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Is Hans Zimmer overrated as a composer?

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Is Hans Zimmer overrated as a composer?

Depends on how you rate him.

If you rate him as a good composer, who has a good eye for music to picture, who knows how to add color and texture to a film, and who knows how to move the story along, then he's not overrated.

If you rate him as one of the best composers ever, and put him in the same league as John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, and Bernard Hermann, then he is overrated.
That is well said. Although I might fill in a few options more. ;)
 
So let me yet reply to that, I dont see anything neccessarily wrong with that. As long as its within certain boundaries - and not downright dishing, abusive or ridiculing. This is common in art - one poet critizises another. It can be in goodwill too - and its not always like that.

Taking Beatles as example again. When Dylan commented on Lennons lyrics, it took a whole step forward. Glad he did it - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, would have been ”Love you Lucy” otherwise.

I was not feeding off the energy of this thread or the title, just using the title to point out the wider views of people out side the forum, the title is a classic way of how people think.
 
It is Christmas today.
Merry Christmas :)
To continue off-topic... am I right in thinking that in some countries (parts of Europe?) those who celebrate Christmas do so on 24th December, while for some others of us the bigger day is 25th December?
For instance as far as my employer (non-music-related) is concerned, today is a normal working day, although I have booked it as annual leave.
 
To continue off-topic... am I right in thinking that in some countries (parts of Europe?) those who celebrate Christmas do so on 24th December, while for some others of us the bigger day is 25th December?
For instance as far as my employer (non-music-related) is concerned, today is a normal working day, although I have booked it as annual leave.
In most of Europe, I think, we celebrate Christmas the 24th evening. The 25th and 26th is often Christmas lunch with family or friends.
Americans celebrate from the morning of the 25th?
 
I have some strict Christian English friends for whom Christmas Day is a very solemn day with church and the meal (the kids are allowed to open 1 present after the Queens Speech of all things.... ).

They do "Christmas Day" as most of us know it on Boxing Day.
I've known others do very similar too.
 
I have some strict Christian English friends for whom Christmas Day is a very solemn day with church and the meal (the kids are allowed to open 1 present after the Queens Speech of all things.... ).

They do "Christmas Day" as most of us know it on Boxing Day.
I've known others do very similar too.
I know many churches in England (and probably the rest of the UK) have a "Midnight Mass" around the evening of 24th/morning of 25th December.
I guess that historically that might have marked the start of Christmas celebrations, but people would go home/ sleep/ and do the rest of Christmassy things on 25th Dec and after.
 
I'd say 'under-rated'.... based on some pure genius, magical musical solutions that just "work" and go with the story of the film (visuals included).

What's sad is that so many people on the forum (and sample library developers) are only attracted to the "epic/ominous/ostinato/" moments that HZ has composed.

I find some of his most 'sparse' music to be pure genius. (ie: the 'Man of Steel' theme and the rising 4ths and 5ths...totally great and helps to really serve the film)
 
I'd say 'under-rated'.... based on some pure genius, magical musical solutions that just "work" and go with the story of the film (visuals included).

What's sad is that so many people on the forum (and sample library developers) are only attracted to the "epic/ominous/ostinato/" moments that HZ has composed.

I find some of his most 'sparse' music to be pure genius. (ie: the 'Man of Steel' theme and the rising 4ths and 5ths...totally great and helps to really serve the film)

Talking from outside the film music still, just as music compositions, I was thinking it (Man of Steele) sounds a bit like Mike & Mechanics ”Living Years” there in the beginning, then it went to the same three chords with the ostinatos. And some kind of countermelody.

Would have liked to hear that version as Mike and The Mechanics version instead.

Its too laaaateee.....wheeen weeee dieeee......taaadaaaa daaaaaa......(great melody)

And now the bells come in! Now the electric guitar is there! Wow! And that sexy violin player! Lightshow!

Man that would have been something. Even for film.

Thumbs up for Mike and the Mechanics.
 
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This question... oh boy :)

Zimmer is a film composer, and that should say it all. There is 2 types of film composers, a) the classically / formally trained ones, and b) the guitar player (or something else) turned film composer.

