Favorite Composer

[Boone Zofox]

So it is my strong belief that music brings the most out of any situation when it is put in the right way. That's why some movies and TV shows have such an enormous impact on people, not just because of the setting, but because of how the composer brings out the music.


So my question is, who is your favorite composer. I'd have to say mine is Micheal Giacchino, who did the music for movies like Up and Star Trek, and also for the TV show Lost. A close second would have to be Marty O'Donnel, who did the music for the Halo games. But a new upcoming composer just caught my eye. Daniel Yount, a 15 year-old kid, has some amazing stuff. Maybe not state of the art, but definitely effective in bringing emotions out, especially in adventure type stories. How bout you guys?

[Pea]

Marty O'Donnell all the way. All the way.

[josh_down]

So it is my strong belief that music brings the most out of any situation when it is put in the right way. That's why some movies and TV shows have such an enormous impact on people, not just because of the setting, but because of how the composer brings out the music.


So my question is, who is your favorite composer. I'd have to say mine is Micheal Giacchino, who did the music for movies like Up and Star Trek, and also for the TV show Lost. A close second would have to be Marty O'Donnel, who did the music for the Halo games. But a new upcoming composer just caught my eye. Daniel Yount, a 15 year-old kid, has some amazing stuff. Maybe not state of the art, but definitely effective in bringing emotions out, especially in adventure type stories. How bout you guys?

from your words, i take that you mean film composers... is that true? if so i have pretty much nothing to add to this topic, perhaps except this;

i find that the films that work best are the ones which have next to no music. i find most film music to be so cliche that it's painful to listen to, even without the film. so i hope that if i ever get the job of writing a score for a film (i am a composer, so it's not unlikely), the film maker who's hiring me knows what he's getting himself into.

saying that, just in case you're not talking about film music, my favourite composer right now is kajia saariaho. she's probably one of the very best composers who writes music based on sound. the very idea of the music triangle (melody, harmony and rhythm) doesn't quite get thrown out of the window, but these elements are not seen as particularly important when compared to the overall sound, texture and timbre of the piece. here are examples;

Kaija Saariaho : Sept Papillons (2000) pour violoncelle

Kaija Saariaho / Six japanese gardens 4,5,6

Kaija Saariaho * L'Aile du songe (2001), concerto per flauto ed orchestra (1/2)

[Puncia]

Oh boy. I do love cinematic music and soundtracks but I'm not entirely into "classical music" as a genre. So I only know a handful and I don't know if composers for movies really count, but here goes.

I really like Two Steps From Hell, which is a production music company, but I don't know if they count. Professor Pumplestickle is my all time favourite tune.

I also really love Hans Zimmer, his music gives me goosebumps like no other. John Williams is fine too, but nothing tops Zimmer. I'd marry him if I could.

[Boone Zofox]

from your words, i take that you mean film composers... is that true? if so i have pretty much nothing to add to this topic, perhaps except this;

i find that the films that work best are the ones which have next to no music. i find most film music to be so cliche that it's painful to listen to, even without the film. so i hope that if i ever get the job of writing a score for a film (i am a composer, so it's not unlikely), the film maker who's hiring me knows what he's getting himself into.

Hmm, I couldn't disagree with you more Josh, music in movies, at least to me, is one of the determining factors of whether it was good or not. Of course that is just me. I guess I really don't care if it's something new per say, I just like the feelings that I get from the music when attached to a story. Like in Lost, I was practically balling my eyes out when Boone died, not because I loved the character but the combination of events and the sorrowful music that was put with it. Another example would be in Star Trek (2009) when the Enterprise drops out of warp to save Spock, and the epic music that went with it just gave me goosebumps all over.

I really like Two Steps From Hell, which is a production music company, but I don't know if they count. Professor Pumplestickle is my all time favourite tune.

I also really love Hans Zimmer, his music gives me goosebumps like no other. John Williams is fine too, but nothing tops Zimmer. I'd marry him if I could.

I've heard a lot of Hans Zimmer as well, and do really like his work. And John Williams is just classic. Although I've never heard of Two Steps From Hell, I'll have to check them out.

[Puncia]

Professor Pumplestickle
I don't know what this was originally made for, but the Wii game called "Just Dance 2" features it in its DLC. I find the dance they made very fitting though, with the relationship between the wizard and his puppet pumpkin.



Furthermore they have made music for many games and movies:

Spoiler for Hidden:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Star Trek, The Dark Knight, Avatar, 2012, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, Inception, Drive Angry, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ,The Town and Prince of Persia, as well as video games such as Mass Effect 2 and Killzone 3, and television shows Doctor Who and Game of Thrones.

[Boone Zofox]

Hmmmm, that sounds so familiar, but I can't place it. I'm sure I've heard a lot of their work. I'm somewhat of a movie buff, not like my brother, but I enjoy what I can when I can.

[josh_down]

for the purpose of balance, i shall not talk about films for a moment and talk about another of my very favorite composers. not that there's anything wrong in people talking about films


Samson François plays Debussy Prelude book II - I ...Brouillards

Han Kim plays Premiere Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano by C.Debussy

Claude Debussy - String Quartet in G minor I

i have to admit, i actually know very very little about claude debussy in terms of history or biography, or even particularly what he did for the musical world. he's one of the composers where i just enjoy his music as it is, on it's own. his book of preludes (the first lick is one of the many) is great, and it influenced so much of the jazz that i hold so dear.