Great Film Composers

The birth of the music soundtrack drew influences from across the world the 1930s saw the arrival of sound.

As fascism was growing in Germany the great artists who had not yet escaped Europe were now leaving and heading to Hollywood

Considered the Golden Age of Hollywood the studios were filled with the most extraordinary directors and actors but also the importance of the soundtrack in film.

The New Dawn saw the arrival of new influences in movie making and new music in the form of Jazz center stage in the compositions with Jazz greats scoring films.

The early 1960?s arrived with some of the most memorable soundtracks and composers in film history. Elmer Bernstein Alex North Ernest Gold and Henry Mancini.

The film industry was reflecting some of the Civil Rights issues in the USA.

A sea change in the movie industry with a new breed of independent filmmakers was coming to the forefront.

Three composers dominated this period of the 1970s. David Shire Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams creating one of the most memorable themes in the history of cinema the underwater menace for Jaws.

John Williams continued a new decade with The Empire Strikes Back (1980). New talent and sounds arrived with Brad Fiedel?s The Terminator and Wendy Carlos? The Shining

A new name Alan Silvestri arrived with the Back to the Future trilogy starting in 1985. While Michael Kamen arrived with the thriller The Dead Zone followed by Die Hard.

New names were emerging Carter Burwell?s Barton Fink (1991). John Williams continued to reach new heights with Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Schindler?s List (1993).

New film composers continue to emerge the old masters are still thriving as the power of the score continues to play a key role in film storytelling.