Elmer Bernstein R.I.P.
I'm very sad to report that the legendary film composer, Elmer Bernstein, died in his sleep yesterday afternoon at the age of 82.
Elmer Bernstein had an extraordinary career as an innovative and dynamic film composer. In an age when Eastern European composers ruled Hollywood, he was the first composer to introduce the jazz ensemble to film scoring, in the Frank Sinatra film "The Man with the Golden Arm". He created eclectic chamber textures with a child-like approach in "To Kill A Mockingbird". He passed through periods of genres and styles when most film composers remained typecast -- from epics like "The Ten Commandments"; to the legendary Americana of "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape"; to slapstick comedy like "Meatballs", "Caddyshack", and "Airplane"; to art eclectism like "My Left Foot", "Cape Fear", and "Being John Malkovich".
I was fortunate enough to study with him for a year, and he was without a doubt my favorite professor at USC. Unlike many of the elder statesman of the film industry, he wasn't jaded, and he wasn't cynical. Unlike many of teachers, he talked very little about "the business", and almost entirely about the creative process. He was the epitome of a gentleman, and treated every student like a developing artist worthy of respect. And he was humble -- he would bring the latest projects he'd finished in to class and ask us to sketch musical ideas for them... and he would admit when he liked our approach better than his own! (I scored some points with him that way with a minimalist approach I took on the film "Chinese Coffee" with Al Pacino -- one of my proudest moments that year)
He was an admirable man -- not just for his many accomplishments, and for the gentle way he treated other people, but also for the light of his artistic optimism, which served as an inspiration to everyone who enjoyed his presence and his work. He will be missed.
Elmer Bernstein had an extraordinary career as an innovative and dynamic film composer. In an age when Eastern European composers ruled Hollywood, he was the first composer to introduce the jazz ensemble to film scoring, in the Frank Sinatra film "The Man with the Golden Arm". He created eclectic chamber textures with a child-like approach in "To Kill A Mockingbird". He passed through periods of genres and styles when most film composers remained typecast -- from epics like "The Ten Commandments"; to the legendary Americana of "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape"; to slapstick comedy like "Meatballs", "Caddyshack", and "Airplane"; to art eclectism like "My Left Foot", "Cape Fear", and "Being John Malkovich".
I was fortunate enough to study with him for a year, and he was without a doubt my favorite professor at USC. Unlike many of the elder statesman of the film industry, he wasn't jaded, and he wasn't cynical. Unlike many of teachers, he talked very little about "the business", and almost entirely about the creative process. He was the epitome of a gentleman, and treated every student like a developing artist worthy of respect. And he was humble -- he would bring the latest projects he'd finished in to class and ask us to sketch musical ideas for them... and he would admit when he liked our approach better than his own! (I scored some points with him that way with a minimalist approach I took on the film "Chinese Coffee" with Al Pacino -- one of my proudest moments that year)
He was an admirable man -- not just for his many accomplishments, and for the gentle way he treated other people, but also for the light of his artistic optimism, which served as an inspiration to everyone who enjoyed his presence and his work. He will be missed.
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