Which composers “owned/dominated” a particular decade?

[Bespin 8,480]

Seriously, challenge us, you don't agree with me and Joe...

 

Show us example, how Zimmer could have "dominated" the 2010s and 2000s.  Give us examples. Explain the relative position you give to Alexandre Desplats in the 2010s and John Williams in the 2000s, compared to Zimmer.

 

What objective criterias do you use?

 

Just look at the Academy Awards nominations... To dominate, you have to dominate also on the highest award given in your artistic domain... You may love or not this organization, disagree or agree with his choice... But it's the main thing. And to win is not the most important thing, but you have to be nominated, from time to time. Just the nomination at the Academy Awards is a recognition of your work by your peers.

 

You also have to retain that in this process, we go by decade, so it could by example minimze the efforts of a composer which occured in the middle of two decades...

 

[Nick1Ø66 4,710]

33 minutes ago, Bespin said:

To dominate, you have to dominate also on the highest award given in your artistic domain.

 

Not really. Superhero movies have dominated cinema for pretty much the past decade. How many of those have won Oscars? The same was once true of Westerns. Hollywood types tossing gold statues at each other isn't indicative of cultural dominance. 

 

When I think of what composers have "dominated" over the years I think of those whose music had the biggest overall impact on the cultural zeitgeist during a given period.  Being recognized by your peers doesn't make you a dominant cultural force. At least, not in my view. The notion that Newman, or Desplat, or JNH or Powell or Gia, talented as they are, have been anywhere near the dominant force that ZImmer (and his progeny) have been is absurd. Whether they're better composers (or have gotten more peer recognition) than Zimmer is another matter entirely.

 

But let's put it this way...no one needs to look up how many Oscars Williams won to know he dominated the 1980's.

 

Again, you may have a different set of criteria in answering this question, and that's fine. But if it were simply a matter of adding up Oscar nominations, this thread wouldn't be very interesting.

[Bespin 8,480]

If your criteria for a good composer is related to the Box Office of the movie, that's a thing...

 

And if you just evaluate one style of movies or score, you lack of perspective.

 

And yes, the Academy Awards sometimes follows fashions, or ignore them. It's why for the decades prior to 2000, I add the AFI list in the criterias.  It help to bring balance to the Force.

 

Generally, if you speak about Superhero movies and scores, they are serial shit. At the end, few composers sucessfully manage to produce memorables scores, but some do.

 

Talk to me about the dominant composer of the 2010s in ten years, we'll probably have a better perspective, I give that to you.

[Nick1Ø66 4,710]

15 minutes ago, Bespin said:

If your criteria for a good composer is related to the Box Office of the movie, that's a thing...

 

I think this is where were losing the plot. As @Chen G. suggested above, I don't think this is necessarily a conversation about quality.  If it was, then the question should be "Who was the best composer each decade" or "Which composer got the most peer recognition".

15 minutes ago, Bespin said:

And if you just evaluate one style of movies or score, you lack of perspective.

 

But we're not talking about all the different styles of score, were talking about the composer (and by extension their "style") that dominated a particular era. Most countries have different cultures, that doesn't mean there's not a dominant one.

 

15 minutes ago, Bespin said:

Generally, if you speak about Superhero movies and scores, they are serial shit. At the end, few composers sucessfully manage to produce memorables scores, but some do.

 

Again, you're back on quality. Which is entirely subjective. Just because something is dominant doesn't make it the best quality, and something being the best quality doesn't make it dominant.

 

 

[Bespin 8,480]

I'm just trying to explain why superhero movies is a genre underestimated by the industry!

 

For me "domination" relates to recognition by peers and by the industry.

[Jurassic Shark 12,053]

4 minutes ago, Nick1066 said:

Which composer got the most peer recognition

 

That would be the one whose compositions got published in the most high level peer reviewed journals.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Lets not forget his majestic 1984 Olympic Theme. It is a masterpiece that soars above all other Olympic themes. It was a task Zeus himself could not carry.

[Jay 37,339]

It's one of my favorite pieces of music of all time

[Chen G. 3,949]

2 hours ago, Nick1066 said:

If it was, then the question should be "Who was the best composer each decade" or "Which composer got the most peer recognition".

 

A simple question to ask is who was the most prominent composer of the 1850s (actually, of all time, but nevermind). Because its not anyone we who would think of as the greatest composer of that period: its Giacomo Meyerbeer.

 

Because most prominent is not necessarily the same as best or even most influential.

[Bespin 8,480]

3 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

 

A simple question to ask is who was the most prominent composer of the 1850s.

 

Johann Strauss Jr.

 

Ask us, me and Joe, we'll educate you!

[Chen G. 3,949]

15 minutes ago, Bespin said:

Johann Strauss Jr.!

 

He had nothing on Meyerbeer box-office wise...

 

Nobody did.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Nick Im sorry but your argument doesn't work. 

John dominates the award nominations and should have won more.  Hes scored many genres, Superhero, action adventure, fantasy, scifi, war, drama, childrens, comedy, horror, etc. By every criteria he has hit a home run. And using your own comment "culteral zeitgeist then John wins AGAIN. Few composers have ingrained themselves in the cultural zeitgeist. Every fall on any given Saturday you will hear Jaws Star Wars Superman, the afore mentioned Olympic theme, Potter,JP on a college football field by a marching band. You cannot go a season of golf without hear music from the River.

 

And yes quality is subjective but it can also be objective. john is good john is popular john is successful. No he cannot score every film nor should he. He deserves respect.

 

Hell he was even played on American bandstand. 

 

Im going to go listen to Swing Swing Swing. Bye