John Williams (b. 1932) is perhaps the most famous and accomplished composer alive today. His fame rests on the dozens of movie scores he has composed, including the entire Star Wars saga, the Indiana Jones series, and the initial Harry Potter films. Like so many of the characters he scores, he has quite a rich back story, including a jazz career as Johnny Williams and a Sinfonietta for Winds and Percussion from the 60s. There is no denying, though, that his film scores have been front and center in his career. For a fuller picture, read about him at Wikipedia, IMDb, his main fan page, Classic FM, Brittanica, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center, and the New Yorker.
Star Wars – The Marches includes 5 marches from the core Skywalker Saga in the overall Star Wars franchise. These serve as underscore for some of the most thrilling, evil, celebratory, and even cute moments in the series, which tells the story of Anakin Skywalker, his son Luke, and their battles across the galaxy wielding the mysterious Force. Here is the official reference recording:
It begins with the “Star Wars (Main Theme),” which opens every core film:
On the cuter side, the “Parade of the Ewoks” from Return of the Jedi follows:
The menacing “Imperial March” comes next. It was first introduced in The Empire Strikes Back:
This segues into the festive “Augie’s Great Municipal Band” from The Phantom Menace:
The medley concludes with “The Throne Room,” from Star Wars, heralding triumph over evil and hope for the future.