Skip to Main Content
It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.
Notable Film Music Composers
If you wish to be generally familiar with film music, here is a short list of composers you should know.
|
Name
|
Birth
|
Death
|
Nationality
|
Music Online (Alexander Street Press) & Naxos |
Media
|
|
Bernstein, Elmer
Books
|
1922 |
2004 |
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Elfman, Danny
Books
|
1953 |
|
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Goldsmith, Jerry
Books
|
1929 |
2004 |
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Herrmann, Bernard
Books
|
1911 |
1975 |
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Horner, James
|
1953 |
|
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
DVDs |
|
Howard, James Newton
|
1951 |
|
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Ifukube, Akira
|
1914
|
2006
|
Japanese
|
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
|
|
Jarre, Maurice
|
1924 |
2009 |
French |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
DVDs |
|
Mancini, Henry
Books/Music
|
1924 |
1994 |
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
CDs/
DVDs |
|
Morricone, Ennio
Books
|
1928 |
|
Italian |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
DVDs |
|
Newman, Thomas
Books
|
1955 |
|
American |
Naxos |
DVDs |
|
Poledouris, Basil
|
1945 |
2006 |
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Rota, Nino
Books
|
1911 |
1979 |
Italian |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
DVDs |
|
Rózsa, Miklós
Books
|
1907 |
1995 |
Hungarian-American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
CDs/
DVDs |
|
Schifrin, Lalo
Books
|
1932 |
|
Argentine |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
DVDs |
|
Shore, Howard
Books
|
1946 |
|
Canadian |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
DVDs |
|
Silvestri, Alan
Books
|
1950
|
|
American
|
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
DVDs |
|
Steiner, Max
Books
|
1888 |
1971 |
Austrian-American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
DVDs |
|
Tiomkin, Dimitri
Books
|
1894 |
1979 |
Russian |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
DVDs
|
|
Vangelis
|
1943 |
|
Greek |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
DVDs |
|
Waxman, Franz
Books
|
1906 |
1967 |
German-American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
CDs/
DVDs |
|
Williams, John
Books
|
1932 |
|
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
CDs/
DVDs |
|
Zimmer, Hans
Books
|
1957 |
|
German |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos |
DVDs |
Film Music Composers
If you are a student of Music History, Composition, or Film Music, here are additional film music composers you should know.
|
Name
|
Birth
|
Death
|
Nationality
|
Music Online (Alexander Street Press) & Naxos
|
Media
|
|
Barry, John
|
1933 |
2011 |
English |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
CDs/
DVDs
|
|
Broughton, Bruce
Books
|
1945 |
|
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
|
|
Burwell, Carter
|
1955 |
|
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs
|
|
Conti, Bill
|
1942 |
|
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Desplat, Alexandre
|
1961 |
|
French |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Doyle, Patrick
|
1953 |
|
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Friedhofer, Hugo
Books
|
1901 |
1981 |
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Giacchino, Michael
|
1967 |
|
American |
Music Onine (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Goodwin, Ron
|
1925 |
2003 |
British |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Gregson-Williams, Harry
|
1961 |
|
British |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs
|
|
Hamlisch, Marvin
|
1944 |
|
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
CDs/
DVDS
|
|
Hisaishi, Joe
|
1950 |
|
Japanese |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Kaczmarek, Jan A.P.
|
1953 |
|
Polish |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
|
|
Kamen, Michael
|
1948 |
2003 |
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Korngold, Erich Wolfgang
Books/Music
|
1897 |
1957 |
Czech-American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
CDs/
DVDs
|
|
Morris, John
|
1926 |
|
American |
Music Online (ASP)
|
DVDs
|
|
Newman, Alfred
|
1901 |
1970 |
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Newman, Randy
|
1943 |
|
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
North, Alex
Books
|
1910 |
1991 |
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Powell, John
|
1963 |
|
British |
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Reznor, Trent
|
1965 |
|
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Rosenman, Leonard
|
1924 |
2008 |
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Shankar, Ravi
Book
|
1920 |
2012 |
Indian |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
CD |
|
Stothart, Herbert
|
1885 |
1949 |
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
|
Young, Victor
|
1899 |
1956 |
American |
Music Online (ASP)
Naxos
|
DVDs |
Trible Library provides links to other websites to aid in research and is not responsible for the content or privacy policy of those sites.
