I’ve been a fan of original film scores for a good part of my life – so much so that I’d buy them on CD and listen frequently.
I was extremely saddened when James Horner died in a plane crash back in June.
While he’s known as that ‘Titanic’ guy – mainly because he won the Academy Awards for the score and song for that film – I knew him for Glory, the first soundtrack I bought on CD when I was still in high school. In fact, I had a hard time finding it in stores (people bought music in stores back then), and when I finally found it for full price (as opposed to a far more affordable discounted CD), I HAD to buy it because it was so hard to find and I thought that was my only chance.
Over the years, he killed it with Willow, Braveheart, A Beautiful Mind (oddly enough he died shortly after John Nash), and Avatar. I own this music. I listen to it. Frequently.
What other brilliant music was in this man’s mind? What other film-in-the-making would inspire more incredible music for him to compose? We’ll never know and that’s simply painful. People like him simply don’t put out anything not worth listening to.
Rest in peace, James Horner. I’ll be listening and enjoying your music for the rest of my life.