The mid-1970s were marked with an introduction of such alternative scores as synthesized and adapted, causing a shift from full orchestral scores toward electronic music. However, the situation changed with the active work of John Williams who returned the classic score to film music and profoundly renewed its powerful influence on spectators. The late 1970s are known as the time when full orchestra scoring started to be mainstream in cinematography again.
The need for the classic score originated from the specific features of the films shot during that period. These were mainly dark and depressive motion pictures, including drama, conspiracy, and disaster movies. One of the main qualities of full orchestral scores is its capability of sending a powerful emotional message throughout a scene. The sounds of classic instruments resonate with viewers’ perception of such strong feelings as passion, fear, sorrow, and others. Also, the symphonic sound of orchestral music provides opportunities to express tension and anxiety in such genres of movies as escapist stories, disaster films, and others loaded with intense emotional messages.
All the mentioned features of full scores applied to mainstream films evolving in the late 1970s. Orchestral music represented in the works of such composers as Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, and John Williams marked a new era in American cinematography. John Williams’ work on Star Wars, Jaws, and Raiders of the Lost Ark has preserved him a solid place in the history of American film music as an owner of many respectable awards. His style embraced the usage of leitmotifs and underscoring films to allow pauses to make their influence on viewers in the necessary parts of a feature.
The full orchestra sound enabled the composer to show a full range of emotions, thus reaching spectators in the most effective way. For example, in Star Wars, the composer managed to “ground the storytelling in shared musical history” and deliver the idea of the unseen world to the viewers. Thus, returning to the classic scoring of movies, John Williams succeeded in enriching the director’s work with the music that bore a powerful meaning and contributed to the overall idea of the motion picture.
To conclude the discussion, John Williams initiated the return to the classic full orchestra score in filmmaking that was characteristic of the Golden Hollywood age. Upon the introduction of synthesized music to the industry, the new genres of movies demanded opportunities for music to resemble a complete spectrum of feelings and emotions. Such a goal could be reached with the help of orchestral music masterfully scored by John Williams in such films as Star Wars, Jaws, and many others. Utilizing leitmotifs, experimenting with underscoring, and closely collaborating with directors, the composer contributed to films’ storytelling and preserved them a significant place in the history of American cinematography.