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10/23/16, 12:47 PMSpitfire's Top Ten Scores, Orchestral Pieces and Text Books

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WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OUR IN-HOUSECOMPOSERS CHRISTIAN, PAUL, OLIVER PATRICEWEDER & HOMAY SCHMITZ, MUSIC EDITOR JAMES

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BELLAMY, OUR ENGINEER IN CHIEF JAKEJACKSON AND ORCHESTRATOR AND COMPOSER PAREXCELLENCE BEN FOSKETT.

Film Scores · Orchestral Pieces · Books

TOP TEN FILM SCORES

BL ADE RUNNER

VA N G E L I S

To this day we can’t fathom how he did this. Hiscombination of true synthetic orchestration(track by track, instrument by instrument) andaudio excerpts that pre-empted the use ofsamplers in scores by at least a decade is quiteextraordinary.

There are some pretty good tunes too, includingcreating an amazingly successful eroticismbetween two particularly (and possiblyintentionally) wooden and robotic performancesby the leading actors.

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PSYCHO

B E R N A R D H E R R M A N N

With Jaws, what makes that score is the bit weall know: the naa-na bass stuff. Now, we all knowPsycho for its ‘hoink hoink” but the genius herelies in the prologue. Arguably one of the firstcellular, systems pieces committed to tape, butwith a flavour deeply entrenched in early 20thwestern European traditions. It’s alsoextraordinary in its opening driving scene…Nothing - a woman, schizoid almost, driving acar, but Bernard isn’t describing this, he’sdescribing what’s going on in her head; she’sfreaking out. Was he the first to do this? Was itbecause he carved his teeth cutting cues for radionot silent movies? We don’t know but for reckonHerrmann’s score for Psycho is kind of likeKeaton’s film “The General” amazing that peoplecould perfect an idiom so early in itsdevelopment.



ALIEN

J E R R Y G O L D S M I T H

Despite a tortuous and frustrating postproduction period for Goldsmith, the final filmuses music sparsely and ingeniously, setting thescene perfectly at the opening, and as with manyof his scores, provides an interesting educationon when not to use music

THE GODFATHER

N I N O R O TA

We have a soft spot for the music of those oldItalian films and could list several of them (81/2,Cinema Paradiso, La Dolce Vita, La Vita e Bellaetc.), but we are going to choose our absolutefavourite. The Godfather Waltz must be one ofthe most beautiful pieces, starting with a gut-wrenching, melancholic trumpet, repeated by anequally dramatic violin before the light andelegant waltz begins. It’s impossible to imaginethe film without this masterful score.



CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

J O H N W I L L I A M S

A perfectly captured recreation of the early 60sJazz era. Interesting time signatures (whatexactly do you count on in the opening cue..?!)and a heavy use of the saxophone, which was stilla little unusual in film music. We love the rawqualities of the recordings too (sax valves) andthe creative interaction between Williams andSpielberg is just perfect. There’s also a great useof original songs such as Sinatra, Nat King Cole,etc... An all round masterpiece!

ATONEMENT

D A R I O M A R I A N E L L I

Instantly notable was the typewriter at the startbeing used as a percussive instrument, but therefollows an emotive and romantic score withbeautiful sonata-like piano parts.



JAWS

J O H N W I L L I A M S

Whilst clearly influenced massively byStravinsky’s Rite of Spring, we can’t help but feelthat John William’s score provided 90% of thepresence of the shark and 100% of the terror.Without his score, large swathes of this filmwould be quite an attractive oceanic horizon withsome plastic drums popping to the surface.

MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

G U S TAV O S A N TA O L A L L A

One of the most innovative composers andmusicians working today. His recordings alwaysseem to be very honest. The score to this filmmakes you want to get on your motorbike andtravel the world (playing the music on youriPod).



AMÉLIE

YA N N T I E R S E N

We love this movie, but the music in particular.It manages to be playful, mournful, and very veryfrench (in a good way) all at the same time. Jean-Pierre Jeunet uses music better than any otherFrench director in our opinion (check out AngeloBadalamenti’s score for La Cité des EnfantsPerdus as well).



TOM & JERRY

S C O T T B R A D L E Y

Not a film, exactly, but Scott Bradley’sorchestration and the fun he had with originalmaterial and the arrangements of traditional jazzstandards to the early Hanna-Barbera producedseries blows us away.



THE SCORES THAT NEARLY MADE IT. . .

