Motion picture award for music
The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.[1] Some pre-existing music is allowed, though, but a contending film must include a minimum of original music. This minimum since 2020 is established in 60% of the music, which is raised to 80% for sequels and franchise films .[2] Fifteen scores are shortlisted before nominations are announced.
History [ edit ]
The Academy began awarding movies for their scores in 1935 . The category was originally called Best Scoring . At the time, winners and nominees were a mix of original scores and adaptations of pre-existing material. Following the controversial win of Charles Previn for One Hundred Men and a Girl in 1938 , a film without a credited composer that featured pre-existing classical music, the Academy added a Best Original Score category in 1939 .[3] In 1942 , the distinction between the two Scoring categories changed slightly as they were renamed to Best Music Score of a Dramatic Picture and Best Scoring of a Musical Picture .[4] This marked the first time the category was split into separate genres, a distinction that technically still lasts today, although there haven't been enough submissions for the musical category to be activated since 1985 . From 1942 to 1985 , musical scores had their own category, with the exception of 1958 , 1981 , and 1982 . During that time, both categories had many name changes:
1. Non-musical scores
Best Music Score of a Dramatic Picture (1942 )
Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (1943 –1962 )
Best Music Score—substantially original (1963 –1966 )
Best Original Music Score (1967 –1968 )
Best Original Score—for a motion picture [not a musical] (1969 –1970 )
Best Original Score (1971 , 1976 –1995 , 2000 -today)
Best Original Dramatic Score (1972 –1975 , 1996 –1999 )
2. Musical scores
Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (1942 –1962 )
Best Scoring of Music—adaptation or treatment (1963 –1968 )
Best Score of a Musical Picture—original or adaptation (1969 –1970 )
Best Original Song Score (1971 )
Best Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score (1972 –1973 )
Best Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation -or- Scoring: Adaptation (1974 –1976 )
Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score (1977 –1978 )
Best Adaptation Score (1979 )
Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation -or- Adaptation Score (1980 , 1983 )
Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score (1984 )
Best Original Song Score (1985 )
Best Original Musical or Comedy Score (1996 –1999 )
Following the wins of four Walt Disney Feature Animation films in six years from 1990 to 1995 (The Little Mermaid , Beauty and the Beast , Aladdin , and The Lion King ) during a period called the Disney Renaissance , it was decided to once again split the Best Original Score category by genres, this time by combining comedies and musicals together. As Alan Bergman , the chairman of the Academy's music branch said, "People were voting for the songs, not the underscores. We felt that Academy members outside the music branch didn't distinguish between the two. So when a score like The Lion King is competing against a drama like Forrest Gump , it's apples and oranges – not in the quality of the score, but in the way it functions in the movie. There's a big difference."[5] The category was therefore split into Best Original Dramatic Score and Best Original Musical or Comedy Score in 1996 . This change proved unpopular in the other branches of the Academy as Charles Bernstein , chairman of the Academy's rules committee, noted that "no other Oscar category depended on a film's genre" and "the job of composing an underscore for a romantic comedy is not substantially different from working on a heavy drama."[5] This split was reverted in 2000 .
In 2020 , rules were changed to require that a film's score include a minimum of 60% original music. Franchise films and sequels must include a minimum of 80% new music.[6] In 2021 , the rules were changed again, lowering the minimum percentage of original music from 60% to 35% of the total music in the film.[7]
Academy Award for Best Original Musical [ edit ]
The Academy Award for Best Original Musical is a category that was re-established in 2000 after the Best Original Musical or Comedy Score category was retired. It has never been awarded in its present form due to a prolonged drought of films meeting the sufficient eligibility requirements. The Music Branch Executive Committee of the Academy decides whether there are enough quality submissions to justify its activation.[8]
According to the rules, the Best Original Musical is defined as follows:
An original musical consists of not fewer than five original songs by the same writer or team of writers, either used as voiceovers or visually performed. Each of these songs must be substantively rendered, clearly audible, intelligible, and must further the storyline of the motion picture. An arbitrary group of songs unessential to the storyline will not be considered eligible.[8]
Winners and nominees [ edit ]
The following is the list of nominated composers organized by year, and listing both films and composers. The years shown in the following list of winners are the production years, thus a reference to 1967 means the Oscars presented in 1968 for films released in 1967.
