16 mm film showing a "variable area" sound track at right.

A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized recorded sound.

Origin of the term[link]

In movie industry terminology usage, a sound track is an audio recording created or used in film production or post-production. Initially the dialogue, sound effects, and music in a film each has its own separate track (dialogue track, sound effects track, and music track), and these are mixed together to make what is called the composite track, which is heard in the film. A dubbing track is often later created when films are dubbed into another language. This is also known as a M & E track (music and effects) containing all sound elements minus dialogue which is then supplied by the foreign distributor in the native language of its territory.

The contraction soundtrack came into public consciousness with the advent of so-called "soundtrack albums" in the early 1950s. First conceived by movie companies as a promotional gimmick for new films, these commercially available recordings were labeled and advertised as "music from the original motion picture soundtrack." This phrase was soon shortened to just "original motion picture soundtrack." More accurately, such recordings are made from a film's music track, because they usually consist of the isolated music from a film, not the composite (sound) track with dialogue and sound effects.

The abbreviation OST is often used to describe the musical soundtrack on a recorded medium, such as CD, and it stands for Original Soundtrack; however, it is sometimes also used to differentiate the original music heard and recorded versus a rerecording or cover of the music.

Types of recordings[link]

In the soundtrack genre there are four types of recordings:

1. Musical film soundtracks which concentrate primarily on the songs
   (Examples: Grease, Singin' in the Rain)
2. Film scores which showcase the background music from non-musicals
   (Examples: Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings)
3. Albums of pop songs heard in whole or part in the background of non-musicals
   (Examples: Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally...)
4. Video game soundtracks are often released after a game's release, usually consisting of the background music from the game's levels, menus, title screens, promo material (such as entire songs that only segments of which were used in the game), cut-screens and occasionally sound-effects used in the game
   (Examples: Sonic Heroes, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)

The soundtrack to the 1937 Walt Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first commercially issued film soundtrack^[1]. It was released in January 1938 as Songs from Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (with the Same Characters and Sound Effects as in the Film of That Title) and has since seen numerous expansions and reissues.

The first musical film to have a commercially issued soundtrack album was MGM’s film biography of Show Boat composer Jerome Kern, Till the Clouds Roll By. The album was originally issued as a set of four 10-inch 78-rpm records. Only eight selections from the film were included in this first edition of the album. In order to fit the songs onto the record sides the musical material needed editing and manipulation. This was before tape existed, so the record producer needed to copy segments from the playback discs used on set, the copy and re-copy them from one disc to another adding transitions and cross-fades until the final master was created. Needless to say, it was several generations removed from the original and the sound quality suffered for it. The playback recordings were purposely recorded very "dry" (without reverberation); otherwise it would come across as too hollow sounding in large movie theatres. This made these albums sound flat and boxy.

MGM Records called these "original cast albums" in the style of Decca's Broadway show cast albums. They also coined the phrase "recorded directly from the soundtrack." Over the years the term "soundtrack" began to be commonly applied to any recording from a film, whether taken from the actual film soundtrack or re-recorded in studio. The phrase is also sometimes incorrectly used for Broadway cast recordings. While it is correct to call a "soundtrack" a "cast recording" (since it represents the film cast) it is never correct to call a "cast recording" a "soundtrack." Among MGM's most notable soundtrack albums were those of the films Good News, Easter Parade, Annie Get Your Gun, Singin' in the Rain, Show Boat, The Band Wagon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Gigi.

Film score albums did not really become popular until the LP era, although a few were issued in 78-rpm albums. Alex North’s score for the 1951 film version of A Streetcar Named Desire was released on a 10-inch LP by Capitol Records and sold so well that the label later re-released it on one side of a 12-inch LP with some of Max Steiner's film music on the reverse.

Steiner’s score for Gone with the Wind has been recorded many times, but when the film was reissued in 1967, MGM Records finally released an album of the famous score recorded directly from the soundtrack. Like the 1967 re-release of the film, this version of the score was artificially "enhanced for stereo". In recent years, Rhino Records has released a 2-CD set of the complete Gone With the Wind score, restored to its original mono sound.

One of the biggest-selling film scores of all time was John Williams's music from the movie Star Wars. Many film score albums go out-of-print after the films finish their theatrical runs and some have become extremely rare collectors’ items.

In a few rare instances an entire film dialogue track was issued on records. The 1968 Franco Zeffirelli film of Romeo and Juliet was issued as a 4-LP set, as a single LP with musical and dialogue excerpts, and as an album containing only the film's musical score. The ground-breaking film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was issued by Warner Bros Records as a 2-LP set containing virtually all the dialogue from the film. RCA Victor also issued a 2-LP set what was virtually all the dialogue from the film soundtrack of A Man for All Seasons.