Close Encounters, John Williams; Aladdin, Alan Menken; Vertigo, Bernard Herrmann; Oh Brother,Where Art Thou?, T Bone Burnett; Raiders of the Lost Ark, John Williams; Eternal Sunshine of theSpotless Mind, Jon Brion; The Thin Red Line, Hans Zimmer; Solaris, Cliff Martinez; To Kill aMockingbird, Elmer Bernstein; Inception, Hans Zimmer; Star Wars, John Williams; The Girl withthe Pearl Earring, Alexandre Desplat; Grand Budapest Hotel, Alexandre Desplat; 21 Grams, GustavoSantaolalla; The Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone; Hable con Ella, Alberto Iglesias; Batman (1989),Danny Elfman; Boxtrolls, Dario Marianelli; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Alberto Iglesias; Wall-E,Thomas Newman; The Princess and the Frog, Randy Newman; Ratatouille, Michael Giacchino; Backto the Future, Alan Silvestri; The Kid, Charlie Chaplin; Total Recall, Jerry Goldsmith; Magnolia, JonBrion; Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Harry Gregson-Williams; The Proposition, Nick Cave &Warren Ellis; Flash Gordon, Queen; Big Fish, Danny Elfman; Dead Man, Neil Young; Spirited Away,Joe Hisaishi; Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Joby Talbot; Cinderella, Patrick Doyle; Les Enfants duParadis, Maurice Thiriet


TOP TEN ORCHESTRAL PIECES





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THE PL ANETS

G U S TAV H O L S T

Great melodies and brass power, and who candeny its impact and influence on 20th Centuryfilm music.

RHAPSODY IN BLUE

G E O R G E G E R S H W I N

This is a great mix of classical music, jazz andblues for orchestra.


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FIREBIRD

I G O R S T R AV I N S K Y

Incredible power and just amazing music. Blowsour socks off.

WEST SIDE STORY

L E O N A R D B E R N S T E I N

Combining elements of musical theatre, jazz,blues, comedy, tragedy and New York flair,Leonard Bernstein’s masterful score for WestSide Story more than deserves its place on thislist.

THE L ARK ASCENDING

R A L P H VA U G H A N-W I L L I A M S

Vaughan-Williams’ The Lark Ascending wasoriginally composed in 1914 for solo violin andpiano. The much better known version for soloviolin and orchestra wasn’t written until 1920.



TABUL A RASA

A R V O PÄ R T

It’s hard to choose a single piece by Arvo Pärt butwe’ll let our in-house composer Oliver explainwhy we’ve picked this one:

“I saw this performance live in Paris after beinginvited by a director for whom I had scored ashort film. To everyone’s surprise, the conductorasked a special guest on to the stage - Arvo Pärthimself got up from the 3rd row and walked onstage while the audience was giving standingovations for about 15 minutes. I am happy tosay that I got to bandy a few words and shakehis hand after the concert.“ (see accompanyingpicture)



NOCTURNES NO. 1"NUAGES"

C L A U D E D E B U S S Y

This piece narrowly squeaks into the 20thCentury along with all the others on our list,having had its Parisian premier in 1900. The firstof three Nocturnes inspired by a series ofimpressionist paintings (also called Nocturnes)by James Whistler. This piece features anorchestration style typical of Debussy: Lots ofharp and woodwind!

Trivia: This series was transcribed for twopianos by Maurice Ravel.

MUSIC FOR 18 MUSICIANS

S T E V E R E I C H

We would really recommend listening first,seeing live second. A piece of music that can siton two separate planes… Recorded - Haunting,hypnotic and atmospheric. Live - totalVaudeville!



SEA INTERLUDES

B E N J A M I N B R I T T E N

Extracted for concert use from Britten’s operaPeter Grimes, this series evokes the sounds of hishome on the bleak North Sea coast of Britain.John Adams was a fan of this work, and so arewe!



THE PIECES THAT NEARLY MADE IT. . .

Fratres, Pärt; Bolero, Ravel; Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Adams; Guitar Concerto, Rodrigo;Sinfonia, Berio; The Isle of the Dead, Sergei Rachmaninoff; Danse Macabre, Saint-Saëns; The DesertMusic, Steve Reich; Ma Mere l’Oye I - IV, Ravel; Symphony 10, Shostakovich; Die Forelle, Schubert;Symphonic Dances Op. 45 I. Non Allegro, Sergei Rachmaninoff; Out to Sea / The Shark Cage Fugue,John Williams; The Blue Danube Waltz, Johann Strauss II; Nocturne op.9 No.2, Chopin; Conciertode Aranjuez, Joaquín Rodrigo; Rhapsody Op. 1, Bartók; Christus Factus Est, Bruckner; Pines ofRome, Respighi; Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky; Symphony No. 40, Mozart; Rhapsody on a Theme ofPaganini, Op. 43: Variation 19, Sergei Rachmaninoff; Symphony No. 2, Hanson; La Mer, Debussy;Symphony No. 1, Walton; Black, Brown and Beige, Ellington; The Chairman Dances, John Adams;Symphonie Fantastique, Berlioz; Carmen Suite, Bizet; St. Matthew Passion, Bach; Scheherazade,Rimsky-Korsakov; Symphony No.7, Sibelius; Requiem, Fauré; Worldes Blis, Peter Maxwell Davies;Carnival Overture, Dvorak; Concerto for Turntable and Orchestra, Gabriel Prokofiev; Quatre ChantsPour Franchir le Seuil, Grisey; Instability, Luke Bedford; Keilschrift, Enno Poppe; Duke Bluebeard’sCastle, Bartók; Le Soleil des Eaux, Boulez; Violin Concerto, Berg; Die Soldaten, Zimmermann;Limited Approximations, Haas.


