Your Favorite Composer(s)

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2003-10-30 10:01am

This can apply to TV/Film/Classical and what piece of music you best remember them for.

Mine are as follows:

John Williams (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Hook, Jurassic Park, et. al)
Danny Elfman (Batman, Batman Returns)
Shirley Walker (Batman: The Animated Series)
Kristopher Carter (Batman Beyond/Justice League)
Hans Zimmer (The Rock)
Jerry Goldsmith (Star Trek)
Beethoven (Ode to Joy)
Tchaikovsky (Sleeping Beauty)
Yoko Kanno (Escaflowne: The Movie)
James Horner (Titanic, The Mask of Zorro)
Shiro Sagisu (Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water/Neon Genesis Evangelion)

salm · Post by **salm** » 2003-10-30 10:05am

bradly nowell from sublime

Zoink · Post by **Zoink** » 2003-10-30 10:11am

I'll say:

Carl Orff

Bertie Wooster · Post by **Bertie Wooster** » 2003-10-30 10:56am

salm wrote:bradly nowell from sublime

Word up - he wrote some really good stuff (some of it heroin inspired gems). Damn shame he died in '96, right before they made it big. If he didn't, we wouldn't have Dave Matthews and other crap so prevalent today...

But for me: Bach all the way!

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-10-30 11:01am

Hmm, fave composers...

I have a load, namely: Hans Zimmer, John Williams, John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith, Nobuo Uematsu, James Horner, David Arnold, Gustav Holst, Johann Pachebel, Samuel Barber, Chris Franke, Yoko Kanno, Harry Gregson-Williams, John Powell, Trevor Rabin, Micahel Kamen, Danny Elfman, James Newton-Howard, Monty Norman, Beethoven, Ennio Morricone, Elliott Goldenthal, Howard Shore.

Maybe more, but those are all greats in my mind.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2003-10-30 02:54pm

Zoink wrote:I'll say:

Carl Orff

Hell yes.

Danny Elfman i'll agree with too.

Johann Sebatian Bach too.

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2003-10-30 03:37pm

Tchaikovski(Concerto in D, Marche Slav, Much other stuff), Beethoven(Nine Symphonies and more), Holst(The Planets), Stravinski(Rite of Spring

and Firebird), Franke(Messages from Earth, ITF suite), Williams, Barber, etc. So many good composers.
And then there is the bastion of hope for the human species that is Eric Idle.

zombie84 · Post by **zombie84** » 2003-10-30 03:43pm

what, no ones mentioned the great, underrated Elliot Goldenthal? Amazing, powerful stuff--his scores to Alien 3 and Interview With the Vampire are some of best scores i've heard (espcially being a fan of film scores).

And then of course is the obvious ones like John Williams, James Horner and Hans Zimmer.

Post by **haas mark** » 2003-10-30 03:45pm

Orff - Carmina Burana (O Fortuna)
Bach - Six Suites for Cello
Zimmer - Black Hawk Down OST
Tchaikovsky - Marche Slav
Holst - The Planets
Schubert - The Unfinished Symphony
Barber - Adagio for Strings
Mozart - Requiem
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata
Salieri - Contredanse

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

~ver

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-10-30 03:47pm

zombie84 wrote:what, no ones mentioned the great, underrated Elliot Goldenthal? Amazing, powerful stuff--his scores to Alien 3 and Interview With the Vampire are some of best scores i've heard (espcially being a fan of film scores).

And then of course is the obvious ones like John Williams, James Horner and Hans Zimmer.

Ahem.

*Points to his post*

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2003-10-30 05:54pm

John Williams (Even though most of his songs have the same flute part

)
Pachelbel- Canon in D (preferably transposed down to CM, it just sounds so much brighter then.)

Danny Elfman- a more unique style of composing have I not come across!

Gustav Holst- The planets suite. specifically Uranus (hush) and Mars.

Post by **Zaia** » 2003-10-30 06:24pm

Chardok wrote:Danny Elfman- a more unique style of composing have I not come across!

You should check out Hector Berlioz (Symphonie Fantastique in particular). He taught himself how to compose, and he's just amazing.

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2003-10-30 06:59pm

Quite nice, Zaia! I could not find the symphony you mentioned, but I did find Romeo and juliet Symphonie Dramatique, and I must say....was very interesting...He sure does like the upbeat ques! I quite like it!

Post by **Zaia** » 2003-10-30 07:16pm

Char, when you do find it, get movement V first, "Dream of a Witches' Sabbath", because it kicks the most ass, and then IV "March to the Scaffold." Verrrrrrrrry awesome.

Post by **haas mark** » 2003-10-30 07:17pm

Zaia wrote:
Chardok wrote:Danny Elfman- a more unique style of composing have I not come across!
You should check out Hector Berlioz (Symphonie Fantastique in particular). He taught himself how to compose, and he's just amazing.

Ah.. I was trying to think of something along those lines.. Berlioz is one of my favourites.

As for Pachelbel's Canon, well, it just gets annoying after a while.

Vivaldi - Summer from The Four Seasons
And I forgot who wrote the piece at the moment, but the piece is Palladio
As well, the Rosamunde Overture has always been a good one to play.

~ver

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2003-10-30 08:40pm

Verilon wrote:As for Pachelbel's Canon, well, it just gets annoying after a while.