Movie and television soundtracks[link]

The term soundtrack now most commonly refers to the music used in a movie (or television show), and/or to an album sold containing that music. Sometimes, the music has been recorded just for the film or album (e.g. Saturday Night Fever). Often, but not always, and depending on the type of movie, the soundtrack album will contain portions of the score, music composed for dramatic effect as the movie's plot occurs. In 1908, Camille Saint-Saëns composed the first music specifically for use in a motion picture (L'assasinat du duc de Guise), and releasing recordings of songs used in films became prevalent in the 1930s. Henry Mancini, who won an Emmy Award and two Grammys for his soundtrack to Peter Gunn, was the first composer to have a widespread hit with a song from a soundtrack.

By convention, a soundtrack record can contain all kinds of music including music "inspired by" but not actually appearing in the movie; the score contains only music by the original film's composer(s).^[2]

Video game soundtracks[link]

Soundtrack may also refer to music used in video games. While sound effects were nearly universally used for action happening in the game, music to accompany the gameplay was a later development. Rob Hubbard and Martin Galway were early composers of music specifically for video games for the 1980s Commodore 64 computer. Koji Kondo was an early and important composer for Nintendo games. As the technology improved, polyphonic and often orchestral soundtracks replaced simple monophonic melodies starting in the late 1980s and the soundtracks to popular games such as the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series began to be released separately. In addition to compositions written specifically for video games, the advent of CD technology allowed developers to incorporate licensed songs into their soundtrack (the Grand Theft Auto series is a good example of this). Furthermore, when Microsoft released the Xbox in 2001, it featured an option allowing users to customize the soundtrack for certain games by ripping a CD to the hard-drive.

Book soundtracks[link]

Only a few cases exist of an entire soundtrack being written specifically for a book.

A soundtrack for J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings was composed by Craig Russell for the San Luis Obispo Youth Symphony. Commissioned in 1995, it was finally put on disk in 2000 by the San Luis Obispo Symphony.^{[citation needed]}

For the 1996 Star Wars novel Shadows of the Empire (written by author Steve Perry), Lucasfilm chose Joel McNeely to write a score. This was an eccentric, experimental project, in contrast to all other soundtracks, as the composer was allowed to convey general moods and themes, rather than having to write music to flow for specific scenes. A project called "Sine Fiction"^[3] has made some soundtracks to novels by science fiction writers like Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, and has thus far released 19 soundtracks to science-fiction novels or short stories. All of them are available for free download.

Author L. Ron Hubbard composed and recorded a soundtrack album to his novel Battlefield Earth entitled Space Jazz. He marketed the concept album as "the only original sound track ever produced for a book before it becomes a movie". There are two other soundtracks to Hubbard novels, being Mission Earth by Edgar Winter and To the Stars by Chick Corea.

The 1985 novel Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Le Guin, originally came in a box set with an audiocassette entitled Music and Poetry of the Kesh, featuring three performances of poetry, and ten musical compositions by Todd Barton.

In comics, Daniel Clowes' graphic novel Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron had an official soundtrack album. The original black-and-white Nexus #3 from Capitol comics included the "Flexi-Nexi" which was a soundtrack flexi-disc for the issue. Trosper by Jim Woodring included a soundtrack album composed and performed by Bill Frisell,^[4] and the Absolute Edition of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier is planned to include an original vinyl record.

As Internet access became more widespread, a similar practice developed of accompanying a printed work with a downloadable theme song, rather than a complete and physically published album. The theme songs for Nextwave,^[5] Runaways,^[6] Achewood, Dinosaur Comics and Killroy and Tina are examples of this.

In Japan, such examples of music inspired by a work and not intended to soundtrack an radio play or motion picture adaptation of it are known as an "image album" or "image song," though this definition also includes such things as film score demos inspired by concept art and songs inspired by a TV series which do not feature in it. Many audio books have some form of musical accompaniment, but these are generally not extensive enough to be released as a separate soundtrack.

See also[link]

• Audio restoration
• Film score
• Image album
• Image song
• List of soundtrack composers
• Cast recording – for musical theater
• Soundtrack album
• SoundtrackNet
• Musivisual Language

References[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2007)

External links[link]

• the Soundtrack INFO project
• Film Composers and Soundtracks
• Soundtrack.net trailer music reference
• Soundtrackcollector.com Soundtrack Database
• BIT12 - Best Italian Tutorial by Composer Stefano Lentini

Jerry Goldsmith
Goldsmith conducts the London Symphony Orchestra, 2003
Background information
Birth name	Jerrald King Goldsmith
Born	(1929-02-10)February 10, 1929 Los Angeles, California
Died	July 21, 2004(2004-07-21) (aged 75) Beverly Hills, California
Genres	Film score, Contemporary classical music
Occupations	composer and conductor
Years active	1951 - 2004

Jerrald King "Jerry" Goldsmith (February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004) was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring.

