Music can be a tearjerker, or it can cheer you up in the saddest scene. It can get stuck in your head like the musical theme from 'La La Land', or it can evaporate right after viewing. But it always matters. In this article, we recall film composers...
Music has immense power. It sets the mood for a film, thereby influencing our perception of the movie. Instrumental compositions or tracks with vocal parts? A soundtrack specially written for the film or one released long ago outside the context of cinema? Melodic or consisting of intermittent sounds, rustles, and pauses?
Sometimes the absence of music can be more deafening than a drum roll. As Ludwig Göransson eloquently proved in "". Or music can make your heart beat as if you're running a marathon, not sitting in a comfortable chair. As Justin Hurwitz demonstrated in " Whiplash ". The right composition can enhance the film's idea, serve as an accompanying background covering plot holes, build atmosphere making your knees shake even when nothing is happening on screen, or create a contrast between words and the true thoughts of the characters. Soundtracks fill the pauses between lines, creating subtexts that are felt rather than realized.
The authors of 'After the Credits' discuss the pros and cons of Nolan's deliberately taken neutrality towards the story of Robert Oppenheimer.
Open materialSometimes music is the glue that binds puzzle pieces together, endowing them with a unified message and placing the right accents. And sometimes it is a watershed that radically changes the tone of events, marking 'before' and 'after'. Music is like a separate character that either calmly enters the frame or suddenly bursts in; it can shock or delight. And if it's the right music, it is not felt separately from the film but creates a common harmony with it in the viewer's perception.
We recall the main film composers of different eras and periods who managed to find the key to the hearts of viewers (and directors) with their music.
Before Hollywood of the 21st Century
Henry Mancini
American conductor and film composer of Italian descent. He won 4 Oscars, 2 Emmy nominations, and 20 Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.
One of his most famous compositions is Moon River for 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', which won an Oscar. The most commercially successful soundtrack is for 'The Pink Panther' (1964).
Bernard Herrmann
American composer and director known for his close collaboration with the master of horror Alfred Hitchcock. He composed the famous score for 'Psycho'. He also worked with other directors and wrote music for 'Citizen Kane', 'Taxi Driver', 'Fahrenheit 451' (1966), and also for the anthology series 'The Twilight Zone' (1959-1964).
His work influenced Angelo Badalamenti ('Twin Peaks') and Danny Elfman (Tim Burton's composer).
Nino Rota
Italian composer who gained wide fame through active collaboration with Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti. His most recognizable film composition is the soundtrack to Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather', for which he won a Golden Globe and a Grammy. And for the melody for the second part about the father of the Italian mafia, he won an Oscar.
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou — Greek composer and one of the first to actively compose and perform electronic music. He first performed his music at age 6. The first film for which he wrote a soundtrack was a soft erotic film, 'Sex Power'. One of the most famous films featuring his music is Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner'. He won an Oscar for the soundtrack to 'Chariots of Fire' (1981).
Basil Poledouris
American film composer of Greek descent who often collaborated with director Paul Verhoeven. He wrote music for films such as 'Flesh and Blood', 'RoboCop', 'Starship Troopers'. The composer's portfolio includes films of various genres, from family to sci-fi with Schwarzenegger: 'The Blue Lagoon', 'Conan the Barbarian', 'Conan the Destroyer', 'For Love of the Game', 'Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles', 'Free Willy 1-2', 'Lassie', and 'The Jungle Book'.
Ennio Morricone
Italian composer, arranger, and conductor. One of the most awarded film composers, he won two Oscars for lifetime achievement and best original score in 'The Hateful Eight', a Grammy, three Golden Globes, and six BAFTAs. He made a loud statement with music for Sergio Leone's films, such as 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'. Another timeless hit is the composition Chi Mai for the film 'Le Professionnel'.
Throughout his career, he worked with Bernardo Bertolucci, Dario Argento, Roman Polanski, Brian De Palma, Barry Levinson, Terrence Malick. Morricone also wrote soundtracks for the Russian film '72 Meters' by Vladimir Khotinenko. Incidentally, Morricone helped Carpenter write music for the horror 'The Thing'.
