# Most influential scores



## alphonse (Apr 11, 2010)

Shostakovitch o=< 

Prokofiev Alexandre Nevsky Ivan the terrible >8o


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## Danny_Owen (Apr 11, 2010)

+1 for John Powell. Went to see how to train your dragon yesterday... that score was phenomenal.


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## Mookie (Apr 11, 2010)

yeah there seems to be a lot of buzz about this recent powell score, going to check out the movie today.

@JohnG - you know I just recently delved into Walton's canon and came across his film stuff, it's great music...specifically henry V and the Battle of Britain (has the spitfire track). the older tradition of scoring to picture is so symphonic, it seems directors have moved generally away from that in the last decade


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## SvK (Apr 11, 2010)

Vertigo - Herrmann
(it's influence: the relentless movie ostinato )

Magnificent Seven - Bernstein
(it's influence: put the stamp on the American West sound all the way through Tombstone)

Once Upon A Time In The West - Morricone
(it's influence: the anti "American Western" western sound. Western or Desert Thriller show-down / cues were influenced forevermore.

Planet Of The Apes - Goldsmith
(it's influence: odd time and relentless percussion for action )

Star Wars 3 - Williams
( it's influence: that williams pop-orch sound )

Halloween - Carpenter
( it's influence: the effective lo-fi electro score )

BodyHeat - Barry
( it's influence: every LMN neonoir movie for 15 years )

Die Hard - Kamen
( it's influence: Kamen's take on the punchy cop action score was copied by many )

Batman - Elfman
( it's influence: The superhero orchestral score sound to last a decade )

Crimson Tide - Zimmer
( it's influence: Zimmer introduces his bigger than life orchestra )

Shawshank - Newman
( it's influence: the internalized ambient sound that is heard on so many existential movies, and cable series )

Blade - Isham
( it's influence: merging orchestra with electronica )

Dark Knight - Howard / Zimmer
( it's influence: the re-invention of the super-hero score )

which leads us to now 

SvK


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## Guy Bacos (Apr 11, 2010)

And where would all the romantic film music be for so many decades without Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky? Notably Rach 2, so much influence and plagiarism has followed, and they are still the models for a great melody. Where would film music be without gorgeous melodies?


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## Narval (Apr 12, 2010)

Excellent list, SvK! Very well thought and presented.

If I may only add one milestone score: 

The Magnificent Seven - Elmer Bernstein
(the quintessential western score)


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## SvK (Apr 12, 2010)

Narval thanx....

Magnificent Seven added.

SvK


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## JohnG (Apr 12, 2010)

Mookie @ 11th April 2010 said:


> I just recently delved into Walton's canon and came across his film stuff, it's great music...specifically henry V and the Battle of Britain (has the spitfire track). the older tradition of scoring to picture is so symphonic, it seems directors have moved generally away from that in the last decade



You are absolutely right. A tangentially related anecdote: a few years ago I wrote some stuff for ABC and they liked it ok, but said it was too "orchestral." Took out the woodwinds and put in some (just a little) synth / twisted synth stuff and they used it happily.

By "orchestral," they seemed to mean (at least I took them to mean) old-fashioned, boring, lacking in edge; maybe "not like HZ?"

But their response struck me then as reminiscent of the early / mid 1970s. At that time (1976) , just prior to Star Wars' blowing everyone's doors off, movie soundtracks had been reduced to (generally) pop-based material, often watered down, sometimes presented with the tremendous beauty of a mono track for the music.

So maybe the Walton disciples will make a comeback some day, if soundtrack craft creeps further toward drums-'n'-tunes?

Not holding my breath.


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## JPQ (Aug 16, 2010)

john williams schindler's list
ps. i dont remember others now.


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## JPQ (Aug 16, 2010)

i mean at least one tune in this movie but one treasurers in little boring soundtrack music.


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## David Story (Aug 16, 2010)

Well, since this is active again...These are useful and fun:

Streetcar Named Desire for Drama Jazz - North
Breakfast at Tiffany's for Romantic Comedy Jazz(The Pink Panther is the alternate)- Mancini
Psycho for classic Suspense-Terror- Herrmann
Little Mermaid for new Disney Animation- Menkin
The Good The Bad and The Ugly, that's the western you'll be asked to imitate- Morricone
Jaws- Williams
On Golden Pond for Intimate Drama- Grusin
The Hours for Disturbing Drama(alternate Powaqqatsi)- Glass

Plenty more


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## JPQ (Aug 17, 2010)

Pink Panther is nice tune btw and i must say in jaws what i heared cover version and thinked in feeligns what movie get i think is very good tune for this movie. i dont have orginal version btw. and i like some James Bond tunes.


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## alphabetgreen (Aug 17, 2010)

I cannot believe that nobody has mentioned probably the most influential score of the twentieth century:

"Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)" by Igor Stravinsky

plus, the score that is renowned for influencing the majority of Sci-Fi composers:

"The Planets" by Gustav Holst

There is a huge wealth of information and style to be gained from studying these two scores, especially for film music.


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