James Horner’s unnatural death in a plane crash has made the world of music-lovers sadder and poorer. The man has given us some of the most memorable original music scores, creating exhilarating instrumentations that blended the orchestral mastery with Afro-Celt rhythms which stood the test of time in every decade. Much, much before “Titanic”, his film scores in “Balto”, “Aliens” and “Braveheart” topped the charts. But undoubtedly, “Titanic” swelled his fame to near and far, from India to China and music-lovers poured their devotion and dollars to buy this soundtrack like never before. It is still rated the second-most-sold OST of all time. Released in 1997, “Titanic” soundtrack showcased what happens when you make John Williams pour out precise notes into the wild and imaginative soundscapes of Hans Zimmer - the soundtrack had that kind of eclectic mix - it hit the high notes of pure classical music, chorals and celtic sounds, sonorous instruments contrasted with the majestic pianos and percussions rarely used in puritan classical music. Many of the scores used in “Titanic” were re-invoked by the world’s leading Orchestras and composers and re-interpreted for years since 1997. “Back to The Titanic” was another re-introduction by the master composer himself after the stupendous success of the film’s OST.
What differentiates James Horner from other composers is that he competes with the film director in energising the scenes that forces the director to re-think. Look at the shots of his films like “Braveheart”, “The Mask of Zorro”, “A Beautiful Mind”, “Troy” and “Avatar” and you will understand this obsession and orientation of James Horner to throw all his musical genius into the shots which heighten the director’s cut. This gives energy and impetus to the audiences making them connect better than with other composers. Hollywood’s greatest music composers of the modern era have each established their niche but James Horner is special because he listened to the director but added his own charms of re-interpreting the scene with maximum evocativeness and impact. That sets him apart as a populist composer and a clever composer who knows when to minimise classical overtures and when to highlight new repertoires of music. John Williams is hailed as the greatest music composer of our times - and he has got nominated for the Oscar atleast 45 times (the maximum number of times for any individual after Walt Disney); he has been magnificent in subjugating himself to a George Lucas or a Steven Spielberg in film scores but his box office success has been less consistent than James Horner, should you discount some of Spielberg's collaborations. James Horner rarely got nominated for the Oscars but the few times he got nominated, he went home with one and many of his films outside of “Titanic” and “Avatar” coasted home as blockbusters, perhaps insinuating that his music played a bigger role in the popularity of the film reaching the masses - “Apollo 13”, “A Beautiful Mind”, “Braveheart”, “The Mask of Zorro” etc. There were other talented composers like Michael Kamen and Hans Zimmer but the world had room for only John Williams and James Horner for the top spot. As Hollywood became more success-led, and budgets soared, and music needed neo-classical and Eurasian sensibilities, John Williams lost out to James Horner and Hans Zimmer in getting diverse subjects from gladiatorial themes to animation projects. The new directors are moving on to new music directors and selecting more directors without the baggage of an orchestra conductor or the trappings of an old-world composer, for example, Steven Prince, Trent Reznor. Many of them appear to score unconventional music with new sounds without adherence to sheet music and classical notations but the modern movie world is once again moving away from pure Western Classical music. It takes the grasp of geniuses like James Horner (or John Williams) to get the grooves back to the basics of orchestral beauty blended with vibrant instruments rather than chasing new sounds with impure range of syncretic instruments and technobeats.
With James Horner’s untimely death, an era of music composers who were passionate and committed to resplendent classical music ends. The mantle still falls on the remaining legends like John Williams (who is still a nonpareil Maestro) and folks like Hans Zimmer and Michael Kamen. But James Horner was a trailblazer in fusing divine interpretations for earthly visuals whether it is Jake entering the Na’vi world in “Avatar” or Mel Gibson rising to avenge his enemy’s deeds or those unfathomable waters speaking through the ship moving at a pace that ensured its end in sight. All of us have different choices for James Horner’s top scores because he has collaborated with many directors attempting different flicks. His music will endure this age and forever -because it truly belongs to the ages. R.I.P James Horner. The broad message is clear - Don't save the best for the last, you may go to grave with your best song yet to say, "My heart will go on...". James Horner didn't do that - he may have had many scores uncomposed yet, but he almost died empty by giving his best to the world of music.
Here are my top 5:
Titanic
Braveheart
The Mask of Zorro
A Beautiful Mind
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Braveheart
The Mask of Zorro
A Beautiful Mind
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