Film score pioneers

An Austrian-American musician, Max Steiner has been a pioneer in introducing the Central European orchestral style to Hollywood film music, influencing many other future film music composers.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold is one of the first film music composers with a worldwide reputation.

Like his friend Max Steiner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold is an Austrian-American film music composer, doubling as an idol for future film music composers.

Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold are both Austrian composers in America, whereas Alfred Newman is not, although he is still a key inspiration for future film music composers.

Unlike Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, both of whom are pioneers in bringing European orchestral music to Hollywood, Alfred Newman has an American background.

Having been deeply rooted in American music, the US-born and raised Alfred Newman developed a unique film scoring style, blending European orchestral music with American elements.

Alfred Newman developed his own eponymous system for synchronizing music with film.

In addition, Alfred Newman's work with the 20th Century-Fox orchestra also popularized the lush and emotional "Hollywood string sound" in film music.

Characterized by rich orchestration and vibrato, this Hollywood string sound in film music serves as a hallmark of the film scores by Alfred Newman and influences many other composers.

Max Steiner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Alfred Newman are individuals who transform film music into full-bodied orchestral works and prove that cinematic Hollywood music is a vital art form.

In addition to his concert work, Aaron Copland is an innovative film score composer, introducing his distinctive Americana sound to Hollywood.

With his reputation as a film score composer, Aaron Copland's sound is unequivocally American; the tradition continues in modern and contemporary Hollywood film scores.

For Aaron Copland, his film scores introduce modern music styles and techniques to Hollywood; they provide a modern alternative to the traditional, often "overlush" Romantic orchestral sound.

Bernard Herrmann's film music work is noted for his experimental and dissonant style, which features harmonies, unsual instrumental compositions and a modernistic approach.

Miklos Rozsa, one of the last survivors of the Old Hollywood film composers, has sweeping and epic cinematic orchestral music, shaped by his Hungarian heritage and classical influences.

Innovations in film music by Miklos Rozsa include the theremin.

Dimitri Tiomkin is the first film music composer to write both the title theme and the score.

Hugo Friedhofer has collaborated with Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, two pivotal figures shaping the orchestral style as the quintessential and dominant film music sound for decades.

Whereas many other film scores borrowed from the late-Romantic European tradition, Aaron Copland's film scores largely reflected his distinct American approach.

For modern film composers, they fuse the film music styles by Max Steiner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Alfred Newman, Aaron Copland, Bernard Herrmann, Miklos Rozsa and Dimitri Tiomkin.

In fact, modern film composers fuse classic Hollywood film music styles with contemporary elements.