Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Ten Best Film Music Composers

I have no idea who Screen Rant contributor Jake Dee is, but after reviewing "The 10 Best Film Music Composers of All-Time Ranked" I've come to the conclusion that he does not know much about the history of film scores and film composers.

The 10 Best Film Music Composers Of All-Time, Ranked

These 10 great music movie composers have scored music to some of the biggest, most well-known movies in history and worked with the best auteurs.


Of course it's subjective. Here's my list. I built it, and not necessarily with importance to what composer is in what position exactly, based on the following criteria: productivity; range; longevity; not falling into a comfortable groove; the ability to write a tune when necessary....

1. Jerry Goldsmith
2. Franz Waxman
3. Max Steiner
4. Alex North
5. Bernard Herrmann
6. Elmer Bernstein
7. Ennio Morricone
8. Henry Mancini
9. John Williams
10. John Barry

Some of the greatest composers to have scored films, and to have written some of the greatest scores, were not included since they did not focus on a career in the biz: Sergei Prokofiev; William Walton; Leonard Bernstein; Aaron Copland; ....



3 comments:

Simon St. Laurent said...

Miklós Rózsa. How could I forget him? (I wrote the above piece while watching the latest installment of Kim's Convenience. That series has really gone downhill in the script department.)

A few years ago I worked with a woman who was from Hungary; as was Mr Rózsa. We were talking about people from that country and I mentioned the composer's name. She said: "Yes, Rózsa Miklós." She knew about him.

David Shire, Dimitri Tiomkin, and Victor Young are excluded but I was limited to ten names. James Horner was not on there as I felt he would fit on a "fifty best" list.

Hans Zimmer? Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, ....

tincase said...

Maurice Jarre perhaps

Simon St. Laurent said...

Good addition!