Faleel 5,348 Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Outside of Anvil of Crom, and Riders Of Doom, Conan bored me to tears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 JNH was writing great music long before Signs. Have you heard Waterworld?Yes, and I know that. I include the 90s in there, it's just that growing up I never connected to his music until Signs.I love The Fugitive, Waterworld, and Wyatt Earp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 It's times like these when I wish Steef could be brought back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 3. MICHAEL GIACCHINOSo I had a good large paragraph of this written, and I accidentally clicked on a bookmark instead of the other tab I had opened and its gone. Fuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melange 446 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 He got distracted by life and impulse purchases.I thought life 'was' an impulse purchase.Discuss................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 6 out of 7! Winning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,504 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 These things always change a bit, but maybe something like this:1. John Williams2. Danny Elfman3. Elliot Goldenthal4. Hans Zimmer5. James Horner6. James Newton Howard7. Georges Delerue8. Jerry Goldsmith9. Alan Silvestri (old-style Silvestri, i.e.)10. Franz WaxmanAlthough, to be perfectly honest, right now Zimmer is probably right behind Williams in terms of what I play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 I like a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 So I had a good large paragraph of this written, and I accidentally clicked on a bookmark instead of the other tab I had opened and its gone. Fuck.Thank god...We would have had to read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 1. Alex North 2. Bernard Herrmann 3. John Williams 4. Jerry Goldsmith 5. Richard Rodney Bennett 6. John Barry 7. Leonard Rosenman 8. Henry Mancini 9. Hugo Friedhofer 10. Thomas Newman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 So I had a good large paragraph of this written, and I accidentally clicked on a bookmark instead of the other tab I had opened and its gone. Fuck.Thank god...We would have had to read it.Yes because I was holding a gun at everyone's heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,363 Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Koray I look forward very much to reading what you have to say about Giacchino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMarkus 7 Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 1) Jerry Goldsmith (once and for all)2) Bernard Herrmann3) John Williams4) Franz Waxman5) Patrick Doyle6) Howard Shore7) Miklos Rozsa8) Elmer Bernstein9) James Horner10) Wojciech Kilar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmmusic 1,829 Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 John WilliamsJerry GoldsmithJames Horner (mainly 80s and 90s)Danny ElfmanElliot GoldenthalMiklos RozsaJohn BarryJoe HisaishiAlex NorthBernard HermannThese are the composers that I like most of their scores.From other composers I love only a few, so they didn't make the top 10 composers list.eg. Zimmer (The Thin Red line, lion King, Prince of Egypt), J.N.Howard (Waterworld), John Debney (Passion of Christ), Patrick Doyle (Frankenstein, Indochine, Great Expectations) etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Koray I look forward very much to reading what you have to say about GiacchinoSo glib! You sound like a teacher trying to encourage one of his more insecure students. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Matt. Matt, Matt, you don't even-- you're glib. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Koray, you should finish your write-ups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,363 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Yea, it's been 2 years since you started the thread Koray, time to finish up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 1. Alex North 2. Bernard Herrmann 3. Jerry Goldsmith 4. John Williams 5. Leonard Rosenman 6. Richard Rodney Bennett 7. Ennio Morricone 8. John Barry. 9. Lalo Schifrin 10. Thomas Newman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,363 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 BUMP!Koray, you gotta re-write your Giacchino paragraph, and reveal who #2 and #1 are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Lulz I luv lists1. Trent Reznor2. Hans Zimmer3. Klaus Badelt4. Steve Jablonsky5. Ramin Djawadi6. Marc Strietenfeld7. Daft Punk8. Mel Wasson9. Nick Glennie Smith10. JnH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Mr. Big 4,639 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Lulz I luv lists1. Trent Reznor2. Hans Zimmer3. Klaus Badelt4. Steve Jablonsky5. Ramin Djawadi6. Marc Strietenfeld7. Daft Punk8. Mel Wasson9. Nick Glennie Smith10. JnHyou forgot junkiexl! