What's a movie without great music?
NATIONAL FILM SCORE DAY
On April 3rd, National Film Score Day recognizes the musical masterpieces called “Film Scores” and, more specifically, the very talented composers who create them.
As the opening scenes of a long-anticipated movie begin flickering across the screen, a rising cadence undulates through the theater setting the mood. A musical note plays, then two. Soon the theater fills with a beautifully layered orchestral music masterwork. This musical accompaniment to the film you are watching is called the “Film Score.”
Decades of accomplished composers from Miklós Rózsa, Shirley Walker, Bernard Herrmann, and Leonard Bernstein to John Williams,
Jerry Goldsmith, Rachel Portman, and Michael Giacchino – hundreds more too numerous to name – have created lifetimes of masterworks.
Imagine your favorite film without a few well-placed notes enhancing the emotion of a dramatic on-screen exchange. Or a chase scene without rousing orchestral music elevating the intensity. Would Star Wars, Jaws, The Lord of the Rings films, or the Harry Potter films be the same without their complementary musical scores? Without the film score, would we cower so easily in fear from our seats? Would our imaginations so eagerly suspend from reality? Music heightens emotions. It also sharpens our senses and focuses our attention. Without a doubt, the film score is the fiery soul of a film.
We quickly recognize our favorite movies throughout film history merely by a few notes of a film’s orchestral soundtrack. Perennial classics and modern-day blockbusters call to us when we hear the Film Scores we love most. Despite years or decades, those chords often ignite a rush of fond memories. And with each new film released, a talented composer creates another magnificent work of musical art—each one eliciting a new set of lasting movie memories.
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalFilmScoreDay
- Share your most memorable film score moments. Is it John Williams’ sweeping film scores for Star Wars and Harry Potter? Jerry Goldsmith’s music for Rudy, Alien, Hoosiers, or Star Trek? James Horner’s score for Titanic or Field of Dreams?
- Listen to your favorite film scores.
What's your favorite film score, using the term "score" loosely?
