Top 10 Movie Score Composers
No movie would be complete without these musically inclined individuals. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the top 10 movie composers. For this list, we're choosing composers based on their film work and how memorable, iconic, recognized and/or critically acclaimed they have been. These musical talents have made some of the most classic film scores of all time and truly have a knack for the sound of movies.
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Top 10 Movie Score Composers
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No movie would be complete without these musically inclined individuals. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 composers for film. For this list, we’re choosing composers based on their film work and how memorable, iconic, recognized and/or critically acclaimed they have been.
#10: Ennio Morricone
Top 10 Film Scores by Ennio Morricone
Have you ever seen a western standoff parody without his ultra-iconic theme from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?” The daring composer was also innovative and resourceful; adding sound effects, like gunshots, to his scores when he couldn’t use a full orchestra. While he is perhaps most well known for his western soundtracks, Ennio Morricone’s repertoire is full of instantly recognizable works. In fact, he has written for and with a huge range of genres and emotions. Just take a listen at his melancholic theme from “Days of Heaven” if you need to hear more.
#9: Jerry Goldsmith
Consider the soundtrack of Disney’s “Mulan.” There are the songs we love to sing, and then there are the quieter, more reflective tracks. Credit the latter to this composer, who claimed he tries for “emotional penetration” with his work. Goldsmith certainly succeeded, considering the “Mulan” soundtrack earned him both an Oscar nod and a Golden Globe nomination. This is also evident in his other compositions, as he’s written spine-tingling pieces for “The Omen,” and the hopeful, heroic theme from “Star Trek: First Contact.” Goldsmith has been recognized as one of the most versatile composers out there, which allowed him to work with some of the biggest directors around.
#8: James Newton Howard
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This popular composer has made great films greater and given us something good to say about certain others. Like many other composers on this list, James Newton Howard demonstrates a great ability to write for different styles. However, unlike some of our other favorites, his work is not as easily recognizable. That’s certainly not a bad thing, though; Howard, being so chameleon-like, lets his scores speak for themselves, and they are truly music to our ears. One listen to the music behind “Pretty Woman,” “The Dark Knight,” and “The Hunger Games” and you’ll see why.
#7: James Horner
Top 10 James Horner Scores
While our previous entry might be tough to distinguish from film to film, our #7 is the complete opposite; being one of the most easily identifiable composers in Hollywood. After all, he’s the man behind the best-selling orchestral film soundtrack ever: “Titanic.” And when you listen to James Horner’s tracks from different movies, you may pick up on common melodies and motifs - just compare some of the music from “Avatar” with “Enemy at the Gates” to see that consistency. But if ten Academy Award nominations are any indication, sticking to what works obviously works for Horner.
#6: Howard Shore
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You probably know him best for this “precious” theme. And though he’d been scoring films since the early ‘70s, it was his work for “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy that won Howard Shore three Oscars. He then went on to write critically lauded and award-nominated scores for movies like “Hugo,” “The Aviator,” and “Eastern Promises.” When it comes to his music for the film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels, Shore was considered an odd choice because he was associated with darker films rather than epic adventures. It may have been a risk, but obviously it was one that paid off a hundredfold.
#5: Alan Silvestri
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This composer is another one who has written an incredibly memorable theme—just listen to the sweet main title from “Forrest Gump.” Alan Silvestri’s forte is uplifting and exciting soundtracks, such as the scores for the aforementioned comedy-drama and “The Polar Express.: If you want to feel fuzzy inside, look no further than this composer--and apparently we’re not the only ones who think so. Silvestri, whose other credits include the “Back to the Future” trilogy and several films in the “Avengers” franchise, has been nominated for two very much deserved Academy Awards and Golden Globes.
#4: Hans Zimmer
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When you start looking into modern film soundtracks, this composer’s name is going to be one of the first, and one of the most frequent, that you see. Hans Zimmer is everywhere, having composed not only for many popular live action movies like “The Thin Red Line,” “Gladiator,” and “Inception,” but also for animated films like “The Lion King,” which won him an Academy Award. Adaptable and innovative, Zimmer is easily one of the best composers today.
#3: Bernard Herrmann
We bet that even viewers who haven’t seen “Psycho” can identify this track. Can you believe that Alfred Hitchcock originally wanted the shower scene without music? Bernard Herrmann had a fantastic knack for setting up moods; try asking your film professor to analyze “Psycho”’s opening credits and he or she will tell you the whole movie is right there. Herrmann has also composed for two of the most famous, and possibly the two best, films of all time: “Vertigo” and “Citizen Kane. “ This composer had some serious talent.
#2: Danny Elfman
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This composer is, in a lot of cases, beloved for his work on the small screen, and on a certain director’s films, and we agree with his beloved status whole-heartedly. However, Danny Elfman has scored for many films beyond Tim Burton’s, such as “Men in Black” and “Milk.” When we think of his work though, we think of sweet and beautiful, but at the same time, weird and offbeat, and this explains his great match with Burton. Elfman has also performed his own scores on stage, and lent his singing voice to Jack Skellington in “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - Thomas Newman - Alexandre Desplat - Rachel Portman - Clint Mansell - Elmer Bernstein - Michael Giacchino
#1: John Williams
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Where do we begin with this composer? John Williams is practically a household name, or at least, the music he’s composed should be. He’s just everywhere, and his adventurous scores from movies like “Star Wars,” “E.T.”, “Jurassic Park,” and “Harry Potter” have become the cornerstones of many a childhood. We can’t even begin to cover the entire work of this five-time Oscar-winning composer, though we can’t leave without a mention of “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones.” Without a doubt, John Williams has gone down in history as one of the film composing giants. Do you agree with our list? Who’s your favorite film composer? For more sweet-sounding Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.