From the time I first loved movies, the musical scores have always played a large part in my admiration for a film. Over the years I kept a mental list of the scores I loved the best, music that moved and thrilled me. Eventually, when I became interested enough in what went on behind the camera to see who did what, I had a revelation -- every single one of my favorites were written by Bernard Herrmann. I also love Elmer Bernstein, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Miklos Rosza and other greats. But there was always something about Herrmann that caught at my heart and mind before I even knew who he was. He was the ultimate romantic, his music lush and gorgeous.
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| This picture of Herrmann is taken from his cameo in Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much. |
He did win one Oscar in 1942, for
The Devil and Daniel Webster. It was a good score, but after that, Herrmann never won another Oscar. This is the man who composed incredible music for so many great and popular movies, much of it music that is well-known --
Psycho,
Vertigo,
North by Northwest,
Citizen Kane,
The Day the Earth Stood Still,
Fahrenheit 451,
Jane Eyre,
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Herrmann's personal favorite), and many more. Herrmann was a ground-breaker as well as a classical composer.
The Day the Earth Stood Still stands out with instruments and sounds that became standard for science fiction movies. At the end of his career, Herrmann composed a marvelous, jazzy, dark score for
Taxi Driver, music quite different from his previous work, and it was perfect for that movie. He died right after he recorded the soundtrack for the studio.
So, I suppose he was not totally overlooked at the Oscars, but I think he should have won enough Oscars to cover every coffee table in his home. I will never understand the thinking of the voters during his career. Herrmann was a giant in the movie industry, and was treated like Tom Thumb by the Oscars. I thought some of my readers might enjoy hearing some of my favorites by Herrmann, so I have posted some really good pieces, most of which are 2-3 minutes long. Wonderful stuff...
Fahrenheit 451
Jane Eyre
Citizen Kane
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Taxi Driver