Year
Film
Nominees
1934 (7th) [note 1]
One Night of Love
Columbia Studio Music Department , Louis Silvers , head of department (Thematic music by Victor Schertzinger & Gus Kahn )
The Gay Divorcee
RKO Radio Studio Music Department , Max Steiner , head of department (Score by Kenneth Webb & Sam Hoffenstein )
The Lost Patrol
RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Steiner, head of department (Score by Steiner)
1935 (8th)
The Informer
RKO Radio Studio Music Department , Max Steiner , head of department (Score by Steiner)
Captain Blood (Write-in)[note 2] [9]
Warner Bros. -First National Studio Music Department , Leo F. Forbstein , head of department (Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold )
Mutiny on the Bounty
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Music Department , Nat W. Finston, head of department (Score by Herbert Stothart )
Peter Ibbetson
Paramount Studio Music Department , Irvin Talbot, head of department (Score by Ernst Toch )
1936 (9th)
Anthony Adverse
Warner Bros. Studio Music Department , Leo F. Forbstein , head of department (Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold )
The Charge of the Light Brigade
Warner Bros. Studio Music Department, Forbstein, head of department (Score by Max Steiner )
The Garden of Allah
Selznick International Pictures Music Department , Steiner, head of department (Score by Steiner)
The General Died at Dawn
Paramount Studio Music Department , Boris Morros , head of department (Score by Werner Janssen )
Winterset
RKO Radio Studio Music Department , Nathaniel Shilkret , head of department (Score by Shilkret)
1937 (10th) [note 3]
One Hundred Men and a Girl
Universal Studio Music Department , Charles Previn , head of department (no composer credit)
The Hurricane
Samuel Goldwyn Studio Music Department , Alfred Newman , head of department (Score by Newman)
In Old Chicago
20th Century-Fox Studio Music Department , Louis Silvers , head of department (no composer credit)
The Life of Emile Zola
Warner Bros. Studio Music Department , Leo F. Forbstein , head of department (Score by Max Steiner )
Lost Horizon
Columbia Studio Music Department , Morris Stoloff , head of department (Score by Dimitri Tiomkin )
Make a Wish
Principal Productions, Hugo Riesenfeld , head of department (Score by Riesenfeld)
Maytime
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Music Department , Nat W. Finston, head of department (Score by Herbert Stothart )
Portia on Trial
Republic Studio Music Department , Alberto Colombo , head of department (Score by Colombo)
The Prisoner of Zenda
Selznick International Pictures Music Department , Alfred Newman , head of department (Score by Newman)
Quality Street
RKO Radio Studio Music Department , Roy Webb , head of department (Score by Webb)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Walt Disney Studio Music Department , Leigh Harline , head of department (Score by Frank Churchill , Harline & Paul Smith )
Something to Sing About
Grand National Studio Music Department , Constantin Bakaleinikoff , head of department (Score by Victor Schertzinger )
Souls at Sea
Paramount Studio Music Department , Boris Morros , head of department (Score by W. Franke Harling & Milan Roder)
Way Out West
Hal Roach Studio Music Department , Marvin Hatley , head of department (Score by Hatley)
1938 (11th)
Original Score
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Army Girl
Victor Young
Block-Heads
Marvin Hatley
Blockade
Werner Janssen
Breaking the Ice
Young
The Cowboy and the Lady
Alfred Newman
If I Were King
Richard Hageman
Marie Antoinette
Herbert Stothart
Pacific Liner
Russell Bennett
Suez
Louis Silvers
The Young in Heart
Franz Waxman
Scoring
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Alfred Newman
Carefree
Victor Baravalle
Girls' School
Morris Stoloff & Gregory Stone
The Goldwyn Follies
Newman
Jezebel
Max Steiner
Mad About Music
Charles Previn & Frank Skinner
Storm Over Bengal
Cy Feuer
Sweethearts
Herbert Stothart
There Goes My Heart
Marvin Hatley
Tropic Holiday
Boris Morros
The Young in Heart
Waxman
1939 (12th)
Original Score
The Wizard of Oz
Herbert Stothart
Dark Victory
Max Steiner
Eternally Yours
Werner Janssen
Golden Boy
Victor Young
Gone with the Wind
Steiner
Gulliver's Travels
Young
The Man in the Iron Mask
Lud Gluskin & Lucien Moraweck
Man of Conquest
Young
Nurse Edith Cavell
Anthony Collins
Of Mice and Men
Aaron Copland
The Rains Came
Alfred Newman
Wuthering Heights
Scoring
Stagecoach
Richard Hageman , W. Franke Harling , John Leipold & Leo Shuken
Babes in Arms
Roger Edens & Georgie Stoll
First Love
Charles Previn
The Great Victor Herbert
Phil Boutelje & Arthur Lange
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Newman
Intermezzo
Lou Forbes
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Dimitri Tiomkin
Of Mice and Men
Aaron Copland
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
She Married a Cop
Cy Feuer
Swanee River
Louis Silvers
They Shall Have Music
Newman
Way Down South
Young
Year
Film
Nominees
1940 (13th)
Original Score
Pinocchio
Leigh Harline , Paul Smith & Ned Washington
Arizona
Victor Young
Dark Command
The Fight for Life
Louis Gruenberg
The Great Dictator
Meredith Willson
The House of the Seven Gables
Frank Skinner
The Howards of Virginia
Richard Hageman
The Letter
Max Steiner
The Long Voyage Home
Hageman
The Mark of Zorro
Alfred Newman
My Favorite Wife
Roy Webb
North West Mounted Police
Young
One Million B.C.
