The man behind the low woodwinds that open
Citizen Kane, the shrieking violins of
Psycho, and the plaintive saxophone of
Taxi Driver was one of the most original and distinctive composers ever to work in film. He started early, winning a composition prize at the age of 13 and founding his own orchestra at the age of 20...See full bio »
1992Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann
(documentary)
("Taxi Driver", "Citizen Kane", "On Dangerous Ground", "North by Northwest", "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir", "The Man Who Knew Too Much", "Psycho", "Cape Fear", "Torn Curtain", "The Bride Wore Black", "Sisters", "Jane Eyre", "Psycho-A Narrative for Orchestra", "Vertigo Suite")
In California, they like to pigeonhole you. From the time I began working for Hitchcock [Alfred Hitchcock], they decided I was a big suspense man. On other occasions, I've had fantasies of bittersweet romantic stories. I think I'd enjoy writing a good comedy score, but I've never had the luck to be offered such films. Mancini [Henry Mancini] gets the cheerful ones.
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Trivia:
Not one of Herrmann's scores for Alfred Hitchcock was nominated for an Academy Award. However, his scores for
Psycho and
Vertigo were ranked #4 and #12 by the American Film Institute for their list of the top 25 film scores in American cinema.
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