TOP TEN TEXT BOOKS & STUDY AIDS

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orchestration-Walter-Piston/dp/0393097404

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Grove_Dictionary_of_Music_and_Musicians

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Track-Guide-Contemporary-Film-Scoring/dp/0415941369

https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Need-Ears-George-Martin/dp/0312114826

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BLINK-EYE-NEW-EDN-Perspective/dp/1879505622






ORCHESTRATION

WALTER PISTON

Suggested by Christian Henson

A great single volume book that lists all theinstruments and tells you what they can do, howlow they can go, how high they can go, what ispolite to ask of them etc etc. I find having anactual book next to my workstation a welcomediversion, and this reference work is a classic.My version is very well thumbed!

GROVE DICTIONARY OFMUSIC AND MUSICIANS

VARIOUS AUTHORS

Suggested by Christian Henson

I walked into a music shop on Bond Street andsaw this gathering dust. It was on special, 50%-off, they said “it’s going out of print” I said“where’s it going to go?” they said “onto theinternet”. When we were taught history at schoolwe were led to believe that getting rid of booksnever ends well. Whether you’re burning themon pyres or scanning them onto hard drives. Soas a mercy purchase, I bought it and purposelyuse it for any research over and above anything Ican find on the net. The net is based onconsensus, if you say it, or as many people say itenough times it becomes the ‘truth’. I prefer thetruth to be derived from scholarly enterprise andthe Grove Dictionary is the greatest of those inour business.

ON THE TRACK

FRED KARLIN & RAYBURNWRIGHT

Suggested by Paul Thomson

A mine of useful info on everything film music.



ALL YOU NEED IS EARS

GEORGE MARTIN


Interesting and instructive view into theinception of the modern recording industry,written by someone whose credentials in thisarena scarcely need spelling out.

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

WALTER MURCH

Suggested by James Bellamy

Not strictly a music book but a superb (andshort!) introduction to the thought processesbehind film editing by celebrated Oscar winningsound designer, sound editor, film editor, scoreproducer and director Walter Murch.

THE STUDY OFORCHESTRATION

SAMUEL ADLER


Everyone needs a good orchestration book, andthis is a staggeringly comprehensive guide toinstruments old and new, and the techniques youcan use when writing for them.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Study-Orchestration-Book-only/dp/039397572X

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Guide-Film-Scoring-Berklee/dp/0876391099

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Technique-Musical-Language-Musique-Vers-Anglaise/dp/B00006RJN9/ref=oosr

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DGBMDNM

https://www.amazon.com/How-Music-Works-David-Byrne/dp/1938073533



COMPLETE GUIDE TO FILMSCORING

RICHARD DAVIS

Suggested by Oliver Patrice Weder

This was the first book I read specifically aboutfilm scoring. Having been completely new to thesubject this book was a very insightful guide toget me started and give a good overview. I canrecommend it to everyone who is considering acareer within the film music world.

THE TECHNIQUE OF MYMUSICAL L ANGUAGE

OLIVER MESSIAEN


A fascinating insight into the mind of a uniqueand inventive musical innovator.

PRINCIPLES OFORCHESTRATION

NIKOL AY RIMSKY-KORSAKOV

Suggested by Harnek Mudhar

This books stands out from others on the topicthanks to its huge wealth of musical examples,and of course the fact that it is written by a majorcomposer, whose own orchestrations are wellknown for their brilliance.

HOW MUSIC WORKS

DAVID BYRNE

Suggested by Oliver Patrice Weder

This is a general book about the author’s[Talking Heads frontman, David Byrne]approach to music. There are some prettyinteresting arguments in there!







A B O U T

C O N TA C T / S U P P O R T

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R E G I S T E R E D C O M P A N Y O C 3 4 6 6 4 8I N E N G L A N D A N D W A L E S

B A C K T O T O P

FA C E B O O K

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R E G I S T E R E D C O M P A N Y O C 3 4 6 6 4 8 I N E N G L A N D A N D W A L E S

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