Ten Composers Who Have Made the Most of This Decade

The Stunning Conclusion

By Jason Foster

See Tuesday's column for part one, featuring Carter Burwell, Danny Elfman, Patrick Doyle, Ellito Goldenthal and James Horner...

JAMES NEWTON HOWARD: If nothing else, one can say that James Newton Howard will probably never become known for any one sound. Unlike other composers who have been stereotyped because of their ability to handle a particular genre well, Howard has somehow been able to avoid this and enjoy great success with scores in a variety of musical styles.

Howard's success this decade has led to multiple Oscar nominations for his work on films like THE PRINCE OF TIDES, THE FUGITIVE, and MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING, as well as a steady flow of new work. If one were to try to pinpoint Howard's major strength, it might be that he seems to be able to take any genre of film and make it seem as if it's his specialty. For example, the tenderness and beauty of his music for DAVE makes it arguably the best romantic comedy score in the last ten years. Yet the strength of his scores to films like WYATT EARP and THE POSTMAN suggest that perhaps the action genre is more his forte. In addition to those, Howard has yet another style which he has successfully displayed in scores like FALLING DOWN and THE TRIGGER EFFECT that might be best described as dark synth stylings coupled with a small ensemble of live musicians.

An ability to be genuinely versatile is something not too many composers can brag about--and it's almost certainly one of the main reasons why Howard is still enjoying success as the decade draws to a close.

ALAN MENKEN: If judging solely on accolades, Menken would qualify as one of the more successful film composers in history. Although his success has trailed off somewhat in the last four or five years, he clearly made a mark on things during the first half of the decade. During the 1990s alone, Menken has racked up six Academy Awards and multiple Grammys for his work on the highly successful Disney animated pictures of the past ten years. Although his winning so many awards caused much debate among fans and critics alike, one can't deny his impact on the industry.

Since the release of THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989), Menken and his lyricist colleagues have reinvented the concept of the movie musical--although in the form of "children's" animation. Not since the classic Hollywood musicals of the 1950s and 60s have composers been able to successfully integrate story and song in such an entertaining way. His influence on the industry quickly became apparent after he burst onto the scene. The style of scoring and song writing Menken helped revive is mimicked during this same decade by various other studios and composers. Some are able to come close and produce quality work, but others fall embarrassingly flat.

Menken seems to have abandoned his Disney ties to pursue other musical interests. But no matter who the composer is who will assume his role, it seems certain that he/she will follow the example that Menken has set.

THOMAS NEWMAN: In a recent interview, Newman said that he never really planned to pursue film music. He had witnessed the industry first-hand by watching his father Alfred's successes and failures and decided film scoring wasn't for him. However, despite that decision, Newman found himself as a film composer, at least part-time, by the mid-1980s.

But as the 1990s began to unfold, people began to notice uniqueness in Newman's style. However, it wasn't until 1992 when he scored Robert Altman's THE PLAYER that his career seemed to go into high gear. That score was called by one critic, "36 of the best minutes of music available on CD." Somewhat like Hans Zimmer, Newman seemed to have created a new sound for film scoring--using an eclectic combination of instruments and sounds that left fans and critics intrigued. Also impressed with Newman's work was the Academy, rewarding him with three Oscar nominations by the midpoint of the decade.

To this day, Newman remains arguably the freshest musical voice working today. FSM's Doug Adams once said that Newman seems to reinvent his style on a regular basis, which is a pretty accurate statement. It's hard for anyone to know exactly what to expect with a Thomas Newman score. But that's what makes him interesting.

JOHN WILLIAMS: Just as he was in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, Williams remains arguably the most popular and sought-after composer working in Hollywood. His inclusion on this list is due to the fact that during the 1990s he seems to have gradually abandoned the big-themes, big-orchestra action scores that made him so popular over the past 25 years and began to really vary the kinds of films he scores. And while the big scores were still there (HOOK, JURASSIC PARK, THE LOST WORLD, and the upcoming STAR WARS film), his body of work as a whole in this decade is more varied than it has been in the last two. PRESUMED INNOCENT, STANLEY AND IRIS, JFK, SCHINDLER'S LIST, SABRINA, ROSEWOOD, AMISTAD, SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET, and a handful of others each possess their own sound and showcase Williams' absolute mastery of the craft. It's almost like he was screaming, "Hey, Let me show you what else I can do!!" It also makes one begin to wonder if there's anything left for him to accomplish as a composer. He's still greatly respected by his peers, as evidence by his virtually being an annual sure thing as an Oscar nominee. Up to now, there has never been any doubt that Williams is seeping with talent--and after the scores he's given us this decade, we have proof that there never will be.

