Watch Harvard Honor John Williams With an Acapella Medley of His Music
Look, I’m a pretty simple guy. I don’t ask for a lot out of life. Life doesn’t ask for a lot out of me. But I do have one very small goal, and that’s to eventually do something well enough that a bunch of colleges around the United States praise me with honorary doctorate degrees. A pretty modest aim, right? One pithy news article about Star Wars rumors, and suddenly, the University of Southern California and UCLA are competing to see who can give me the most pieces of paper with my name on it. In the immortal words of Cannibal! The Musical, that’s all I’m asking for.
But until I write the blockbuster #hottake that changes the world, I’ll content myself with the accomplishments of people who actually, you know, deserve honorary doctorates. Earlier this week, Harvard University acknowledged the great contributions of John Williams by issuing the film composer an honorary doctorate in music. Williams, who is best known for [Pretty Much Every Beloved Movie Theme From the Past 40 Years], was even treated to a medley of his own music (via iO9) by the Din and Tonics, Harvard’s own men’s acapella group. Don’t worry: whatever your favorite Williams theme may be, it’s included.
It’s hard to say what’s more enjoyable about this video: the creative and enthusiastic performance by the singers or the absolute delight on the face of John Williams every time they switch to a new piece of music. You’d think that hearing the same half-dozen songs throughout your life would get old, but by the look of it, Williams is able to find joy both in the audience’s reaction and in the act of performance itself. And look, it may just be an honorary doctorate, but after everything Williams has done for the music scene, I think it’s only fair to refer to him as Dr. John Williams from here on out, don’t you? I hope you enjoyed your day, Dr. Williams. Unlike me, you’ve certainly earned it.