3 ms·

Many Hollywood composers outsource orchestration as well, often due to time constraints. John Williams is perfectly capable of orchestrating his work, but often

Many Hollywood composers outsource orchestration as well, often due to time constraints. John Williams is perfectly capable of orchestrating his work, but often doesn't. I understand he leaves very detailed notes for those who do, however.

bodhiandphysics 4y ago
In John Williams' case it's particularly funny, since he got his start as an orchestrator! The notable exceptions to this rule on broadway are Kurt Weil and Leonard Bernstein.
- ciconia 4y ago
  As far as I recall Bernstein composed Candide on the piano and let someone else orchestrate it.
  - bodhiandphysics 4y ago
    bernstein "touched up" the orchestrations, and of course orchestrated the overture, but you're right. Hershey Kay and Maurice Peress did the orchestrations. West Side Story was also not orchestrated by bernstein (except for the orchestral suite)
dbalatero 4y ago
Yeah, he mentions his orchestrator in this documentary on Empire Strikes Back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT4_ERNVx3Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT4_ERNVx3Q Given the time constraints on getting the film scored it makes a ton of sense to have help in that department.
michaelrmmiller 4y ago
Orchestration also means something different these days for most film, TV and game composers compared to the traditional definition. Traditionally, orchestration would be taking a piano or short score and expanding it to be played by an orchestra. Nowadays, almost all media composers create full digital mock-ups of the music first with the entire orchestra and then some. Orchestration then is mostly a process of transcription, typesetting and adjustments for live ensemble so the recording and performance accurately conveys the intent. John Williams and Howard Shore are two of the old guard who write short scores with notes for the orchestrator about what to do. Nearly everyone else is writing for the full ensemble and orchestrating as they go. Then the orchestrators translate that to traditional music notation so it can be played.
- raverbashing 4y ago
  Yeah The actual act of orchestration (translating to the different instruments) is an exercise in "backwards compatibility" and musical knowledge. (Because every instrument has a range, a clef, and they play in a range but read on another range, etc, etc because of some weird thing that happened in the 17th century)
  - MichaelZuo 4y ago
    So who is actually writing the sheet music nowadays? Is it a specialized company or a part-time contractor?
    - bodhiandphysics 4y ago
      generally, as in many things in music, orchestrators work freelance. Music is a low paying field, so the pay isn't great, but its not terrible
    - themadturk 4y ago
      If you look carefully in the endless credits scroll you can see the credits for the orchestrator(s), if the composer doesn't do the orchestration themselves. Herbert Spencer, for instance, is credited for orchestration of Star Wars Ep. 4, A New Hope. He worked as orchestrator on a lot of other John Williams movies and was a film composer in his own right as well.

bodhiandphysics 4y ago

In John Williams' case it's particularly funny, since he got his start as an orchestrator! The notable exceptions to this rule on broadway are Kurt Weil and Leonard Bernstein.

ciconia 4y ago
As far as I recall Bernstein composed Candide on the piano and let someone else orchestrate it.
- bodhiandphysics 4y ago
  bernstein "touched up" the orchestrations, and of course orchestrated the overture, but you're right. Hershey Kay and Maurice Peress did the orchestrations. West Side Story was also not orchestrated by bernstein (except for the orchestral suite)

dbalatero 4y ago

Yeah, he mentions his orchestrator in this documentary on Empire Strikes Back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT4_ERNVx3Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT4_ERNVx3Q Given the time constraints on getting the film scored it makes a ton of sense to have help in that department.

michaelrmmiller 4y ago

Orchestration also means something different these days for most film, TV and game composers compared to the traditional definition. Traditionally, orchestration would be taking a piano or short score and expanding it to be played by an orchestra. Nowadays, almost all media composers create full digital mock-ups of the music first with the entire orchestra and then some. Orchestration then is mostly a process of transcription, typesetting and adjustments for live ensemble so the recording and performance accurately conveys the intent. John Williams and Howard Shore are two of the old guard who write short scores with notes for the orchestrator about what to do. Nearly everyone else is writing for the full ensemble and orchestrating as they go. Then the orchestrators translate that to traditional music notation so it can be played.

raverbashing 4y ago
Yeah The actual act of orchestration (translating to the different instruments) is an exercise in "backwards compatibility" and musical knowledge. (Because every instrument has a range, a clef, and they play in a range but read on another range, etc, etc because of some weird thing that happened in the 17th century)
- MichaelZuo 4y ago
  So who is actually writing the sheet music nowadays? Is it a specialized company or a part-time contractor?
  - bodhiandphysics 4y ago
    generally, as in many things in music, orchestrators work freelance. Music is a low paying field, so the pay isn't great, but its not terrible
  - themadturk 4y ago
    If you look carefully in the endless credits scroll you can see the credits for the orchestrator(s), if the composer doesn't do the orchestration themselves. Herbert Spencer, for instance, is credited for orchestration of Star Wars Ep. 4, A New Hope. He worked as orchestrator on a lot of other John Williams movies and was a film composer in his own right as well.