Jerry Goldsmith
American composer and conductor who was nominated for an Oscar 18 times and finally won it for the soundtrack to Richard Donner's 'The Omen'. He also won 5 Grammys. His collection also includes a Razzie for the soundtrack to 'Rambo: First Blood Part II'. Goldsmith's music is heard in films such as 'Basic Instinct', 'Alien', 'The Mummy', and Disney's 'Mulan' (1999).
Thomas Newman
American composer, considered along with Alex North as the most nominated living composer (and never won the award): he has 15 nominations. He also has 6 Grammys and two BAFTA statuettes. His track record includes music for 'The Shawshank Redemption', 'American Beauty', 'Skyfall', '1917', 'Scent of a Woman', 'The Green Mile', and animation — 'Finding Nemo' and 'WALL-E'.
Directors' Favorites
Howard Shore
Canadian composer known for his collaboration with body horror master David Cronenberg and his friend director Peter Jackson. Shore started as a director and one of the founders of the popular show SNL, but later fully moved into music. His most famous films are 'The Fly', 'Gangs of New York', 'The Game', 'The Silence of the Lambs', and the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, for which he won a total of 3 Oscars.
Justin Hurwitz
American composer, screenwriter, and producer. He gained wide fame through close collaboration with Damien Chazelle, whom he met at Harvard: they played in the same band, lived in the same room, and worked together on student films. As a result, Hurwitz wrote music for 5 Chazelle films, including 'Whiplash', 'First Man', and 'Babylon'. And for the music to 'La La Land', he won two Golden Globes, two Grammys, a BAFTA, and two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (City of Stars).
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Icelandic composer and music producer, called Denis Villeneuve's favorite. He wrote music for his 'Arrival', 'Sicario', and 'Prisoners', as well as for 'Blade Runner 2049', but the soundtracks were not included in the film. However, he received the most nominations and recognition for the music to James Marsh's 'The Theory of Everything'. But initially, Jóhannsson was known as a composer for documentary films. His most famous doc is 'The Miners' Hymns'.
The composer passed away in Berlin in 2019.
Danny Elfman
American instrumentalist and composer. He became famous primarily for his friendship with Tim Burton, for whom he writes music for almost every film. He started his music career in his brother's theater troupe The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, where he created melodies using beer cans, trash cans, auto parts, or Indonesian gamelan. Later, this troupe evolved into the new wave band Oingo Boingo, where Elfman was the lead singer.
The composer collaborated with many directors, from Sam Raimi and Gus Van Sant to Peter Jackson and Joss Whedon. Winner of a Grammy and an Emmy for music to 'The Simpsons', and multiple BAFTA, Saturn, and Golden Globe laureate.
The Newton Brothers
A duo of American composers, John Andrew Grish and Taylor Newton Stewart. They wrote most soundtracks for films and series by Mike Flanagan, a horror enthusiast. Both musicians are multi-instrumentalists who can play any melody on piano, guitar, bass, clarinet, flute, accordion, saxophone, harmonica, percussion, organ, kazoo, and cello.
They learned film music rules from Hans Zimmer, and worked on the film 'Before I Wake' together with Tim Burton's favorite Danny Elfman.
Occasional Visitors to Cinema
Ludovico Einaudi
Italian composer and pianist who combines elements of classical, pop, rock music, as well as ethnic and folk motifs in his music. His compositions are often used in cinema, but Einaudi also composes music specifically for films and series.
One of his first works was the mini-series 'Doctor Zhivago' (2002), and later he wrote music for the trailer of 'Black Swan' with Natalie Portman. Among the films featuring his compositions are 'The Intouchables', 'I'm Still Here', 'J. Edgar', 'Mommy', the Oscar-winning 'Nomadland', 'The Father', and even James Wan's horror 'Insidious'.
