JOURNALIST • AUTHOR • FILM MUSIC EVANGELIST

JOHN WILLIAMS: A Composer’s Life

John Williams is one of the most important film composers of all time, having almost singlehandedly revived the Hollywood symphonic scoring tradition and helped restore the livelihood of American orchestras through the popularity of film music programming. His film music, in the words of director Oliver Stone, “came to stand for the American culture.”

With unprecedented interview access to Williams and those close to him, Greiving presents the definitive portrait of a beloved but famously private doyen of twentieth-century pop culture. Featuring 175 exclusive interviews—including with Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, George Miller, Mia Farrow, Hans Zimmer, Yo-Yo Ma, session musicians, family members, and friends—John Williams: A Composer’s Life is the first and last word on the great court composer of the cinema age, the musical conductor of our collective memory.

Available now from Oxford University Press

“… A masterwork. Allying extensive, exclusive access to Williams
with great storytelling, intelligent analysis and a deep love for its subject, it’s as gripping and essential as Williams’ best themes are catchy. … It’s not a toothless study. The later works come in for criticism, but this is mostly an affectionate but perceptive love-in. Frankly, it’s the book Williams’ monumental talent deserves.”
Empire Magazine (October 2025 issue)

“… gives the master the kind of biography he deserves, in this richly narrative and deeply researched book by journalist Tim Greiving. Like its subject, the book wears its expertise lightly, inviting all to sit down and relax with a beautiful story.”Boston Globe

“Greiving offers a commentary on all [Williams’] major compositions. Happily, he is a sharp writer with a vivid turn of phrase – he describes one piece as ‘a bath bomb of orchestral beauty’ – and the only time I put the book down was to seek out online whatever music he was describing. … This is a serious work, light on Hollywood gossip.”Daily Mail