Top Ten Favorite Composers

Compiled by Lukas Kendall

Way back on July 2 we ran a column listing one writer's favorite ten working composers. Naturally, we invited responses. Here's the tip of that iceberg!

When I have some time, I will come up with a list of ten composers who did one or two amazing scores and then disappeared... like those two guys who wrote Jeremiah Johnson.

From: mso@POMONA.EDU

1. Philip Glass - There are ideological reasons why Glass no longer considerws himself a Minimalist; see The Truman Show and especially Bent for scoring that is about a whole lot more than reduction of form. He's working on many levels, producing some of the most subversive, challenging film scores around, and yes, it has everything to do with his choice of films.

2. Elliot Goldenthal - Cobb and The Butcher Boy are two of my favorites; their coitus interruptus tendencies are the perfect tool for rupturing the conventional fabric and forcing a new cinema into being.

3. Ennio Morricone - It's surprising how much this composer's scoring has changed while maintaining the eclecticism that has been his consistent halmark. U-Turn and Bullworth are both fresh, incredible, highly postmodern scores, yet stylistically, they're not far removed from the spaghetti westerns and The Mission, respectively.

4. Howard Shore - His music is always to be listened to and pondered, never quite making logical sense, but always disturbing, provocative, and transformative of the medium.

5. Danny Elfman - supreme ironist, ever-retro, Elfman smiles at conventions and can instigate a shift in audience pleasure to a more satirical mode.

6. Elmer Bernstein - working with Afrocentrist directors like Bill Duke has been a grail for Bernstein; his scores for Hoodlum and Devil in a Blue Dress have re-centered Black music historically and culturally.

7. Jerry Goldsmith - Mulan aside, I like his recent output. He can still play the far-out with the best of 'em; his own particular stock of avant-gardeisms for some reason never looses its edge - the music tends to insists that you see everything as some sort of weird plastic.

8. John Williams - While I found Amistad's score a way too problematic complement to a shameful film, I loved Rosewood for its rootedness in Gospel music. Williams is smart, does his research, and so has the potential to transform the populist lexicon. If only he would stop working for Spielberg.

9. Cliff Eidelman - Can anyone forget Star Trek VI? Nick Meyer's cutting allegory was dispensed by the press in far too simple terms, ignored for the most part by audiences who couldn't get past all the costuming and makeup, but the score comes through with plenty of critical bite, chopping up the narrative in Stravinskyan fashion, and if only "tah pah, tah beh!" being chanted by the choir for Kirk and McCoy in the Rura Penthe sequence were audible in the film, we might have learned something about social responsibility and constructions of oppressive ideas.

10. Wojciech Kilar - Portrait of A Lady is an extroardinary exercise in revising ideas about narrative structure in film music. It's this sort of interruption which opens doors for more radical transformations.

1. John Williams - I believe Williams is the current master, and has been for many years. He has complete control of the orchestra and is as confident in how to create melodies suitable for listening away from films as he is creating music for them.

2. Jerry Goldsmith - Goldsmith creates wonderfully sweeping themes but keeps to his own very distinct style much of the time, making people associate him with certain scores almost straight away. Most scores are appropriate for the films for which they were composed, ranging from comedy to suspense to action to intimate drama.

3. James Horner - Even with all the rumours of Horner's plagarism etc., he is still a master with thematic theme. With themes such as that for Legends of the Fall and Titanic, he knows how to create emotion even for films which do not deserve it. He is also talented enough to create wonderful animated/children's scores and has a flair for suspense.

4. Bruce Broughton - Broughton's themes are always very enjoyable to hear, even though many (not me) were disappointed for the 'lack of themes' in his recent Lost in Space, a score in which a theme was completely distinguishable to me! His is completely capable, much like Williams, of creating music perfectly enjoyable away from the films for which they were composed.

5. Thomas Newman - Newman has only just become one of my favourites - he has a very different style, but his themes, though very similar, all contain some sort of originality perfect for each film he scores. I'd like to see him now score a big-budget film where he has a full orchestra to work with. I think he'd manage quite nicely!

6. James Newton Howard - I believe Howard's scores are usually very well written; I'm particularly fond of his intimate themes (eg. 'Robbie's Bedside' from Outbreak, and 'Alive' etc), but his action music is usually largely thematic and contain a certain style hard to ignore.

7. John Barry - Even though I only have a limited selection of his scores, I believe Barry's scores are pretty perfect for the films they're written for. Occasionally, he'll create a score too intimately quiet for good listening on its own, but most are wonderful in terms of film scoring.

8. Alan Silvestri - Many people wouldn't agree but I believe Silvestri is one of the most enjoyable composers working today; his comedy scores are well written, his action scores are exciting, and, with his big breakthrough in 1994 with Forrest Gump, he showed us how confident he is with creating a melody.

9. Patrick Doyle - Here is a composer who, with scores ranging from intimate to large scale, is completely confident when writing themes suitable for every type of film. He's scored everything from light comedy to Gothic horror, suggesting his great talent, an immensely broad spectrum of work.

10. John Scott - one of today's most underrated and underappreciated composers, one who I enjoy very much, both to listen independently to and to hear in films; Thank Goodness for JOS Records otherwise his music may not be available for us to enjoy!

Better late than never, I suppose. Here is my top 10 list...in alphabetcial order:

1) Patrick Doyle: A couple missteps, but usually a strong performance each time out. My favorite: Henry V

2) George Fenton: An underrated composer who usually turns out a fine score.