Yann Tiersen
French multi-instrumentalist, composer, and singer. His instruments include violin, piano, accordion, acoustic and electric guitar, cello, carillon, harpsichord, melodica, vibraphone, mandolin, and banjo.
Tiersen started as an author of collections of instrumental pieces for theatrical productions. Later he began recording music with vocalists. The composer gained worldwide popularity after the film 'Amélie', which uses his music (only 3 tracks were specially written, the rest taken from albums). Tiersen also wrote all the soundtracks for the film 'Good Bye Lenin!'.
Max Richter
British composer of German descent who combines instrumental melodies with elements of electronic music in his work, and his compositions are characterized by minimalism. Initially he worked as a pianist, later mastering other instruments. In his compositions, he often combines music, poetry, sounds of nature, and literary texts.
Richter's most famous melody is for the film 'Waltz with Bashir'. The second most popular, 'On the Nature of Daylight', first appeared in 'Shutter Island', and later in other films, such as 'Arrival'. The musician's compositions are also heard in films like 'Prometheus', 'Speed Racer', 'To the Wonder', 'J. Edgar', 'Miss Sloane', 'Ad Astra', and the series 'The Leftovers' and 'Taboo'.
Unusual (Non-)Instrumental Music
Daft Punk
French duo Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, formed in 1993. They made a strong statement in the late 90s when house music was on top. Initially, the duo wrote their own music, mixing electro, house, disco, and synthpop. Their distinctive feature is the robot costumes they wear in public. The duo won seven Grammys, and in 2021 announced their breakup.
The first full-length feature film for which Daft Punk wrote soundtracks was 'Tron: Legacy' (and it remains the only one so far). Before and after, previously written tracks were used in cinema.
Junkie XL
Dutch multi-instrumentalist and composer Antony 'Tom' Holkenborg, who writes music in the progressive house style. He started his music career in the new rave band Weekend at Waikiki, and later played in the industrial rock band Nerve. He collaborated with Depeche Mode, The Cure, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Justin Timberlake.
The composer created soundtracks for films such as 'Mad Max: Fury Road', 'Deadpool', 'Mortal Engines', 'Alita: Battle Angel', 'Godzilla vs. Kong', 'Three Thousand Years of Longing'. Junkie XL often collaborates with Snyder: he wrote music for his version of 'Justice League', 'Army of Thieves', 'Army of the Dead', and the upcoming 'Rebel Moon'. His tracks will also be heard in the future 'Furiosa' and 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire'.
Created Iconic Music for Entire Franchises
Klaus Badelt
German composer and music producer, greatly helped in his development by Hans Zimmer, who invited him to work at his studio. Together they wrote music for films 'Gladiator', 'The Thin Red Line', 'Pirates of the Caribbean', and the animation 'The Prince of Egypt'. Among the directors Badelt worked with are Ridley Scott, John Woo, Terrence Malick, Steven Spielberg, Kathryn Bigelow. His notable solo projects include 'Constantine', 'Queen of the Desert', 'K-19: The Widowmaker', 'Equilibrium', 'Ned Kelly'.
James Horner
American composer who often uses elements of electronic music, Celtic motifs, and choral performance in his music. He wrote music for films such as 'Apollo 13', 'Troy', 'Jumanji', 'A Beautiful Mind', 'Aliens', 'Braveheart', 'Bicentennial Man', 'The Mask of Zorro'. But the path to awards was opened for him by James Cameron: for the music and song for 'Titanic', Horner won two Oscars, three Grammys, and two Golden Globes. Later he composed soundtracks for another large-scale project by the director — 'Avatar'.
The composer died in 2015 in a plane crash on a training military aircraft in California.
James Horner
American composer who worked on films of various genres, from comedies to dystopias. His collection includes soundtracks for Garry Marshall's 'Pretty Woman', 'The Devil's Advocate' with Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino, 'Liar Liar' with Jim Carrey, 'Space Jam', 'Unbreakable', 'Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight' (together with Hans Zimmer), 'I Am Legend', and the famous trilogies 'The Hunger Games' and 'Fantastic Beasts'. He was nominated multiple times for an Oscar, for example, for 'The Fugitive' and 'The Village'.
