Most nominated and awarded soundtracks in the history of the Oscars
The most important and valued awards in the cinematographic universe They are, without a doubt, the Oscars. Hollywood, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, is the mecca of the film industry and its Walk of Fame is possibly the most notable of the sidewalks, running through the neighborhood from Hollywood Boulevard to Vine Street. In a musical sense, the Award for Best Soundtrack It represents the most prestigious and honorable recognition for composers in the world of cinema.
Therefore, we are going to analyze which are the most nominated and awarded soundtracks in the history of the Oscar Awards, since it constitutes one of the most appreciated categories in a film. Among the musicians who have received the most awards of this type, some stand out such as John Williams, the most nominated composer in history, with 46 nominations and five statuettes (only surpassed by Walt Disney, with 59 nominations, although not as a musician); Alfred Newman, who composed the music of Eve naked in 1950, and is the most awarded with nine Oscars to his credit and 41 nominations; Ennio Morricone, with two awards and seven nominations, or Hans Zimmer, who obtained recognition with the film The Lion King.
History of the Oscar award for best original song and best soundtrack
We may not remember an entire movie soundtrack, but we certainly remember one of the songs when we get excited. Regardless of its musical style, there are songs that remain engraved in our memory, and that we know, even if we have not seen the movie.
He Oscar for best original song It has been awarded since 1934. In that first edition that won it The Continental, the main song of the film The happy divorcee, whose music was composed by Con Conrad, with lyrics by Herb Magidson. Thus, such emblematic songs as What will be will be by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston, for the film the man that knew too much by Hitchcock; in the 50s; Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head, by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, for the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundances Kid, by George Roy Hill; in the 60s; Fame, by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford, for the film of the same name in the 80s; either Figth for You, by D'Mile, HER and Tiara Thomas, for the film Judas and the Black Messiah by Shaka King, who won the award in the last edition in 2020.
Who votes at the Oscars?
The 2020 Oscar nominations, which is their last edition, have had 9,362 members voting, but... who are they? They are all part, like members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), located in Los Angeles. Academics must be “accomplished” film professionals, coming from one of the 17 branches of the industry (actors, producers, directors, screenwriters, editors, cinematographers, hairstylists, etc.).
All applicants are required to be introduced by at least two members of the Academy, with the exception of Oscar nominees and winners, who may apply directly. After analyzing their records, the final decision rests with the Academy's Board of Governors.
The nominees for the Oscars, depend on these members, specialized in their respective areas. Thus, actors, the largest group of voters, submit nominations for acting categories, directors for the Oscar for best director, and so on.
Some of the categories are chosen by special committees, as is the case with awards for the best international film and best animated film, For example. All members, on the other hand, vote to choose the best picture nominees. Once the nominations are announced, all voting members choose the winners. The counting from there is simple: in 22 of the 23 categories, the person with the most votes is the winner.
Soundtrack composers with the most Oscars
John Williams, composer of the 'Star Wars' soundtrack, among many others, is the most nominated in history, with a whopping 51 nominations translated into five Oscars. He has achieved it by Schindler's List in 1994, E.T. in 1983, Star Wars in 1978, Shark in 1976, and Fiddler on the Roof in 1972. He achieved his first nomination in 1968 for The Valley of the Dolls and the last one, in the last edition of the awards for episode IX of Star Wars. The Rise of Skywalker.
Another of the most awarded and nominated is the German film and video game music composer Hans Zimmer. He has been nominated 11 times for the Oscars, winning the statuette for Best Score in 1994, for The Lion King. His first nomination came in 1998 with rain man and the last one in 2017 with Dunkirk.
The Italian and recently deceased Ennio Morricone, is another among the greatest film music composers. Throughout his career he has won two Oscars, one in 2006, an honorary Oscar in recognition of his entire career and the award for Best Score for The Hateful Eight by Quentin Tarantino in 2016. Without a doubt, he has made history, especially for his work with Sergio Leone in the spaghetti western. His music for The good, the bad and the ugly, For a handful of dollars and Until his time cameThey are music history.
The best film soundtracks of all time for the Academy
The aforementioned three composers have placed many of their soundtracks among the best in history, but there have been many others who have signed in the history of film music. Between the 1930s and 1950s, composers such as Steiner, famous for What he wind took away and White House, Waxman, Tiomkin, Rózsa or Korngold, who designed the fanfares for Robin Hood.
Between the years 1950 and 1970, one theme dominated the entire film, and was repeated several times throughout the film. It is a time of continuity of classical symphony and the soundtracks of Bernard Herrmann, like the one made for Psychosis in 1960. Or that of the New Yorker Leonard Bernstein, which only made one in the world of cinema, for The Law of Silence by Elia Kazan, in 1954.
During the last stage, called New Symphony, between 1972 and 2019, the three composers we have talked about emerged. It's time to John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Basil Poledouris, Vangelis, Danny Elfman or Ennio Morricone. In the lists of the best soundtracks appears constantly Shark, those of Morricone's dollar trilogy, and more recently Interstellar, either Gladiator, composed by Hans Zimmer.
But if there is one that has been located within history and popular culture, it is, without a doubt, The War of the Galaxies, again under the direction of Williams. At this time, Vangelis's compositions also stand out, such as the score of blade runner in 1982 and songs like that of The Godfather, by Nino Rota, in 1972 or the mythical Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield, main theme of the film The Exorcist.
Film Symphony Orchestra's Favorite Oscar-Winning Songs
Among the Oscar-winning songs, favorites of the Film Symphony Orchestra, we of course see the aforementioned compositions by Williams, Zimmer and Morricone. Shark is very present in our Set List, as well as different scores of Star Wars, Gladiator either The Lion King. Of course, topics like Into the West by Howard Shore for The Lord of the rings either My heart will go on, from the soundtrack of Titanic.
But the FSO also loves to enjoy on stage works made for animated films such as Beauty and the Beast from 1991, or from Asian cinema like Slumdog Millionaire, composed by AR Rahman and winner of the Oscar award in 2008.
The importance of music in movies has been taking on an increasingly relevant role, until becoming a leading actor. The image came first, but over the years, music has managed to exploit the full potential of cinematographic works. The first musical composition in the history of cinema, made in 1908 for the French film, The assassination of the Duke of Guise, by composer Camille Saints-Saënz, opened a door for image and score to become an indissoluble whole.
In recent years, soundtrack composers have acquired fundamental importance, almost being compared to actors. His creations are recognized and interpreted by many, and have even played a determining role in the history of celluloid. For many years, they have been in fashion In concert, in which they are projected movies in an auditorium with the orchestra performing live.
Another of the songs performed by the FSO, such as La La Land, wouldn't be what it is without his music. The absence of instruments would make the story worse, since it is the music that puts the feeling in the characters and the viewer. Something similar happens to the movie Moulin Rouge, but it is something applicable to any film. Music not only transmits feelings towards the viewer, it also defines the character's feelings.
The influence of cinema in our society It is deeply marked by music. Its power, precisely of influence, is enormous. It makes people feel or perform certain actions depending on what style of music is heard. That is why it is essential and tremendously powerful from an artistic point of view.
