Encyclopedia of Film Composers (eBook)

In addition to the handful of composers known to the general public, this book brings recognition to the many men and women who have written music for the movies over the past 100 years—those who have not been given their due in previous books and other sources. This volume features more than 250 famous and little-known movie composers from around the world. In addition to providing facts about the composers (dates, biography, careers, complete list of movie credits), the entries explain what makes each composer notable and discusses their music in detail. The selected composers range from the days of silent films when music scores were performed by orchestras in movie palaces to today with synthesized and electronic music being used in film scoring.

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For more than a century, original music has been composed for the cinema. From the early days when live music accompanied silent films to the present in which a composer can draw upon a full orchestra or a lone synthesizer to embody a composition, music has been an integral element of most films. By the late 1930s, movie studios had established music departments, and some of the greatest names in film music emerged during Hollywood's Golden Age, including Alfred Newman, Max Steiner, Dimitri Tiomkin, and Bernard Herrmann. Over the decades, other creators of screen music offered additional memorable scores, and some composerssuch as Henry Mancini, Randy Newman, and John Williamshave become household names. The Encyclopedia of Film Composers features entries on more than 250 movie composers from around the world. It not only provides facts about these artists but also explains what makes each composer notable and discusses his or her music in detail. Each entry includesBiographical materialImportant datesCareer highlightsAnalysis of the composer's musical styleComplete list of movie creditsThis book brings recognition to the many men and women who have written music for movies over the past one hundred years. In addition to composers from the United States and Great Britain, artists from dozens of other countries are also represented. A rich resource of movie music history, The Encyclopedia of Film Composers will be of interest to fans of cinema in general as well as those who want to learn more about the many talented individuals who have created memorable scores.