Ramin Djawadi
Iranian-German composer and music producer who became world-famous thanks to the soundtracks for the series 'Game of Thrones', for which he was nominated for a Grammy in 2009, 2018, and 2020, and won two Emmys. Djawadi also composed compositions for films such as 'Pacific Rim', 'Warcraft', 'Uncharted', as well as comic book movies 'Iron Man' and 'Eternals'. Among series in his portfolio are 'Westworld', 'Prison Break', and 'Jack Ryan' with John Krasinski.
Alexandre Desplat
French composer who writes compositions not only for cinema but also for theater. At age 5 he learned to play the piano, and later mastered the trumpet and flute. Multiple winner of Golden Globe, Grammy, BAFTA awards. He was nominated for an Oscar seven times and won the statuette twice for 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' and 'The Shape of Water'.
Desplat is the author of music for films such as 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', 'The Golden Compass', 'Julie & Julia', 'The King's Speech', 'The Imitation Game', 'Godzilla', 'The Danish Girl', and for Roman Polanski's 'The Palace'. His melodies are heard in the last two Harry Potter films and 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon'.
The composer often collaborates with Wes Anderson: he wrote soundtracks for 'Fantastic Mr. Fox', 'Moonrise Kingdom', 'Isle of Dogs', 'The French Dispatch', and 'Asteroid City'.
Alan Silvestri
American composer, whose first and favorite instrument is the guitar. Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg are the two directors who helped Silvestri break into cinema. He wrote soundtracks for 'Romancing the Stone', 'Back to the Future', 'Forrest Gump', 'Cast Away', 'Contact'. He was nominated twice for an Oscar, winner of an Emmy and a Grammy.
Among recent films, the musician composed soundtracks for 'Flight', 'Ready Player One', 'The Avengers', 'Avengers: Infinity War', and 'Avengers: Endgame'.
Steve Jablonsky
American film composer who began his music career as an intern at Hans Zimmer's music studio. It was under his wing that he began composing his first compositions for TV, for example, for the series 'Desperate Housewives'. Unsurprisingly, Jablonsky's music echoes familiar motifs from Zimmer's melodies.
When the latter was working on 'Pearl Harbor', Jablonsky wrote several additional soundtracks for the film, for which he was not paid. They were liked by Michael Bay, and the director offered collaboration.
The composer's portfolio includes films such as 'The Island', 'Transformers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5', 'Battleship', 'Pain & Gain', 'Ender's Game', 'Deepwater Horizon', and the trailer for 'Avatar'.
Hans Zimmer
German composer who became famous through collaboration with Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, Ridley Scott, Ron Howard, and other eminent directors. His favorite instrument is the keyboard. Zimmer has 2 Oscars ('The Lion King' and 'Dune'), 3 Golden Globes, and 4 Grammys.
His first feature film for which he wrote the main theme was 'Rain Man'. And the composition was immediately nominated for an Oscar. From that moment, Zimmer was noticed in cinema and began to be invited to high-budget projects.
Among his projects are titles such as 'Gladiator', 'Pearl Harbor', 'The Last Samurai', 'Black Hawk Down', 'The Da Vinci Code', 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2, 3', 'Thelma & Louise', 'Man of Steel', 'Madagascar', 'Inception', 'Batman Begins', 'The Dark Knight', 'Dunkirk', 'Blade Runner 2049', 'Top Gun: Maverick', and 'Interstellar'.
John Williams
American composer and conductor who wrote music for many famous films, as well as for four Olympic Games. He is a 54-time Oscar nominee (the most among film musicians), and Williams won the statuette five times for music to 'Fiddler on the Roof', 'Jaws', 'Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope', 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial', and 'Schindler's List'. He also has 4 Golden Globes, 7 BAFTAs, 3 Emmys, and 25 Grammys.