He composed scores for such noteworthy films as The Sand Pebbles, Planet of the Apes, Patton, Chinatown, The Wind and the Lion, The Omen, The Boys from Brazil, Alien, Poltergeist, Gremlins, Hoosiers, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Rudy, Air Force One, L.A. Confidential, Mulan, The Mummy, three Rambo films, and five Star Trek films. He was nominated for six Grammy Awards, nine Golden Globes, four BAFTAs, and seventeen Academy Awards. In 1977 he was awarded an Oscar for The Omen.

He collaborated with some of the most prolific directors in film history, including Robert Wise (The Sand Pebbles, Star Trek: The Motion Picture), Howard Hawks (Rio Lobo), Otto Preminger (In Harm's Way), Joe Dante (Gremlins, The 'Burbs, Small Soldiers), Roman Polanski (Chinatown), Ridley Scott (Alien, Legend), Steven Spielberg (Poltergeist, Twilight Zone: The Movie), and Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall, Basic Instinct). However, his most notable collaboration was arguably that with Franklin J. Schaffner, for whom Goldsmith scored such films as Planet of the Apes, Patton, Papillon, and The Boys from Brazil.

Early life and education[link]

Goldsmith, who was Jewish, was born 10 February 1929 in Los Angeles, California.^[1] His parents were Tessa (née Rappaport), an artist, and Morris Goldsmith, a structural engineer.^[2] He started playing piano at age six, but only "got serious" by the time he was eleven. At the age of thirteen he studied piano privately with legendary concert pianist and educator Jakob Gimpel^[3] (whom Goldsmith would later employ to perform piano solos in his score to The Mephisto Waltz) and by the age of sixteen he was studying both theory and counterpoint under Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who also tutored such noteworthy composers and musicians as Henry Mancini, Nelson Riddle, Herman Stein, André Previn, Marty Paich, and John Williams.

At the age of sixteen, Goldsmith saw the movie Spellbound (1945) in theaters and was inspired by the soundtrack by veteran composer Miklós Rózsa to pursue a career in music. Goldsmith later enrolled and attended the University of Southern California where he was able to attend courses by Rózsa, but dropped out in favor of a more "practical music program" at the Los Angeles City College.^[4] There he was able to coach singers, work as an assistant choral director, play piano accompaniment, and work as an assistant conductor.^[5]

Film and television scoring[link]

1950s and work at CBS[link]

In 1950, Goldsmith found work at CBS as a clerk typist in the network's music department under director Lud Gluskin.^[5] There he began writing scores for such radio shows as CBS Radio Workshop, Frontier Gentleman, and Romance. In an interview with Andy Velez from BarnesandNoble.com, Goldsmith stated, "It was about 1950. CBS had a workshop, and once a week the employees, whatever their talents, whether they were ushers or typists, would produce a radio show. But you had to be an employee. They needed someone to do music, and I knew someone there who said I'd be great for this. I'd just gotten married and needed a job, so they faked a typing test for me. Then I could do these shows. About six months later, the music department heard what I did, liked it, and gave me a job."^[6] He later progressed into scoring such live CBS television shows as Climax! and Playhouse 90. He also scored multiple episodes of the hit television series The Twilight Zone. He remained at CBS until 1960, after which he moved on to Revue Studios, where he would later compose music for such television shows as Dr. Kildare and The Man from U.N.C.L.E..^[5]

His feature film debut occurred when he composed the music to the western Black Patch (1957). He continued with scores to such films as the western Face of a Fugitive (1957) and the science fiction film City of Fear (1959).^[7]

1960s[link]

Jerry Goldsmith began the decade composing for such television shows as Dr. Kildare and Thriller as well as the drama film The Spiral Road (1960). However, he only began receiving widespread name recognition after his intimate score to the classic western Lonely Are the Brave (1962). His involvement in the picture was the result of a recommendation by veteran composer Alfred Newman who had been impressed with Goldsmith’s score on the television show Thriller and took it upon himself to recommend Goldsmith to the head of Universal Pictures’ music department, despite having never met him.^[8] That same year, Goldsmith composed the mostly atonal and dissonant score to the pseudo-biopic Freud (1962) that focused on a five-year period of the life of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Goldsmith’s score went on to garner him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, though he lost to fellow first-time nominee Maurice Jarre for his music to Lawrence of Arabia (1962). In 1963, Goldsmith composed a score to The Stripper, his first collaboration with director Franklin J. Schaffner for whom Goldsmith would later score the motion pictures Planet of the Apes (1968), Patton (1970), Papillon (1973), and The Boys from Brazil (1978).^[7]

