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HAMMER FILM MUSIC
THE COMPOSERS




In spite of Hammer's limited budget, their films always looked and sounded like "A" films. I've compiled a list of people responsible for the music behind the Hammer films. Some of this music is turning up on CD thanks to a few smaller CD distributing companies like SILVA SCREEN. Check out www.filmmusic.com for more CD information.

A new CD has just been released from Wolfslair entitled "Christopher Lee Sings Devils, Rogues and Other Villains". Mr. Lee recently held a CD signing at Forbidden Planet in London which was a great success. The CD is available for $15.95 by Visa or Mastercard, money order or cashier's check by e-mail to [email protected], by mail at Wolfslair, 8033 Sunset Blvd. # 1313, Los Angeles, CA 90046, or telephone orders to (213)465-0550.

Malcolm Arnold (1921 - )
Hammer Credits: Stolen Face, Wings Of Danger, Four-Sided Triangle
Biography from Katz's Film Encyclopedia:
Born on October 21, 1921, Northampton, England. Education: Royal College of Music and in Italy. Played the trumpet with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Composed the ballet "Homage to the Queen" for the 1953 coronation and many outstanding film scores, including the one for THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957), which brought him an Academy Award.
Web Site: The Malcom Arnold Society


Edwin Astley
Hammer Credits: Visa to Canton, The Phantom Of The Opera.
British composer who is perhaps best known for his themes to the British TV series Danger Man and The Saint.


Don Banks (1923 - 1980)
Hammer Credits: Captain CLegg, The Evil Of Frankenstein, Nightmare, The Brigand Of Kandahar, Hysteria, Rasputin-The Mad Monk, The Reptile, The Mummy's Shroud.
Australian composer who wrote film scores to help support himself while writing classical compositions. His work is far more restrained than James Bernard's score and his jazz score for Hysteria showed his diversity in musical styles.


Richard Rodney Bennett (1936 - )
Hammer Credits: The Man Who Could Cheat Death, The Nanny, The Witches.
Biography from Baseline
Born on March 29, 1936, Broadstairs, Kent, England. Education: Royal Academy of Music, London. Deft, versatile composer who entered movies at age 20 and quickly established himself as one of the finest talents in the field. Bennett has often contributed to the films of John Schlesinger, scoring BILLY LIAR (1963), DARLING (1965), FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (1967) and YANKS (1979). He has worked mostly in TV since the early 1980s.


James Bernard (1925 - )
Hammer Credits: The Quatermass Xperiment, X-The Unknown, Quatermass 2, The Curse Of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, The Hound Of The Baskervilles, The Stranglers Of Bombay, The Terror Of The Tongs, Kiss Of The Vampire, The Damned, The Gorgon, She, Dracula-Prince Of Darkness, The Plague Of The Zombies, Frankenstein Created Woman, The Devil Rides Out, Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, Taste The Blood Of Dracula, Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell, The Legend of The Seven Golden Vampires.
This British Composer was Hammer's music equivalent to stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. His DRACULA theme is immediately recognizable by any fan of the films. He began composing as a teenager during World War II and went on to study music at the Royal College Of Music. His musical film work has been almost entirely for Hammer Studios although he did win an Academy Award in 1950 for co-authoring the story for the thriller SEVEN DAYS TO NOON. The scores to his films have recently been getting attention, thanks to releases from SLIVA SCREEN.


Stanley Black (1913 - )
Hammer Credits: Further Up The Creek, Hell Is A City, The Full Testament, Maniac.
Prolific British composer/condutor/musical director. He served as the bandleader for conducted the BBC Dance Orchestra from 1944 to 1954.


John Cacavas (1930 - )
Hammer Credits" Satanic Rites Of Dracula.
American composer most noted for his work on the TV series KOJAK and his two scores for AIRPORT 1975 and 1977.


Tristam Carrey (1925 - )
Hammer Credits: Quatermass and the Pit.
British composer.


Doreen Corwithen
Hammer Credits: Mantrap, Men Of Sherwood Forest, Break In The Circle.
Female British Composer.


Benjamin Frankel (1906 - 1903)
Hammer Credits: I Only Arsked, The Curse Of The Werewolf, The Old Dark House.
Notable British composer responsible for the effective CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF score. He is also known for is scores for The Seventh Veil, Mine Own Executioner and Night Of The Iguana.
Web Page: Composers-Frankel


Paul Glass
Hammer Credits: To The Devil...A Daughter.
British Composer.