The composer is known for his long-standing collaboration with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (29 joint films). The musician's portfolio includes 'How to Steal a Million', 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind', all Indiana Jones films, 'Jurassic Park', 'Home Alone 1-2', 'Memoirs of a Geisha', 'War of the Worlds', 'Saving Private Ryan', the first three Harry Potter films, all nine films in the 'Star Wars' universe and 'Rogue One', as well as Spielberg's latest work — 'The Fabelmans'.
Scandinavians Who Made a Loud Statement
Hildur Guðnadóttir
Icelandic musician, composer, and cellist. From performing electronic music in collaboration with various musicians, she moved to recording compositions for cinema and sometimes collaborated with compatriot Jóhann Jóhannsson. She composed soundtracks for projects such as 'Sicario: Day of the Soldado', 'Tár', 'Women Talking', 'A Haunting in Venice', the mini-series 'Chernobyl', and is currently preparing music for 'Joker: Folie à Deux'. And in three films by Denis Villeneuve — 'Prisoners', 'Sicario', and 'Arrival' — she helped record melodies as a cellist.
Guðnadóttir won an Oscar for compositions for 'Joker'. Also for her work on the film, she won a Golden Globe, becoming the first female composer to be awarded this statuette.
Ludwig Göransson
Swedish composer who replaced Hans Zimmer as Christopher Nolan's favorite composer. He wrote soundtracks for the director's last two films — 'Tenet' and 'Oppenheimer'. For the biographical drama about the physicist, he received an Oscar nomination.
The first film composers Göransson listened to were John Williams and Danny Elfman. The influence of these musicians is felt in the Swede's neoclassical music, which mixes orchestral compositions, electro, synthpop, mechanical sounds, and instrumental parts (piano, violin). The composer wrote music for films such as 'Venom', 'Creed 1-2', 'Turning Red', 'Black Panther', for which he has an Oscar, and for the series 'The Mandalorian', 'The Book of Boba Fett', and 'Atlanta'. He also collaborates separately with Childish Gambino.
Worth Mentioning
Nicholas Britell
'12 Years a Slave', 'The Big Short', 'Moonlight', 'Battle of the Sexes', 'Vice', 'Cruella', and the series 'Succession' (Emmy award).
Cliff Martinez
'Drive', 'Contagion', 'Only God Forgives', 'The Neon Demon', series 'The Knick'.
Trent Reznor (often works with Atticus Ross)
'The Social Network' (Oscar and Golden Globe), 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo', 'Gone Girl', 'Bird Box', animation 'Soul' (Oscar and Golden Globe), series 'Watchmen'.
Atticus Ross (often works with Trent Reznor)
'The Social Network' (Oscar and Golden Globe), 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo', 'Gone Girl', animation 'Soul' (Oscar and Golden Globe).
Nick Glennie-Smith
'The Man in the Iron Mask', 'The Rock', 'A Sound of Thunder', 'The Lion King II: Simba's Pride', 'Home Alone 3'.
Harry Gregson-Williams
'The Rock', 'Chicken Run', 'Shrek 1, 2, 3, 4', 'Kingdom of Heaven', 'The Chronicles of Narnia', 'Gone Baby Gone', 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time', 'The Martian', 'Mulan' (2020), 'The Last Duel', 'House of Gucci'.
Adam Taylor
'Before I Fall', series 'The Handmaid's Tale', 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'.
Ólafur Arnalds
Series 'Broadchurch', 'Defending Jacob'.
John Powell
'Antz', 'The Road to El Dorado', 'Shrek', 'Rat Race', 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith', 'X-Men: The Last Stand', 'Kung Fu Panda', 'How to Train Your Dragon'.
Geoff Zanelli
'Secret Window', 'Hitman', 'The Pacific', 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales', 'The Hitman's Bodyguard'.
Jo Yeong-wook
'Oldboy', 'The Handmaiden', 'The Taxi Driver', 'The Little Drummer Girl', 'Decision to Leave'.
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