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Author	Topic: Composers and Conducting

Scott Oscar® Winner	Is ist me or does it seem that a lot of new composers (or contemporary composers)just don't conduct their music anymore. James Newton Howard used to, now he doesn't. Danny Elfman never has. Trevor Jones doesn't. The list could go on and on. Now why do you suppose this is? Obvisiouly all of these people are very talented. If they can't conduct, why not learn? I don't know I just don't understand this? What do you guys think? Happy Columbus day everyone (here in the US). For everyone else, have a great weekend. Scott
posted 10-08-1999 11:45 AM PT (US)

SFT Oscar® Winner	Danny Elfman has tried to conduct, but since he was´nt very good at it, he just gave the job to someone else, so that he could concentrate on the other parts of the compositional processe, rather than maybe screwing the intire thing up, by doing a piss-poor job at the conducting part. I really don´t think it matters if a filmcomposer conducts his own music or not. People seem to forget, that conducting for a filmscore is not the same as conducting a symphony-orchestra ect. In a symphony, the conducter gives his own interpretation of the music. He IS the "boss." In a score, the conducteor just does what the composer tells him to, do and gets the job done af effectively as possible. That´s where I think alot of people get off track. SFT
posted 10-08-1999 12:37 PM PT (US)

James Oscar® Winner	I remember in an interview that Hans Zimmer said he has a real problem with standing up in front of so many people and trying to conduct. He said he did it once, and he's never going to do it again. I also know that a lot of composers like to be in the recording booth so they can oversee and supervise the engineering and mixing. As to all the rest, it could just be little things like Zimmer's. James NP - Big Country (**** for re-recording)
posted 10-08-1999 03:12 PM PT (US)

Jonathan unregistered	No, SFT, I'm afraid I must respectfully disagree with you. In a symphony, the conductor is the "boss" of the orchestra (in one sense), but he is not the "boss" of the music. The composer gives explicit directions, via the printed score, to the conductor as to how to perform the piece. The conductor of a symphony concert is not any more free to "make up" his interpretation than the conductor of a film score is. I would submit, however, that the difference in conducting a film score is that the conductor is bound by an external factor that the concert conductor is not -- namely, the movie itself. The composer has written certain cues of the music to occur at very specific points in the movie (e.g., a soaring melodic line when the lovers finally find each other; a cymbal crash when the boys on bicycles fly off into the sky, etc.) In that respect, conducting a film score is more difficult than conducting a concert. And that is the reason why the well-known film composers do not automatically conduct their own scores. The talents are completely different, and do not necessarily occur in the same person. Beethoven, for example, was one of the greatest composers of all time, but not a very effective conductor at all. (Of course, it didn't help that he was deaf.) So you see, it has nothing to do with the composer or the conductor being the "boss". In a film score, the film is the "boss" and the conductor must make the music fit precisely with the pictures, as the director intended. Jonathan [This message has been edited by Jonathan (edited 10-08-99).]
posted 10-08-1999 03:19 PM PT (US)

Scott Oscar® Winner	Jonathan, Beethoven was not effective as a conductor? Where in the world do you get your info. from? Scott
posted 10-08-1999 05:21 PM PT (US)

Jeron Oscar® Winner	It's what makes every Goldsmith album so special! It's ALL Goldsmith. ~Jeron
posted 10-08-1999 09:21 PM PT (US)

Scott Oscar® Winner	Hey, Jeron, I have figured it out, you are a big Jerry Goldsmith fan . Well, so am I... What am I doing here... Dadadadada...the Twilight Zone.(Way too much sugar for me today) Scott
posted 10-08-1999 10:00 PM PT (US)

S Smith unregistered	I think that for a score to truly come across as was intended, it needs to be conducted by the composer, or at the very least, an orchestrator that was heavily involved in the scoring process. That way, the score comes across as originally was conceived. I think the same applies to writers and directors. The best way for a film to come across is if it's directed by the writer, because he can present what was envisioned during the writing process. Anything else is pretty much an interpretation.
posted 10-08-1999 10:07 PM PT (US)

SFT Oscar® Winner	Jonathan: Point taken S Smith: None of us can really make any kind of conclusive observations regarding the interpretation of a given score. It all depends on the relationship between the composer and conducter, and how closely they work together. The same with orchestrators and arrangers... SFT NP: Steve Bartek, Selected cues
posted 10-09-1999 06:09 AM PT (US)

Scott Oscar® Winner	Since the issue of the orchestrator came up, I would like to comment on that a little bit and on what S.Smith said. First of I agree with S.Smith, the composer would be probably the best person to conduct.For example:The last 15 or so minutes of ET. Everyone knows that John Williams initially had a hard time timing the music to the screen and still achieve the emotinal result he wanted. It was after Stephen Spielberg allowed him to conduct the music without the movie showing that Williams achieved what he wanted. Of course Spielberg had to re-edit the ending but this shows how only Williams and his conducting could have achieved this. In the cases of Williams and Goldsmith, both compose very detailed sketches, so detailed in fact that the orchestrator is merely a copyist.This has been veryfied many times. Please, I'm not knocking any composer who doesn't want to conduct, after all, if they as the composer are satisfied with the result, who am I do disagree? Yet, if I were blessed enough to compose such great music, I would want to conduct it myself. That's all folks, Scott NP:The Essential Goldsmith Collection,****
posted 10-09-1999 06:31 PM PT (US)

Aaron R. Brown Oscar® Winner	I like to have the composer conduct his own music. Every time another conducts music, the music sounds rather different to me. However when someone else conducts a score it can be a sucess. For example, Shirley Walker conducted Batman, and Goldsmith won his only Oscar for The Omen- which he didn't conduct.
posted 10-15-1999 01:40 PM PT (US)

S Smith unregistered	I wasn't really trying to rip non-conducting composers. And I agree with SFT that it can depend on the composer/conductor relationship. For instance, a lot of orchestrators will conduct, and since they've had a hand in the creation process, they can also be in tune with the idea/feeling/emotion of the music. I just feel that the absolute best possible scenario is for the composer to conduct. And I will conceded that there is some great music NOT conducted by the composer. NP: "The Edge" Goldsmith ****
posted 10-16-1999 10:59 AM PT (US)

S Smith unregistered	I wasn't really trying to rip non-conducting composers. And I agree with SFT that it can depend on the composer/conductor relationship. For instance, a lot of orchestrators will conduct, and since they've had a hand in the creation process, they can also be in tune with the idea/feeling/emotion of the music. I just feel that the absolute best possible scenario is for the composer to conduct. And I will concede that there is some great music NOT conducted by the composer. NP: "The Edge" Goldsmith ****
posted 10-16-1999 11:03 AM PT (US)

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