Zimmer is not a classically / formally trained composer, so it is not fair to look at his of work like someone would look at scores from Steiner, Korngold, Goldsmith, or Williams. I will not look at Zimmer's scores to 'learn' composition. Imo, he's the perfect example of the 'modern' film composer writing in a simple style (can't expect composition complexity like the names mentioned above) and presenting it in the highest possible production value. And for that production value / sound he's a master. Everyone tries to mimic the Zimmer 'sound' one way or the other, listen to most of the trailers out there... look at most of the scores on movies today, everything is almost the same :)

Zimmer is responsible for many composers working today in Hollywood. Too many to name here have come out of the Remote Control and so on set-up. Even musicians / performers on his scores have started careers as film composers pushed by him. Most of these composers, with a couple of exceptions (John Powell comes to mind,) write like Zimmer. And that does amplify even more the Zimmer 'sound.'

Zimmer is a successful businessman. He found a formula, built a functioning system, and is now worth millions doing something that others try learn how to do for decades in schools like Julliard, McGill, etc. To some he maybe a 'genius' composer, to some, his mediocrity has become a style and the norm of the day.

Zimmer is a master dramatist and for a film composer this is absolutely a necessity.

Regardless of his writing style, or how he's done the scores we hear today bearing his name, Zimmer is an authority and a huge reference for a lot of film composers or want-to-be film composers out there.

Imo, Zimmer, or anyone for that matter, should be seen for what they are. A comparison with a titan, such as, John Williams for example is not fair :)

There is room for everyone in this business :)
 
This question... oh boy :)

Zimmer is a film composer, and that should say it all. There is 2 types of film composers, a) the classically / formally trained ones, and b) the guitar player (or something else) turned film composer.

You keep hearing this ”two types of film composers” or the ”williams school and the zimmer school”. Is it really a simple dichotomy like that, or is this just some phrase you guys learned to repeat like parrots.

These days they even say we got something like 100 genders. To distance from the cult, me saying there are 542 types of film composers. The 3 chord zimmer style with perfect pitch is one of them.
 
Can we have 542 ways of being overrated then too please? And a another 542 of being underrated. :)
 
Can we have 542 ways of being overrated then too please? And a another 542 of being underrated. :)

Theres a world outside Hollywood too. I wouldnt even look in that direction, considering what two type crap it (apparently) produces today. Thats a rough estimation, not talking from inside.
 
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And a another 542 of being underrated. :)

#1
He has a much underrated guitar technique.

He holds his pick properly.
25 years of playing and 2 guitar tutors never could get the anchoring out of me, a terrible habit to have, no matter how hard you work on your technique.
Hans rocks on stage with no anchoring and a nice free wrist motion. That's GOOD technique.
 
I think folks would be surprised to learn how many composers of the studio era came to film composition through work in musical theater, picture palaces, dance bands, and other entertainment musics. Arguably Steiner’s career path was actually quite close to Zimmer’s, with allowance for different times and all. But if you look at, say Copland’s criticism of Steiner, there are definite affinities, and Oscar Lavant’s biting commentary on Steiner for being a third rate Broadway additional music composer who somehow stumbled into success as the first dominant film composer of the sound era is quite amusing, and again the parallels of invective are instructive.
 
I think folks would be surprised to learn how many composers of the studio era came to film composition through work in musical theater, picture palaces, dance bands, and other entertainment musics. Arguably Steiner’s career path was actually quite close to Zimmer’s, with allowance for different times and all. But if you look at, say Copland’s criticism of Steiner, there are definite affinities, and Oscar Lavant’s biting commentary on Steiner for being a third rate Broadway additional music composer who somehow stumbled into success as the first dominant film composer of the sound era is quite amusing, and again the parallels of invective are instructive.

Wow a taxonomy of invective, how cool is that.
 
The problem is the medium. Hans writes music for the medium (film) not "concert music" which is a totally different area entirely. In film music, he does story telling better than almost everyone else. Until we hear him create a concerto etc. then it's unfair to say "he's not a great composer" etc.

Film music is just a completely different medium to write for. You write what's needed not what sounds nice and is "elitist"
 
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