Following his success with Lonely Are the Brave and Freud, Goldsmith went on to achieve even more critical recognition with the theme music to The Man from U.N.C.L.E (1964), and scores to such films as the western Rio Conchos (1964), the political thriller Seven Days in May (1964), the romantic drama A Patch of Blue (1965), the epic war film In Harm's Way (1965) (in which Goldsmith also made a brief cameo appearance),^[9] the World War I aviation film The Blue Max (1966), the period naval war epic The Sand Pebbles (1966), the thriller Warning Shot (1967), the western Hour of the Gun (1967), and the controversial mystery The Detective (1968).^[10] Goldsmith's scores to A Patch of Blue and The Sand Pebbles garnered him his second and third Oscar nominations, respectively, and were both one of the 250 nominees for the American Film Institute’s top twenty-five American film scores.^[11] His scores for Seven Days in May and The Sand Pebbles also garnered Goldsmith his first two respective Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Score in 1965 and 1967.^[12] During this time, he also composed for many lighter, comedic films such as the family comedy The Trouble with Angels (1966), the James Bond parodies Our Man Flint (1966) and its sequel In Like Flint (1967), and the comedy The Flim-Flam Man (1967).^[7]

In 1968, Jerry Goldsmith caught massive critical attention with his landmark, controversial soundtrack to the post-apocalyptic science fiction epic Planet of the Apes (1968), which was one of the first film scores to be written entirely in an Avant garde style. When scoring Planet of the Apes, Goldsmith used such innovative techniques as looping drums into an echoplex, using the orchestra to imitate the grunting sounds of apes, having horns blown without mouthpieces, and instructing the woodwind players to finger their keys without using any air. He also used steel mixing bowls, among other objects, to create unique percussive sounds.^[7] The score went on to garner Goldsmith another Oscar nomination for Best Original Score and now ranks in #18 on the American Film Institute’s top twenty-five American film scores.^[11] Though he did not return to compose for its sequel Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Goldsmith scored the third installment in the Planet of the Apes franchise, Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971).

Goldsmith concluded the decade with scores to such films as the western Bandolero! (1968), the spy thriller The Chairman (1969), the science fiction film The Illustrated Man (1969), and the western 100 Rifles (1969). In 1969, he also composed the theme to the comedy-drama television series Room 222.^[7]

1970s[link]

Goldsmith received more critical praise with his pompous, daring music to the World War II biopic Patton (1970). Throughout the score, Goldsmith used an echoplex to loop recorded sounds of "call to war" triplets played on the trumpet that musically represented General George S. Patton's belief in reincarnation. The main theme also consisted of a symphonic march accompanied by a pipe organ to represent the militaristic yet deeply religious nature of the protagonist.^[13] The music to Patton subsequently earned Goldsmith an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score and was one of the American Film Institute's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores.^[11] Goldsmith's critical success continued with his emotional score to the prison escape film Papillon (1973), which also earned him a nomination for an Academy Award and a nomination for the AFI's top twenty-five American film scores.^[11]

In 1974, Goldsmith was faced with the daunting task of replacing a score by composer Phillip Lambro to the neo-film noir Chinatown. With only ten days to compose and record an entirely new score, Jerry Goldsmith quickly produced a score that mixed an eastern music sound with elements of jazz in an ensemble that only featured a trumpet, four pianos, four harps, two percussionists, and a string section.^[14][15] Goldsmith received an Academy Award nomination for his efforts though he lost to Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola for The Godfather Part II. The score to Chinatown is often regarded as one of the greatest scores of all time and ranks #9 on AFI's top 25 American film scores.^[11] It was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score.^[12]

Goldsmith earned more critical praise with his score to the epic period adventure film The Wind and the Lion (1975), which, true to the style of such Golden Age scores as Maurice Jarre's Lawrence of Arabia, relied upon a diverse ensemble including many Morrocan instruments and a large percussion section.^[16] The score garnered Goldsmith an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, though he lost to fellow composer John Williams for his score to Jaws. The Wind and the Lion was also one of AFI's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores.^[11]

	Jerry Goldsmith - "Ave Satani" noicon "Ave Satani" clip from the soundtrack of The Omen.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

In 1976, Goldsmith composed a dark choral score to the horror movie The Omen, which was the first film score to feature the use of a choir in an Avant-garde style.^[17] The score was successful among critics and garnered Goldsmith his first (and ultimately only) Academy Award for Best Original Score and a nomination for Best Original Song for "Ave Satani".^[18] It was also one of AFI's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores.^[11] His wife, Carol Heather Goldsmith, also wrote lyrics and performed a vocal track titled "The Piper Dreams" released solely on the soundtrack album.^[17] Goldsmith would go on to compose for two more entrees in the franchise; Damien: Omen II (1978) and Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981).

