The 10 greatest movie composers of all time
A brilliant and memorable soundtrack is one underrated cinematic complement that can push a movie from adequate to extraordinary. A film’s story, key moments, character execution and conceptual landscape can be elevated and communicated by an attentive and well-fitting score created by talented and visionary film composers who understand the dynamic between music and cinema.
Many brilliant movies with iconic and creative imagery have been further cemented in the industry through a potent soundtrack, such as Jurassic Park, Jaws, Indiana Jones and Star Wars, sometimes done so through the opening theme alone. Music is just as much of an emotional signifier and storyteller as dialogue, performances and camera work, lacing visual components together through profound instrumentals to create visceral cinematic experiences.
What’s a climactic war sequence or emotional, romantic moment without an appropriate tonal score to elevate the imagery and concepts? A significant character being introduced or explored needs a theme tune to go with them to build a film’s identity and influence. A composer’s soundtrack is just as crucial as a screenwriter’s words, a director’s camera movement, or a costume designer’s artistry.
With this in mind, here are our picks for the ten greatest cinema composers of all time, including global icons who have crafted spectacular genre features and academy-award-winning masterpieces.
The 10 greatest movie composers:
10. Rachel Portman
Working with filmmakers ranging from Mark Romanek to Douglas McGrath, Rachel Portman is the English composer who has contributed to a string of period dramas, heartfelt animations and sentimental romantic dramas. The composer has received an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award for her musical styling.
Portman’s credits feature on Lasse Hallström’s movie Chocolat, Saul Dibb’s The Duchess, and Douglas McGrath’s Emma, for which she received the Oscar for ‘Best Original Score’ in 1997, becoming the first woman to do so.
9. James Horner
Recognised for integrating choral and electronic elements and frequently using Celtic music motifs, James Horner worked on a series of the highest-grossing and critically acclaimed American features. The composer built a legacy in cinema through his frequent collaborations with directors such as George Lucas, James Cameron, and many more.
Horner’s musical composition heightened the intense disaster and passionate romantic elements of James Cameron’s Titanic, captured the atmosphere of a ferocious battle for pride in Mel Gibson’s Braveheart, communicated the setting and history in Martin Campbell’s The Mask of Zorro, and aligned with the childlike innocence of Brad Silberling’s Casper.
8. James Newton Howard
James Newton Howard has scored over 100 films, earning accolades such as a Grammy, an Emmy, and nine Oscar nominations. The American composer has worked on a series of different projects, ranging from thrillers, fantasy epics, children’s book adaptations and romantic comedies, executing various spectacular music scores that succeed every time.
Howard’s work has accentuated the emotional undertones of M. Night Shyamalan’s gorgeous yet painful films The Village and Signs, as well as his action flick, Unbreakable. The composer has also worked on Gary Marshall’s Pretty Woman and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, which was a collaboration with fellow composer Hans Zimmer.
7. Maurice Jarre
After gaining attention for his composing and conducting work in concerts and theatre, the French composer Maurice Jarre became a household name in film scoring when he began working with acclaimed directors, including Sam Spiegel and David Lean. To confirm his brilliance, the composer was nominated for nine Academy Awards, of which he claimed victory in three.
Jarre’s most notable contributions include Spiegel’s historical epics Lawrence of Arabia and A Passage to India. He also worked on Doctor Zhivago, the historical romance directed by Lean, and Georges Franju’s atmospheric horror Eyes Without a Face.
6. Max Steiner
Max Steiner was an Austrian-born artist who succeeded when he emigrated to America, becoming one of cinema’s greatest composers. His work included over 300 film scores with RKO Pictures and Warner Bros, for which he was nominated for 24 Academy Awards throughout his career.
Steiner’s career saw him work with some of Hollywood’s finest directors, such as Michael Curtiz, John Ford, and William Wyler. He composed the fantastic scores for many American classics, including Victor Fleming’s historically significant, Gone with the Wind, George Cukor’s pre-Code adaptation of Little Women, Vincent Sherman’s Adventures of Don Juan and Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s King Kong.
5. Hans Zimmer
Born in Germany in 1957, Hans Zimmer rose in music production and soundtrack composition to become one of cinema score’s most influential names. The composer is most known for his chilling, energetic and moving scores, earning two Oscars, four Grammys and two Emmy nominations along the way.
Zimmer’s most famous contributions include Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy, Disney’s The Lion King and Pirates of the Caribbean and Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. Speaking to Music Tech about his work ethic, the composer shared: “At the end of the day, from my point of view, the key thing is not the studio – it’s how do we move air to create a sound? And how much air can we move in one go. This is more interesting to me than how it hits the microphones.”
He added: “So then the idea of this fantastic, huge orchestra was born. It was great for me to get everyone involved too, to see pretty much every player that’s ever played on any of our sessions all in one room together.”
4. Joe Hisaishi
Mamoru Fujisawa is known in cinema under the name Joe Hisaishi and has created some of the most beautiful and tonal soundtracks of several glorious animated flicks. His trademark instrument is the piano, from which he has made over 100 film scores since 1981.
The composer is a frequent collaborator with the artistic and beloved Studio Ghibli. Titles which showcase his moving soundtracks include Hayao Miyazaki’s golden trio, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. Hisaishi also composed the score for Isao Takahata’s The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. He has also worked on many of Takeshi Kitano’s works, including A Scene at the Sea and Sonatine.
3. Bernard Herrmann
By utilising his own rhythmic blueprint and harmonic composition, Bernard Herrmann is cited as an innovative film composer who paved many paths for those who came after him. The composer has five Academy Award nominations and seven American Film Institute award nominations and collaborations with other groundbreaking filmmakers to his name.
Herrmann’s work can be found in Alfred Hitchock’s most acclaimed works, including the pivotal horror film Psycho, where distressed violins amplify the timeless terror. He also created the score for Vertigo and North by Northwest. The composer also has credits for Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane, an American classic that’s film elements shaped the medium for decades to come.
2. Ennio Morricone
One composer who knew no boundaries regarding chosen styles is the Italian-born Ennio Morricone, having worked on more than 400 cinematic scores and 100 classical works. Morricone is cited as a soundtrack legend, having worked with many great directors, such as Sergio Leone and Giuseppe Tornatore. The latter means he assisted the filmmaker, who is respected for rejuvenating Italian cinema in the 1980s.
The composer’s brilliant work can be found transcending the written material of Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, Sergio Leone’s The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Once Upon a Time in America and Liliana Cavani’s Ripley’s Game.
1. John Williams
It is rare in the movie industry for anyone other than a director or leading star to gain international recognition, but this is not the case for the iconic John Williams, a composer who has had a hand in creating some of the greatest soundtracks of all time. Working with the likes of Steven Spielberg, the music of John Williams has become synonymous with some of the greatest movies of all time, often proceeding the reputation of such movies as Star Wars and Jurassic Park.
Creating pieces of music that swell with epic majesty, as well as subtle soundtracks that delicately flow with a gentle drama, Williams is an eclectic filmmaker responsible for countless moments of true cinematic greatness.