Werner Heymann
Our Town
Aaron Copland
Rebecca
Franz Waxman
The Thief of Bagdad
Miklós Rózsa
Waterloo Bridge
Herbert Stothart
Scoring
Tin Pan Alley
Newman
Arise, My Love
Young
Hit Parade of 1941
Cy Feuer
Irene
Anthony Collins
Our Town
Copland
The Sea Hawk
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Second Chorus
Artie Shaw
Spring Parade
Charles Previn
Strike Up the Band
Roger Edens & Georgie Stoll
1941 (14th)
Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
The Devil and Daniel Webster
Bernard Herrmann
Back Street
Frank Skinner
Ball of Fire
Alfred Newman
Cheers for Miss Bishop
Edward Ward
Citizen Kane
Herrmann
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Franz Waxman
Hold Back the Dawn
Victor Young
How Green Was My Valley
Newman
King of the Zombies
Edward Kay
Ladies in Retirement
Morris Stoloff & Ernst Toch
The Little Foxes
Meredith Willson
Lydia
Miklós Rózsa
Mercy Island
Cy Feuer & Walter Scharf
Sergeant York
Max Steiner
So Ends Our Night
Louis Gruenberg
Sundown
Rózsa
Suspicion
Waxman
Tanks a Million
Ward
That Uncertain Feeling
Werner Heymann
This Woman Is Mine
Richard Hageman
Scoring of a Musical Picture
Dumbo
Frank Churchill & Oliver Wallace
All-American Co-Ed
Ward
Birth of the Blues
Robert E. Dolan
Buck Privates
Charles Previn
The Chocolate Soldier
Herbert Stothart & Bronisław Kaper
Ice-Capades
Cy Feuer
The Strawberry Blonde
Heinz Roemheld
Sun Valley Serenade
Emil Newman
Sunny
Anthony Collins
You'll Never Get Rich
Morris Stoloff
1942 (15th)
Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
Now, Voyager
Max Steiner
Arabian Nights
Frank Skinner
Bambi
Frank Churchill (p.n. ) & Edward Plumb
The Black Swan
Alfred Newman
The Corsican Brothers
Dimitri Tiomkin
Flying Tigers
Victor Young
The Gold Rush
Max Terr
I Married a Witch
Roy Webb
Joan of Paris
Jungle Book
Miklós Rózsa
Klondike Fury
Edward Kay
The Pride of the Yankees
Leigh Harline
Random Harvest
Herbert Stothart
The Shanghai Gesture
Richard Hageman
Silver Queen
Victor Young
Take a Letter, Darling
The Talk of the Town
Friedrich Hollaender & Morris Stoloff
To Be or Not to Be
Werner Heymann
Scoring of a Musical Picture
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Ray Heindorf & Heinz Roemheld
Flying with Music
Edward Ward
For Me and My Gal
Roger Edens & Georgie Stoll
Holiday Inn
Robert E. Dolan
It Started with Eve
Hans J. Salter & Charles Previn
Johnny Doughboy
Walter Scharf
My Gal Sal
Alfred Newman
You Were Never Lovelier
Leigh Harline
1943 (16th)
Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
The Song of Bernadette
Alfred Newman
The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
Frank Skinner & Hans J. Salter
Casablanca
Max Steiner
Commandos Strike at Dawn
Morris Stoloff & Louis Gruenberg
The Fallen Sparrow
Roy Webb & Constantin Bakaleinikoff
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Victor Young
Hangmen Also Die!
Hanns Eisler
Hi Diddle Diddle
Phil Boutelje
In Old Oklahoma
Walter Scharf
Johnny Come Lately
Leigh Harline
The Kansan
Gerard Carbonara
Lady of Burlesque
Arthur Lange
Madame Curie
Herbert Stothart
The Moon and Sixpence
Dimitri Tiomkin
The North Star
Aaron Copland
Victory Through Air Power
Edward Plumb , Paul Smith & Oliver Wallace
Scoring of a Musical Picture
This Is the Army
Ray Heindorf
Coney Island
Alfred Newman
Hit Parade of 1943
Walter Scharf
Phantom of the Opera
Edward Ward
Saludos Amigos
Plumb, Smith & Charles Wolcott
The Sky's the Limit
Leigh Harline
Something to Shout About
Morris Stoloff
Stage Door Canteen
Fred Rich
Star Spangled Rhythm
Robert E. Dolan
Thousands Cheer
Herbert P. Stothart
1944 (17th)
Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
Since You Went Away
Max Steiner
Address Unknown
Morris Stoloff & Ernst Toch
The Adventures of Mark Twain
Steiner
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Dimitri Tiomkin
Casanova Brown
Arthur Lange
Christmas Holiday
Hans J. Salter
Double Indemnity
Miklós Rózsa
The Fighting Seabees
Walter Scharf & Roy Webb
The Hairy Ape
Michel Michelet & Edward Paul
It Happened Tomorrow
Robert Stolz
Jack London
Fred Rich
Kismet
Herbert Stothart
None but the Lonely Heart
Constantin Bakaleinikoff & Hanns Eisler
The Princess and the Pirate
David Rose
Summer Storm
Karl Hajos
Three Russian Girls
Franke Harling
Up in Mabel's Room
Edward Paul
Voice in the Wind
Michel Michelet
Wilson
Alfred Newman
The Woman of the Town
Miklós Rózsa
Scoring of a Musical Picture
Cover Girl
Morris Stoloff & Carmen Dragon
Brazil
Walter Scharf
Higher and Higher
Bakaleinikoff
Hollywood Canteen
Ray Heindorf
Irish Eyes Are Smiling
Newman
Knickerbocker Holiday
Werner Heymann & Kurt Weill
Lady in the Dark
Robert Emmett Dolan
Lady, Let's Dance
Edward Kay
Meet Me in St. Louis
Georgie Stoll
The Merry Monahans
Hans J. Salter
Minstrel Man
Ferde Grofé & Leo Erdody
Sensations of 1945
Mahlon Merrick
Song of the Open Road
Charles Previn
Up in Arms
Louis Forbes & Ray Heindorf
1945 (18th)
Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
Spellbound
Miklós Rózsa
The Bells of St. Mary's
Robert E. Dolan
Brewster's Millions
Louis Forbes
Captain Kidd
Werner Janssen
The Enchanted Cottage
Roy Webb
Flame of Barbary Coast
Morton Scott & Dale Butts
G. I. Honeymoon
Edward J. Kay
G. I. Joe
Louis Applebaum & Ann Ronell
Guest in the House
Janssen
Guest Wife
Daniele Amfitheatrof
The Keys of the Kingdom
Alfred Newman
The Lost Weekend
Miklós Rózsa
Love Letters
Victor Young
The Man Who Walked Alone
Karl Hajos
Objective, Burma!
Franz Waxman
Paris Underground
Alexandre Tansman
A Song to Remember
Rózsa & Morris Stoloff
The Southerner
Werner Janssen
This Love of Ours
Hans J. Salter
The Valley of Decision
Herbert Stothart
The Woman in the Window
Arthur Lange & Hugo Friedhofer
Scoring of a Musical Picture
Anchors Aweigh
Georgie Stoll
Belle of the Yukon
Lange
Can't Help Singing
Jerome Kern (p.n. ) & Salter
Hitchhike to Happiness
Morton Scott
Incendiary Blonde
Robert E. Dolan
Rhapsody in Blue
Ray Heindorf & Max Steiner
State Fair
Alfred Newman & Charles Henderson
Sunbonnet Sue
Edward J. Kay
The Three Caballeros
Edward Plumb , Paul Smith & Charles Wolcott
Tonight and Every Night
Marlin Skiles & Morris Stoloff
Why Girls Leave Home
Walter Greene
Wonder Man
Louis Forbes & Ray Heindorf
1946 (19th)
Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Hugo Friedhofer
Anna and the King of Siam
Bernard Herrmann
Henry V
William Walton
Humoresque
Franz Waxman
The Killers
Miklós Rózsa
Scoring of a Musical Picture
The Jolson Story
Morris Stoloff
Blue Skies
Robert Emmett Dolan
Centennial Summer
Alfred Newman
The Harvey Girls
Lennie Hayton
Night and Day
Ray Heindorf & Max Steiner
1947 (20th)
Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
A Double Life
Miklós Rózsa
The Bishop's Wife
Hugo Friedhofer
Captain from Castile
Alfred Newman
Forever Amber
David Raksin
Life with Father
Max Steiner
Scoring of a Musical Picture
Mother Wore Tights
Alfred Newman
Fiesta
Johnny Green
My Wild Irish Rose
Ray Heindorf & Max Steiner
Road to Rio
Robert Emmett Dolan
Song of the South
Daniele Amfitheatrof , Paul Smith & Charles Wolcott
1948 (21st)
Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
The Red Shoes
Brian Easdale
Hamlet
William Walton
Joan of Arc
Hugo Friedhofer
Johnny Belinda
Max Steiner
The Snake Pit
Alfred Newman
Scoring of a Musical Picture
Easter Parade
Johnny Green & Roger Edens
The Emperor Waltz
Victor Young
The Pirate
Lennie Hayton
Romance on the High Seas
Ray Heindorf
When My Baby Smiles at Me
Alfred Newman
1949 (22nd)
Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
The Heiress
Aaron Copland
Beyond the Forest
Max Steiner
Champion
Dimitri Tiomkin
Scoring of a Musical Picture
On the Town
Roger Edens & Lennie Hayton
Jolson Sings Again
Morris Stoloff & George Duning
Look for the Silver Lining
Ray Heindorf
Year
Film
Nominees
1960 (33rd)
Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
Exodus
Ernest Gold
The Alamo
Dimitri Tiomkin
Elmer Gantry
André Previn
The Magnificent Seven
Elmer Bernstein
Spartacus
Alex North
Scoring of a Musical Picture
Song Without End
Morris Stoloff & Harry Sukman
Bells Are Ringing
André Previn
Can-Can
Nelson Riddle
Let's Make Love
Earle Hagen & Lionel Newman
Pepe
Johnny Green
1961 (34th)
Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Henry Mancini
El Cid
Miklós Rózsa
Fanny
Morris Stoloff & Harry Sukman
The Guns of Navarone
Dimitri Tiomkin
Summer and Smoke
Elmer Bernstein
Scoring of a Musical Picture
West Side Story
Saul Chaplin , Johnny Green , Irwin Kostal & Sid Ramin
Babes in Toyland
George Bruns
Flower Drum Song
Ken Darby & Alfred Newman
Khovanshchina
Dmitri Shostakovich
Paris Blues
Duke Ellington
1962 (35th)
Music Score — Substantially Original
Lawrence of Arabia
Maurice Jarre
Freud
Jerry Goldsmith
Mutiny on the Bounty
Bronisław Kaper
Taras Bulba
Franz Waxman
To Kill a Mockingbird
Elmer Bernstein
Scoring of Music — Adaptation or Treatment
The Music Man
Ray Heindorf
Billy Rose's Jumbo
Georgie Stoll
Gigot
Michel Magne
Gypsy
Frank Perkins
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
Leigh Harline
1963 (36th)
Music Score — Substantially Original
Tom Jones
John Addison
55 Days at Peking
Dimitri Tiomkin
Cleopatra
Alex North
How the West Was Won
Ken Darby & Alfred Newman
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Ernest Gold
Scoring of Music — Adaptation or Treatment
Irma la Douce
André Previn
Bye Bye Birdie
Johnny Green
A New Kind of Love
Leith Stevens
Sundays and Cybele
Maurice Jarre
The Sword in the Stone
George Bruns
1964 (37th)
Music Score — Substantially Original
Mary Poppins
Sherman Brothers
Becket
Laurence Rosenthal
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Dimitri Tiomkin
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte
De Vol
The Pink Panther
Henry Mancini
Scoring of Music — Adaptation or Treatment
My Fair Lady
André Previn
A Hard Day's Night
George Martin
Mary Poppins
Irwin Kostal
Robin and the 7 Hoods
Nelson Riddle
The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Robert Armbruster , Leo Arnaud , Jack Elliott , Jack Hayes , Calvin Jackson & Leo Shuken
1965 (38th)
Music Score — Substantially Original
Doctor Zhivago
Maurice Jarre
The Agony and the Ecstasy
Alex North
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Alfred Newman
A Patch of Blue
Jerry Goldsmith
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Jacques Demy & Michel Legrand
Scoring of Music — Adaptation or Treatment
The Sound of Music
Irwin Kostal
Cat Ballou
De Vol
The Pleasure Seekers
Sandy Courage & Lionel Newman
A Thousand Clowns
Don Walker
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Legrand
1966 (39th)
Original Music Score
Born Free
John Barry
The Bible: In the Beginning...
