National Film Score Day: Iconic Composers | Best Original Score Winners

National Film Score Day is celebrated on April 3. It’s a day to celebrate the composers whose stirring melodies and haunting motifs elevate cinematic experiences to new heights. From the spine-tingling suspense of horror classics to the epic grandeur of sweeping adventures, film scores transport us to distant worlds and evoke emotions with just a few well-placed notes.

Iconic Film Score Composers

Some soundtracks have left an indelible mark on the industry, shaping the way we perceive and appreciate movies. When the music is on point, scary parts are – hide under the blanket and block your ears -scarier. When the notes hit just right, you can either melt into a tear-filled puddle or laugh out loud hysteria.

Few composers have made as profound an impact on the world of film music as John Williams. His two-note score of “Jaws” preparing to attack is one of the most horrifying in film history. With his iconic music scores for the franchises “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Jurassic Park,” Williams has become synonymous with blockbuster cinema. His ability to craft instantly recognizable melodies that perfectly complement the action on screen has earned him a place among the all-time greats of film scoring.

Another titan of the industry is Ennio Morricone, whose collaborations with director Sergio Leone on spaghetti westerns “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and others revolutionized the genre. Morricone’s innovative use of unconventional instruments and avant-garde techniques brought a new level of sophistication to film music, earning him widespread acclaim and numerous accolades throughout his illustrious career.

In addition to these legendary composers, several others have left an indelible mark on the world of film scoring. Max Steiner, the “father of film music,” pioneered the use of leitmotifs and orchestral arrangements in early Hollywood classics like “Gone with the Wind” and “Casablanca.”

Bernard Herrmann‘s collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock produced some of the most memorable scores in cinema history, including the iconic shrieking violins of “Psycho.”

Best Original Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

Here are the Academy Award-winning Best Original Score winners (Not bo be confused with the winners for Score of a Musical Picture) from the golden age of Hollywood to the present day.

1934: “One Night of Love” – Score by Victor Schertzinger

1935: “The Informer” – Score by Max Steiner

1936: “Anthony Adverse” – Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold

1937: “100 Men and a Girl” – Score by Charles Previn

1938: “The Adventures of Robin Hood” – Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold

1939: “The Wizard of Oz” – Score by Herbert Stothart

1940: “Pinocchio” – Score by Leigh Harline, Paul J. Smith, and Ned Washington

1941: “All That Money Can Buy” (also known as “The Devil and Daniel Webster”) – Score by Bernard Herrmann

1942: “Now, Voyager” – Score by Max Steiner

1943: “The Song of Bernadette” – Score by Alfred Newman

1944: “Since You Went Away” – Score by Max Steiner

1945: “Spellbound” – Score by Miklós Rózsa

1946: “The Best Years of Our Lives” – Score by Hugo Friedhofer

1947: “A Double Life” – Score by Miklós Rózsa

1948: “The Red Shoes” – Score by Brian Easdale

1949: “The Heiress” – Score by Aaron Copland

1950: “Sunset Boulevard” – Score by Franz Waxman

1951: “An American in Paris” – Score by Johnny Green

1952: “High Noon” – Score by Dimitri Tiomkin

1953: “Lili” – Score by Bronisław Kaper

1954: “The High and the Mighty” – Score by Dimitri Tiomkin

1955: “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” – Score by Alfred Newman and Sammy Fain

1956: “Around the World in 80 Days” – Score by Victor Young

1957: “The Bridge on the River Kwai” – Score by Malcolm Arnold

1958: “Gigi” – Score by André Previn

1959: “Ben-Hur” – Score by Miklós Rózsa

1960: “Exodus” – Score by Ernest Gold

1961: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” – Score by Henry Mancini

1962: “Lawrence of Arabia” – Score by Maurice Jarre

1963: “Tom Jones” – Score by John Addison

1964: “Mary Poppins” – Score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

1965: “Doctor Zhivago” – Score by Maurice Jarre

1966: “Born Free” – Score by John Barry

1967: “Thoroughly Modern Millie” – Score by Elmer Bernstein

1968: “The Lion in Winter” – Score by John Barry

1969: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” – Score by Burt Bacharach

1970: “Love Story” – Score by Francis Lai

1971: “Summer of ’42” – Score by Michel Legrand

1972: “Limelight” – Score by Charles Chaplin and Raymond Rasch

1973: “The Way We Were” – Score by Marvin Hamlisch

1974: “The Godfather Part II” – Score by Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola

1975: “Jaws” – Score by John Williams

1976: “The Omen” – Score by Jerry Goldsmith

1977: “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” – Score by John Williams

1978: “Midnight Express” – Score by Giorgio Moroder

1979: “A Little Romance” – Score by Georges Delerue

1980: “Fame” – Score by Michael Gore

1981: “Chariots of Fire” – Score by Vangelis

1982: “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” – Score by John Williams

1983: “The Right Stuff” – Score by Bill Conti

1984: “A Passage to India” – Score by Maurice Jarre

1985: “Out of Africa” – Score by John Barry

1986: “‘Round Midnight” – Score by Herbie Hancock

1987: “The Last Emperor” – Score by Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, and Cong Su

1988: “The Milagro Beanfield War” – Score by Dave Grusin

1989: “The Little Mermaid” – Score by Alan Menken

1990: “Dances with Wolves” – Score by John Barry

1991: “Beauty and the Beast” – Score by Alan Menken

1992: “Aladdin” – Score by Alan Menken

1993: “Schindler’s List” – Score by John Williams

1994: “The Lion King” – Score by Hans Zimmer

1995: “Pocahontas” – Score by Alan Menken

1996: “The English Patient” – Score by Gabriel Yared

1997: “Titanic” – Score by James Horner

1998: “Shakespeare in Love” – Score by Stephen Warbeck

1999: “The Red Violin” – Score by John Corigliano

2000: “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” – Score by Tan Dun

2001: “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” – Score by Howard Shore

2002: “Frida” – Score by Elliot Goldenthal

2003: “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” – Score by Howard Shore

2004: “Finding Neverland” – Score by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

2005: “Brokeback Mountain” – Score by Gustavo Santaolalla

2006: “Babel” – Score by Gustavo Santaolalla

2007: “Atonement” – Score by Dario Marianelli

2008: “Slumdog Millionaire” – Score by A.R. Rahman

2009: “Up” – Score by Michael Giacchino

2010: “The Social Network” – Score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

2011: “The Artist” – Score by Ludovic Bource

2012: “Life of Pi” – Score by Mychael Danna

2013: “Gravity” – Score by Steven Price

2014: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” – Score by Alexandre Desplat

2015: “The Hateful Eight” – Score by Ennio Morricone

2016: “La La Land” – Score by Justin Hurwitz

2017: “The Shape of Water” – Score by Alexandre Desplat

2018: “Black Panther” – Score by Ludwig Göransson

2019: “Joker” – Score by Hildur Guðnadóttir

2020: “Soul” – Score by Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross

2021: “Dune” – Score by Hans Zimmer

2022: “All Quiet on the Western Front” – Score by Volker Bertelmann

2023: “Oppenheimer” – Score by Ludwig Göransson

These composers and their groundbreaking scores have helped shape the landscape of cinema, enriching our movie-watching experiences and leaving an indelible legacy that continues to inspire aspiring musicians and filmmakers around the world. Happy National Film Score Day! 🎬🎶