My favorite composers.

As promised, this is part two of my filmmusic...thing.

I mentioned that I was able, thanks to the internet, to put names to the music that I love. If forced to limit my favorite composers to twenty...

John Barry: A few years ago, I didn't much consider him as a favorite. To be fair, I hadn't seen any Bond films at that time. His music is fantastic and his string writing is remarkable.
Marco Beltrami: Started in horror, but managed to escape with dazzling results (Hellboy, I, Robot).
Elmer Bernstein: I'll level with you; I'm more familiar with (and, ergo, fonder of) his work in the comedy and animation genres, but those works are fascinating and who could thank him enough for utilizing the ondes martenot?
Bruce Broughton: Amazingly versatile, yet amazingly underused. Young Sherlock Holmes and Lost in Space are exciting works. Ah, to have him back in features...
Pino Donaggio: He has a way of bestowing his horror scores with great beauty...and, having recently discovered Home Movies, I'm forced to ask why he hasn't done more comedies.
Danny Elfman: A gifted craftsman with amazing range, as any Tim Burton devotee will tell you.
Jerry Goldsmith: One of the greats, without question. Action (Total Recall, sci-fi (Star Trek: TMP, animation (The Secret of N.I.M.H.), horror (The Omen trilogy)...
Bernard Herrmann: Everyone knows the string notes from Psycho, even if they've never heard of the film, but he was so much more than that (North by Northwest, Fahrenheit 451, Taxi Driver).
Rolfe Kent: Delightful melodies with off-kilter orchestrations...is it any wonder he's so sought-after (Wedding Crashers, Election)?
Vic Mizzy: Anyone who thinks of him as merely the "Addams Family" guy owes it to themselves to track down his "Suites and Themes" CD, which reveals his incredible range.
David Newman: Stuck in comedies for most of his career, but the resulting scores are excellent, as is his work in other genres (Hoffa, Anastasia, The Kindred).
John Ottman: A fine composer at home in comedies (Bubble Boy), thrillers (The Usual Suspects, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) and superhero action (Fantastic Four), among others.
Amotz Plessner: Been working steadily for a while now, having written terrific music for the likes of Addams Family Reunion and Digimon: the Movie. His time is coming, I just know it.
Basil Poledouris: Action was no problem for him (Conan the Barbarian, RoboCop), but he could do comedy, too (Hot Shots! Part Deux).
John Powell: Even if the only score he wrote was Paycheck, he'd still be one of the most promising new voices in film music.
Alan Silvestri: From Back to the Future to Mouse Hunt to Van Helsing, he continues to amaze.
Carl Stalling: I imagine that, subconsciously, he's on every person's favorite composers list, given how his music for Warner Bros. cartoons was such a vital component of childhood.
Brian Tyler: Another new guy on the scene and his work on Darkness Falls and Terror Tract ensures a long career.
Shirley Walker: Her scores for the "Batman" and "Superman" shows were good enough for features and she received her chance on Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Turbulence and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
John Williams: I know, real original, but...it's John Williams. Raiders of the Lost Ark. Jaws. Catch Me If You Can.

Tomorrow: my favorite things about film music.