Bernard Herrmann

The man behind the low woodwinds that open _Citizen Kane (1941)_ (qv), the shrieking violins of _Psycho (1960)_ (qv), and the plaintive saxophone of _Taxi Driver (1976)_ (qv) 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. After writing scores for 'Orson Welles' (qv)'s radio shows in the 1930s (including the notorious 1938 "The War of the Worlds" broadcast), he was the obvious choice to score Welles's film debut, _Citizen Kane (1941)_ (qv), and, subsequently, _The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)_ (qv), although he removed his name from the latter after additional music was added without his (or Welles's) consent when the film was mutilated by a panic-stricken studio. Herrmann was a prolific film composer, producing some of his most memorable work for 'Alfred Hitchcock' (qv), for whom he wrote nine scores. A notorious perfectionist and demanding (he once said that most directors didn't have a clue about music, and he blithely ignored their instructions--like Hitchcock's suggestion that _Psycho (1960)_ (qv) have a jazz score and no music in the shower scene). He ended his partnership with Hitchcock after the latter rejected his score for _Torn Curtain (1966)_ (qv) on studio advice. He was also an early experimenter in the sounds used in film scores, most famously _The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)_ (qv), scored for two theremins, pianos, and a horn section; and was a consultant on the electronic sounds created by 'Oskar Sala' (qv) on the mixtrautonium for _The Birds (1963)_ (qv). His last score was for 'Martin Scorsese' (qv)'s _Taxi Driver (1976)_ (qv) and died just hours after recording it. He also wrote an opera, "Wuthering Heights", and a cantata, "Moby Dick".::Michael Brooke <michael@everyman.demon.co.uk>