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From: moriarty@uw-june (Jeff Meyer)
Newsgroups: net.movies,net.music
Subject: Re: more on John Williams and stealing
Message-ID: <1478@uw-june>
Date: Sun, 20-May-84 15:57:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: uw-june.1478
Posted: Sun May 20 15:57:05 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 26-May-84 11:51:52 EDT
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Organization: U. Washington, Computer Sci
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>I'm sure there is no direct stealing from Stravinsky: his music is still
>copyrighted and zealously protected.  In general, borrowing styles or
>melodies from other composers is not considered reprehensible as long
>as something original is done with it.  Back in the middle ages, it was
>a respected method of composition.
 
I think this about sums it up; I think anyone should think twice before
calling Williams, Goldsmith or Horner a "thief".  I am no expert on music --
I cannot play a note, and I have only a rather varied knowledge of the last
50 years of film scores to back me up.  But while I find some of the
previously mentioned composers "derivative" of others (Horner is REAL
derivative of Goldsmith in his Space Operettas), I can find stylistic
similarities between almost ANY piece of music, given enough fuel for the
imagination.
 
Oh, for Deborah Padgett, while there is no question of where James Horner's
"Battle Beyond the Stars" and "Star Trek II" music was derived from
(Goldsmith's "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" -- Horner freely admitted it),
and while he has several themes running frequently in his scores, he has
done one or two very original scores -- "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (I
believe I'm one of the 12 people in the U.S. who saw it) and another, which
escapes me at this time... I'll have to check the library.  Another person
who I would not call a "thief".  Perhaps "lack of originallity" would be a
better term... it does not have the negative connotations of "thief", while
it is still open for discussion (it is very subjective).  
 
		"...in an iron coffin, with spikes on the inside!"
 
					Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer

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