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  1. Yes, it is.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
  2. This is a really interesting topic, Thor. And there's been some excellent selections so far. I've listed below roughly the list of my favourite top 10 composers (based loosely on number of titles I have from each composer).

    01. Jerry Goldsmith
    One of the things I like most about Goldsmith is his versatility: he can produce wonderfully emotional music, is (for me) one of the greatest action composers there has been in film music and his scores can throw up some wonderful orchestrations. But, looking through the list of scores I'm familiar with and choosing one is a really difficult choice.
    Star Trek: The Motion Picture
    Encapsulates all that's great about Goldsmith. "Ilya's Theme" is wonderfully emotional and the main theme is a sure-fire example of his ability to write an enduring theme. What I like most about this score is the composer's ability to make interesting on-screen antics that would be so tedious without any music (i.e., inside the Vejur cloud.)

    02. Bernard Herrmann
    Everyone is familiar - even the "layperson" - with scores such as Psycho but I think that I'd want to highlight Herrmann's ability to capture the emotional power in a film. His earlier, "romantic" phase of composing doesn't really highlight for me the rounded abilities of Herrmann but my choice here, I think does.
    Vertigo
    This score captures Herrmann's style in terms of the use of small cells of motifs and their myriad of variations but also captures his ability to write very emotional material. It also captures his ability to manipulate the perception of the movie's audience.

    03. John Williams
    Here is a composer of the melody; a theme that is almost instantaneously ingrained in the listeners' memory. For me, Williams was at his best in the period 1970s-1980s: his music seemed a lot less cluttered than it does in a lot of his work I hear today, a lot less frenetic.
    Star Wars
    Maybe this is a bit biased because this is "my score" that got me really into film music. But I think that it highlights really well what I was saying above. Listening to this with even something like the superior(?) Empire Strikes Back the original Lucas film's music is a lot leaner in terms of orchestration. Full of great themes (though not the Imperial March) and wonderful action music set pieces.

    04. Christopher Young
    Maybe not an obvious choice for a topic for "Top 10 Composers" but I certainly hold his work in high regard as one of my favourites. Young has done some great scores, and is probably most recognised as a master of the horror score.
    Copycat
    The thing that I associate with Chris Young's scores is some heart-rending themes for piano: The Glass House and Jennifer 8 spring to mind immediately. And with this there's the whole off-kilter feel of his scores that I feel is captured best in this score. Tracks such as "Housebound" and "In Darkness" seem so simple but are emotional powerhouses that never fail to halt me in my tracks - and I want to show the world what film music can do.

    05 - Ennio Morricone
    The master of the eclectic - which can be a positive or a negative. He's done so many scores that it's difficult to get a drip of his discography. And there's always the worry that, because his style can be so varied, there's a chance that there's something to hate as well as something to love in each disc you listen to.
    The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
    It's all wonderfully good here! Morricone is eclectic in film scoring for me and there's enough in this score to make it a refreshing change to the standard orchestral score but not be too wild! A score that has the the spectrum of the delicate guitar melody of "Father Ramirez" to the wondrous tracks such as "The Ecstasy of Gold" and "The Trio" needs to be shouted about!

    06. Marco Beltrami
    It's more or less a word-for-word repetition of what I said for Jerry Goldsmith above. Beltrami can turn his hand to the emotional as well as the action scoring. And his emphasis on having a large amount of rhythm throughout a lot of his music an added bonus!
    Hellboy
    Beltrami's "emotional music" does tend to sound a bit sam-y to me, but it's a sound I love and it's played especially well in this score and it's what I'd want to highlight to someone not familiar with film music. It has a fare share of the rhythmic percussion style that's also his trademark (though I'd have to say that his score to Underworld: Evolution is a better example of this particular aspect of his scoring style). And together with his Hellboy themes, it's a great example of his work.

    07. Howard Shore
    He'll be forever remembered for his scores to The Lord of The Rings and fanatical film music fans will always make sure that people know they were a fan of his before these Middle Earth scores (as I find myself doing!). But, for me, it's not his ability to write thematically that defines his work, but his ability to get under your skin with a particular orchestration with a lot of meandering lines that can leave a bad taste in the mouth!
    The Fly
    An early Shore score but it's an operatic score (even then). A grand theme, music that's essential for providing a background to some quite grotesque visuals and heartfelt emotional music; the latter highlighted by cues such as "The Last Visit" coupled with "Plasma Pool."

    08. Elliot Goldenthal
    Emotional, sweeping, avant-garde. Descriptors that immediately spring to mind when I hear Goldenthal's name. It's been far too long since I've heard something from him that ticks all these boxes.
    Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
    "The Kiss" with it's delicate piano-led scoring is what sticks in the mind most from this score. It's such a powerful piece that it even overshadows most of the muscular action scoring that this score is full of.

    09. Elmer Bernstein
    Bernstein's filmography must cover more film genres than most other composers and there's a great amount of music to choose from. But, Bernstein is first and foremost a composer of wonderful western scores. That's not to dismiss his jazz or more intimate film compositions, but he just seemed to be able to tap into some unending fountain of music for this style.
    The Magnificent Seven
    Everyone knows this title so I won't dwell on it! Stunning main title theme, really soft emotional passages, hints of geographical locales and the transfer of the themes to the mainstream make for a score that highlights what's good in film music.

