What your favorite John Williams theme says about your classical music taste

From Star Wars to Jurassic Park to Harry Potter, John Williams music has touched more than 5 generations of film lovers and has earned him his place in Hollywood with more awards and nominations than any other composer. Known for taking inspiration from his forebears in classical music, his works are a gateway into the symphonies and concertos of the 20th century and a great thermometer for those who want to dip a tentative toe into classical repertoire. To celebrate John Williams’ birthday this February 8th, let’s look back at some of his most loved themes and find out what your favorite says about your music taste!

If you love the Star Wars Main Theme – You’re a fan of: Bold romantic symphonies

With its fantastic brazen horns, brash percussion and dramatic strings, if the Star Wars Main Theme is your favourite John Williams theme then you are definitely a fan of Romantic symphonies. Williams famously drew inspiration from the lush orchestration and expressive symphonies of the Romantics from the 19th century — and most famously Richard Wagner. 

Some of Williams’ other influences include British composer Gustav Holst who is best known for his orchestral suite The Planets in seven parts which paints grandiose sci-fi like images of each planet. 

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is another composer with far reaching influence on generations of composers. While his ballets and symphonies are his best known works, the 1812 Ouverture and its stirring cannons is one of his most memorable works. 

If you love the Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme) – You’re a fan of: Dark and dramatic music

As a 20th-century composer himself, John Williams was not immune to the influence of the powerhouse composers of the time. Arguably no school of composition can outshine the Russians, as the Russian 5 and their students had an everlasting impact on their contemporaries. Masters of intricate melodies, the Russian sound is filled with influences from Russian folklore and the contrasting military themes favored by the USSR. These composers worked against political strain, stretching harmony and form in directions that would forever change classical music. Heavy use of strong brass lines (think the fourth movement Allegro non Tropo from Shostakovich’s Symphony No.5) and aggressive strings (think Prokofiev: Dance of the Knights from Romeo and Juliet) create the perfect dark-dramatic background for a super villain.

If you love the Jurassic Park Theme – You’re a fan of: Lush, nature-inspired romanticism

Does your heart soar when hearing the first sweet lines of Jurassic Park? Then you would love the lush and pastoral landscapes of the 20th century Romantics. Fresh with ideas and away from his native Bohemia, Antonin Dvořák writes of the promise of the new world and took influence from Native American spirituals and other folk music in his New World Symphony.

Find the inspiration of the mysterious entry to Jurassic Park from the first precarious notes from the violin in Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending. In this piece, the violin dances and swirls like a dandelion in a summer breeze over the lush wind instruments and might just be what Julie Andrews was singing about in “The Sound of Music”! 

If you love this theme, you can also check out the piano works from Claude Debussy, a master of imagery. Listen to Clair de Lune and imagine the poetic refrains of Paul Verlaine’s poem “Moonlight” wash over you.

If you love the Harry Potter Theme (Hedwig’s Theme) – You’re a fan of: Magical and mysterious music

For those of you more magically inclined, whose ears perk up at the sound of the swish of a wand and the haunting French horn melody from Hedwig’s Theme of Harry Potter, you will love these magical, mysterious pieces. Often invoked in the same sentence as Debussy, Maurice Ravel is another 20th century French composer who captured the imagination and heart of John Williams. His work for piano duet (piano four hands) Ma mère l’Oye or Mother Goose was written for the children of his close friend, sculptor Cyprian Godebski and is a wonderful example of Ravel’s impressionism and ability to tell stories through his music.

Another famous French pianist, Camille Saint-Saëns is also well-known in the magical category and his Danse Macabre will put you right back into the corridors at Hogwarts. This solo for violin and orchestra is a dark and magical waltz that sounds eerily familiar to Hedwig’s Theme. You can hear the pizzicato from the strings that Williams used in his scores for Harry Potter and many other musical references. 

There is one more unforgettable name in this category and that is the singular Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. You cannot miss the use of sleigh bells and triangles in his Nutcracker Suite that put you right back into the musical universe of John Williams. 

If you love the Schindler’s List Theme – You’re a fan of: Heartfelt and soulful elegance

The first few haunting notes of the theme from Schindler’s List is a masterpiece of string writing by John Williams. Written for string orchestra, solo violin and winds, this Oscar-winning score is one of William’s more heart-wrenching works. Many film directors and composers turn to already existing classical works to capture the heavier moments in film such as Hans Zimmer’s use of Nimrod from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar which was used as the theme music for the World War Two film Dunkirk. 

In the same vein, Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, is stunningly beautiful and full of cathartic emotion. Often referred to as the unofficial funeral march of the US, this gorgeous piece is a meditation in sadness.

However, the titan in this category is of course Gustav Mahler and the Adagietto from Symphony No. 5. He is known for writing extremely long symphonies that take the listener on a journey through the human condition. The Adagietto is a real tour de force from Mahler, showcasing his complete mastery of orchestration and his ability to stop time.

If you love the Indiana Jones Theme (The Raiders March) – You’re a fan of: Heroic and adventurous music

If you are an adventurer whose heart beats to the bold trumpets in the Raiders March from Indiana Jones then you will love the classical music connections to these famous pieces. Starting with Gioachino Rossini’s rousing William Tell Overture, the opening to the opera of the same name: known for its blaring trumpets and its march-like finale, you can almost hear a 19th-century Indiana Jones! 

Closer to William’s generation, Aaron Copland is another American composer who influenced Williams. His Fanfare for the Common Man is like Indiana Jones if he fought in the Wild West. Much more than just a composer of marches, Copland is one of America’s most celebrated composers.

If the point in common of this category is brass, Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra has to be one of the most recognised fanfare pieces. Known for its use in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, what was supposed to be just a musical stand-in for the commissioned score by Alex North, has become a theme song in its own right. 

If you love the E.T. Theme (Flying Theme) – You’re a fan of: Ethereal and sweeping romanticism

For those of you that would take any opportunity to leave this planet, take a trip to another world with Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Vaughan Williams creates magic with sparse orchestration and haunting melodies and this would blend perfectly in a playlist with the Flying Theme.

Sergei Rachmaninov, is another Russian Romantic who can write a melody to sweep you off your feet. His revered piano concertos are crowd favourites and you can easily hear how John Williams could have taken inspiration from his expansive compositional style. 

Nothing could be considered more “sweeping” than the breathtaking scenes of Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot, an extraordinary display of romanticism in this category. The most famous aria is Nessun Dorma, famously interpreted by Luciano Pavarotti.