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 It's funny because many people here don't like them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Bernard Herrmann Alex North Leonard Rosenamn Richard Rodney Bennett John Barry Hans Zimmer Thomas Newman Jerry Goldsmith John Williams Jerry Fielding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 On 10/21/2013 at 1:50 PM, TheGreyPilgrim said: Well if we're doing this.... (in no order) Howard Shore John Williams Hans Zimmer Jerry Goldsmith Thomas Newman Alex North James Newton Howard Vangelis Ennio Morricone James Horner Honorable mentions to Paul J. Smith, Alexandre Desplat, Michael Kamen, John Powell, Michael Giacchino, Don Davis, Henry Mancini I stand by my last-year-self. I'd add Goldenthal though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 It's funny because many people here don't like them. Oh, I didn't get it!HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!HAHAHAHA!HOHOHOHOHOHO!HAHAHA!HOHO!HAHAHA!HIHIHIHIHI!HOHOHAHA!HOHOHA!HAHAHO!HOHOHIHI!Hahahahahoho!Hohoha!Hoho!Hoho...Ha... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KK 3,307 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 He he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Meh meh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Thor 7,504 Posted February 11, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted February 11, 2023 "20 years later"....that's funny. Last night, before I fell asleep and in a delightfully inebriated state, I started thinking about my top 10 favourite film composers, and if my list has changed in recent years. I came to the conclusion that it has, a bit. So I thought I could share some of the thoughts here (I can't remember if I ever shared my top 10 list here, or in another similar thread), just for my own therapeutic value. 1. JOHN WILLIAMS This spot has been cemented in stone for the 30+ years I've been a film music fan, and it will not change for as long as I live. 2. Hans Zimmer Previously about 5th place, but now moved up to second. Not so much because of his work in recent years, but a newfound love and appreciation of his glorious work in the 80s and 90s (up to the mid 2000s, roughly), which was so important in my formative years. Post-THE LAST SAMURAI, there is really only a handful of scores that I like, that are on the same level. 3. Vangelis I debated with myself if he counts, since he really was an electronic artist that only occasionally did film music, but came to the conclusion that his body of film work is so considerable that he qualified. A podcast episode I did just a year and a half prior to his death reignited my old Vangelis passion, and his tragic passing just boosted it further. 4. James Horner He's always been in my top 5, but once again his death fuelled my passion for his music and I've found myself listening to his music in recent years almost as much as I did in the 90s. 5. Zbigniew Preisner I've always loved Preisner, but my "old age", combined with my new preference for the ethereal, moody and calm has reignited my passion for his work. When all is said and done, he really is the greatest living European film composer after the passings of Vangelis and Morricone (Zimmer is more American than European these days anyway). 6. Danny Elfman Previously my second favourite. He's fallen a bit because I've not really liked, or found any interest in his blockbuster/mainstream scores in the last 15 years or so. Some good things in the indie stuff, or the concert music, but not enough to retain the podium spot. However, I'm still an Elfman completist (once you are one, it's hard to stop) and need to get about 16 titles in physical format to be up-to-date. He still deserves this high spot, though, due to my indelible connection to his work in the past. 7. Elliot Goldenthal Somewhat similar to Elfman. My previous number 3, and I'm also a completist. Interesting that I'm NOT a completist of Zimmer, Vangelis and Horner, but am of Elfman and Goldenthal further down the list. That's just how circumstances work. But his absence on the general "film scene" in the last two decades or so (partly due to his head injury, partly due to a conscious decision to tone down his film work outside Julie Taymour) has made him more distant from my general awareness. But again -- still deserves the high spot for the past connections. 8. James Newton Howard Also a bit frustrating to place. He's one of the most important film composers in my life, and WATERWORLD remains one of my top 10 scores of all time. However, he's been very on and off in the last two decades. A HIDDEN LIFE, however, showed he still has the chops if properly inspired, the best score of that whole year. 9. Alan Silvestri Similar to JNH. One of the cornerstone composers of my life, and THE ABYSS remains a top 10 score. But extremely uneven in the last two decades. Like JNH, he surfs on into the top 10 based on previous accomplishments. 10. Georges Delerue This spot, the last spot, was a massive battle between titans Georges Delerue, Jerry Goldsmith and Ennio Morricone. I've had an explosive interest in Morricone after his passing, but it wasn't quite enough to nudge my old favourite Delerue off of the list. So often in my life, I need a little bit of bittersweet, melancholic music, and Delerue is the go-to man for that. Similarly, I haven't really played a lot of Goldsmith in recent years, even if I have about 70 of his scores and he's always been a favourite. I've veered more towards the calmer and reflective, and Goldsmith is usually more 'busy' than that, even when he did low-key dramas. He doesn't have a lot of ANGELA'S ASHESes or STANLEY & IRISes or THE ACCIDENTAL TOURISTes and the like in his resume. But by all means, when you have 70 albums of someone, he's definitely a close contender. ---- With