Filmscore composers are the compositional geniuses of our time. A rediscovery of his work in the early 19th century led to the socalled bach revival, in which he came to be seen as one of the greatest composers of all time. Synonymous with the work of hitchcock and for me, jason and the argonauts where i first became award of film music. I decided i would grace you, my harmonious readers, with my list of the five greatest film composers of all time. Claude debussy 22 august 1862 25 march 1918 french composer, considered one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. This leaves other composers the thankless task of copying his work on demand from directors and producers in love with the work of hans. Spanning seventy years, the classical period is a time when composers began pulling in the reigns of the many baroque period musical styles by creating strict compositional rules and regulations. Hailing from classic to pop to experimental, these women are here to balance the stats. With these important anniversaries approaching, why not take a look at our profiles of five of the most influential composers and conductors of the 20 th century. Explore the the 50 greatest composers list by internaut on discogs. Because of this fact, selecting just 5 among these legends was a tough job. Alan silvestri, an american composer, known for collaborating on many occasions with director robert zemeckis, wrote. The five, also known as the mighty handful, the mighty five and the new russian school, were five prominent 19thcentury russian composers who worked together to create a distinct russian classical music.
His mostcelebrated compositions include brandenburg concertos, the welltempered clavier, bwv 846893, suites for unaccompanied cello, bwv 10071012, orchestral suites, bwv 1066. Greatest classical composers top ten list thetoptens. Mar 20, 2020 top film scores and composers of all time with brett papa papastache102. Top ten of the most talented and most respected composers of history. In my eyes, there is a lot of truth behind this statement.
Top 5 film composers in honor of today being the birthday of the greatest film composer of all time john williams, who else. Michael giacchino is an american composer of music for films, television and video games. John williams john williams is without a doubt one of the best if not the best working composer we have today, writing iconic scores to such films like. Of course, this list of 12 major composers only begins to. I think jnh is capable of producing some of the most powerful melodies imaginable. For me the granddaddy of movie composers and the very first whose work i noticed as a child. He served in the us army air corps in world war ii. Lets dig into the armenian music history and find out top 5 most famous armenians, who are famous to the world as talented composers. So without further ado, here is the list of the top 5 classical music composers of all time.
Aug 07, 2017 film composers play an integral part in the filmmaking process, and there are a handful whose bodies of work stand out in recent years. Jurassic park or if the sequelprequel features new themes e. If i was to write about all of them, it would be near impossible. He won a hallowed place in the pantheon of the most successful and productive composers in american film history, earning himself four oscars. The most scores by one composer nominated for the top 25 was 11. He is also a consistent collaborator with director david cronenberg. Jerry goldsmith was a genius brilliant yet understated. Yeah, i know most of these arent from musicals, but i just love these film scores feel free to share your favorites in the comments. From jazz to classical music, silvestri has had his hand in almost every musical style. The newman family is of russianjewish descent, and includes several other. Song main title alien jerry goldsmith from alien score. Create your own list of music and share it with the world.
How to best use library music for your film top 8 pitfalls to avoid. Giacchino composed the scores to the television series lost, alias and fringe, the video game series medal of honor and call of duty and many films such as the incredibles 2004, star trek 2009, up 2009. Top 10 best movie soundtrack composers of all time music world. If you try to ask armenians about armenian composers, youd hear many classical names, as well as very modern, young, but equally talented composers names. Some of his best work includes the back to the future film. The top 8 most influential and distinctive film music. The newman family is of russianjewish descent, and includes several other wellknown musicians.
Germanborn composer hans zimmer is recognized as one of hollywoods most innovative musical talents. The following is a list of notable people who compose or have composed soundtrack music for films i. Williamson became the nineteenth master of the queens music in 1975. Nick and john, with legendary guitarists brett papa talk about the greatest film scores and composers of all time. A compilation of the most talented composers in film today. The best of the best the greatest composers and the scores. Top 5 favorite film scores and composers of all time with. Best movie score composers top ten list thetoptens. Some of the horror films he scored are the bride of frankenstein 1935 and dr. As a longtime fan of cinema and music, to my way of thinking, the most notable omissions include georges auric 18991983, maybe the greatest of all french film composers, esp. He is remembered for his role as chief inspector hubbard in alfred hitchcocks dial m for murder, as the chauffeur in sabrina, and as portraying the second mr. The list was unveiled by the american film institute in 2005 john williams has the most scores in the top 25, with three. The german composer and pianist ludwig van beethoven is widely regarded as the greatest composer who ever lived.
Legendary film scores have a way of staying with us way after weve watched the film. Boring, slow and even perhaps a bit weird you most likely would not want to see it. Top 5 most overrated underrated composers repertoire. I love music in films, and these five composers are the reason for it. Top 20 best classical composers of all time johann sebastian bach 1685 1750 music poured out of bach, all for the greater glory of god and, in. Top five movie composers welcome to talk classical a community covering every aspect of classical music. The man behind the low woodwinds that open citizen kane 1941, the shrieking violins of psycho 1960, and the plaintive saxophone of taxi driver 1976 was one of the most original and distinctive composers ever to work in film. Film composers play an integral part in the filmmaking process, and there are a handful whose bodies of work stand out in recent years. Nov 25, 2017 among the composers who influenced him were igor stravinsky and olivier messiaen.
