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Five most important (active) composers?

General Discussions » Five most important (active) composers? (Posts 1 to 30 of 67)

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    • CommentAuthorPanthera
    • CommentTimeDec 28th 2009
    If you had to pick the 5 most important, influential active composers of the modern day, what would your top 5 be? It's hard to make a list. Here is mine in no particular order.

    1. John Williams
    2. Hans Zimmer
    3. James Horner
    4. Ennio Morricone
    5. Howard Shore
    • CommentAuthorJoep
    • CommentTimeDec 28th 2009 edited
    I can easily make a list of composers who I think are important, but I don't know how to handle the ''influential'' thing. Williams, Zimmer and Morricone are by far the most influental composers, but do I think they're the most important ones? No. So what is this? A personal or fact-based list? wink
    • CommentAuthorPanthera
    • CommentTimeDec 28th 2009
    Influence is one type of importance. Of course there are other things that make a composer important. I mainly made my list based on the impact these composers had on the industry.
    •  
      CommentAuthormoviescore
    • CommentTimeDec 28th 2009
    The five most influential contemporary composers in my opinion are:

    1) Hans Zimmer
    2) Thomas Newman
    3) Danny Elfman
    4) Elliot Goldenthal
    5) John Williams

    You can hear influences of these in so many other composers' scores.

    mc
    • CommentAuthorAnthony
    • CommentTimeDec 28th 2009
    1. Michael Giacchino
    2. John Powell
    3. David Arnold
    4. Danny Elfman
    5. Elliot Goldenthal
  6. Zimmer is influential though and the post was about influence.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
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      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    Zimmer and Williams / Goldsmith are everywhere. Same goes for Thomas Newman. Delerue and Morricone too, with some Barry, especially when it comes to some Europeans' film music. I don't see how the rest listed are particularly influential to the general body of modern film music though...we're not counting quality here, just influence on other people's work.
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    Some strange picks here. I don't see Howard Shore being particularly influential and Giacchino is more influenced than influential. Same with John Powell, really. And I'm not sure how influential James Horner is, even though he's one of the top A list composers with his own unique sound.

    The others, I agree with, though. Williams, Morricone, Zimmer, T. Newman, Elfman, Goldenthal, Barry (although he's not active).

    Perhaps Glass should be mentioned. All those composers who subscribe to a minimalist sound once in a while (Nyman, Mansell, even Elfman), cite him as a major influence. And if Goldenthal is influential, perhaps it would be fair to mention Corigliano, who is still semi-active.

    ...and Demetris, Delerue is dead.
    I am extremely serious.
    •  
      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    moviescore wrote
    The five most influential contemporary composers in my opinion are:

    1) Hans Zimmer
    2) Thomas Newman
    3) Danny Elfman
    4) Elliot Goldenthal
    5) John Williams

    You can hear influences of these in so many other composers' scores.

    mc

    I would substitute Howard for Goldenthal.
    listen to more classical music!
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    Christodoulides wrote
    Zimmer and Williams / Goldsmith are everywhere. Same goes for Thomas Newman. Delerue and Morricone too, with some Barry, especially when it comes to some Europeans' film music. I don't see how the rest listed are particularly influential to the general body of modern film music though...we're not counting quality here, just influence on other people's work.


    The question is "ACTIVE" composers so really ( pains me to say ) you have to discount John Barry.

    And as Thor said ( and it's still painful ) Delerue hasn't been active for a long time now sad
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    • CommentAuthorPanthera
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009 edited
    Thor wrote
    Some strange picks here. I don't see Howard Shore being particularly influential and Giacchino is more influenced than influential.


    Howard Shore's 9 hours of music for The Lord of the Rings films is important in my opinion. I can't think of any other active composer that has an equivalent.

    But I agree. Philip Glass is definitely a contender.
    • CommentAuthorTintin
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    moviescore wrote
    The five most influential contemporary composers in my opinion are:

    1) Hans Zimmer
    2) Thomas Newman
    3) Danny Elfman
    4) Elliot Goldenthal
    5) John Williams

    You can hear influences of these in so many other composers' scores.
    mc


    That sums it quite well. i would add Ennio Morricone. He still influences a lot of people, especially the number one on your list!
  13. Well to me it seems like - if you want to get hired to score a film at the moment - your name better be one of the following five:

    - Michael Giacchino
    - Brian Tyler
    - Hans Zimmer
    - Alexandre Desplat
    - Danny Elfman
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemonStar
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    - Hans Zimmer
    - John Williams
    - Alexandre Desplat
    - Michael Giacchino
    - Danny Elfman
    •  
      CommentAuthorkeky
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    Panthera wrote
    If you had to pick the 5 most important, influential active composers of the modern day, what would your top 5 be? It's hard to make a list. Here is mine in no particular order.

