Raiders March

Actually, the eighth piece in the concert is not a medley; we call it the “Mystery March”. It is entitled Raiders March. It was written in 1981 for the hit movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark” by John Williams (see below). This arrangement was written in 1984 by Jay Bocook (see also below).

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Speilberg from a Speilberg from screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, a globetrotting archaeologist vying with Nazi German forces to recover the long-lost Ark of the Covenant which is said to make an army invincible. Teaming up with his tough former romantic interest Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Jones races to stop rival archaeologist René Belloq (Paul Freeman) from guiding the Nazis to the Ark and its power.

Pre-release polling showed little audience interest in the film leading up to its June 12, 1981, release date, especially compared to Superman II. However, Raiders of the Lost Ark became the highest-grossing film of the year, earning approximately $354 million worldwide, and played in some theaters for over a year. It was also a critical success, receiving praise for its set pieces, humor, and action sequences. The film was nominated for several awards, and won five Academy Awards, seven Saturn Awards, and one BAFTA, among other accolades.

John Williams, who composed the score for Raiders of the Lost Ark, said the music did not have to be serious for the film and was instead theatrical and excessive. Williams spent a few weeks working on the Indiana Jones theme, more commonly known as “The Raiders March” that plays during the main character's heroic scenes. Two separate pieces were played for Spielberg, who wanted to use both. These pieces became the main theme and musical bridge of “The Raiders March”.

For the romantic theme known at “Marion’s theme”, Williams took inspiration from older films like the drama Now, Voyager (1942) to create something more emotionally monumental that he felt would contrast well with the film's humor and lighter moments.

This arrangement uses both themes, in an ABA format, while not changing tempo.

John Towner Williams (b. 1932) has composed some of the most popular and recognizable film scores in cinematic history, including the Star Wars series, Jaws, Jaws 2, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones series, the first two Home Alone films, the first two Jurassic Park films, Schindler's List, and the first three Harry Potter films.

Besides his work as a composer and arranger, arranger Jay Bocook is the Director of Athletic Bands at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. He was born in Clearwater, Florida in 1953 and received a Bachelor of Music degree from Furman University in 1975, and went on to receive a Master of Music degree from University of Louisiana at Monroe. Mr. Bocook began his composing and arranging career in graduate school, and began to write published works while the band director at a high school in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. He served as the Director of Bands at Furman University from 1982 until 1989, where he continued his rise to fame as a composer and arranger. His arrangements were featured at the 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2002 Olympic Games. He writes for a wide range of ensembles, from elementary bands to the United States Marine Band.

The music for Raiders March was provided for the band by

Ross Fjermedal and Susan Evans.