Throughout my life, being exposed to many, many different genres of music I developed a particular fascination with amazing movie soundtrack composers. I have over 300 movie music albums, and I know it is a much-loved medium for many people. I find it odd that more movie music is not played on radio stations. Invisible musical motifs seem can linger long after the credits roll, triggering memories of bold adventure (the “Star Wars” series), ephemeral magic (the “Harry Potter” series) or impending doom and salvation (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy). Creating this magic is all part of a day’s work for film music composers.
Scoring the music for a film can be a major source of income for a composer. He’s first paid for the score itself — either through a package deal or a creative fee. But since he never gives up the rights of his composition, he can continue to earn money from the music. This can happen through royalties or licensing fees, so the earnings of the average film scorer can vary greatly.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of composers that fit this definition. This is instead a list of the composers that I consider to be the masters of this oft overlooked profession. I hope take some time to research and truly enjoy.
Hans Zimmer
Basil Poledouris