HANS ZIMMER: It could be argued that no other composer has had more of an impact on the industry this decade than Hans Zimmer. It's an impact that is felt on more than one level. His mainstay presence in the film scoring industry more or less began with in 1988 with his Oscar-nominated score to RAINMAN. It seems silly to think this now, but just around twelve years ago the synth sound that Zimmer virtually created himself was an untapped venue. Synthesizers had been used quite often since the 1960s, but for better or worse, it was Zimmer's "sound" that opened people's ears to a new way of scoring in the 1990s. He continued the success of this new sound in films like REGARDING HENRY and GREEN CARD, among others. However, despite the impact of the RAINMAN style, it could be argued that it wasn't until around the middle of the decade when Zimmer's full impact became apparent.

Shortly after his Oscar-winning contribution to the Disney blockbuster THE LION KING, Zimmer began a stretch of scoring action films. It was a stretch that we are still in now, and that has reshaped the way today's action films are scored (However, we may be able to trace the revolution back to Zimmer's score to the 1988 film BLACK RAIN.). It began a semi-standard for in-your-face action scores, in which the music relies heavily on a balanced combination of large orchestra, synth layers, drum machines, and samples. The sound has become a very popular way to go with action films and has been put to use again and again by Zimmer and his pupils in films like CRIMSON TIDE, THE ROCK, and ARMAGEDDON.

What separates this "sound" from past attempts at synth/orchestra combinations is that this is so distinct. With many past scores which attempted this method, the synths were either intrusive or just seemed added for effect. However, Zimmer combines these elements in such a way that it's sometimes hard to tell what's what. No one element really stands out, as all are equally important.

Zimmer has also had an impact on the idea that only one composer is needed for a film. While it is still the norm for only one composer to score a film, there have been numerous instances when Zimmer has openly acquired and acknowledged the help of his proteges--the other composers who make up Media Ventures. This has been done for mainly two reasons--either when Zimmer hasn't had enough time to finish a score on his own, or to give these young composers a chance for their work to be heard. Sometimes the other composer gets to share a credit billing, but usually they get an "Additional Music by" tag buried in the end credits. In other cases, three or four composers have been known to contribute and be credited. However, the film that seemed to make the most of the Team Zimmer system was THE ROCK, in which five separate composers were credited. While it may seem that Zimmer is a nice guy for letting these unknowns have a crack at it, many feel that this will untimately have an increasingly negative effect on film scoring.

Zimmer's appeal to fans in general is mostly a "love him or hate him" relationship. Some love his approach while others prefer a more old-school method. But whatever one's feeling about him is, he remains a popular figure whose contributions to the industry, for better or worse, will not soon be forgotten.

***THE HONORABLE MENTION AWARD for the decade of the 1990s goes to JERRY GOLDSMITH. Despite the fact that there is a huge group of people who believe he should be a the top of a list like this, this writer believes that Goldsmith's output this decade, when all things are considered, was of less quality than it has been in the past. Granted, he has written a handful of great scores this decade--TOTAL RECALL, BASIC INSTINCT, BAD GIRLS, RUDY, and LA CONFIDENTIAL among them. But for every one of those there were scores like CONGO, ANGIE, IQ, POWDER, and DEEP RISING. It seems like the "strong/weak" ratio of his scores this decade is almost dead even.

A huge chunk of Goldsmith's work since 1990 has been in the action genre. Despite a few good scores in this arena, many of the others are virtually interchangeable (THE RIVER WILD, EXECUTIVE DECISION, CHAIN REACTION, etc.) And though some of these, as well as a few others, might contain a few nice passages, they weren't all that interesting as a whole. It's almost gotten to the point where I no longer look forward to a Goldsmith action score, whereas I used to be excited with anticipation.

But having said all of that, Goldsmith still remains highly sought-after and respected by all who work in the business, as he is still a legend. His musical style is still imitated by numerous others. He has three times been nominated for Oscars this decade and his fan base it at an all-time high. Would most filmmakers kill to have Goldsmith score their movie? Yes. Wouldn't most every fan be tremendously happy if Goldsmith wins the Oscar for MULAN? Certainly. Is he still the composer he was 20-25 years ago? That's debatable.

I feel like I'm skating on thin ice to even suggest that Jerry Goldsmith may have lost a step. Like the few other A-list composers, he has a die-hard fan base that will quickly counter-attack any such arguments. And yes, I still like Jerry Goldsmith. How could anyone stop liking him? It just seems like many of his scores this decade were done in a "by the numbers" way. And while there are certainly other composers who did the same thing, it's always so disappointing when it's coming from a master.

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