Where words fail, music speaks, but in the world of cinema, where pictures fail, music speaks. Film scores elevate themes and touch the audience in unimaginable ways. It is the music that echoes in people’s hearts long after they leave the cinema. Among those artists responsible for such a crucial aspect of films, the following three are by far the most influential and celebrated of all.
Ennio Morricone
“I think as long as Ennio is alive and well, film music is alive and well,” said Hans Zimmer about the great Italian composer. Though Morricone passed away in 2020 at the age of 91, his legacy will certainly keep film music “alive and well,” and his works will forever be remembered in cinematic history. His music defined the Italian Western genre. With his collaboration with Sergio Leone on A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Morricone began a 20-year partnership with the director that produced some of the maestro’s most famous works such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). However, Morricone stated in an interview that he was sometimes “quite disappointed” that people “only remember [him] for” the western genre and not the other types of films that he had also written for. In Roland Joffé’s The Mission (1986), for example, a film about Jesuit missionaries in 18th-century South America, Morricone combined the different cultures depicted on screen into his score, merging the liturgical chorales, native music, and oboes into one musical core for the movie. His other great non-western works include Cinema Paradiso (1988) and Once Upon a Time in America (1984), which Morricone considered his best collaboration with Leone.
One can only understand the genius of the maestro by experiencing his works, so here are a few recommendations:
“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – Main Title” – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
“Once Upon a Time in the West – Main Theme” – Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
“Deborah’s Theme” – Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
“Gabriel’s Oboe” – The Mission (1986)
“Love Theme” – Cinema Paradiso (1988)
John Williams
“Without John Williams, bikes don’t really fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches, nor do men in red capes. There is no Force, dinosaurs do not walk the Earth, we do not wonder, we do not weep, we do not believe.” – Steven Spielberg
John Williams started out as a jazz pianist, performing on film scores, and slowly transitioned into composing in the 60s. After hearing Williams’ work on The Reivers (1969), Spielberg asked him to score his feature directorial debut, The Sugarland Express (1974), which launched between the two a partnership of twenty-eight films over more than forty years. A year later, Williams won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for his second collaboration with Spielberg on Jaws (1976), and during that period, he was also recommended by Spielberg to George Lucas for his space epic, Star Wars (1977). From then on, John Williams became the most popular, influential, and critically acclaimed film composer of all time, garnering five Oscar wins and fifty-two nominations, making him the second most-nominated individual, after Walt Disney.
Due to influences by classical composers like Richard Wagner, Williams is known for his unforgettable orchestral melodies that painted the childhoods for generations of children. Here are a few of his most recognizable themes:
“Main Title” – Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
“Raiders March” – Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
“Flying” – E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
“Welcome to Jurassic Park” – Jurassic Park (1993)
“Theme from Schindler’s List” – Schindler’s List (1993)
Hans Zimmer
When it comes to modern film composers, Hans Zimmer is no doubt the greatest of them all. Born in Germany and raised in England, he has been pushing the boundaries of film music ever since his Hollywood debut in Rain Man (1988). Unlike more traditional composers such as Morricone or Williams, who writes with pen and paper, Zimmer led a new generation of musicians to compose mainly with computers and synthesizers. Because of his different approach, Zimmer was able to develop a brand-new style of film score. Instead of the classical on-the-nose themes, Zimmer focuses more on designing a distinct sound world using computer sampling. For example, Lisa Gerrard’s voice in Gladiator (2000), the low brass in Inception (2010), or the organ in Interstellar (2014) would not have integrated so well into the overall sound design if they were written with traditional methods. Sampling simulates the sounds played by a real orchestra and allows the musician to fine-tune the sound design before recording with actual players. Despite his computer-heavy workflow, Zimmer is a strong advocate for orchestral music; his extensive use of sampling is not intended to replace real performances but to push the limits of what orchestras are capable of. Thus, his innovative way of composing allowed him to write some of the most distinct and powerful music in cinematic history. A few of his best-known scores includes The Lion King (1994), Gladiator (2000), and his partnership with director Christopher Nolan on films like The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception (2010), and Interstellar (2014). Below are five of his most famous tracks:
“Now We Are Free” – Gladiator (2000)
“He’s a Pirate” – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
“A Dark Knight” – The Dark Knight (2008)
“Time” – Inception (2010)
“Day One” – Interstellar (2014)
Monthly Movie Vote!
Last month, I asked if you consider Marvel movies as cinema, here’s the result!
The results were more divisive than I expected, which is the exact purpose of my last article, to open up a discussion. Thank you for your participation in the poll and sharing your opinions in the comment section. It was very interesting to read all of your thoughts on the subject.
For next month, you are going to pick your favorite film composer. Cast your vote here: https://forms.gle/CGs8juYtgNg1hAUG9
Works Cited
Clarke, Patrick. “Hans Zimmer Pays Tribute to Ennio Morricone: ‘He Taught Me That the Simplest, Purest and Honest Melody Is the Hardest.’” NME, 7 July 2020, https://www.nme.com/news/film/hans-zimmer-pays-tribute-to-ennio-morricone-2702404.
“Ennio Morricone: ‘I Regret Saying No to Clint Eastwood’.” BBC News, BBC, 18 Dec. 2014, https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30517594.
“Hans Zimmer.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Zimmer.
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Inside the Score, director. How Hans Zimmer Creates Sound Worlds. YouTube, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl9oSbB9z8Q&t=171s. Accessed 20 Apr. 2018.
“John Williams.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams.
Kaylin, John. Ennio Morricone. BBC, 1995.
Mix with the Masters, director. Hans Zimmer’s Use of Computers and Samples in Orchestral Music. YouTube, YouTube, 27 Aug. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LHyNYRtwR8.
Oscarpsb, director. The Music of John Williams. YouTube, YouTube, 22 July 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy28rnPhGN8. Accessed 20 Oct. 2021.
Raymond Scott, http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XZckU5O4b2w/TzMKlUsAu-I/AAAAAAAAAr8/wQLRNtrMSTE/s1600/John_Williams.jpg.
SBS2Australia, director. Hans Zimmer: Movie Music Maestro – The Feed. YouTube, YouTube, 11 May 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcJXwYx435A. Accessed 19 Oct. 2021.
Smith, Nigel M. “Steven Spielberg, George Lucas Praise Lifetime Award Winner John Williams.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 June 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/10/john-williams-afi-lifetime-achievement-george-lucas-steven-spielberg.
Stolworthy, Jacob. “Ennio Morricone Death: Sergio Leone Kept Composer from Scoring Stanley Kubrick Film in Biggest Career ‘Regret.’” Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 6 July 2020, https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/ennio-morricone-death-cause-films-sergio-leone-clockwork-orange-stanley-kubrick-westerns-a9603091.html.
Zimmer, Hans. “Ennio Morricone – My Inspiration, by Hans Zimmer.” Gramophone, MA Music, Leisure and Travel, 6 July 2020, https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/ennio-morricone-my-inspiration-by-hans-zimmer.