When I say the name of, or think of a composer, I see an image that immediately says "them" to me.
When I think of the following composers, these are the things I visually see in my mind:
Alex North SPARTACUS The Red LP Soundtrack Album
Jerry Goldsmith THE OMEN The Black Soundtrack Album LP, Red Logo, Peck's Eyebrows
Elmer Bernstein THE TEN COMMANDMENTS / TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Moses with his staff parting the Red Sea, Boo behind the Door in Jem's Room
Bill Conti ROCKY The Black Soundtrack Album with ROCKY in White, Stallone running and punching
James Horner GLORY / FIELD OF DREAMS Poster art of Glory / Kevin Costner's face smiling
Ennio Morricone DAYS OF HEAVEN The LP with Richard Gere, the Logo writing of Days of Heaven
Leonard Rosenman BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES Rosenman with long hair, James Franciscus in furry underwear
Miklos Rozsa BEN-HUR The Gold LP Soundtrack Album with the BEN-HUR logo carved in the stones
John Williams I just his face and Spielberg. No STAR WARS Album.
And so I ask you. Say a composer's name and write what is the first image or anything you see. And don't even think about it. It should be an instant thing. Be honest.
And so I ask you. Say a composer's name and write what is the first image or anything you see. And don't even think about it. It should be an instant thing. Be honest.
I confess that when I think of composers I don't think of the films they wrote for.
Miklos Rozsa .... Hungary, his family, his Olde World attitude, and for some strange reason, tweed jackets. I'm sure Rozsa didn't wear many of these, given his time in California, but it's a sort of continuum of the fact that cello solos or cello chamber music makes me think tweed jacket: I'm not sure why. Maybe it's those old film noir fabric catalogue title card backgrounds or something.
Elmer Bernstein ... HEALTH. His painting, his personality.
Herrmann ... big fat trombones playing descending semitones, him working late, bad temper, Hitch and Orson.
Jerome Moross ... glasses .... and his piano .... and him getting off a train in the West and being exhilarated by the sunshine.
James Horner .... scarves and aeroplanes.
Max Steiner .... cigars, his accent, and that early operetta he wrote that he called a 'real dirty sonofa ...'
Korngold .... running from Adolf, recording sitting down, his dad Julius, the story about 'Green Pastures' and having lunch with God.
Alf Newman .... cigars, dapper dressing, the piano.
Jerry Goldsmith: Zooba has way too much time on his hands! Bernard Herrmann: Zooba is really scraping the bottom of the topics barrel! John Williams: Anchovies!
