I didn’t really get interested in film-music until relatively late. I was studying music in Israel, thinking I’d be a singer/songwriter. The only problem with that plan was that I’m not a very good singer, a mediocre songwriter at best, and have terrible stage-fright. Plan B was to become the Quincy Jones of Israel, I would produce other artists. Then I took my first orchestration class and I just knew that is the medium I want to work in. So court composer for the archduke of Bavaria or something along those lines was the logical next step, except I was a couple of centuries too late. So how else would I get to work with orchestras? Film Music!
It was 1994, I was 22 years old and that’s when I began my affair with film music. I started paying attention to music in films like never before. A year later I was at Berklee College of Music studying film scoring. I remember spending hours listening to film scores and staring my soundtrack collection. I started with scores that seemed to stick with me subconsciously from years past.
The first score I obsessed over was The Land Before Time. I remember watching the film on VHS tape when I was in high-school over and over. I’m a huge fan of animation and something about that film just resonated with me, I now know that James Horner’s score had a lot to do with it.
The magic of the strings, the harp, the choir, the oboe and the french horns, oh those majestic french horns. Starting with a gentle solo, and then the sweeping melody, which I suspect includes tuben. So majestic! Then at 3:46 such charm and lightness and sweetness and joy and so seamless. Finally at around 6:00 we get the quintessential theme, on which the song form the movie is based. This is one of those famously long Horner cues and it is sheer musical perfection.
The Whipping from Glory is another perfect cue. Glory is another one of my favorite scores. I know it inside and out. I studied it extensively while at Berklee College of Music, I once transcribed the entire end credits, by hand.
It never ceases to amaze me how much Horner’s music does by doing so little. The perfect amount of tension, build, and heart. Another cue, which is sheer perfection. Denzel Washington’s performance, especially in this scene is incredible, and I’m sure Horner’s score, which perfectly compliments the performance, elevating it, never competing or overshadowing it, is at least partly responsible for Washington earning his first Oscar for that role.
I think my next favorite Horner score, and probably my favorite film cue of all is A Father’s Legacy from The Man Without a Face.
This music brings me to tears. The depth of emotion just reaches into the depth of my being and stir up emotions like nothing else can. The beautify and simplicity of the themes is overwhelming – for my taste this is Horner at his best.
His range was astonishing – whether writing action, suspense, drama, romance or comedy his music was always effective, thoughtful and uniquely his own. He’s one of those special composers that have a very distinct sounds, a fingerprint that is immediately recognizable.
I could go on for a very long time sharing my love and admiration of Horner’s music. I hear his music as the soundtrack of my life. In my humble opinion, The Rocketeer is the best super-hero score ever written. An American Tail & its sequel An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, Cocoon, A Beautiful Mind, Bicentennial Man, Braveheart, Clear & Present Danger, Ransom, Enemy At The Gates, Field of Dreams, Gorky Park, Iris, Jumanji, Legends of the Fall, The New World, Willow, *batteries not included, these all rank amongst my favorite scores.
His music influenced me greatly. Along with a few other greats, like Jerry Goldsmith & Elmer Bernstein, it inspired me to pursue a career in film music. His music fills me with awe. It inspires me to treat every scene with care, whether composing or music editing, he was a master of never overdoing it or under doing it, and I aspire to do the same. His loss fills me with sadness.
I had always wanted the opportunity to work with him. He & Jerry Goldsmith are my two favorite composers and I never had the chance to meet either of them. I didn’t know him, but I feel like I lost a dear friend. I am saddened to the core. My thoughts are with his family & friends, I cannot imagine the depth of their sorrow.
He lost his life pursuing another of his passions – flying. So I will end this post with another incredible cue from The Rocketeer. This cue perfectly embodies the excitement, joy, magic & freedom of soaring high above the ground.