He continued to have critical success with scores to such films as the dystopian science fiction Logan's Run (1976), the period drama Islands in the Stream (1977) (which remained one of his personal favorites),^[19] the science fiction suspense Coma (1978), the science fiction thriller Capricorn One (1978), the disaster film The Swarm (1978), the period comedy The Great Train Robbery (1979), and his Oscar nominated score to the science fiction thriller The Boys from Brazil (1978), in which he utilized lively waltzes to juxtapose the horrific concept of the film, cloning Adolf Hitler.^[20]

In 1979, Goldsmith composed a score to the landmark science fiction film Alien. His score featured an orchestra augmented by a shofar, didgeridoo, steel drum, and serpent (a 16th century instrument), while creating further "alien" sounds by filtering string pizzicati through an echoplex. Many of the instruments were used in such atypical ways they were virtually unidentifiable. His score was, however, heavily edited during post-production and Goldsmith was required to rewrite music for several scenes. The final score resulted in several pieces being moved, replaced, or cut entirely. Director Ridley Scott and editor Terry Rawlings also, without the consent of Goldsmith, purchased the rights to the "Main Title" from Freud (1962) which they used during the acid blood sequence.^[21] Despite the heavy edits and rewrites, Goldsmith's score to Alien earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score^[12] and was one of AFI's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores.^[11]

That same year, Goldsmith concluded the decade composing what is widely considered his most recognized and celebrated score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).^[22] Having been the initial choice of Gene Roddenberry to compose the original Star Trek pilot "The Cage" yet being unable to do so due to scheduling conflicts, Goldsmith was the first pick of both Paramount Pictures and director Robert Wise to compose a score for The Motion Picture.^[23] Goldsmith's initial main theme was not well-received by the filmmakers, director Robert Wise stating, "It sounds like sailing ships". Though somewhat irked by its rejection, Goldsmith consented to re-work his initial idea and finally arrived at the majestic Star Trek theme which was ultimately used.^[24] The film's soundtrack also provided a debut for the Blaster Beam, an electronic instrument 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 m) long, created by musician Craig Huxley.^[25][26] The Blaster had steel wires connected to amplifiers fitted to the main piece of aluminum; the device was played with an artillery shell. Goldsmith heard it and immediately decided to use it for V'Ger's cues.^[27] An enormous pipe organ first plays the V'Ger theme on the Enterprise's approach, a literal indication of the machine's power.^[28] His score for The Motion Picture earned him nominations for the Academy Awards, Golden Globes,^[12] and was one of AFI's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores.^[11] Goldsmith would later compose the scores for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), as well as the theme to the television series Star Trek: Voyager in 1995. In addition, his theme for The Motion Picture, as arranged by Dennis McCarthy, was reused as the theme for Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987.^[29][30]

1980s[link]

Throughout the 1980s, Goldsmith found himself increasingly scoring science fiction and fantasy films in the ongoing wake of the successful Star Wars (1977) composing for such films as the The Omen sequels Damien: Omen II (1978) and Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981), the space western Outland (1981), the animated fantasy The Secret of NIMH (1982), and the episodic fantasy mystery Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), which he composed in four different styles to accompany the four parts of the film.^[31]

In 1982, Goldsmith was hired to compose the music to the classic Tobe Hooper directed, Steven Spielberg produced fantasy horror Poltergeist. He wrote several themes for Poltergeist including a gentle lullaby for the protagonist Carol Anne and her family's suburban life, a semi-religious theme for scenes concerning the souls trapped between the two worlds, and bombastic atonal bursts during scenes of horror.^[32] The score for Poltergeist garnered him a nomination for an Academy Award, though he lost again to fellow composer John Williams for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Goldsmith later returned in 1986 to compose the more synthetic score to Poltergeist II, the first of its two sequels.^[33]

He did, however, still manage to compose for such non-fantasy productions as the period television miniseries Masada (1981) (for which he won an Emmy Award), the controversial war film Inchon (1982), the action classic First Blood (1982), and his Oscar and Golden Globe nominated score to the political drama Under Fire (1983) in which he used the ethnic sounds of a South American pan flute, synthetic elements, and the prominently featured solo work of jazz guitarist Pat Metheny.^[12][34]