that said, these are some composers that stand immediately outside the door, very close to being let into the Company of 10: Jerry Goldsmith, Ennio Morricone, A.R. Rahman, Alan Menken, Angelo Badalamenti, Basil Poledouris, David Arnold, Franz Waxman, Giorgio Moroder, Max Richter, Michael Kamen, Patrick Doyle, Stefan Nilsson, Tangerine Dream and Thomas Newman. Maybe some day they will get in. Thanks for indulging me this unsympathetically self-absorbed post. GerateWohl, Edmilson, Omen II and 5 others 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,527 Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 JOHN WILLIAMS JERRY GOLDSMITH JOHN BARRY JAMES HORNER MAURICE JARRE THOMAS NEWMAN JAMES NEWTON HOWARD ALEX NORTH ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL DANNY ELFMAN Supplementary list- This is made up of people/groups whom I do not consider film composers, yet have all contributed to film scoring TOTO QUEEN TANGERINE DREAM VANGELIS RICK WAKEMAN WALTER/WENDY CARLOS DAFT PUNK TONY BANKS STEPHEN SONDHEIM Thor and Andy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,075 Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 14 minutes ago, Thor said: He doesn't have a lot of ANGELA'S ASHESes or STANLEY & IRISes or THE ACCIDENTAL TOURISTes and the like in his resume. Oooh, Yavar's gonna make you regret that statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,504 Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 5 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said: Oooh, Yavar's gonna make you regret that statement. Probably, yeah. Bracing myself for recommendations of scores in that idiom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy 4,127 Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 This is a funny thread to revisit. John Williams . . Jerry Goldsmith . James Horner John Barry Danny Elfman Elmer Bernstein Alan Silvestri Bruce Broughton Basil Poledouris John Carpenter Honorable mentions to Stu Phillips And the Star Trek TOS Composers for their television scores. Sometimes the more I hear from Silvestri and Elfman, the less I like their whole body of work. My appreciation for them is limited to a finite era or number of scores. Bruce Broughton has a lot of stuff that doesn’t interest me. But the ones that do are superb. I wish he had, I don’t know, done different projects or evolved his career differently or something. The more I hear from John Barry, the more I wish I’d listened sooner. My esteem for him is rising. I seem to be never disappointed with him. John Carpenter isn’t always a great listen apart from the films, and musically, he’s.. well he’s John Carpenter. But his films are HIS films thanks to his music. I did get to see him and his boys live and they blows the roof off the creepy old theater. I feel like I could add Golden Age composers (and Bernard Herrmann) but I’m a child of the 70s and 80s, and I am woefully unfamiliar with them. Sometimes I start to sample Golden Age stuff, but without love for the films, it just doesn’t immediately connect with me. I might like Herrmann but I’ve only seen like one movie he’s scores. Shameful. GerateWohl and Thor 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,481 Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 A top 10? Alphabetical. John Barry Danny Elfman Jerry Goldsmith Bernard Herrmann James Horner James Newton Howard Thomas Newman Howard Shore Alan Silvestri John Williams Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Score 770 Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 1 - John Williams 2 - Jerry Goldsmith 3 - Ennio Morricone 4 - Bernard Herrmann 5 - Erich Wolfgang Korngold 6 - Max Steiner 7 - Miklós Rózsa 8 - Don Davis 9 - Howard Shore 10 - Elliot Goldenthal Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post GerateWohl 4,368 Posted February 11, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted February 11, 2023 First of all, I think, I have a preference for composers, that write for the concert hall as well. John Williams My number one for ever. Miklós Rózsa With Williams He has in common that his scores are always musical works with the power to stand on their own. And both have a hand for melodies that sound as if they always existed, they were just the first to write them down. Bernard Herrmann I know hardly a composer who uses so well and effektively the power of simplicity. And No matter what type of film he scored, in his music is always tragedy and despair. I love it. Joe Hisaishi Often it seems Hisaishi uses the orchestra or his other ensembles as playground, where he plays like an overly creative child. And the mixture of impressionistic harmonies à la Debussy or Ravel and his japanese pentatonic scale is just perfect. Elmer Bernstein He just writes the greatest movie themes. Howard Shore For me a little bit like Bernhard Herrmann's offspring. I always had a special crush on his Cronenberg scores. But probably without his Middle Earth oevre He wouldn't have made it to this list. Dario Marianelli He did and does a lot that I don't find particularly interesting. But he is the one that firmed my faith in younger generations of composers and wrote some outstanding works, that are especially musically interesting. Jerry Goldsmith There is no way around him and he could be the best. But his synth farts and his strict limitation to "Gebrauchsmusik" and almost bad taste in pop music pushed