Who's your favorite composer?

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

I was just wondering what your favorite composer is and why? A lot of times the music is what makes up the movie.

[NotaGeek]

John Barry -- Out of Africa

[RAIDER]

I put Hans Zimmer down as i love Gladiator ..but most of all i love the theme to tv show The Contender ..

My main favourite which isnt on the list is
Ennio Morricone ( i think the spellings wrong )
who did The spaghetti westerns ,The Mission ( a classic ) Once upon a time in america etc :thumbsup:

I would agree with Notageek ..John Barry is class my favourite from him was Dances with Wolves ....

The trouble is with something like this poll there are TOO many to choose from.. :)

[PirateLover]

Hans Zimmer also collaborated on the first Pirates movie and did the 2nd and 3rd Pirates movies. I'm a big fan. I also love Danny Elfman, he's did some memorable scores. And of course Alan Menkin, such infectious tunes. But I have to go with John Williams. I think he has some of the most iconic themes- Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Superman, Jurassic Park, Home Alone movies, etc. As for Luhrman...Moulin Rouge is a favorite of mine but almost all of those songs and themes were taken from previously existing songs. Even though it worked flawlessly, it's not on the same level. I think of him more as a director/screenwriter.

[Ian]

The soundtrack from Gladiator is one of my all-time favorites, so I picked Hans Zimmer.

But I could just as easily have gone with John Williams, who's had some amazing scores himself.

[ChipnDaleGal]

Music affects my mood, and Alan Menkin's makes me very happy. My way of self medicating! :thumbsup:

[2Epcot]

I love film music, way back to my high school days ... these were the albums and CDs I bought most of the time back then. From the list in this poll I wish I could pick both Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams ... Both men are legends in film composing, and have some of the most recognized music in films. They also did a lot of stuff in the early days of TV. A few of my favorite Jerry Goldsmith scores are, Star Trek the motion picture, Amazing Stories theme, Rudy, The River Wild, Poltergeist, and of course Soarin' over CA. Almost everything John Williams does I love, including those great disater films of the 70's ... The original Poseidon Adventure, Earthqauke, and The Towering Inferno.

When you watch those early films, it is interesting to hear how they style of music in films changes with the times just as our popular radio music does. One of my favorite games is to watch a film on TV and pick the year it was made. Usually I come within 4 years, and a lot has to do with the music in the film.

My other favorites are mentioned in the poll, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, and Danny Elfman, but some that I like that are not in the poll:

Alan Silvestri (Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, Contact), Basil Poledouris (Lonesome Dove), John Barry, Bruce Broughton, who has done a lot of Disney stuff, including one of my favorites, the score for "The Rescuers Down Under". Elmer Bernstein, who did so many classic scores from way back, probably most well known for "The Magnificent Seven".

Others composers I like include Marco Beltrami, Micahel Kamen, Howard Shore, George Fenton, Elliot Goldenthal, who like Danny Elfman does a lot of those really great powerful scores, Rachel Portan (Cider House Rules) complety different light style, I love listening to her music.

I also like a couple of guys who mostly do TV scores, Michael Giacchino (Alias & Lost) and Mark Snow, who is probably most known for the X-Files.

[Mickey'sGirl]

Of the choices offered here, definitely John Williams. I think the Indiana Jones theme is the most descriptive piece of film music around. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

In general, however, my favourite is Piotr Tchaikovsky. His music makes me cry it is so beautiful... especially the Waltz of the Flowers.

[ibrowse17]

I voted for John Williams because of quaility of his work, not just the big name movies he has worked on. Howard Shore, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer are really good as well. Shore's work on the Lord of the Rings is amazing. The only one I really do not care for is Danny Elfman, as all of his stuff sounds the same to me.

[brad192]

Out of the composers listed in the poll, I had to go with John Williams. He's a rock. Very consistant, and always good.

As for classical composers, I'd have to say Mozart, although Tchaikovsky comes in a close second.

Lastly, there is a composer very near & dear to me - a personal friend who has an amazing talent for music. He teaches theory, voice, composing, conducting, he directs several choirs, and composes his own pieces & movements as well. I've sung in a couple of his choirs, taken voice lessons from him, and offered my unworthy advice on some of his "works in progress". He's an amazing man. Mr. Jerry Custer, you ROCK!:thumbsup:

[PirateLover]

I voted for John Williams because of quaility of his work, not just the big name movies he has worked on.
I sincerely believe that his scores are what really helped some of those movies become the phenomenon that they were. I mean can you imagine what those movies would've been without those phenomenal scores?

[GrmGrninGost]

Alan Menken gets my vote from your list. But why leave out the Sherman brothers? :mickey:

[DisneyDudet]

I had to choose Allen Menkin out of your options. James Horner is a second choice, even though a lot of his music ends up sound the same in MANY movies, way too signature. I feel the same way with Hans Zimmer. All of these are great, and they really haven't ever produced bad music.

Now, when I read the title of the thread, the first thing that popped in my head was Classical composers! Out of those, I think my favorite has to be Claude Debussy or Camille Saint-Saëns. But I evidently had the wrong idea :blush:

[2Epcot]

I think the Indiana Jones theme is the most descriptive piece of film music around. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

John Williams has so many great works, and I agree with the other poster about the quality of his work. The score for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is probably my all time favorite John Williams soundtrack. I can listen to that over and over and over.

Adding a note about Alan Menken. I really enjoyed the music for Enchanted. Each composer has their style, and I can sometimes recongnize a composer just from hearing the music. When I watched Enchanted it made me remember pieces of other animated movies he has done. I also hear this is John Williams as well ... some of the staccato and bells that I like in his music. I agree that a lot of Danny Elfman's music sounds very similar, but that is his style. I enjoy listening to his work ... especially all the horns he uses so prominently .

[Mousefever]

My main favourite which isnt on the list is
Ennio Morricone ( i think the spellings wrong )
who did The spaghetti westerns ,The Mission ( a classic ) Once upon a time in america etc :thumbsup:

I would agree with Notageek ..John Barry is class my favourite from him was Dances with Wolves ....


Ditto! I loved the soundtrack from The Mission so much I walked down the aisle to "Gabriel's Oboe". It's so beautiful.

When I was in college, I could only study to music without words (otherwise I tend to sing along). There were three soundtracks I listened to quite often: The Mission, Dances with Wolves, and The Last Temptation of Christ.

I've never seen The Last Temptation of Christ, but I think Peter Gabriel's soundtrack is brilliant.

Amy


:dory:

[RAIDER]

From MOUSEFEVER
Ditto! I loved the soundtrack from The Mission so much I walked down the aisle to "Gabriel's Oboe". It's so beautiful.


I agree "Gabriels Oboe" is so haunting and its an absolute masterpeace :thumbsup:

[PirateLover]

As far as composers not listed, I am a fan of Aaron Copland, George and Ira Gershwin, Mozart, Chopin, and Tchaikovsky to name just a few. Like Mickey'sGirl, Tchaikovsky can give me chills and can also sometimes bring me to tears. One of my favorites is the Pas de Deux from Nutcracker. I love it when an instrumental piece can move me like that. I also listened to Classical music a lot when I was studying in college, as well as instrumental music from Disney parks. :thumbsup: