THE GREATEST MOVIE MUSIC
Radio listeners choose their favourite film scores of all time
HE is the one of the world’s most prolific film composers, having penned the scores to Star Wars, Jurassic Park and ET.
But it is John Williams’ score for Schindler’s List that has been voted the nation’s favourite piece of film music.
The composer’s Oscar-winning accompaniment to Steven Spielberg’s 1993 feature, about a German businessman who saved more than 1,000 lives during the Holocaust, topped the hall of fame list, compiled by Classic FM and Radio Times.
The film also knocked Howard Shore’s score for The Lord Of The Rings off the top spot this year, while Hans Zimmer’s music for Gladiator was in third.
John Barry took fourth and fifth with Out Of Africa and Dances With Wolves respectively.
Williams secured five entries in the top 20, including Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone and ET The Extra-terrestrial.
The composer told Classic FM: “I’d like to express my gratitude to the listeners of Classic FM for selecting my music from Schindler’s List for this high honour.
“It was a privilege to be involved in the making of this film, and it’s very gratifying to know that so many people around the world continue to embrace it after nearly 30 years.”
Mr Williams recently told how he had to conjure “all sorts of moods” in his job.
“There can be no such thing as writer’s block in film composition,” he told The Times last month.
“You are closer to being a journalist than a novelist. You have a certain number of days to write a certain number of minutes of music, and you have to get on with it. It’s a job of carpentry, of manufacturing musical things.”
He added: “We are asked to conjure all sorts of moods. I remember in my early days being asked to write burlesque and vaudeville-type music for comedies simultaneously with supplying big romantic scores for dramas.
“If you are going to write music for cinema, or at least for more than one or two films, you have to accept all varieties of challenge.”
Elsewhere in the poll, Italian composer Ennio Morricone, who died in July aged 91, had three entries – The Mission, Cinema Paradiso and The Good, The Bad And The Ugly – in the top 20.
More than 21,000 votes were cast by Classic FM listeners and Radio Times readers.
Andrew Collins, presenter of Saturday Night At The Movies on
Classic FM and Radio Times’ film editor, said: “It’s been a while since we polled the discerning listeners of
Classic FM and readers of Radio Times about their favourite film themes and what we learn about their choices is that the greatest hits remain immovably and unimprovably great.
“Nobody would deny the near permanence of John Barry or the late Ennio Morricone or the trailblazing Vangelis in any top 10.
“The Lord Of The Rings, a true masterwork of narrative scope and innate personality, will always give the
Williams doubted he could pull it off. He was wrong
other fabulous scores something to aim for.
“I am personally sad not to see my own choice Interstellar in the top 10 but Hans Zimmer at three with Gladiator makes another mighty showing. Are we not entertained?
“As for John Williams... we have found your favourite film theme and it’s as moving and mournful as any winner.
“Williams doubted he could pull it off. He was wrong. My advice, as ever, is to explore the lower scores. There’s a lot of invention and innovation down there.”