him off the top for me. Danny Elfman He is probably the best of the film music composers with pop music roots. I like his style more than his melodies. But what lifted him to this list is more his concert work. James Newton Howard I wish he had done more like King Kong. I love love love his M. Night Shyamalan scores enough to put him on this list, but he could get replaced tomorrow by for example Christopher Young David Raksin John Barry Erich Wolfgang Korngold Alan Menken o. o. Thor, Andy and Jurassic Shark 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,504 Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 Wonderful post, GerateWohl. Top 10, along with reasons why, are great. Andy and GerateWohl 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerateWohl 4,368 Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 Great is to have a personal photograph with almost every composer mentioned. Thanks for sharing these memories. Thor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,075 Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 24 minutes ago, GerateWohl said: Great is to have a personal photograph with almost every composer mentioned. Thanks for sharing these memories. I'll make that for you. GerateWohl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheUlyssesian 2,478 Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 1. John Williams 2. Max Steiner 3. Bernard Herrmann 4. Mikkos Rozsa 5. Nino Rota 6. Ennio Morricone 7. Dmitrti Tiomkin 8. Henry Mancini 9. Elmer Bernstein 10. John Barry HM: Jerry Goldsmith, Alex North, Victor Young, Alfred Newman, Franz Waxman, Eric Wolfgang Korngold. Tom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted February 11, 2023 Author Share Posted February 11, 2023 Some crazy nostalgia in this thread. Off the top of my head: Ennio Morricone John Williams James Newton Howard Michael Giacchino Hans Zimmer John Powell Alexandre Desplat Thomas Newman Danny Elfman Jerry Goldsmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romão 2,274 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith are invariably the top two. The other eight, in no particular order: Elliot Goldenthal James Horner Danny Elfman Bernard Herrmann Miklos Rozsa Franz Waxman Ennio Morricone Alex North Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,433 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Lots of great composers here's my list: John Williams (obviously) James Horner Jerry Goldsmith John Powell Howard Shore Alan Silvestri Michael Giacchino Ennio Morricone Bernard Herrmann Hans Zimmer Not adding Tiomkin, Rozsa or North as I'm not really familiar with them. There's also more recent composers who could enter this top 10 one day like Göransson, Kaska, McNeely (who sadly didn't compose that much) but I'm waiting for more scores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,481 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 I realize the youngest alive composer on my top 10 is 67 years old. Sorry for the younglings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestat 348 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 1. Jerry Goldsmith - there is no alternative. Basic Instinct to Under Fire. His batting average with home runs is second to none. And unlike others, I consider the 90s to be his strongest time. 2. Hans Zimmer - from Black Rain to Interstellar. What a range of approaches and musical styles. From Thin Red Line back to Rain Man. An amazing composer sadly taken down recently by a corporate instinct and a sense that he needs to 'innovate' with every project. 3. Patrick Doyle - a genius with orchestral dynamics. His early 1990s scores - Dead Again, Indochine, etc. are works of art. He lost his way in the 2000s but the strength of those early works will inevitably put him on this list. 4. Elliot Goldenthal - there is no stronger run than EG's 1992-1998 set of blockbusters. And one doesn't often reinvent the language of film scoring. 5. John Williams - I tend to take his amazingness for granted as he is such an ever present beautiful artist. No words are required. 6. James Horner - innovative, visceral, sensitive, plagiaristic, experimental. He is all these. A real titan of scoring. 7. Alan Silvestri - again, someone who made their mark in the 80s and 90s but Silvestri's work on Van Helsing and Tomb Raider 2 are cool. A bit of a rut recently, and understandable. 8. JNH - another one easy to take for granted. From Outbreak to Snow White, from Fugitive to Maleficient, JNH is a professional. I do sometimes he wish he was less professional. 9. Trevor Jones - a magnificent, chameleonic composer. Starting out with dark orchestral works for Excalibur and Dark Crystal, graduating into very impactful synth compositions (Missisippi Burning, Sea of Love) to orchestral/pop mega hits (Mohicans) to the largest orchestra compositions known to man (Dark City) 10. Christopher Young - a brilliant composer, so tender with lyricism, so hard with abject horrors - orchestrational talent and skills to spare Honourable mentions to Morricone, Carpenter, McNeely, Broughton etc. GerateWohl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,363 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 On 11/02/2023 at 12:04 PM, Thor said: I can't remember if I ever shared my top 10 list here, or in another similar thread On 25/07/2012 at 6:59 PM, Thor said: These things change continually, and