Ahh, I agree, HOWEVER....has ever there been a song with easily so many beautiful variations? The Chord Progression is timeless, just perfect. (and the key of D [as Canon was originally intended for] is dark and forboding, hardly fits the piece, which, IMHO should be bright and airy.) the melody should sing, and the droning bass should back off some so you can really get a feel for how great the simple, flowing melody really is. Yes, I think it is because of it's simplicity that it is simply one of the most beautiful pieces anywhere. After all, In C, it could easily be played by an only slightly trained student. I, myself, have modified the original slighty so that it may be enjoyed by my family at christmas on my grandparents baby grand! I simply take the bass and change the droning whole notes into arpeggiated quarters, and the entire song grows from the simple beginnings of the bass and one-note melody, to a varitable symphony on the keys. It almost sounds like there is more than one piano playing, especially if you are able to subtly alter the dynamics so at times, the main melody really chimes through, and at others, secondary (Or back-up) melodies take over, and guide the listener into a new measure.

Things people do to P's Canon that piss me off:

1. Take what is supposed to be the bassline, and move it two octave over middle C, coupled with the still-droning Bass whole-note travisty.

2. take the bassline and melody to the same dynamic. (THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DIFFERENT!!)

3. oh screw it, I'll save the rest for the HoS!!!

Verilon wrote:Vivaldi - Summer from The Four Seasons
And I forgot who wrote the piece at the moment, but the piece is Palladio
As well, the Rosamunde Overture has always been a good one to play.

~ver

Spoken like a true enthusiast of classical music!
(Palladio...you are referring to the DeBeers diamond theme by John Jenkins?)

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2003-10-30 09:51pm

Modern:

John Williams
Martin O'Donnell
Don Davis
Brad Fiedel

Olde:

Beethoven
Tsaikovski
Handel
Bach
Mozart
And many, many more

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-10-30 10:07pm

Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings)

Post by **haas mark** » 2003-10-30 10:24pm

Chardok wrote:
Verilon wrote:As for Pachelbel's Canon, well, it just gets annoying after a while.
Ahh, I agree, HOWEVER....has ever there been a song with easily so many beautiful variations?

Unfortunately, just as many crappy ones.

The Chord Progression is timeless, just perfect. (and the key of D [as Canon was originally intended for] is dark and forboding, hardly fits the piece, which, IMHO should be bright and airy.) the melody should sing, and the droning bass should back off some so you can really get a feel for how great the simple, flowing melody really is. Yes, I think it is because of it's simplicity that it is simply one of the most beautiful pieces anywhere. After all, In C, it could easily be played by an only slightly trained student. I, myself, have modified the original slighty so that it may be enjoyed by my family at christmas on my grandparents baby grand! I simply take the bass and change the droning whole notes into arpeggiated quarters, and the entire song grows from the simple beginnings of the bass and one-note melody, to a varitable symphony on the keys.

Actually, I've played several different variations, myself, some of which require the arpeggios, some of which require the drones. [shrugs] Guess it just depends on which rewrite you get.

verilon wrote:Vivaldi - Summer from The Four Seasons
And I forgot who wrote the piece at the moment, but the piece is Palladio
As well, the Rosamunde Overture has always been a good one to play.

~ver
Spoken like a true enthusiast of classical music!
(Palladio...you are referring to the DeBeers diamond theme by John Jenkins?)

The whole thing.. All three movements, if I remember the number of movements right. Need to figure out who did the Rosamunde...

As well, Handel's Fireworks are very fun to play. Haydn.. can't think of anything off the top of my head.. but yes.. a classical music enthusiast am I.

Also, whoever did the OST to Gladiator did it really well; more fun pieces to play.

~ver

Majin Gojira · Post by **Majin Gojira** » 2003-10-30 10:36pm

I'd like to add Akira Ifukube (Various Godzilla themes), Kow Otani (Gamera trilllogy themes and GMK themes), Tan Dun and Yo Yo Ma ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), Max Stiener (King Kong, Original), and Bernard Herman (Psycho, 7th Voyage of Synbad, many others)

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-10-30 10:44pm

On the movie scoring front I'd like to add Basil Poledouris for Conan The Barbarian, Robocop, and even Starship Troopers

zombie84 · Post by **zombie84** » 2003-10-30 10:49pm

I was just going to add Poledouris. His score to Conan the Barbarian is probably the most epic and operatic movie score ever composed. Just mind blowing.

Post by **haas mark** » 2003-10-31 02:46am

Yo Yo Ma is overrated.

~ver

Hethrir · Post by **Hethrir** » 2003-10-31 03:01am

J. S. Bach - WTC (I and II) (BWV 846 -869; BWV 870-893); BWV 538 Toccata and Fugue in d (NOT 565 which is IMO one of his most ordinary works); Jesu Bleibet Meine Freude, BWV 147; Ich Ruf' Zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639; Adagio In C, BWV 564; and for commercialisms sake include Air On A 'G' String from Orchestral Suite in D, BWV 1068

EDIT: What i hate is the romantic era. Damn there was some crap pumped out then.

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2003-10-31 07:12am

verilon wrote:Yo Yo Ma is overrated.

~ver

Where did that come from?! I think perhaps he's a bit overrated, but you cannot Deny the guy is good. did you happen to hear his album with bobby McFerrin? That was just great music, there....