Toshiro Mayuzumi
Hawaii
Elmer Bernstein
The Sand Pebbles
Jerry Goldsmith
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Alex North
Scoring of Music — Adaptation or Treatment
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Ken Thorne
The Gospel According to St. Matthew
Luis Bacalov
Return of the Seven
Bernstein
The Singing Nun
Harry Sukman
Stop the World – I Want to Get Off
Al Ham
1967 (40th)
Original Music Score
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Elmer Bernstein
Cool Hand Luke
Lalo Schifrin
Doctor Dolittle
Leslie Bricusse
Far from the Madding Crowd
Richard Rodney Bennett
In Cold Blood
Quincy Jones
Scoring of Music — Adaptation or Treatment
Camelot
Ken Darby & Alfred Newman
Doctor Dolittle
Sandy Courage & Lionel Newman
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
De Vol
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Joseph Gershenson & André Previn
Valley of the Dolls
John Williams
1968 (41st)
Original Score — For a Motion Picture (Not a Musical)
The Lion in Winter
John Barry
The Fox
Lalo Schifrin
Planet of the Apes
Jerry Goldsmith
The Shoes of the Fisherman
Alex North
The Thomas Crown Affair
Michel Legrand
Scoring of a Musical Picture — Original or Adaptation
Oliver!
Johnny Green (adaptation score)
Finian's Rainbow
Ray Heindorf (adaptation score)
Funny Girl
Walter Scharf (adaptation score)
Star!
Lennie Hayton (adaptation score)
The Young Girls of Rochefort
Legrand (music & adaptation score) & Jacques Demy (lyrics)
1969 (42nd)
Original Score — For a Motion Picture (Not a Musical)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Burt Bacharach
Anne of the Thousand Days
Georges Delerue
The Reivers
John Williams
The Secret of Santa Vittoria
Ernest Gold
The Wild Bunch
Jerry Fielding
Scoring of a Musical Picture — Original or Adaptation
Hello, Dolly!
Lennie Hayton & Lionel Newman (adaptation score)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Leslie Bricusse (music & lyrics) & John Williams (adaptation score)
Paint Your Wagon
Nelson Riddle (adaptation score)
Sweet Charity
Cy Coleman (adaptation score)
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Johnny Green & Albert Woodbury (adaptation score)
Year
Film
Nominees
1970 (43rd)
Original Score
Love Story
Francis Lai
Airport
Alfred Newman (p.n. )
Cromwell
Frank Cordell
Patton
Jerry Goldsmith
Sunflower
Henry Mancini
Original Song Score
Let It Be
The Beatles (music & lyrics)
The Baby Maker
Fred Karlin (music) & Tylwyth Kymry (lyrics)
A Boy Named Charlie Brown
Rod McKuen (music & lyrics) , John Scott Trotter (music) , Bill Melendez , Al Shean (lyrics) , Vince Guaraldi (adaptation score)
Darling Lili
Henry Mancini (music) & Johnny Mercer (lyrics)
Scrooge
Leslie Bricusse (music & lyrics) , Ian Fraser & Herbert W. Spencer (adaptation score)
1971 (44th)
Original Dramatic Score
Summer of '42
Michel Legrand
Mary, Queen of Scots
John Barry
Nicholas and Alexandra
Richard Rodney Bennett
Shaft
Isaac Hayes
Straw Dogs
Jerry Fielding
Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score
Fiddler on the Roof
John Williams (adaptation score)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Sherman Brothers (song score) & Irwin Kostal (adaptation score)
The Boy Friend
Peter Maxwell Davies & Peter Greenwell (adaptation score)
Tchaikovsky
Dimitri Tiomkin (adaptation score)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley (song score) & Walter Scharf (adaptation score)
1972 (45th)
Original Dramatic Score
Limelight [note 6]
Charlie Chaplin , Raymond Rasch (p.r. ) & Larry Russell (p.r. )
The Godfather (nomination revoked)[note 7] [11]
Nino Rota
Images
John Williams
Napoleon and Samantha
Buddy Baker
The Poseidon Adventure
John Williams
Sleuth
John Addison
Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score
Cabaret
Ralph Burns (adaptation score)
Lady Sings the Blues
Gil Askey (adaptation score)
Man of La Mancha
Laurence Rosenthal (adaptation score)
1973 (46th)
Original Dramatic Score
The Way We Were
Marvin Hamlisch
Cinderella Liberty
John Williams
The Day of the Dolphin
Georges Delerue
Papillon
Jerry Goldsmith
A Touch of Class
John Cameron
Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation or Scoring: Adaptation
The Sting
Marvin Hamlisch (adaptation score)
Jesus Christ Superstar
André Previn , Herbert W. Spencer & Andrew Lloyd Webber (adaptation score)
Tom Sawyer
Sherman Brothers (song score) & Williams (adaptation score)
1974 (47th)
Original Dramatic Score
The Godfather Part II
Nino Rota & Carmine Coppola
Chinatown
Jerry Goldsmith
Murder on the Orient Express
Richard Rodney Bennett
Shanks
Alex North
The Towering Inferno
John Williams
Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation or Scoring: Adaptation
The Great Gatsby
Nelson Riddle (adaptation score)
The Little Prince
Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe (song score) , Douglas Gamley & Angela Morley (adaptation score)
Phantom of the Paradise
