MovieChat Forums > The Deer Hunter (1979) Discussion > "Cavatina" - John Williams

"Cavatina" - John Williams


https://youtu.be/gGycDDqBuX8

The "other John Williams" is a legend when it comes to movie themes. However, this one isn't too bad either...one of the greatest movie themes ever, IMO (probably Top 5 for me).

PS: I can play this on guitar also (although I play it slower than John Williams does...he books through it fairly quickly! 😃)!

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The theme was composed by Stanley Myers and performed by guitarist John Williams.

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Yes, that's correct. I used to know the entire story behind "Cavatina"...Myers and Williams were friends and I believe Myers actually composed this as a piano piece. He played it for Williams, who loved it, but told Myers to "expand the piece." So Myers expanded it and finished it with Williams in mind. Williams actually first recorded this back in the early 70s, well before "The Deer Hunter" was made.

I think Michael Cimino was the one who heard it and thought it was the perfect piece of music for "The Deer Hunter." I think it's amazing how perfectly it captures the movie, even though it wasn't originally written/composed with "The Deer Hunter" in mind.

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