The 50 greatest film scores of all time since the advent of sound in cinema, the film score has become an integral part of the movie experience. Who hasnt hummed along to the star wars theme under their breath or sung along to ride of the valkyries during that scene in apocolypse now. Film soundtracks owe their ability to enhance the story to wagner alone, who owes his ability to the next composer, and almost all film composers, including john williams, agree that wagner is the greatest film composer in history. Also, ive read a lot of critics attempting to explain away his popularity as some sort of a fluke, rather than sheer talent and craftmanship. A crucial figure in the transition between the classical and romantic eras in western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. Jul 27, 2016 here is my top 5 favourite film and tv composers words couldnt be put into context to describe the musical compositions of these composers. He expanded the classical traditions of joseph haydn, one of his teachers, and wolfgang amadeus mozart and experimented with personal expression, a characteristic that influenced the romantic composers who succeeded him. Movie and classical music buffs alike love a great musical score john williams with star wars and howard shore with the lord of the rings films are just two names big enough to make music fans squeal with glee. The top ten best movie score composers 1 john williams john williams 15 april 1903 5 may 1983 was an english stage, film and television actor. Howard leslie shore born october 18, 1946 is a canadian composer, notable for his film scores. The top 12 composers of the 21st century, from hans zimmer to nick cave.
Elliot goldenthal would make my list of top 5 living film composers, but he hasnt done that much in almost two decades in order to make it into my top 5. He worked as a bank teller before he became a composer and conductor. Though they can be absolutely key to establishing atmosphere, tension and even character in a film, the people responsible for composing musical scores remain fairly unsung compared to the directors a. John williams can do anything masterfully, but is particularly famous for creating those big, memorable themes. John williams has the most scores in the top 25, with three.
John towner williams born february 8, 1932 is an american composer, conductor and pianist. A prolific and respected film music composer, he was a protege of aaron copland. Adam chitwood singles out 23 of the most exciting film composers working today, from john williams and hans zimmer to michael giacchino. The 50 greatest composers by internaut discogs lists. Elmer bernstein composer far from heaven elmer bernstein was educated at the walden school and new york university.
It seems that our rater concentrates on, or maybe simply knows best, only recent film composition. Listening to his film music i cant help but think of him as kind of doing what tchaikovsky or mahler would maybe have done if theyd have lived into the film era. We begin with perhaps the most obvious and celebrated film composer of them all. He is considered to be one of the greatest, most influential, and most successful film composers of all time. They lived in saint petersburg, and collaborated from 1856 to. Claus bantzer born 1942 cherry blossoms, drachenfutter, manner. The top 8 most influential and distinctive film music composers of all time. Top 10 best film movie composers of all time slayerment.
Yet within their rigidity, great composers like haydn and mozart were able to create some of the greatest classical music the world has ever known. Franz waxman 1906 1967 born in konigshutte, upper silesia, germany, waxman started playing the piano at age 7. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for the lord of the rings film trilogy, for which he won three academy awards. Dimitri tiomkin was a russian jewish composer who emigrated to america and became one of the most distinguished and bestloved music writers of hollywood. I will be listing my favorite scores from each composers, however limiting them to one per franchise, unless those scores from that franchise are drastically different from each other e. Armenian composers of top 5, famous armenians for music. Randy newman born 1943 ragtime, the natural, toy story 1. Bernstein, whose career spanned more than 50 years and included more than 200 films, was nominated for oscars 14 times, winning in 1967 for thoroughly modern millie.
He is considered to be one of the greatest, most influential, and most successful film composers of. Top 5 composers of the 20th century bridgeman blog. The 50 best filmscore composers and their greatest. Top film scores and composers of all time with brett papa papastache102. Here is my top 5 favourite film and tv composers words couldnt be put into context to describe the musical compositions of these composers. Another top 5 film score composers of all time vulturehound. Top 20 best classical composers of all time johann sebastian bach 1685 1750 music poured out of bach, all for the greater glory of god and, in bachs words, the refreshment of the soul. He started early, winning a composition prize at the age of and. The top ten greatest classical composers 1 ludwig van beethoven ludwig van beethoven was a german composer and pianist. Music became more personal as composers began expressing their feelings and emotions with the use of nontraditional harmonies, unlikely instruments, and even largerthanlife orchestras e. There was a great surge of composers, each with their own unique view and compositional style. With a career spanning over six decades, and with no evidence of slowing down, john williams is unquestionably one of the most influential. He is definitely one of my favorite composers of all time.
My top 5 best working film composers right now would include. Top 10 best movie soundtrack composers of all time music. This composer is another one who has written an incredibly memorable themejust listen to the sweet main title from forrest gump. He is known, among others, for his stage works, film scores and operas, particularly for children. I like the chronological ordering of the composers. Elmer bernstein, jerry goldsmith, bernard herrmann, and max steiner each have two scores listed. Music and film go very well hand in hand to produce new ideas and feelings. Elmer bernstein, jerry goldsmith, bernard herrmann, and max steiner each have. Top 5 anime composers that you should listen to the artifice. Genres new wave, alternative rock, film music occupations composer. Alan silvestri, an american composer, known for collaborating on many. Green is an expert on classical music and music history, with more than 10 years of both solo and ensemble performance experience. His father was notable film score composer alfred newman 19001970. James newton howard is another underrated composer.
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