3) Philip Glass: Doesn't score too many films, but the result is always interesting.

4) Jerry Goldsmith: Does too many garbage movies, and mediocre scores to accompany them, but at his best is great.

5) Joe Hisaishi: Who? I know almost nothing about him, but he has scored many? all? of Japanese anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's films, notably Kiki's Delivery Service and Laputa. Disney will be distributing Miyazaki's films in the USA on video, with Kiki to be released on Sept 1. American film score fans can discover this talented composer at last.

6) Adrian Johnston: Has worked primarily with director Michael Winterbottom, in particular his marvelous score to the criminally ignored Jude.

7) Wojciech Kilar: Loved Dracula; shame he doesn't do more.

8) Ennio Morricone: Still producing quality work. Would have vastly preferred to hear his work over the rap in Bulworth; would have made that film somewhat more endurable.

9) Michael Nyman: As distinctive a composer out there. Six Days Six Nights is a brilliant score.

10) Philippe Sarde: If only some American films could have the benefit of this talented composer again.

Others who almost made the cut: Preisner, Corigliano, Sekacz, R.R. Bennett, Shore, and probably others, but it was only ten after all. Looking forward (yeah, right) to reading all the impassioned paeans to Horner and Williams...

In no particularly order -

1) JOHN WILLIAMS

2) JERRY GOLDSMITH

Can't really explain these two odd choices... But saying that we all know JG hasn't been on top form in the last decade or so but stuff like The Edge and LA Confidential still mean I get excited over his bigger [for want of a better word] projects - eg. Mulan at this time. All of JW's scores go immediately on my "must buy when I've got the money" list. They are always so thoughtully written.

3) DANNY ELFMAN

One of the only working composes trying to do elaborate and original things with the instruments of the orchestra. Kinda like the way Jerry Goldsmith used to conceive his works. Bags of style and imagination. I always get the impression the guy really enjoys writing the music.

4) HANS ZIMMER

Hans has a definite musical personality and he always stands above people who try to copy him. He rarely rewrites himself although I'm glad he said he wouldn't do any more action flicks in a while. HIs scores are often quite quirky and accessible. One Hans Zimmer is good for variety.

5) BASIL POLEDOURIS

On the strength of Starship Troopers and Les Miserables. Hadn't bought a CD of his in a while but am now paying close attention.

6) ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL

Um, perhaps a [so-called] guilty pleasure of mine. I am just a sucker for way cool noises! But that's not being fair. His stuff is always well written and by its original nature is just worth listening to above much else.

7) ELMER BERNSTEIN

Don't shoot! I admit to not owning a single album of his until..... The Rainmaker. It was one of those times we all cherish where I wandered into the cinema and came out knowing that a was going to purchase the album just as soon as those shops open again. Although his appearance on this list is questionable since I'm really trying to catch up on his past stuff.

8) HOWARD SHORE

A bit like Danny Elfman in his interesting use of instrumentation. I feel that it's like what Lukas was talking about in his editorial for the June FSM - Shore, Elfman, Williams and a few others do seem to compose not improvise. It feels like they've had more time and/or co-operation and are allowed to take their scores into different and deeper areas. I don't know about Bond [FSD Mon 06/29] - I'd love to see him do a comedy.

9) PATRICK DOYLE

Henry V, Hamlet, Sense and Sensibility, Much Ado..., Little Princess, Frankenstein, Great Expectations and more.... Pretty impressive for someone who only recently got started. Yet to put out a real clunker. One of my friends [non-converted, as yet] said that his music was what he expected of a film score - he used the phrase "dramatically pretentious".

10) JOHN CORIGLIANO

Been looking forward to The Red Violin for sooooo long. And looking back at Altered States for too long. Me want more!

If I had more choices I would have pointed to Carter Burwell, Rachel Portman and Marco Beltrami [for a future list perhaps?].

Top Ten Composers ALIVE:

(in alphabetical order)

John Barry, Elmer Bernstein, Bruce Broughton, Carter Burwell, Patrick Doyle, Jerry Goldsmith, Ennio Morricone, James Newton Howard, Basil Poledouris, John Williams

Top Ten Film Composers:

1. John Williams, 2. Patrick Doyle, 3. Elliot Goldenthal, 4. Ennio Morricone, 5. Zbiginew Preisner, 6. Jerry Goldsmith, 7. Danny Elfman, 8. Elmer Bernstein, 9. David Arnold, 10. James Horner

Here are my results in the shortest version:

1) Jerry Goldsmith, 2) John Williams, 3) Dimitri Tiomkin, 4) Ennio Morricone, 5) John Barry, 6) Patrick Doyle, 7) Bruce Broughton, 8) Maurice Jarre, 9) Elmer Bernstein, 10) James Horner

1. James Horner--Master of emotion and supplier of great themes. Forget the controversy!!!!!!

2. John Williams--The classicist and legend of film music.

3. Patrick Doyle--Very talented composer of rich themes in all kind of styles. He is gettin' better with every score.

4. Elliot Goldenthal--The most talented/flipped out composer of the 90's

5. Jerry Goldsmith--Every single theme of his is great!

6. David Arnold--Lots of style and bombast, the new generation!

7. Danny Elfman--Strange but great music. Mission Impossible was his best!!!!

8. John Barry--The best choice for love or drama related movies.

9. Hans Zimmer--Solid music witch contemporary appeal.

10. Marco Beltrami--A very promising newcomer who surprised with MIMIC.

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