Paul Williams (song & adaptation score) & George Tipton (adaptation score)
1975 (48th)
Original Score
Jaws
John Williams
Birds Do It, Bees Do It
Gerald Fried
Bite the Bullet
Alex North
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Jack Nitzsche
The Wind and the Lion
Jerry Goldsmith
Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation or Scoring: Adaptation
Barry Lyndon
Leonard Rosenman (adaptation score)
Funny Lady
Peter Matz (adaptation score)
Tommy
Pete Townshend (adaptation score)
1976 (49th)
Original Score
The Omen
Jerry Goldsmith
Obsession
Bernard Herrmann (p.n. )
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Jerry Fielding
Taxi Driver
Bernard Herrmann (p.n. )
Voyage of the Damned
Lalo Schifrin
Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score
Bound for Glory
Leonard Rosenman (adaptation score)
Bugsy Malone
Paul Williams (song & adaptation score)
A Star Is Born
Roger Kellaway (adaptation score)
1977 (50th)
Original Score
Star Wars
John Williams
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
John Williams
Julia
Georges Delerue
Mohammad, Messenger of God
Maurice Jarre
The Spy Who Loved Me
Marvin Hamlisch
Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score
A Little Night Music
Jonathan Tunick (adaptation score)
Pete's Dragon
Joel Hirschhorn & Al Kasha (song score) & Irwin Kostal (adaptation score)
The Slipper and the Rose
Sherman Brothers (song score) & Angela Morley (adaptation score)
1978 (51st)
Original Score
Midnight Express
Giorgio Moroder
The Boys from Brazil
Jerry Goldsmith
Days of Heaven
Ennio Morricone
Heaven Can Wait
Dave Grusin
Superman
John Williams
Adaptation Score
The Buddy Holly Story
Joe Renzetti
Pretty Baby
Jerry Wexler
The Wiz
Quincy Jones
1979 (52nd)
Original Score
A Little Romance
Georges Delerue
10
Henry Mancini
The Amityville Horror
Lalo Schifrin
The Champ
Dave Grusin
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Jerry Goldsmith
Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score
All That Jazz
Ralph Burns (adaptation score)
Breaking Away
Patrick Williams (adaptation score)
The Muppet Movie
Paul Williams (song & adaptation score) & Kenny Ascher (song score)
Year
Film
Nominees
1980 (53rd)
Fame
Michael Gore
Altered States
John Corigliano
The Elephant Man
John Morris
The Empire Strikes Back
John Williams
Tess
Philippe Sarde
1981 (54th)
Chariots of Fire
Vangelis
Dragonslayer
Alex North
On Golden Pond
Dave Grusin
Ragtime
Randy Newman
Raiders of the Lost Ark
John Williams
1982 (55th)
Original Score
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
John Williams
Gandhi
George Fenton & Ravi Shankar
An Officer and a Gentleman
Jack Nitzsche
Poltergeist
Jerry Goldsmith
Sophie's Choice
Marvin Hamlisch
Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score
Victor/Victoria
Henry Mancini (song & adaptation score) & Leslie Bricusse (song score)
Annie
Ralph Burns (adaptation score)
One from the Heart
Tom Waits (song score)
1983 (56th)
Original Score
The Right Stuff
Bill Conti
Cross Creek
Leonard Rosenman
Return of the Jedi
John Williams
Terms of Endearment
Michael Gore
Under Fire
Jerry Goldsmith
Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score
Yentl
Michel Legrand (song & adaptation score) & Alan & Marilyn Bergman (song score)
The Sting II
Lalo Schifrin (adaptation score)
Trading Places
Elmer Bernstein (adaptation score)
1984 (57th)
Original Score
A Passage to India
Maurice Jarre
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
John Williams
The Natural
Randy Newman
The River
John Williams
Under the Volcano
Alex North
Original Song Score
Purple Rain
Prince
The Muppets Take Manhattan
Jeff Moss
Songwriter
Kris Kristofferson
1985 (58th)
Out of Africa
John Barry
Agnes of God
Georges Delerue
The Color Purple
Chris Boardman, Jorge Calandrelli , Andraé Crouch , Jack Hayes , Jerry Hey , Quincy Jones , Randy Kerber , Jeremy Lubbock , Joel Rosenbaum, Caiphus Semenya , Fred Steiner & Rod Temperton
Silverado
Bruce Broughton
Witness
Maurice Jarre
1986 (59th)
Round Midnight
Herbie Hancock
Aliens
James Horner
Hoosiers
Jerry Goldsmith
The Mission
Ennio Morricone
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Leonard Rosenman
1987 (60th)
The Last Emperor
Ryuichi Sakamoto , David Byrne & Cong Su
Cry Freedom
George Fenton & Jonas Gwangwa
Empire of the Sun
John Williams
The Untouchables
Ennio Morricone
The Witches of Eastwick
John Williams
1988 (61st)
The Milagro Beanfield War
Dave Grusin
The Accidental Tourist
John Williams
Dangerous Liaisons
George Fenton
Gorillas in the Mist
Maurice Jarre
Rain Man
Hans Zimmer
1989 (62nd)
The Little Mermaid
Alan Menken
Born on the Fourth of July
John Williams
The Fabulous Baker Boys
Dave Grusin
Field of Dreams
James Horner
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
John Williams
^ From 1934 until 1937, nominated films were represented by the head of the film studio's music department rather than the composer. Each film's actual composer(s) are listed in parentheses.
