Context

Theme from Schindler’s List by John Williams

The multi award-winning film, ‘Schindler’s List’ was premiered in 1993 and follows the life of German businessman, Oskar Schindler, who saved the lives of over a thousand Jewish refugees from the Holocaust. This well-known theme was composed by John Williams, who won an Academy Award for Best Original Score.

When John Williams looked at the film script he said to Steven Spielberg, “You need a better composer than I am for this film!”.  Spielberg replied “I know.  But they’re all dead!”

Theme from ‘Schindler’s List’ by John Williams

Listen For…

  • Most of the pitch movement is descending, which evokes a more negative, emotive atmosphere in the music.
  • The theme itself is rhythmically simple with mainly quaver movement. The interest is in the use of melodic intervals
  • The first melodic interval is a downward perfect 5th and this keeps returning throughout the piece. A perfect 5th is one of the strongest musical intervals, and so whilst the subject matter is raw and emotional, the theme still offers strength and hope.
  • There is also use of the major and minor 7th interval. This gives a yearning feel to the music, as it wants to resolve to the octave.
  • At 01:34 the melody is repeated an octave higher. 
  • Can you hear the cor anglais solo in the introduction and at moments in the orchestral accompaniment? (E.g at 01:14) The cor anglais is a cousin of the oboe – it is has a rich, resonant tone and a lower range than the oboe.  Oboe and cor anglais are often used in film music for emotionally-weighted moments, due to the timbre and range.

Things To Consider

As you continue listening, can you identify where the musical ideas from the opening bars of the theme are repeated and how John Williams develops the music further?

In your own composition can you try out using different melodic intervals to create a particular mood?