Mike Cole wrote:

>I am somewhat baffled by the extreme hostility expressed on this list
>towards John Williams, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Henryk Gorecki and a few
>others.  I don't care much for them myself, but an awful lot of the
>commentary sounds more like sour grapes than reasoned criticism.  ...
>Do we simply resent that they make a lot of money? That doesn't seem fair.
>...  Can anyone supply me with an objective (as opposed to an emotional)
>explanation for this seemingly dual standard?

I would be surprised, indeed, if anyone could give an objective
explanation.  Williams, Lloyd Webber, et al are handy for facile put-downs.
I suspect there is little substance other than the odd bit of thievery
behind all the negative comments.  I, for one, resent ALW's use of
Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in Jesus Christ Superstar.  Either it was
cynical theft (Hey, they'll never know) or the man is woefully illiterate
in the standard repertoire.  I can't, however, see what is so bad about his
music otherwise.

As for John Williams, the man is a film composer.  Film directors will
often go to composers and say I want the music to sound like X.  They may
suggest a piece as a reference point--"Ride of the Valkyries" or some
such--or they may play a recording as an example.  The successful film
composer will then go off and produce what the director has asked for.
John Williams does this superbly.  The problem, if there really is one,
is that he has become typecast.  ("Just write me another Star Wars").  He
does have other sounds.  Listen to earlier scores like "The Reivers", "The
Cowboys", or hell, "Land of the Giants".  There is also some wonderful
music in "Jaws" and "Witches of Eastwick".  But the point is that the
man is never asked to score a film by writing a symphony.  Why must he
be compared with Stravinsky, Bartok, etc.  We don't do that with Elmer
Bernstein or Jerry Goldsmith.  On the other hand, I seem to recall
Stravinsky was once asked to write a film score.  The man didn't have a
clue.  He refused to alter anything to meet the requirements of the film
and the score was simply shelved.

Eric James