Throughout the decade, many of his compositions became increasingly laced with synthetic elements such as his scores for the horror sequel Psycho II (1983), the comedy horror film Gremlins (1984) (for which he won a Saturn Award for Best Music),^[35] the fantasy superhero adaptation Supergirl (1984), the fantasy adventure Legend (1985) (initially heard only in European prints and then years later in a 2002 director's cut),^[36] the action sequel Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), the family fantasy Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985), and the fantasy horror Poltergeist II (1986).^[7] His incorporation of synthesizers, orchestra, and the recorded sounds of basketball hits on a gymnasium floor also garnered him another Academy Award nomination for his innovative and critically acclaimed score to the dramatic sports movie Hoosiers (1986), though he lost to Herbie Hancock for Round Midnight.^[37]

Goldsmith finished out the decade with noteworthy scores to such films as the medieval adventure Lionheart (1987), the science fiction comedy Innerspace (1987), Rambo III (1988), the science fiction horror Leviathan (1989), and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), his second Star Trek film score.^[7] Goldsmith's score to Leviathan (1989) is notable for having incorporated the use of recorded whale sounds during the main titles.^[38] His critically acclaimed comedy score to The 'Burbs (1989) is also noteworthy for the use of pipe organ, recorded dog barking sound effects, and for parodying the trumpet "call to war" triplets on an echoplex from his previous score to Patton (1970).^[39]

1990s[link]

In 1990, Jerry Goldsmith received critical acclaim for his score to the romantic drama The Russia House, which featured a unique mixture of Russian music and jazz to complement the nationalities and characteristics of the two main characters.^[40] He also composed critically acclaimed music for the science fiction action film Total Recall (1990), which Goldsmith later regarded as one of his best scores.^[41] Other noteworthy scores of the era include Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) (in which Goldsmith also made a brief cameo appearance),^[42] the psychological thriller Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), the family comedy Mom and Dad Save the World (1991), the fantasy romance Forever Young (1992), the thriller The Vanishing (1993), and the family comedy Dennis the Menace (1993).^[7] In 1992, Goldsmith also composed a critically acclaimed score for the medical drama Medicine Man.^[43] In concert, Goldsmith would later recount a story of how actor Sean Connery copied Goldsmith's signature ponytail hairstyle for his character Robert Campbell in the film. In the film's closing credits Goldsmith is listed as "hair designer".

In 1992, Goldsmith composed and conducted a score to the erotic thriller Basic Instinct. The soundtrack, an unsettling hybrid of orchestral and electronic elements, garnered him yet another Academy Award nomination as well as a Golden Globe nomination^[12] and was later regarded by the composer as one of his most challenging works.^[44][45] In 1993, Goldsmith also wrote an acclaimed score for the classic sports film Rudy,^[46] which has since been used in the trailers for numerous films including Angels in the Outfield (1994), Good Will Hunting (1997), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), and Seabiscuit (2003).^[47]

	Opening theme noicon Of Star Trek: Voyager composed by Jerry Goldsmith.
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Goldsmith composed acclaimed scores for such films as the superhero adaptation The Shadow (1994), the thriller The River Wild (1994), the romantic comedy I.Q. (1994), the action film Congo (1995), the fantasy adventure First Knight (1995), the science fiction drama Powder (1995), the action film Executive Decision (1996), and his third Star Trek film installment Star Trek: First Contact (1996) which he composed with his son Joel Goldsmith.^[48] In 1995, Goldsmith also composed the theme for the UPN series Star Trek: Voyager for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music.

In 1996, Goldsmith composed the critically successful score to the horror action film The Ghost and the Darkness which featured a traditional Irish folk melody interwoven with African rhythms.^[49] In 1997, he was hired to replace a score by Randy Newman for Air Force One. Goldsmith, with the assistance of composer Joel McNeely, completed the brassy, heroic score in only twelve days.^[50] In 1997, Goldsmith also composed a percussive, jazzy score for the critically acclaimed crime drama L.A. Confidential.^[51] His score garnered him nominations for the Oscars, Golden Globes, and was also one of AFI's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores.^[11][12]

In 1997, he composed a new theme for the Universal Studios opening logo, first heard in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997).^[52] He also continued with scores for such films as the survival drama The Edge (1997), the science fiction horror Deep Rising (1998), and the action thriller U.S. Marshals (1998).^[7] In 1998, he also composed a score of combined eastern, orchestral, and synthetic elements for the Disney animated film Mulan, which subsequently earned him his final Oscar and Golden Globe nominations along with songwriter Matthew Wilder and lyricist David Zippel.^[12][53]

