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Film Composers http://musiced.about.com/od/20thcentury/tp/20thCenturyComposers.htm http://www.classicfm.com/composers/rachel-portman/guides/film-composer-focus- rachel-portman/ http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/classicalcomposers/Classical_Composer_Biog raphies.htm You can get involved... Film Composers ...whose themes are sometimes presented in memorable light music arrangements... Composing for motion pictures and for television is sometimes thought to be the same job. Sometimes the same composers do have an opportunity to score TV series as well as films. But film and TV scoring are seen by cliquish Hollywood insiders as distinct areas of employment. Composing for feature films is considered more prestigious than doing the same thing for TV episodes, even though it takes the same skills and may challenge the composer more because of time limitations. Of course one reason for the distinction is the old motivation -- money. Motion picture scoring can pay more than episode scoring for television. It takes quite an apprenticeship and a lot of lucky breaks to migrate from TV to feature films. Despite this Web Site's emphasis on researching undiscovered THEMEs from radio and TV, feature film scores often yield some very tuneful tasteful melodies, which are sometimes found in very nice arrangements in the Light Music genre. A number of prominent film composers began in Hollywood by writing for TV, and developed their craft composing for the small screen before making the transition to "the big screen." John Towner Williams is a case in point. He used to go by the name of "Johnny Williams" in the days when he wrote for TV series, including "Checkmate", "Lost in Space", and other series. He also worked as a studio pianist including sessions for Henry Mancini. After his promotion to writing films and conducting Pops Symphony Orchestras, he matured into "John Williams." Budgets on feature films being larger, the odds are also better that a film composer will have the luxury of a larger orchestra as well. The time frame to write for a TV show is a lot less than for a major motion picture. Neither time frame is large -- TV episode scores have to be cranked out in a week or less, whereas a film composer may have the relative luxury of 4 - 6 weeks or more. 19th-century classical composers would no doubt express horror at these arbitrarily imposed time limits -- symphonies and concertos which were equal in length to film scores often took a year or more to compose. So when you consider the job John Williams had to do in scoring "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", or the job Miklós Rosza did for his historical scores like "Ben Hur", or Korngold did for any number of Warner Brothers features, the quality of output of these craftsmen under these arbitrary deadlines is truly remarkable. In the "Classic" TV days, TV and film composers were among the most skilled craftsman in music. But in recent years, there is more of a dichotomy as synthesizer noodlers and pop songwriters invade the provinces that were once the domain of "real" composers. Both TV series and motion pictures try to connect with "what's happening now" more and more, so as to get a younger audience. Therefore the film composers we honor below are also from the "Classic" period of Hollywood Studio-system film scoring which have "stood the test of time." Both film and TV composers write scores which include many "internal cues." But often it is the broad Main Title and/or End Credits THEME, or romantic love theme which the public goes away whistling. (In the old days it could even be a catchy march tune which becomes popular.) Light music fans appreciate the contribution that film themes make as a source of good tunes, and will supplement their collections from this source when it is warranted. Maximilian Raoul Walter ("Max") Steiner (May 10, 1888 -- December 28, 1971) was born in Vienna, Austria. His father Gabor Steiner was a prosperous theatrical producer who also built the famous huge ferris wheel in the Prater. His mother was a successful restauranteur. His grandfather was manager of Vienna's most prestigious operetta venue -- the Theatre An-der-Wien (whom, it was said, had convinced waltz king Johann Strauss to begin writing longer dramatic forms -- specifically operettas which could be staged at the Theatre.) With such a priveleged family background, the young Maximilian was living out the life described by the adage, "to those whom much is given, much is expected." He was enrolled in the Imperial Academy of Music, and graduated with many honors as a pianist and conducting student. At age 18 he travelled to Russia to begin his career as conductor of a touring opera company. His road to success was to take him through half his life as an opera, operetta and theatrical orchestra conductor. After a successful debut in