had Covid, but that's not why. The truth is, since I left teaching to become wholly freelance with my own music and art, I haven't had a great deal of time to write. And that's … Continue reading A John Williams Score for Every Year of my Life 1980 – The Empire Strikes Back
The Art of Putting Weight On
Apparently most of the UK population have put on an average of half a stone on over lockdown. That's certainly true of me, and I'm working doubly hard to try to lose it again. But like the old meme says - "I keep losing weight, but it keeps finding me again". But if I'm honest, … Continue reading The Art of Putting Weight On
My life as a Freelancer
I took a risk at Easter. I left teaching, in order to give my time to painting and to music composition. So far, it's been the best decision I could have made, because I've had more work than I know what to do with. In fact, I've been so busy doing paid work for other … Continue reading My life as a Freelancer
Thebe – from The Moons of Jupiter
Some time ago I started writing pieces of music which reflected my love of the cosmic, of science fiction. I chose as my theme the Moons of Jupiter. I don't intend to write music for every single one of them, as there are about 79 at last count. However, I added a new moon fairly … Continue reading Thebe – from The Moons of Jupiter
Life Changes
Well, since I last blogged, there have been some changes. Well, one in particular. I took the step in Easter of this year of leaving teaching. So I am now (and have been for the past one and a half months) a full-time creative freelancer. So what is it like? Well, I've been fortunate. Since … Continue reading Life Changes
A John Williams Score for Every Year of my Life 10: 1979 – Dracula
Dracula, scored in 1979, is perhaps one of john Williams' lesser known works. It is however a mighty work, built mainly around the lush and dangerous theme Williams provided for the central character. This theme features firstly in the Main Title and Storm Sequence : https://youtu.be/SEAbPQN9mFI John Williams has said that he tries not to … Continue reading A John Williams Score for Every Year of my Life 10: 1979 – Dracula
A John Williams Score for every Year of my Life 9: A bit of a mix, 1978
So I've reached the year I turned eight. In that year, John Williams was called upon to score a number of feature films, with wide-ranging subject matter - from superheroes to a man-eating shark. I simply cannot choose one score to epitomise his output that year, so I shall choose a theme (motif) or two … Continue reading A John Williams Score for every Year of my Life 9: A bit of a mix, 1978
What makes a good melody?
I've been teaching some year 5 classes about melody recently, helping them to realise that good melodies don't just happen by accident. It's not that composers slavishly follow rules to compose memorable tunes, because most of the time, a good melody does present itself as if my magic. But there are certain truths I suspect … Continue reading What makes a good melody?
New Moon (of Jupiter)
This week I completed the fourth in my series of pieces inspired by the idea of the Moons of Jupiter. The introduction to this opus can be found here https://adamtucker.art/2020/11/25/a-new-little-musical-venture-the-moons-of-jupiter So here is the next instalment - Europa. This one is the biggest of the pieces, not just in length but also in breadth of … Continue reading New Moon (of Jupiter)
A John Williams Score for every year of my life 8b. 1977 – Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope
Do I dare? What on earth can I say about this magnum opus which single handedly transformed film scoring, just as the film it accompanies reinvented the blockbuster. So much has already been written about the score John Williams wrote for George Lucas' little space opera - I certainly couldn't say anything new or improve … Continue reading A John Williams Score for every year of my life 8b. 1977 – Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope
The Dark Crystal – a Triumph of Design
This is not a film review. This is purely my response as an artist to the artistry at work in the design of the film, which in my view is absolutely second-to-none. Much of the film's design is down to the excellent and unique work of Brian Froud. His imaginative and organic designs are an … Continue reading The Dark Crystal – a Triumph of Design
A John Williams Score for Every Year of my Life 8a – Close Encounters
1977 was a big year for John Williams. He wrote the scores to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, as well as a certain space opera set a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. It would be remiss of me not to include both of these immense scores, different as they are. … Continue reading A John Williams Score for Every Year of my Life 8a – Close Encounters
A new little musical venture – The Moons of Jupiter
I've started composing some pieces to represent the moons of Jupiter. I won't be writing pieces for every single one of them, because there are quite a few! Seventy-nine at the last count. But the main ones, whose names you may have heard of, such as Thebe, Callisto, Ganymede, Io, Europa, and Amalthea - they … Continue reading A new little musical venture – The Moons of Jupiter
A John Williams Score for every year of my life 7 – 1976 the Missouri Breaks
I know very little about the film which gave birth to this choice of score by John Williams. I know that it is a Western film which starred Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson, but that's only because they appear on the album artwork. Having looked at Wikipedia's entry on the film, I see that it … Continue reading A John Williams Score for every year of my life 7 – 1976 the Missouri Breaks