Goldsmith concluded the decade with critically successful scores to such popular movies as the action film Small Soldiers (1998), his penultimate Star Trek film Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), the action adventure horror The Mummy (1999), the horror film The Haunting (1999), and the action adventure The 13th Warrior (1999).^[7] In 1999, he also composed "Fanfare for Oscar" for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[52]

2000s and final scores[link]

During the early 2000s, Goldsmith composed scores to the science fiction thriller Hollow Man (2000), the mystery film Along Came a Spider (2001), the drama The Last Castle (2001), the action/political thriller The Sum of All Fears (2002), and his last Star Trek film Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), which would also be the last film to feature the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation.^[7] Goldsmith also composed an original score to the simulator attraction Soarin' Over California which debuted 8 February 2001 at the Disneyland Resort, and the same attraction Soarin' which opened 5 May 2005 in Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort. It was later said that when Goldsmith first rode the ride, he left it crying and saying, "I'd do anything to be part of this project. I'd even score the film for free."^[54]

Goldsmith's final theatrical score, composed during declining health, was the critically acclaimed music for the live action/animated film Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), directed by long-time Goldsmith collaborator Joe Dante.^[55] His last collaboration was with another long-time collaborator, Richard Donner (for whom Goldsmith had scored The Omen in 1976), on the science fiction film Timeline (2003). However, due to a complicated post-production process, Goldsmith's score was rejected and replaced by a new score by composer Brian Tyler. Goldsmith's rejected score was later released on CD, 7 September 2004 through Varèse Sarabande, not long after his death in 2004. The album quickly became out of print and has since become a sought rarity among soundtrack collectors.^[56]

Concert works[link]

• Toccata for Solo Guitar

In the 1950s, Goldsmith composed "Toccata for Solo Guitar".^[57] The music was later performed and recorded by Gregg Nestor and released through BSX Records 5 January 2010.

• The Thunder of Imperial Names

In 1957, Goldsmith composed the patriotic piece based on a text by Thomas Wolfe titled "The Thunder of Imperial Names" for concert band and narration, which first appeared on the CBS Radio Workshop episode "1489 Words".^[58] "The Thunder of Imperial Names" was later performed and re-recorded in 2006 by the United States Air Force Tactical Command Band under conductor Lowell E. Graham and narrated by Gary McKenzie.^[57]

• Christus Apollo

In 1969, the California Chamber Symphony commissioned Goldsmith to compose a cantata based on the text "Christus Apollo" by science fiction author Ray Bradbury, with whom Goldsmith had previously worked on dramatic radio and later the film The Illustrated Man (1969). The piece, written in four parts, consisted of orchestra, choir, mezzo-soprano solo, and narration. Goldsmith composed the piece largely using the 12-tone system, later stating, "I feel there is a great relationship between impressionism and dodecaphonicism and that was the musical language I wanted for 'Christus Apollo'."^[59] For the 2002 Telarc album release, "Christus Apollo" was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Voices, mezzo-soprano Eirian James, and narrated by actor Anthony Hopkins.^[60]

• Music for Orchestra

In 1970, Goldsmith was approached by conductor Leonard Slatkin to compose a short piece for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. The atonal, bombastic composition was written in three sections developed from one common 12-tone row including the "turbulent" first section, the "introspective" second section, and climaxing in a "very agitated" third section.^[60] Goldsmith later reflected that the piece was a result of much turbulence in his life, stating, "I was going through a divorce and my mother was seriously ill with cancer." Goldsmith continued, "All of my personal turmoil - pain, anger, and sorrow - went into writing 'Music for Orchestra' in strict dodecaphonic form."^[59]

• Fireworks (A Celebration of Los Angeles)

In 1999, Goldsmith composed the energetic "Fireworks" (A Celebration of Los Angeles) to conclude his first concert series with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.^[60] Looking back on the experience, Goldsmith later said, "After starting to write what was to be a big fireworks extravaganza, I realized that I was writing about the city where I was born and had lived my entire life. I decided instead to make the piece a grand celebration of my childhood, growing years, my years of maturity, and all the events that climaxed with my first appearance at the Hollywood Bowl."^[59]

Legacy[link]