    10. James Horner
    I always think that there's two sides to Horner's work: before and after the mid-80s (from my list of titles anyway!) And it's the more individualistic pre-mid-80s that I'd want to highlight. A bit like the early John Williams in that his orchestrations seem a bit more original and cleaner than what would follow, James Horner pre-mid-80s is a wonder to behold!
    Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
    I don't think that Horner has done any better than he did for this score from 1982. It's the action scoring that sticks out as being what I'd want to bring to peoples' attention. Original in its feel, tracks like "Surprise Attack" and "Kirk's Explosive Reply" themselves make this score deserving of inclusion in any Top 10 score selection such as this!

    *I should say that up to this point I've been exposed to Talisker, Brahma and Pinot Grigio to this point - hence my verbose comments!
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeMay 16th 2010
    we're 0 out of 10 in agreement Alan smile
    listen to more classical music!
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeMay 17th 2010 edited
    sdtom wrote
    This is something that is extremely difficult to do. I've missed so many.

    1....King Kong/Max Steiner
    2....Scott of the Antarctic/RVW
    3....Best Years Of Our Lives/Hugo Friedhofer
    4....Sunset Blvd/Franz Waxman
    5....Road To Perdition/Thomas Newman
    6....Signs/James Newton Howard
    7....Big Country/Jerome Moross
    8....The Red Pony/Aaron Copland
    9....Spellbound/Miklos Rozsa
    10..Victory At Sea/Richard Rodgers

    Thomas


    We agreed on one Tom, which was RVW's Scott of The Antarctic ( and I almost went for Perdition over Shawshank ), but looking at your list I can't believe I left out one of my all time fave scores which is Moross, The Big Country.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeMay 17th 2010
    p.s. I think Alan's list is great, I would only change Young's Copy Cat for Hellraiser II, Shore's The Fly for Return of The King and I wouldn't have included Beltrami ( though he is a composer I like ).
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  3. I searched a couple scores from lists here (will search a handful more later), and found two cues of "Copycat" on YouTube -- I listened to one and liked what I heard. The description given here was fairly accurate.

    To think -- J.N.H. dumped that film to score "Waterworld".
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeMay 17th 2010
    I say thank goodness he scored waterworld.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 17th 2010 edited
    Timmer wrote
    I say thank goodness he scored waterworld.


    Indeed! One of my alltime favourite scores!
    I am extremely serious.
  4. justin boggan wrote
    I searched a couple scores from lists here (will search a handful more later), and found two cues of "Copycat" on YouTube -- I listened to one and liked what I heard. The description given here was fairly accurate.

    I'll take that as a compliment! wink
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorsdtom
    • CommentTimeMay 17th 2010
    I realize that my list includes a lot of older material. However in my defense I do have Signs and Perdition.
    Thomas
    listen to more classical music!
  5. 1. Mark McKenzie - Durango

    The album actually has a pretty horrible track order, but is still my favorite McKenzie album.

    2. Patrick Doyle - Wah Wah

    Beautiful stuff.

    3. James Horner - Glory

    One pervasive theme doesn't bother me at all in this case, though i must admit that it is a sentimental favorite because of the film.

    4. Georges Deleure - Rich in Love

    Gorgeous themes and fantastic chances for lots of different solo instruments to shine. I think Delerue was only getting better at the end of his life.

    5. John Williams - Schindler's List

    Heartbreakingly beautiful, even if I have heard the themes so often now that they no longer pack the same emotional punch for me as they once did.

    6. James Newton Howard - The Village

    It hasn't gotten better than this for me yet from Howard. Great solo violin and piano.

    7. Jerry Goldsmith - Rudy

    I feel a little embarassed, but I'd rather listen to this than any of Goldsmith's classics. While this is certainly a less important score in Goldsmith's career than many others, I love it.

    8. Ennio Morricone - The Mission

    So many amazing themes. This album has some pure beauty on it.

    9. Hanz Zimmer - Gladiator

    This is still my favorite of Zimmer's power-anthem style scores.

    10. Thomas Newman - Meet Joe Black

    He's never topped "That Next Place" for me, though several other Newman finales have come close (Shawshank, Cinderella Man, Angels in America). May I say that I'm very surprised by all the love that Road to Perdition has been getting? I heard that score once or twice and didn't find it as enjoyable as many of his others. Sounds like I need to try it again...
  6. christopher wrote
    10. Thomas Newman - Meet Joe Black

    He's never topped "That Next Place" for me, though several other Newman finales have come close (Shawshank, Cinderella Man, Angels in America). May I say that I'm very surprised by all the love that Road to Perdition has been getting? I heard that score once or twice and didn't find it as enjoyable as many of his others. Sounds like I need to try it again...

    Road to Perdition is one of those scores that are absolutely inseparable from the film. I almost feel that if Newman had decided to retire for some insane reason, Perdition would've been the perfect farewell score.
  7. christopher wrote
    7. Jerry Goldsmith - Rudy

    I feel a little embarassed, but I'd rather listen to this than any of Goldsmith's classics. While this is certainly a less important score in Goldsmith's career than many others, I love it.


    It's one of the greatest film scores ever written -- nothing to be embarassed about.
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
    •  
      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeMay 18th 2010
    Kevin Scarlet wrote
    christopher wrote
    10. Thomas Newman - Meet Joe Black

    He's never topped "That Next Place" for me, though several other Newman finales have come close (Shawshank, Cinderella Man, Angels in America). May I say that I'm very surprised by all the love that Road to Perdition has been getting? I heard that score once or twice and didn't find it as enjoyable as many of his others. Sounds like I need to try it again...

    Road to Perdition is one of those scores that are absolutely inseparable from the film. I almost feel that if Newman had decided to retire for some insane reason, Perdition would've been the perfect farewell score.


    Road to perdition is perhaps his most mature score to date; Cinderella man, meet joe black, american beauty, angels in america, all come close.
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.