Today is the 120th anniversary of the birth of Sir William Walton. Walton is perhaps best remembered for his coronation marches and film scores, but he also wrote operas, symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and choral works.

Sadly, these days, we don’t seem to encounter these much in concert anymore, at least in the U.S., which is a great pity, since Walton was an impeccable craftsman and his music often quite inspirational.

Be that as it may, his influence has been felt by just about anyone who’s ever gone to the movies since 1977. That’s the year John Williams married Walton’s heroic sound to George Lucas’ vision of a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

Walton’s concert music may have fallen out of fashion, but Williams would have never become the household name he has without having assimilated his marches, harmonies, and orchestrations. When André Previn first heard Williams conduct his music to “Star Wars,” he could hardly contain his glee, exclaiming, “Why, it’s Willie Walton!”

Hear for yourself…

“Star Wars” throne room – from the one-minute mark, pure Walton:

What Walton cooked up for the Queen in 1953 – there’s a proto-“Star Wars” moment about two minutes in, but do listen to the whole thing:

This is what he composed for her dad in 1937:

For Olivier’s film of “Richard III”

“Belshazzar’s Feast”: “Praise Ye!”

“Belshazzar’s Feast”: “Alleluia”

In 1966, Previn himself laid down what is considered the benchmark recording of Walton’s Symphony No. 1. It’s possible he managed to surpass it with this explosive performance with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1970:

Happy birthday, Sir William Walton!

PHOTO: Walton (right) with Previn, his champion