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1922 - 2004
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"Elmer Bernstein was the consummate
composer, classically trained, capable
of doing it all. He stood among
a group of composers – the
pantheon of film composers - with
Alex North, Bernard Hermann, Miklos
Rosza, Alfred Newman, Henry Mancini
and other masters of the art. His
scores for "The Man With the Golden
Arm" and "The Magnificent Seven"
are classics, and his "To Kill A
Mockingbird" stands as one of the
best main titles, visually and musically.
Elmer approached the scoring of
a film as a dramatist, almost as
an extension of the screenplay.
His scores will serve as some of
the greatest examples of the art
of film composing. I’m grateful
that after the heartbreaking loss
of Michael Kamen, Jerry Goldsmith,
David Raksin and now Elmer Bernstein,
we have the next generation of film
composers among us: James Newton
Howard, Randy Newman, Howard Shore,
Thomas Newman among others."
-Marilyn Bergman,
President and Chairman of ASCAP |
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Elmer Bernstein was elected to ASCAP's Board
of Directors in 2003. He was presented with
the ASCAP Golden Soundtrack Award for lifetime
achievement in film and television music in
1990, and in 2001, he received the ASCAP Founders
Award in recognition of his outstanding achievements
and contributions to the music of film and television.
Elmer Bernstein is a name in music that is synonymous
with creativity, versatility and longevity.
2001 marked his 50th anniversary as a feature
film composer. The only working composer to
achieve such distinction, he practiced his craft
in film, television, theatre, the concert hall
and the academic world. He was nominated for
13 Academy Awards, and won the award in 1967.
He had further been honored with an Emmy, two
Golden Globes, two Western Heritage Awards and
two Tony nominations for his scores for How
Now Dow Jones and Merlin for the Broadway stage.
With music for more than 200 major motion pictures
and television films (including To Kill A Mockingbird,
The Magnificent Seven, Sweet Smell of Success,
The Great Escape, Trading Places, The Age of
Innocence, Bringing Out the Dead), Bernstein
produced one of his most profound film compositions
for The Man With The Golden Arm. He was also
among the most recorded motion picture composers,
with some of his earlier soundtracks including
The Ten Commandments, Hawaii, and Walk On The
Wild Side. In recent years, Mr. Bernstein’s
distinguished scores also included My Left Foot,
The Grifters, The Age of Innocence, Bringing
Out the Dead and Keeping the Faith. His most
recent film score was for the critically acclaimed
Far From Heaven, for which Bernstein was nominated
for a Golden Globe Award. He also won the Los
Angeles and Seattle Film Critics award.
Bernstein was the recipient of lifetime achievement
honors from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences, ASCAP, and National Board of Review,
among others. He was a past president of the
Young Musicians Foundation, and recently served
as president of The Film Music Museum. Mr. Bernstein’s
associations include: former Vice President
of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,
founding life member of The National Academy
of Recording Arts and Sciences, past president
of The Composers and Lyricists Guild of America
and The Performing Arts Council of the Los Angeles
Music Center. Mr. Bernstein, a virtuoso concert
pianist, performed extensively between 1939
and 1950. In addition to his work in motion
pictures, television and stage, Bernstein composed
numerous pieces for the concert hall, including
"Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra"
and "Ondiine at the Cinema, Themes for
Ondes Martenot and Orchestra."
Mr. Bernstein was born in New York City, April
4, 1922. Bernstein attributed his remarkable
career longevity to the superb musical training
he received from his first mentor, Israel Citkowitz,
recommended to him by the renowned composer
Aaron Copland, who took a continuing interest
in his career. |