what is my top 10 now may not be so in 6 months (except the ones at the top). So right now, it would look something like this: 1. JOHN WILLIAMS (completist) 2. Danny Elfman (completist) 3. Hans Zimmer 4. Elliot Goldenthal (completist) 5. James Horner 6. Jerry Goldsmith 7. Alan Silvestri 8. Franz Waxman 9. James Newton Howard 10. Basil Poledouris Vangelis would have been in there, but I feel it's too limiting to call him 'just' a film composer, so I decided to omit him in this particular case. On 21/10/2013 at 1:39 PM, Thor said: These things always change a bit, but maybe something like this: 1. John Williams 2. Danny Elfman 3. Elliot Goldenthal 4. Hans Zimmer 5. James Horner 6. James Newton Howard 7. Georges Delerue 8. Jerry Goldsmith 9. Alan Silvestri (old-style Silvestri, i.e.) 10. Franz Waxman Although, to be perfectly honest, right now Zimmer is probably right behind Williams in terms of what I play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Score 770 Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 On 11/02/2023 at 7:11 PM, Andy said: I feel like I could add Golden Age composers (and Bernard Herrmann) but I’m a child of the 70s and 80s, and I am woefully unfamiliar with them. Sometimes I start to sample Golden Age stuff, but without love for the films, it just doesn’t immediately connect with me. I might like Herrmann but I’ve only seen like one movie he’s scores. Shameful. Although I know a large part of Herrmann's works (not just for film), the movies scored by him, which I have seen, are just: Citizen Kane, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Vertigo, Psycho, Fahrenheit 451, Sisters, and Taxi Driver. I think I can recommend all of them, if you want to sample his works together with the movies they were written for, although some of them have aged better than the others. In my opinion, among the movies that I've mentioned, Vertigo and Psycho both are the best movies and have the best scores. Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,481 Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 What is great about Herrmann, is that his scores have been re-recorded a lot in the last decades, they are easy to find and they sound great. GerateWohl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schilkeman 963 Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 I'm not as familiar with some composers as I probably should be, that said, I've seen a lot of films all the big guns have done scores for, and only a few have made me actively seek out soundtracks separate from the film. 1. John Williams - Few, if any, other film composers have his level of craftsmanship. I also enjoy his scores the most of any composer separate from the film. They are endlessly musically interesting. 2. Bernard Herrmann - Also very listenable removed from the film. He lacks JW's range, but makes up for it by being extremely good at writing like Bernard Herrmann 3. James Horner - Great melodic gifts, great orchestrations and counterpoint (before his world music phase). Just always fun to listen to. 4. Jerry Goldsmith - I am not as enamored by him as some here are, but I recognize skill when I hear it. His Star Trek scores are top notch. I wish he had a bit more counterpoint in his writing, and I think his woodwind writing is a little weak. 5. Alex North - I'm listing him almost exclusively for his score to Dragonslayer and the dropped score to 2001. I'm not familiar enough with his other stuff to comment. Those two are masterpieces. 6. Howard Shore - I only like his scores to the LotR trilogy, but they're so good, he gets 6th just for them. All the faults and foibles I find in Wagner are present in Shore's work. He could be no. 2 if he ever really learned how to compose. (jesting....slightly) 7. Michael Kamen - Also very listenable outside the films. Had the misfortune to write very, very good scores to three films that had hit pop songs attached to them, overshadowing his work (although I believe he co-wrote the songs for Robin Hood, and Three Musketeers). His score to Highlander is fantastic. Highlander is fantastic, actually (so are the Queen songs). X-Men and Die Hard are also underrated. He used orchestration as counterpoint, a real genius, and gone too soon. 8. Miklós Rózsa - Ben Hur alone is enough to get him here. I've not heard everything he did, but everything I've heard has been great. Classic Hollywood sound. 9. Ralph Vaughan-Williams - I'm cheating a bit, but he's one of my all-time favorite composers, and did work on 11 films, including Scott of the Antarctic, which became the basis for his 7th symphony. 10. James Newton Howard - Not the biggest fan, but he comes out with a good one from time to time. I really like King Kong and his more recent score to Jungle Cruise. Solid, if somewhat uninspired. 1,000,000. Hans Zimmer - He seems like a nice enough guy, and I don't begrudge him finding a way to make a lot of money, but I'll never forgive him for what he's done to film music for the past decade and a half. GerateWohl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemonStar 57 Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 1. John Williams 2. Hans Zimmer 3. James Newton Howard 4. Alan Menken 5. A.R. Rahman 6. Danny Elfman 7. James Horner 8. Alan Silvestri 9. John Powell 10. Michael Giacchino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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