^ Captain Blood was not officially nominated for this award, but appears in Academy records because it placed third in voting as a write-in candidate in 1935.
^ From 1937 until 1945, film studios could submit one eligible film of their choosing, guaranteeing it a nomination.
^ Blacklisted composer Larry Adler 's name was removed from American prints of the British-made Genevieve . The film's arranger and orchestrator Muir Mathieson was credited instead and received an Oscar nomination. In 1986, the Academy's Board of Governors removed Mathieson's name from the nomination and gave it to Adler.
^ In 1957, dramatic and comedy films competed with musicals in a combined category called Music – Scoring . Fifteen scores were shortlisted with ten from dramatic and comedy films and five from musicals. Voting resulted in no musical nominees.
^ Limelight was originally released in 1952, but had never screened theatrically in Los Angeles until 1972, at which point it became eligible for Oscar consideration.
^ Nino Rota was nominated for The Godfather in 1972, but the nomination was revoked after it was discovered Rota had reused music from the 1958 Italian film Fortunella . The Academy's entire music branch revoted for a fifth nominee. They could either renominate Rota for The Godfather or select one of the five other shortlisted scores: Ben by Walter Scharf , Fellini's Roma by Rota, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean by Maurice Jarre , The Other by Jerry Goldsmith , or Sleuth by John Addison . Sleuth received the most votes and became the fifth nominee.
^ From 1995 until 1998, Best Original Score was split into Original Dramatic Score and Original Musical or Comedy Score . For musicals and comedies, songwriters and lyricists along with orchestral underscore composers were eligible for nomination.
^ Lisa Gerrard and Klaus Badelt also received screen credit for the Gladiator score, but only Zimmer was deemed eligible for the nomination.
^ The eligibility period for the 93rd ceremony was exceptionally extended through to February 28, 2021, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Superlatives [ edit ]
These are only for nominations in the Scoring categories. Nominations in other categories, such as the Original Song category, are not included.
Category
Name
Superlative
Notes
Most Awards
Alfred Newman
9 awards
Awards resulted from 41 nominations
Most Nominations
John Williams
47 nominations
Nominations resulted in 5 awards
Most Nominations without an Award
Thomas Newman / Alex North
14 nominations
Only one composer has won two Scoring Oscars the same year: in 1973, Marvin Hamlisch won Original Dramatic Score for The Way We Were and Best Adaptation Score, for The Sting . Hamlisch also won Best Song that year for The Way We Were , making him the only composer to win three music Oscars in the same year.
Only one composer has won Oscars three years in a row: Roger Edens won for Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949) and Annie Get Your Gun (1950).
Eight composers have won Oscars two years in a row:
Ray Heindorf won for Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and This Is the Army (1943).
Franz Waxman won for Sunset Boulevard (1950) and A Place in the Sun (1951).
Alfred Newman won for With a Song in My Heart (1952) and Call Me Madam (1953). He won again two years in a row for Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) and The King and I (1956).
Adolph Deutsch won for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Oklahoma! (1955).
André Previn won for Gigi (1958) and Porgy and Bess (1959). He won again two years in a row for Irma la Douce (1963) and My Fair Lady (1964).
Leonard Rosenman won for Barry Lyndon (1975) and Bound for Glory (1976).
Alan Menken won for Beauty and The Beast (1991) and Aladdin (1992).
Gustavo Santaolalla won for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Babel (2006).
Female nominees [ edit ]
As of 2022, only ten women have been nominated in music score categories: Ann Ronell , Tylwyth Kymry aka Meg Karlin , Angela Morley , Marilyn Bergman , Rachel Portman , Anne Dudley , Lynn Ahrens , Mica Levi , Hildur Guðnadóttir , and Germaine Franco . Kymry, Bergman, and Ahrens were nominated for their contribution as lyricists .