Europe, he became well known during his first eight years conducting in various cities. Friends in the London theatre musical circles persuaded him to come to the United States in 1914 shortly after the outbreak of World War I. His friends loaned him money to make the trip. And Steiner's uncle, a theatrical booking agent in New York, put him up until he was able to find employment conducting the pit orchestras for the emerging Broadway musical comedy tradition. This was just beginning to emerge from the older tradition of European operettas. Steiner was at the right place at the right time. During the next six years he became one of the most ubiquitous Broadway conductors during the last half of the1920s. During this period, Steiner had done some limited arranging, but had been mostly just a pit orchestra conductor during the past two decades while in Europe and New York. Then in 1929 (the year the stock market crashed) Steiner was about to relocate again -- this time to the West Coast -- where, at age 42 -- he was to begin a brand new career -- that of one of the most prolific film composers and music directors in Hollywood. The "talkies" (sound motion pictures) were a two-year-old phenomenon. Sound recording was still a primitive technology. But in 1929, Hollywood studios decided it was here to stay, and they had a factory system that needed output weekly. So they looked to New York Broadway theatre for both actors who could project their voices, and proven musical talent. Steiner's skills and long experience put him at the right place at the right time again. RKO was the first studio that recognized Steiner's talent, and because of his Broadway reputation, offerred him a one-year contract to justify relocating from New York. His first job was that of an orchestrator for RKO's composer Harry Tierney on the film "Dixiana." During this period of 1929 - 1932, most "talking" sound films only required Main Title and End Credits THEMEs, and occasional accompaniment for songs during the movie. He showed he could also handle conducting and composing chores as well. So he moved quickly into those duties on the "assembly line" of the "Hollywood Studio System." In fact, within a month after arriving, Steiner was given the job of "Music Director" of the studio, so he brought his friend Roy Webb out from New York to be his assistant. The first talking films liberally quoted from popular songs of the day. In fact, throughout Steiner's career he sometimes indulged in this practice as well, incorporating folk songs and other quotes, as needed. And usually when an early "talkie" had music it was in conjunction with a scene where someone was performing on camera. The first film which Steiner worked on that did not do that -- where "incidental music" was used like that for a play -- was RKO's 1931 production of "Cimarron." In 1932, Steiner was given permission to compose his first complete dramatic underscore for a motion picture -- the "Symphony Of Six Million." This led to a succession of other "through-composed" films. Since he was a pioneer and becoming the leading expert in the field of film composing, he created several innovations -- including the visual "streamer" and "click-track" (heard on headphones), both to closer synchronize the orchestra with visual aspects of the picture. Steiner's value and talent was proven beyond question on such RKO pictures as "Bird Of Paradise", "The Three Musketeers" (1935 version) and "King Kong" which put his name "on the map" in Hollywood. He won his first Oscar for scoring "The Informer" in 1935. These successes led to lucrative offers from rival film companies. And in 1936, Steiner was lured away by Warner Brothers Studios which became his home for the 17 years. His first film score for Warner Brothers was "Kid Galahad" (1936.) In the same year he scored "The Charge Of The Light Brigade." But the 3-hour score for "Gone With The Wind" three years later, in 1939, secured Steiner's place in film music history. Steiner (with the help of his orchestrators) was handling composing duties as well as most of the conducting duties leading the Warners studio orchestra, which was considered the finest collection of studio musicians in Hollywood at that time. The 1940s and 1950s were the two decades during which many of Steiner's most illustrious work was done. Steiner left Warner Brothers to "free-lance" in 1953. Other notable films he scored during long career included "Kid Galahad" (1936), "A Star Is Born" (1936), "Intermezzo" (1939), "Now, Voyager" (1942), "Since You Went Away" (1944), "Life With Father" (1947), "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948), "The Fountainhead" (1949), "Adventures of Don Juan" (1949), "Young Man With A Horn" (1950), "A Summer Place" (1959) A Percy Faith arrangement of Steiner's "Theme from A Summer Place" was a surprise instrumental hit in 1959.
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