Search results
timeout.com
John Williams
- John Williams is an American composer who created some of the most iconic film scores of all time. He scored more than a hundred films, many of which were directed by Steven Spielberg. Williams is also known for his work on numerous Star Wars films.
www.britannica.com › biography › John-Williams-American-composer-and-conductor
People also ask
Who was the most important film composer of the 20th century?
Who is the most successful composer of film music?
Why should you choose a movie composer?
How many movies did John Williams score?
1. Bernard Herrmann. Composer | North by Northwest. The man behind the low woodwinds that open Citizen Kane (1941), the shrieking violins of Psycho (1960), and the plaintive saxophone of Taxi Driver (1976) was one of the most original and distinctive composers ever to work in film.
- Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) (The Art Archive/Alamy)
- Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) (Erich Auerbach/Getty Images)
- George Gershwin (1898-1937) (enato Toppo/Getty Images)
- Duke Ellington (1899-1974) (Keystone/Getty Images)
- John Williams
- Hans Zimmer
- Max Steiner
- Ennio Morricone
- Bernard Herrmann
- John Barry
- A. R. Rahman
- Rachel Portman
- Joe Hisaishi
- Thomas Newman
Possibly one of the most prolific film composers of all time, John Williamshas written music for over a hundred films. He’s particularly known for his huge orchestral pieces, tailored perfectly to the score of a piece — he often watches the entire movie without a soundtrack to decide what to write for it. Williams started writing music for TV shows...
Our next composer, German film composer Hans Zimmer, might not be as much of a household name as John Williams, but he is equally as prodigious in the film world. With over 150 film scores under his belt, Zimmer spent the early years of his career in England until he was hired to score Rain Manin 1988. Since then, he has lived in the United States ...
Born in Austria in 1888, Max Steiner was a child prodigy and began composing professionally by the age of 15. He was one of the earliest film composers, moving to California when talking pictures first became popular. He started by composing scores for the credits of movies after a successful (but short) Broadway career. However, after he composed ...
Most famous for his series of Spaghetti Western films in the 1970s and 1980s, Ennio Morricone was an incredibly prolific Italian composerwho wrote the music for almost 500 movies during his lifetime. Morricone worked primarily in the film industry but also for stage shows, orchestras, and radio. One of his most iconic film scores — the score to The...
Born in 1911 in New York City, Bernard Herrmannis famous for writing the music for many of Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous films; the two had a very successful partnership. Herrmann started composing for radio shows when he was a young man and studied at the Juilliard School of Music. He became a huge influence on the radio music world, often promot...
An English composer, John Barry started composing in the late 1950s and is most famous for his long-time collaboration with the creators of the James Bond movies, for which he composed 11 scores. Barry’s first instrument was the trumpet, and he began his music career playing jazz in big bands. You can hear his influences from this style in the bras...
Up next, A. R. Rahmanis one of India’s most prolific film composers having written for over 150 films. As a composer, Rahman has been one of the greatest influences on modern Indian music of all time with the majority of his work being Indian films in the Tamil language. Born in 1967, Rahman began writing music for TV ads, documentaries, and Indian...
One of the most influential female composers in the world, Rachel Portmanhas written music for over 200 films. Portman was born in 1960 and began composing in her early teen years with some of her first work being for several BBC original movies, theater productions, and small radio programs. After this, she began a career in movies and TV specials...
Next is one of the most iconic anime film composers, the Japanese composerJoe Hisaishi. Born Mamoru Fujisawa in 1950, Hisaishi adopted his stage name to honor American music producer Quincy Jones. He has written the music for over 100 films and several children’s shows and video games. Hisaishi’s partnership with Hayao Miyazaki has resulted in the ...
One of the most influential film composers of the 21st century is Thomas Newman. Born in 1955, he studied music at a very early age, coming from a Hollywood dynasty of film composers, which includes his father, siblings, and cousin Randy Newman of Toy Storyfame. Although Newman’s early career was in Broadway music, he was able to start in Hollywood...
- Jeremy Urquhart
- Feature Writer/Senior List Writer
- John Williams. 47 nominations. Standing above the competition with close to 50 nominations for Best Original Score, John Williams is undeniably a towering figure in the world of film composers.
- Alfred Newman. 43 nominations. According to some, there are three godfathers of film music during Hollywood's Golden Age. Two were the aforementioned Dimitri Tiomkin and Max Steiner, and the third was Alfred Newman.
- Max Steiner. 24 nominations. An individual would have to be prolific to earn more than 20 Oscar nominations, but Max Steiner was a prolific composer and then some.
- Jerry Goldsmith. 17 nominations. If you watch a fair few American movies from the second half of the 20th century, you'll inevitably run into a Jerry Goldsmith score surprisingly fast.
- “King Kong” (1933) - Max Steiner. Heckman refers to the score in “King Kong” as “arguably the most important film score of all time.” Created by Max Stenier, widely regarded as “the father of film music,” this score is notable for being the first dedicated score for a major film as well as for putting the leitmotif technique on the map for film scoring.
- “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938) - Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Heckman lists “The Adventures of Robin Hood” as another notable film whose influence can be felt for decades.
- “Laura” (1944) - David Raksin. A film noir based on a novel of the same name, Heckman adds “Laura” to his list as a notable film that not only had a lasting impact on film music, but on the jazz genre overall.
- “High Noon” (1952) - Dimitri Tiomkin. The first western on this list, the score for “High Noon” had the first song written for a film to become a major hit.
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is an American composer and conductor. In a career that has spanned seven decades, he has composed some of the most popular, recognizable, and critically acclaimed film scores in cinema history.
Apr 24, 2024 · “Star Wars” On the Web: Deutsche Grammophon - John Williams (Apr. 19, 2024) John Williams (born February 8, 1932, Queens, New York, U.S.) is an American composer who created some of the most iconic film scores of all time. He scored more than a hundred movies, many of which were directed by Steven Spielberg.