Four women have won in the scoring categories. Three are composers: Rachel Portman , who won for Emma (1996); Anne Dudley , who won for The Full Monty (1997); and Hildur Guðnadóttir , who won for Joker (2019). The fourth is lyricist Marilyn Bergman , who won for Yentl (1983) in the Original Song Score category, sharing the award with co-lyricist Alan Bergman (her husband) and composer Michel Legrand . Guðnadóttir is the only woman to win the award under no qualifications; Bergman won for Best Song Score while Portman and Dudley won for Best Musical or Comedy Score.
The female composers nominated for multiple Scoring Oscars are Rachel Portman , who was nominated for Emma (1996) (for which she won for Best Musical or Comedy Score), The Cider House Rules (1999), and Chocolat (2000); and Angela Morley , who was nominated twice in the Original Song Score or Adaptation Score category for The Little Prince (1974) and The Slipper and the Rose (1976).
Notable nominees [ edit ]
Dmitri Shostakovich and Duke Ellington were both nominated the same year but lost to the arrangers of West Side Story .
The scores of Midnight Express by Giorgio Moroder in 1979, Slumdog Millionaire by A. R. Rahman in 2009, and The Social Network by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross in 2011 are the only scores with electronic-based music ever to win the award. In addition, the electronic-based scores of Witness by Maurice Jarre in 1986, Rain Man by Hans Zimmer in 1989, and Her by William Butler , and Owen Pallett in 2014 have also been nominated.
Noted nominated composers known for their music mostly outside the film world include: Aaron Copland , Kurt Weill , Gian-Carlo Menotti , Philip Glass , John Corigliano , Peter Maxwell Davies , Randy Newman , Richard Rodney Bennett , Stephen Schwartz , Andrew Lloyd Webber , Artie Shaw , Trent Reznor , Quincy Jones , Herbie Hancock , and Jonny Greenwood .
Rock musicians and pop stars are most often nominated in the songwriting category. A handful that were nominated in the Scoring categories includes: The Beatles , Prince , Pete Townshend , Rod McKuen , Isaac Hayes , Kris Kristofferson , Quincy Jones , Randy Newman , Anthony Newley , Paul Williams , Tom Waits , David Byrne , Ryuichi Sakamoto , Trent Reznor , Jon Batiste , and Matthew Wilder .
Record producers George Martin (The Beatles ) and Jerry Wexler (Atlantic Records ) also received nominations in the Scoring categories.
At the age of 87, Ennio Morricone became the oldest winner in Oscar history at the time for a competitive award.[13] [14]
Multiple nominations [ edit ]
The following is a list of composers nominated more than once and winning at least one Academy Award (in this category). This list is sorted by number of awards, with the number of total nominations listed in parentheses. These do not include nominations (or awards) in the Best Original Song category.
The following composers have been nominated for a Best Original Score Oscar more than once but have yet to garner one. The number of nominations is listed in parentheses. These do not include nominations (or awards) in the Best Original Song category.
Deceased:
Living:
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
^ "Rule Sixteen: Special Rules for the Best Picture of the Year Award | Rules for the 85th Academy Awards | Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences" . Oscars.org. 2012-08-24. Archived from the original on 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2014-05-15 .
^ Buchanan, Kyle (28 April 2020). "Oscars Rule to Allow Films to Skip a Theatrical Release This Year" . The New York Times .
^ Lochner, Jim (18 May 2010). "1934: The Year Oscar Scored" . filmscoreclicktrack.com. Archived from the original on 2017-11-24.
^ "1944" . Oscars.org. Retrieved 2020-01-28 .
^ a b Elias, Justine (12 March 2000). "OSCAR FILMS/OSCAR FILMS/THE RULES; Squeezing Music Into Pigeonholes" . New York Times .
^ Hammond, Pete (April 28, 2020). "Oscars Keeping Show Date But Make Big News As Academy Lightens Eligibility Rules, Combines Sound Categories, Ends DVD Screeners and More" . Deadline Hollywood .
^ "Award rules and campaign regulations approved for 94th Oscars" . oscars.org. 30 June 2021.
^ a b "Rules & Eligibility" . Oscars.org - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . 28 July 2014.
^ "The Official Academy Awards Database" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2018 .
^ "1957 Academy Award Voting Rules" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . 1957. Retrieved January 10, 2018 .
^ "Vote Settles Oscar Tunes" . Billboard . March 17, 1973. Retrieved December 31, 2017 .
^ "Academy Awards 2017: Complete list of Oscar winners and nominees" . Los Angeles Times . February 26, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2018 .
^ "Oscar win at 87 may make Ennio Morricone the oldest winner ever" . David Ng . Los Angeles Times . February 28, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016 .
^ "Italy, Hollywood Celebrate Ennio Morricone's First Competitive Win" . Ariston Anderson . The Hollywood Reporter. February 28, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016 .
External links [ edit ]
Awards of Merit
Special awards
Former awards
Merit Awards Special Awards
Ceremonies ‡
‡ Dates and years listed for each ceremony were the eligibility period of film release in Los Angeles County . For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period was done on a seasonal basis, from August to July. For the 6th ceremony, held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932, to December 31, 1933. From the 7th ceremony, held in 1935, through the 92nd ceremony, held in 2020, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31. For the 93rd ceremony, held in 2021, the eligibility period was from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021. For the 94th ceremony, held in 2022, the eligibility period was from March 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021.
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