    1. John Williams
    2. Hans Zimmer
    3. James Horner
    4. Ennio Morricone
    5. Howard Shore


    My list would consist of the same names except Howard Shore. I would substitute him for Alexandre Desplat.
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    The point is INFLUENTIAL composers. I missed the point where they had to be all alive, sorry about that, but other than that i completely agree with Thor. I don't hear the Giacchino, Shore, Horner, Desplat, Elfman and certainly not Tyler 'sound' anywhere...all i hear is variations on Zimmer, Williams and Goldsmith, Morricone, Thomas Newman and Philip Glass, and some Goldenthal.
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
  17. Demetris, Elfman actually is influential. That's where you run to for quirky music, even Zimmer is Elfmanesque at times and I don't only mean The Simpsons.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
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      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    Powell is quite influenced by Elfman I think.
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    Yeah he is. But i am not talking about influencing a person or two...i am talking about creating specific soundscapes which many people use in various cinematic occasions, such as the composers mentioned above.
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    Not sure really when it comes to Elfman? I think he's been quite influential to specific composers, but perhaps not on a wider scale? You hear an Elfman score and it's still quite a unique thing I guess.
  21. Five most important active composers?

    Sounds like we're trying to figure out who the five most important active composers are right now. And, this being the venal world that it is, importance is measured by the work they're getting. My original post still stands. wink
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    INFLUENTIAL. Not important.
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009 edited
    Panthera wrote
    Howard Shore's 9 hours of music for The Lord of the Rings films is important in my opinion. I can't think of any other active composer that has an equivalent.


    Important, yes. One of the most ambitious and greatest scores of the 2000's (especially if you combine all three as one)? Unquestionably. Influential? Not very.

    I think we need to specify whether we're talking INFLUENTIAL or MOST IMPORTANT/HIGH PROFILE. These are not one and the same, even though they converge in some cases (like Williams or Zimmer).

    Elfman has also been hugely influential, whether it's the quirky ompa-ompa stuff, the gothic melodramaticism or the "christmassy" awe and wonderment that pop up in a myriad of scores, tv series, commercials, you-name-it.
    I am extremely serious.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    Elfman is influential. FACT!
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    •  
      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    I did find it interesting that Howard got no mention at all. I guess "Signs," "King Kong," etc. are not influential enough.
    Thomas
    listen to more classical music!
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    sdtom wrote
    I did find it interesting that Howard got no mention at all. I guess "Signs," "King Kong," etc. are not influential enough.
    Thomas


    Not very many mentions of Thomas Newman either, I would place Newman second only to Zimmer in modern influence.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009 edited
    sdtom wrote
    I did find it interesting that Howard got no mention at all. I guess "Signs," "King Kong," etc. are not influential enough.
    Thomas


    Great scores, but I can't seem to trace much influence from JNH to other composers out there, as great a composer as he might be. There's that whole "sleazy sensuality" thing that he does so well in thrillers and stuff, but that was really a benchmark created by Goldsmith's BASIC INSTINCT. In fact, JNH has many Goldsmith licks in his resume, combined with some Zimmer-ish uses of the synth and orchestra here and there. He's one of my favourites, but I would hardly call him influential.
    I am extremely serious.
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    Timmer wrote
    sdtom wrote
    I did find it interesting that Howard got no mention at all. I guess "Signs," "King Kong," etc. are not influential enough.
    Thomas


    Not very many mentions of Thomas Newman either, I would place Newman second only to Zimmer in modern influence.


    Agreed.
    I am extremely serious.
    •  
      CommentAuthorSouthall
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    Zimmer is clearly way out in front of anyone else in terms of influence. Thomas Newman probably leads the chasing pack purely by virtue of American Beauty. John Powell's Bourne scores have been imitated many times. I guess Morricone could go in, but most people who write music that sounds like him are only really doing pastiche of his western music - there aren't many film composers who write "serious" Morricone-like scores. And I'll round out the list by saying Hans Zimmer again, whose influence is so large he surely deserves to be in it twice.
    http://www.movie-wave.net | http://facebook.com/moviewave
    •  
      CommentAuthorSouthall
    • CommentTimeDec 29th 2009
    Thor wrote
    sdtom wrote
    I did find it interesting that Howard got no mention at all. I guess "Signs," "King Kong," etc. are not influential enough.
    Thomas


    Great scores, but I can't seem to trace much influence from JNH to other composers out there, as great a composer as he might be. There's that whole "sleazy sensuality" thing that he does so well in thrillers and stuff, but that was really a benchmark created by Goldsmith's BASIC INSTINCT. In fact, JNH has many Goldsmith licks in his resume, combined with some Zimmer-ish uses of the orchestra here and there. He's one of my favourites, but I would hardly call him influential.


    Agreed. I'd put JNH much more in the "influenced" category than "influential". I'm still not sure I really know what his "sound" is. Maybe it's the Shyamalan scores, which share similar traits, but his other scores generally don't. Perhaps that's one reason I can have a harder time connecting with his music than many other people seem to - virtually all my favourite composers (film or otherwise) have absolutely distinctive sounds.
    http://www.movie-wave.net | http://facebook.com/moviewave

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