A John Williams Score for Every Year of My Life – 1975 Jaws
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BePfzCOMRZQ&list=OLAK5uy_knTCF7Agg3xAnZ4xzhdDsgq2OvaMzYBrI It has to be done. Whilst I am a great fan of the other score of 1975 which Williams wrote for "The Eiger Sanction", I couldn't not devote this blog entry to the stroke of absolute mastery which is Jaws. As a teacher, I often use the theme from Jaws to illustrate how composers … Continue reading A John Williams Score for Every Year of My Life – 1975 Jaws
A John Williams Work for Every Year of my Life 5 – 1974 Earthquake
For this post I want to zoom in on one part of the score to Earthquake which struck me as soon as I heard it some years ago - the main theme. It encapsulates so much of the time, with upbeat funky additions to the mix, and that wonderful soaring John Williams horn melody. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRQ19CKA21U&list=PLpN8xN3JSwkSyeJsW_gFkqqqNmlWFLorI … Continue reading A John Williams Work for Every Year of my Life 5 – 1974 Earthquake
The Lord of the Rings and other things
I've reawakened my long dormant soundcloud account, and I intend to use it often to showcase my new compositions as well as some of my older ones. https://soundcloud.com/adam-tucker-composer My Soiundcloud page. Visit it to listen to my take on the world which Tolkien gave us in The Lord of the Rings. https://soundcloud.com/adam-tucker-composer/sets/the-lord-of-the-rings I've also uploaded … Continue reading The Lord of the Rings and other things
A John Williams Work for every Year of my Life 4: Cinderella Liberty
In some ways John Williams' music for Cinderella Liberty was a departure from the style he was beginning to make his own in the early seventies; certainly in the context of the soundtracks which he'd composed in the years before, such as Jane Eyre, the Cowboys, it almost feels like a different composer. It is … Continue reading A John Williams Work for every Year of my Life 4: Cinderella Liberty
Gloria!
About 20 years ago I wrote a setting of the Gloria for SATB choir and orchestra. It has yet to receive it's first live performance, but I present it here, performed by the wonderful instrument sounds of the Spitfire Audio orchestral instruments, and the very clever EW Symphonic Choirs - a sample library of full … Continue reading Gloria!
Return to Jane Eyre
I've been working on a piano transcription of the Theme from Jane Eyre, my choice of John Williams Score from 1970. I've just posted it to youtube. There will be more to follow - I'm going to do a number of John Williams themes - especially some of his less well-known ones, or at least … Continue reading Return to Jane Eyre
A John Williams Work for every year of my life 3: The Cowboys (1972)
John Williams was 40 when he wrote the music to the Mark Rydell film, "The Cowboys". In the same year, he produced what has to be his most avant-garde score for the Robert Altman film, "Images". I just want to briefly look at his work on this latter film before taking a more in depth … Continue reading A John Williams Work for every year of my life 3: The Cowboys (1972)
A John Williams work for every year of my life 2: The Fiddler on the Roof.
In 1971 John Williams won his first Oscar, for his adaptation and incidental music for "Fiddler on the Roof". I can not claim to know this film, or the musical, well at all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZK4e08uW1Y When I was in secondary school I remember singing "Sunrise, Sunset" in the school choir. That was the extent of my … Continue reading A John Williams work for every year of my life 2: The Fiddler on the Roof.
A John Williams work for every year of my life (almost)
I fell in love , as so many people did, with the music of John Williams as a child, without knowing anything about the man who gave us so much incredible memorable music. His main themes are amongst some of the most recognisable and hummable tunes in musical history. But it's not just his main … Continue reading A John Williams work for every year of my life (almost)
Branding
Recently I've been trying to improve my presence on the web. That's important if I'm going to make my work more accessible and well-known. One blog I read recently suggested that every artist (and musician, I'm sure) needs a sign of their brand, a logo if you like. So I sat down and designed one … Continue reading Branding
What’s in a lyric?
The cover for my musical based on Dracula Well if you want to live, hear the warning I give,And don’t you go to Castle DraculaYoung man, lend me an ear, don’t go anywhere nearAnd please don’t go, sir please don’t go I write musicals. Musicals for performance by Primary aged children. But I happen to … Continue reading What’s in a lyric?
Creating the Theme for “The Hidden Shrine”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaO1ZybzNXM&list=PLXqtkFPzn3L9u48N25Sl1KkRSozlUcgIF&index=1 When I was commissioned to compose the music for this short TV film, I was told that it was a Victorian ghost story. How could I resist?! As I was sent snippets of the film as it was assembled, it became clear that this was a film about love and loss. At it's heart, … Continue reading Creating the Theme for “The Hidden Shrine”
Where does it come from?
I've been asked quite often how I go about writing a new piece of music. People it seems are often fascinated with the process a composer, especially a songwriter, go through to create something. And the answer is... I don't know. If I'm writing a song, do the lyrics come first or the music? Sometimes … Continue reading Where does it come from?