Everyone knows the movie "Titanic", but few know that the music for this legendary film was written by the American film composer James Horner. Indeed, thanks in large part to the spectacular music, this film makes such an impression on the viewer. But, unfortunately, composers often remain in the shadow of actors and directors.
Musician biography
Very little is known about the American composer and arranger James Horner, he was a man of art and did not talk a lot about himself and did not give interviews. James was born in Los Angeles, famous as the center of the film industry, on August 14, 1953. He grew up in a Jewish family. His father Harry Horner is known to have been production designer and Academy Award winner. Maybe it was from his father that the future composer took over his love of cinema, but instead of the artistic design of the film, James chose the musical design.
Study and first steps in music
He studied in London with the best masters of their craft. One of his mentors was the great composer Gyorgya Ligeti. Then he returns to Los Angeles and continues to receive his education in the specialty "Theory of Music". It was at this university that James Horner began to teach in the future. After several years of such work, he became disillusioned with the academic world of music. The composer composes an avant-garde piece, the production of which fails miserably. And then James decides to work in the cinema. He wrote his first film compositions for films in the genres of horror and science fiction. Despite the poor quality of the films, James Horner always tried to make the music as good as possible, and sometimes he worked on pure enthusiasm, with little or no pay.
Career and success
His first major project was the film "Star Trek". And then his career takes off rapidly, now the author of emotional and impressive music tracks is invited to more famous films. Over 15 years in the film industry, he developed good relationships with James Cameron, Phil Robinson and Ron Howard, directors who remain legendary to this day. And world recognition came to Horner thanks to the Titanic. Although his name was not known to most cinematographers, he became incredibly popular in film circles. And it is for his participation in this film that he receives two Oscars. The follow-up to "Titanic" scores for films by Hollywood directors brought James awards such as "Grammy", "Golden Globe" and many nominations.
Personal life
Despite his hard work, James did not forget about his family. From two marriages, he left two daughters. He lived in California without attracting the attention of the tabloids. The composer's whole life was in music, and that is what he did.
After creating the music for more than a hundred films, on June 22, 2015, James is killed in a plane crash, right over the Los Padros National Park. He was 61 years old. And who knows what great music he could have written if not for this terrible incident.