Jerry Goldsmith has often been considered one of the most innovative and influential composers in the history of film music.^[7] While presenting Goldsmith with a Career Achievement Award from the Society for the Preservation of Film Music in 1993, fellow composer Henry Mancini (Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Pink Panther) said of Goldsmith, "...he has instilled two things in his colleagues in this town. One thing he does, he keeps us honest. And the second one is he scares the hell out of us."^[61] In his review of the 1999 re-issue of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture soundtrack, Bruce Eder highly praised Goldsmith's ability, stating, "...one of the new tracks, 'Spock's Arrival,' may be the closest that Goldsmith has ever come to writing serious music in a pure Romantic idiom; this could have been the work of Rimsky-Korsakov or Stravinsky -- it's that good."^[62] In a 2001 interview, film composer Marco Beltrami (3:10 to Yuma, The Hurt Locker) stated, "Without Jerry, film music would probably be in a different place than it is now. I think he, more than any other composer bridged the gap between the old hollywood scoring style and the the [sic] modern film composer."^[63]

In 2006, upon composing The Omen (a remake of the Goldsmith scored 1976 film), composer Marco Beltrami dedicated his score to Goldsmith, which also included an updated arrangement of "Ave Satani" titled "Omen 76/06".^[64] Likewise, when composer Brian Tyler was commissioned in 2012 to update the Universal Studios logo for the Universal centennial, he retained the "classic melody" originally composed by Goldsmith in 1997, opting to "bring it into the 21st century."^[65]

Personal life[link]

This section requires expansion.

Goldsmith was married twice. He was first married to Sharon Hennagin in 1950 which ended in their divorce in 1970. He later married Carol Heather in 1972 and the couple remained together until his death in 2004. His oldest son Joel Goldsmith (1957 - 2012)^[66] was also a composer and collaborated with his father on the score for Star Trek: First Contact, composing approximately twenty-two minutes of the score.^[48] Jerry Goldsmith also conducted Joel's theme for The Untouchables and composed the theme for the pilot Hollister, scored by Joel.^{[citation needed]} Goldsmith's daughter, Carrie Goldsmith, went to high school with famed Titanic composer James Horner,^[3] who also composed music for Star Trek's second and third movies: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Carrie Goldsmith was working on a biography of her father, though the book has been suspended indefinitely for unspecified reasons.^[3]

Goldsmith died at his Beverly Hills home on July 21, 2004 after a battle with colon cancer at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife Carol and his children Aaron, Joel (died April 29, 2012), Carrie, Ellen Edson, and Jennifer Grossman.^[7]

List of movies and series[link]

1950s[link]

• The Lineup (1954) (TV series)
• Climax! (1954) (TV series)
• Black Patch (1957)
• Face of a Fugitive (1959)
• City of Fear (1959)
• Playhouse 90 (1959) (TV series)
• The Twilight Zone (1959) (TV series)

1960s[link]

1970s[link]

1980s[link]

1990s[link]

2000s[link]

• Hollow Man (2000)
• Soarin' Over California (2001) (simulator ride)
• Along Came a Spider (2001)
• The Last Castle (2001)
• The Sum of All Fears (2002)
• Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
• Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)
• Timeline (rejected) (2003)

Awards and nominations[link]

Over the course of his career, Goldsmith received a total of 18 Academy Award nominations, making him one of the most nominated composers in the history of the Academy Awards. Despite this Goldsmith only won the Oscar on one occasion, for his score to the 1976 film The Omen. This makes Goldsmith the most nominated composer to have only won an Oscar on one occasion.

AFI[link]

The American Film Institute respectively ranked Goldsmith's scores for Chinatown (1974) and Planet of the Apes (1968) #9 and #18 on their list of the 25 greatest film scores.^[11] He is one of only five composers to have more than one score featured in the list, including Elmer Bernstein, Bernard Herrmann, Max Steiner, and John Williams. His scores for the following films were also nominated for inclusion:

• Alien (1979)
• L.A. Confidential (1997)
• The Omen (1976)
• Papillon (1973)
• A Patch of Blue (1965)
• Patton (1970)
• The Sand Pebbles (1966)
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
• The Wind and the Lion (1975)

Accolades[link]

See also[link]

• Film scores
• List of film score composers
• List of Star Trek composers and music

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Thomas, Tony: Music For The Movies (1973)
• Thomas, Tony: Film Score (1979)
• Brown, Royal S.: Overtones And Undertones (1994)
• Büdinger, Matthias: "A Patch Of Goldsmith". In: Soundtrack vol. 8, No. 69, p. 46-48

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jerry Goldsmith

• Jerry Goldsmith at the Internet Movie Database
• Jerry Goldsmith at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Jerry Goldsmith Online
• StarTrek.com Creative Staff Profile
• Jerry Goldsmith at Soundtrackguide.net
• Jerry Goldsmith at The Danish Filmmusic Society (DFS)
• Jerry Goldsmith Discography at SoundtrackCollector.com
• Jerry Goldsmith at Epdlp
• Jerry Goldsmith Film Music Society