Harry Potter & John Williams

Few would argue John Williams' place among the great composers of all time, let alone of our generation. There may be some who would argue that Harry Potter films are not William's greatest accomplishment, but there are many more who consider Harry Potter John Williams' greatest work.

Throughout the Sorceror's Stone soundtrack, Chamber of Secrets soundtrack, and Prisoner of Azkaban soundtrack, you can hear traces of John Williams' scores from Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and even Jaws. But only traces. In the Harry Potter theme John Williams has outdone himself, weaving a world of complete fantasy. While the stories themselves are not told through music, the emotions of them are, as is the feeling of the setting. While listening to John Williams music we can feel ourselves flying on Buckbeak the Hippogriff along with Harry, gazing in wonder as Hogwarts Castle comes into view from our place on the boat skimming over the lake, and grin fiendishly while singing along to "Something Wicked".

The Harry Potter movies, with the help of John Williams theme music, fill in a certain part of the story that we didn't get while reading the books. The sound of that owl when we first step into Diagon Alley, the mystical Christmas music at the castle, and the mixed feeling of safety and danger when facing traps set prevent Voldemort from reaching the Sorcerors Stone.

And what of the Harry Potter movies that didn't have John Williams scoring them? Well, the music was nice, certainly, but the feel is gone. Only John's music could make us feel a part of the movie, and transport us instantly into the magical world of Harry Potter.

Despite the series having a number of different composers scoring the movies, the Harry Potter theme composer is the legendary John Williams. He composed the soundtrack to the first three Potter movies- Sorceror's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban. And while several other composers took over from there, all have maintained at least a semblance to the original Hedwig's Theme and several other popular and pervasive musical scores from Williams' Harry Potter soundtracks.

While we know now that John Williams will not be scoring the first part of Deathly Hallows, there is some hope that he will return to score The Deathly Hallows part 2.

Sadly, while John Williams had made a statement to his fans that he'd expected to score the final Harry Potter movie, it has been confirmed that he will not be scoring Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. However, since the final movie has been split into two movies, there is some hope and discussion that Johnny will be back for Deathly Hallows Part 2.