Who Are Your Favorite Film Score Composers

[sablebrush52]

I was listening to Elmer Berstein's theme for To Kill A Mockingbird and was reminded of how much a great score can contribute to the effect of a film. So, in no particular order, here are some of my favorite composers:
Elmer Bernstein

Bernard Herrmann

John Williams

Miklos Rozsa

Ennio Morricone

Franz Waxman

Max Steiner

Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Dimitri Tiomkin
OK cineastes, who are yours?

 

[troutface]

No expert here, but didn't Randy Newman score a number of films ? I like his pop stuff, wonderfully sarcastic.

 

[Chasing Embers]

John Williams

Howard Shore

Hans Zimmer

Danny Elfman

Kurt Harland (technically video game scores, but his work on "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver" was amazing)

 

[jguss]

I'd add Nino Rota for sure, and maybe Mancini

 

[brian64]

I have no great knowledge or insight regarding film composers, but I certainly notice when the score contributes in a significant way.
Also, I appreciate a couple of instances I'm aware of where there was a really meaningful collaboration between Directors and Composers, such as with Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone, and David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti.

 

[philobeddoe]

Éric Serra

Vangelis

Yann Tiersen

Vince Guaraldi

Nino Rota

Zbigniew Preisner

 

[prairiedruid]

I'll add Vangelis to this great list.

 

[sablebrush52]

No expert here, but didn't Randy Newman score a number of films ? I like his pop stuff, wonderfully sarcastic.

Absolutely! Toy Story for one. And he comes from the royal family of film music. Alfred Newman, winner of 9 Academy Awards, who composed the score for All About Eve, Wuthering Heights, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, and many other films; Emil Newman, who was the musical director and composer on many films; Lionel Newman, who had a long career with 20th Century Fox and who won an Oscar for Hello Dolly!, etc, etc. An amazing family!

 

[johnbarleycorn]

Bear Mcreary

Stewart Copeland

Trent Reznor

Danny Elfman.

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

I'd have to say
John Williams

Ramin Djawadi

Ennio Morricone

Alan Silvestri

Clint Mansell

Howard Shore

Danny Elfman

Andrew Lloyd Weber
Are a few of my favorites that I took the time to look for when I first learned of their work.
John Williams and the musical score to Star Wars is fantastic! Ennio Morricone is my favorite composer for any westerns. I mean the man with no name trilogy is just fantastic.
Ramin Djawadi does the score for Game of Thrones and he came to town once and I was really sad I had to miss him.
Clint Mansell did the score for the video game series Mass Effect.
Alan Silvestri did so many movies I can't count them all.
Andrew Lloyd Weber might not be fair, since he does more stage composing than film, but I love his work in the Phantom of the Opera.

 

[pitchfork]

Ennio Morricone

 

[brian64]

No expert here, but didn't Randy Newman score a number of films ? I like his pop stuff, wonderfully sarcastic.

This brings to mind another great musician who's done a lot of work in both film and popular music, Jean-Luc Ponty.

 

[warren]

Maurice Jarre

Richard Hageman

Max Steiner

Dimitri Tiomkin

Basil Poledouris
These jump to mind.

 

[philobeddoe]

I forgot one of my very favorites...Lalo Schifrin.

 

[jpmcwjr]

John Williams,

Zbigniew Preisner

Vangelis
These are all names I've come to know but not originally from the fact that they scored numerous movies and some films I've seen.

 

[drbenway]

Glad someone else mentioned Clint Mansel. I think he is seriously underated. His music for the films The Fountain and Moon is like its own character in the movie.

I also add Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Their work on The Propistion is fantastic.

Joseph Koo's score for Way Of The Dragon is another good one.

 

[craiginthecorn]

Ennio Morricone. Cinema Paradiso.

James Horner

Hans Zimmer

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I was just about to say I was surprised nobody had mentioned Basil Poledouris, but then I saw that Warren did.
Also, Howard Shore, Alan Silvestri, John Williams Danny Elfman, Michael Kamen

 

[autumnfog]

Ennio Morricone

Bill Conti

 

[enrikon]

Being Italian, I can't not mention Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone. With them the soundtrack constituted almost 50% of the movie.