Intrada Soundtrack Forum

A lot of common thought in the lists of five favorite Golden Age composers. The "old guys". Steiner kind of hovers the fence it seems. I'm kind of surprised Tiomkin made so few lists. He wasn't on my list either, however. Anyway, let's see what happens when we tackle 1950 to 1960 - the period when Golden Age writers begin to wind down and a whole host of new names bridge the crucial gap into the Silver Age.

Again, as long as they created at least one bonafide film score, any composer writing between 1950 and 1960 will qualify. To keep from repetition with the Golden Age, exclude any composer who wrote something before 1950.

My five: 1) Jerry Goldsmith (big surprise!) 2) Elmer Bernstein 3) Alex North 4) Leonard Rosenman 5) Malcolm Arnold

(If I broke my own rules and listed a sixth it'd be Jerome Moross.)
--Doug

This did not take to much thought:

1. Jerry Goldsmith

2. Elmer Bernstein

3. Alex North

4. Laurence Rosenthal

5. David Amram-If Sir Malcolm Armold qualifies? I include Arnold

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Robert M Eastman

Tiomkin might make my top 10 but not my top 5. He has too much competition.

I suspect this "silver" thread will be (a little) more diverse.
In order of year of birth:

E. Bernstein
G. Goldsmith
J. Scott
J. Williams
J. Barry


Previn would almost make it though technically his first film scores were from c. 1948. His movie scoring career was basically 1950(ish) to mid-1960's.

1. Elmer Bernstein
2. Alex North
3. Andre Previn
4. Malcolm Arnold
5. Nino Rota

I will leave Jerry Goldsmith for a Post-1960 list.

b.

GOLDSMITH
NORTH
BERNSTEIN
ROSENMAN
GOLD

I would have picked Previn or Moross but they did scores pre-1950. Moross was not terribly prolific, but damn he was good.
Schifrin didn't start scoring until the 1960's. Fielding didn't start until 1962.

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WE HAVE COME TO VISIT YOU IN PEACE AND WITH GOOD WILL.

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"If music doesn`t sing, or dance, or have an interesting harmonic concept, then it shouldn`t be there at all. A film score should burn with its own fire, not merely glow in the dark like a pretty charcoal." – John Barry, 1972

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"If music doesn`t sing, or dance, or have an interesting harmonic concept, then it shouldn`t be there at all. A film score should burn with its own fire, not merely glow in the dark like a pretty charcoal." – John Barry, 1972

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Jerry Goldsmith
Alex North
Leonard Rosenman
Elmer Bernstein
Jerome Moross

Looks like Doug's alternate list.