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John Williams and The Cadets


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I don't see how this is possible, since Mars is in the public domain.

http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/4750.html

Holst Foundation Sues Film Composer for Copyright Infringement

By Vivien Schweitzer

15 Jun 2006

The London-based Gustav Holst Foundation is suing composer Hans Zimmer, claiming that part of his score for the film Gladiator infringes copyright on a movement from Holst's The Planets.

In an email, Peter Carter, a partner at Finers Stephens Innocent, confirmed that G&I Holst Ltd. and music publisher G. Schirmer Ltd. issued proceedings in the High Court in London on April 12, 2006, alleging that part of Zimmer's Gladiator soundtrack infringes copyright on the opening movement of The Planets, "Mars, the Bringer of War."

The proceedings are against Hans Zimmer’s publishers and various Universal entities involved in the distribution of the film and the CD soundtrack.

Composed around 1915, The Planets includes a movement for each of the seven planets (excluding Earth) that were known at the time. Holst wrote music to reflect the characters of the Roman gods after which the planets were named. "Mars, the Bringer of War" is a brashly martial piece with lots of brass and percussion. John Williams's score for Star Wars, to name one example, also evokes Holst's "Mars."

Zimmer, a veteran film composer, most recently wrote the score for The Da Vinci Code. His credits also include The Thin Red Line, Batman Begins and Backdraft.

Do you have the soundtrack? There's a bit that is almost identical.

Edited by pegasus
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http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/4750.html

Do you have the soundtrack? There's a bit that is almost identical.

Oh, I'm not denying that Zimmer stole the music. That was kind of my point with my previous post...and that is why I dislike Zimmer and Horner. But I find it baffling that they would try to sue him, considering that The Planets was written in 1914-1915, and the copyright public-domain law states that music written before 1923 has entered the public domain.

Just another reason to dislike Zimmer for me. :P

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Influenced by, stolen from, whatever... Zimmer has a power to his music and is very successful at his job.

Write exciting music to make this movie not suck.

I enjoy even his arrangement of Mars... er... I mean I enjoy the Gladiator soundtrack....

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Influenced by, stolen from, whatever... Zimmer has a power to his music and is very successful at his job.

Write exciting music to make this movie not suck.

I enjoy even his arrangement of Mars... er... I mean I enjoy the Gladiator soundtrack....

Well...

That's a matter of opinion and taste, and I am certainly not going to debate you on what you like. If you like Zimmer, that is great, of course.

I will respect your opinion of Zimmer as long as you respect mine. :)

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Well...

That's a matter of opinion and taste, and I am certainly not going to debate you on what you like. If you like Zimmer, that is great, of course.

I will respect your opinion of Zimmer as long as you respect mine. :)

Hey, as long as you like Eric Whitacre's music, I don't care what ya like. :P :)

(I... "kinda like" Whitacre's music...)

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I actually do like Eric's music. Especially his choral music.

His choral music is what gives my life meaning. :huh:

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Williams incorporates a lot of other music in his soundtracks. Heck, we all know that ET is basically Hanson's 2nd symphony. But I can't think of a single time that it was done note for note.
Actually, his main theme for the Harry Potter movies is essentially his own theme to Schindler's List, of all things, set as a waltz.

But, yeah Horner swipes from all over the place, including himself. These swipings aside, he constantly recycles little bits and pieces from his earlier work--compare Star Trek II and Aliens, for instance.

Williams is clearly influenced by other composers--he admits borrowing from Holst in the Star Wars liner notes--but he generally doesn't blatantly lift themes the way Horner and Zimmer do.

Edited by jthomas666
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Actually, his main theme for the Harry Potter movies is essentially his own theme to Schindler's List, of all things, set as a waltz.

But, yeah Horner swipes from all over the place, including himself. These swiping aside, he constantly recycles little bits and pieces from his earlier work--compare Star Trek II and Aliens, for instance.

Williams is clearly influenced by other composers--he admits borrowing from Holst in the Star Wars liner notes--but he generally doesn't blatantly lift themes the way Horner and Zimmer do.

This is what I am saying ($1 to Paul Reiser).

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