Looking at Film from Every Angle
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Every week, we’ll pose a new “five favorites” question. You just list your five favorites that fit in that category (preferably in preference order) and you’re welcome to discuss and debate the selections and see just how much you do or do not have in common with others.
Let’s get started. Who are your 5 Favorite Composers?
1. Alan Menken
2. John Williams
3. Danny Elfman
4. James Newton Howard
5. Marc Shaiman
Ilike your choice :)))
Leaving off concert composers who dabbled in film (Glass, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Corigliano, Adams, Copland)…
– John Williams (The musician’s film composer! His brilliant orchestrations, long line melodies, and complex, chromatic chord structures are a force to be reckoned with, though I find most of the stuff he’s known for bloated, redundant, and obvious, e.g. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and much of his 90’s work, especially Jurassic Park).
– Alexandre Desplat (A fine musician, easily the best from “the new generation” of film composers, and certainly one of the most atmospherically persuasive composers I’ve ever come across. I always think of music as a sort of sister to cinematography, with both serving as the major contributors to the film’s aesthetic, and Desplat understands exactly how to represent visual color and texture, musically, giving the movie a unique “feel”. Also love the way he uses high winds as percussion!)
– Bernard Herrmann (The greatest, IMO. I always seem to find a little Herrmann strain in just about every living composer. I’m always amazed at how he’s able to do so much with so little. No one listening to his Psycho score on album would likely think much of it, but alongside the film…good God!)
– Georges Delerue (I suppose some find him soapy, but I’m kind of a sucker for soft orchestration and beautiful melodies, and Delerue can sure crank them out. Plus, his long-time collaboration with Francois Truffaut is one of my absolute favorites among composer/director teams, with Jules & Jim being one of my five all-time favorite scores).
– Nino Rota (another composer who had a great collaboration with a director, his scores for Fellini are among the all-time greats. Also, normally I like thick orchestrations and lots of color, but Rota really knew how to bring out the best in sparse orchestrations, and a solo instrument. The most famous example, of course, would be that mournful trumpet in The Godfather, but also the guitar in Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet, and Vito’s clarinet theme in The Godfather Part II).
If you have to leave off composers, don’t worry. Eventually, I will have another poll of favorite film scores and favorite film themes…may be awhile, but they will come up eventually.
I picked more niche composers.
1. Bernard Herrmann
2. Ennio Morricone
3. John Williams (his best 5-10 are worth all of the others)
4. Phillip Glass
5. Jerry Goldsmith (I had to look up his body of work; I had no idea he scored so many memorable movies)
Good call on Phillip Glass, Scott. How awesome is Koyaanisqatsi!
1.Ennio Morricone
2.Bernard Herrmann
3.Angelo Badalamenti
4.Max Steiner
5.Alexandre Desplat
1 Howard Shore
2 Thomas Newman
3 Mark Ishman
4 Alexander Desplat
5 John Williams
1. Alfred Newman
2. John Barry
3. Bernard Herrmann
4. Jerry Goldsmith
5. Max Steiner
Randy Newman
Bernard Hermann
Jerry Goldsmith
Roy Webb
Alexandre Desplat
And John Williams is pretty far down that list..but would be number one on most egregiously overrated composers!
I respectfully disagree.
John Williams may not be the greatest movie composer. But he has over 40 oscar nominations.
I believe that composing a tune that everybody likes to whistle, is a great achievement.
And also composing such deep music like Schindler’s List or memoirs of a geisha.
John Williams has inarguably written some of the greatest film scores of all time: Jaws, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark are a triumverate not to be messed with. But so much of his stuff is overwrought and he has become so self-important in his music that I can’t justify putting him on this list. A few great scores can’t carry all the mediocre ones.
And, 40 Oscar nominations doesn’t mean much…the music branch has never had the greatest track records for honoring quality.
“but so much of his stuff is overwrought ..”….you could say that about ennio morricone or about any other composer. but who else wrote so many memorable movie themes as John Williams??? …everyone know his music, even without knowing him as a composer. and that´s more than a reason to put him in the top 5.
I think he has done some amazing work when he steps out of his common strains. Catch Me If You Can is one of his better original scores.
And his scores for E.T., Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List are equally recognizable. Personally, I won’t be including him in my list, but for a theme-crafter, he is a genius.
“A few great scores can’t carry all the mediocre ones”…..why you put randy newman or jerry goldsmith on the list??? I agree they make good music, and I adore their music. But they also made so much dull music. (I just remember Goldsmith´s last score for the Looney Tunes movie….a nightmare!!!)
John Williams (Obviously)
Ennio Morricone (Obviously too)
Jerry Goldsmith
Gabriel Yared (Only 3 great scores, and all with anthony minghella)
John Barry (The best scenery composer)
Williams is going to be in a lot of answers….Obviously
1. John Williams
2. Thomas Newman
3. James Horner
4. Alan Menken
5. Jerry Goldsmith/Hans Zimmer
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