The artist I am featuring today is one that I have loved almost my entire life. His soundtrack for Braveheart has been in our CD collection ever since I can remember, and the track “Sons of Scotland” was the very first song I fell in love with. For some time he was hands-down my favorite composer, and even with Patrick Doyle taking that spot now, he is solidly my second favorite, and probably will be for the rest of my life.
May I present to you James Horner.
About the artist: James Horner was born in California to Jewish parents, and at the age of five started playing piano. He studied music in England as a boy, and then got his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music from US colleges. Soon after, he took up composing for films, and wrote prolifically. He won multiple awards for his scores, and scored the two highest-grossing films of all time, as well as the bestselling film soundtrack of all time. He was killed in June of 2015, when the plane he was piloting crashed in a national forest in California. He was in the middle of writing two scores when he passed away, and upon going through his music after his death, his assistants discovered that he had written a full score for the upcoming film The Magnificent Seven using the script alone, as a surprise for the film’s director.
Why I recommend him:
James’s music connects directly to your heart and to your emotions. It is warm, stirring music that is at the same time versatile—noble and blood-pumping, or quiet and tender. He said once that he wrote his music to connect your heart to the story. He is another composer who understands the importance of storytelling through the music, not just setting a specific mood. And he is known for his use of Uilleann pipes, so that’s that.
What I use his music for:
-General playlist music
-Listening through an album start to finish
-Inspiring a specific emotion or tone in a scene
Favorite Albums:
Braveheart
Titanic
Apollo 13
Glory
Legends of the Fall
Patriot Games
Favorite Tracks:
Sons of Scotland (Braveheart)
Freedom/Bannockburn (Braveheart)
Hymn to the Sea (Titanic)
The Ludlows (Legends of the Fall)
The Launch (Apollo 13)
Alfred, Tristan, The Colonel, The Legend (Legends of the Fall)
Rooftop Kiss (The Amazing Spider-Man)
The Legend Spreads (Braveheart)
Have you heard any of James Horner’s scores? If so, which tracks are your favorites?
Emily Hayse 
I love James Horner’s music, especially the Braveheart score. My dad used to listen to that album all the time, so I sort of grew up with the bagpipes too. 🙂 If you haven’t heard it already, you might like Horner’s score for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas too.
LikeLike
Yes, Braveheart is my favorite too. I love so many of his other ones, but there is something very special about that one. Maybe it is the pipes. 🙂
I’ve only heard two tracks from The Boy in Striped Pajamas…I’ll have to listen through the rest of it. Great to see another James Horner fan out there. 🙂
-Emily
LikeLiked by 1 person
You inspired me to look him up and now I’m so glad you featured James Horner.
Scrolling through it was the name of Joshua Bell which made me stop. The score was from a movie called Iris, and though I have no knowledge of the film the music gave me all the feeeeeeels. So, like, um, YES! 😀
LikeLike
Oh, I’m so glad that you looked him up! Isn’t his music simply gorgeous? I love it when good composers are appreciated. 🙂 I don’t remember if I’ve ever heard the score to Iris; I should look that up, thanks. 😀
-Emily
LikeLike
Oh, I love his music! Braveheart was the first score I ever fell in love with. 😀 🙂 😀
-Esther
LikeLike
Same here. I used to listen to the French horn solo in Sons of Scotland over and over again. 😉
-Emily
LikeLike