Ron Grainer (1922 - 1981)
Hammer Credits: Mutiny On The Buses.
British composer who is best known for his scores for the Doctor Who BBC series.


Phillip Green (1917 - )
Hammer Credits: Don't Panic Chaps.
British composer/musical director who is responsible for many British comedy scores.


Christopher Gunning
Hammer Credits: Hands Of The Ripper, Man About The House.
British composer.


Richard Hartley
Hammer Credits: The Lady Vanishes
British composer who is probably most recognized for his contributions on THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW.


Gary Hughes
Hammer Credits: Devil-Ship Pirates, The Scarlet Blade, A Challenge For Robin Hood, The Viking Queen.
British Composer.


Laurie Johnson
Hammer Credits: Captain Kronos-Vampire Hunter
Prolific British composer.conductor. He was trained at the Royal College Of Music and is best known for his television scores for THE AVENGERS, THE PROFESSIONALS and THE NEW AVENGERS. He was a long-time friend of Bernard Herrmann and was responsible for a re-recording of Herrmann's classic NORTH BY NORTHWEST score in 1979. He also adapted Herrmann's score of IT'S ALIVE for IT'S ALIVE 2. Touches of his Herrmann influence can be found in his CAPTAIN KRONOS score as well as his score for the Ray Harryhausen film FIRST MEN IN THE MOON.


Elizabeth Lutyens
Hammer Credits: Never Take Sweets From A Stranger, Paranoiac.
Female British Composer who is responsible for several other genre scores including DR. TERROS HOUSE OF HORROS, THE SKULL and THE PSYCHOPATH.


Carlo Martelli
Hammer Credits: The Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb, Slave Girls.
In spite of his name, Martelli is a British composer. He has score other genre pictures including IT!, WITHCRAFT, CATACOMBS and THE MURDER GAME.


John McCabe
Hammer Credits: Fear In The Night.
British composer and principal at the London College of Music.


Mario Nascimbene
Hammer Credits: One Million Years B.C., The Vengeance Of She, When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, Creatures The World Forgot.
Italian composer who is best known for his work in sword and sandal epics. He was trained at Milan's Guiseppe Verdi Conservatory. Other scores include ALEXANDER THE GREAT, SOLOMON AND SHEBA BARABBAS and THE VIKINGS. An import CD on the Legend label has been released featuring the scores to ONE MILLION YEARS B.C., WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH and THE CREATURES THE WORLD FORGOT.


Clifton Parker (1905- )
Hammer Credits: Taste Of Fear
British composer/music director.


Franz Reizenstein (1911 - 1968)
Hammer Credits: The Mummy.
German composer/concert pianist responsible for only one Hammer film. His score enhances the film correctly joining the atmosphere with the mood of the music.


Harry Robinson
Hammer Credits: The Vampire Lovers, Lust For A Vampire, Countess Dracula, Twins Of Evil, Demons Of The Mind.
Also known as Harry Robertson. Scottish musician also responsible for other genre score The Oblong Box, Fright, Legend Of The Werewolf and The Ghoul. Hammer fans will quickly recognize his bizarre pop style arrangement for the song for STRANGE LOVE from Lust For A Vampire.


Leonard Salzedo (1921 - )
Hammer Credits: Mask Of Dust, The Glass Cage, Women Without Men, The Steel Bayonet, The Revenge Of Frankenstein.
British composer. Studied at the Royal College Of Music.


Gerard Schurman (1928- )
Hammer Credits: The Camp On Blood Island, The Lost Continent.
British composer who is best known for his contribution to horror films including HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM. Cloud Nine Records has released GERARD SHUMAN: MUSIC FOR FILMS on CD which includes selections from HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM, KONGA and Hammer's THE LOST CONTINENT.


Ivor Stanley
Hammer Credits: The Flanagan Boy, The Gambler And The Lady, The Saint's Return, Spaceways, Face The Music, Blood Orange, Five Days, The Stranger Came Home, Murder By Proxy.
British composer who served as residnet composer at Hammer studios in 1952 replacing Frank SPencer.


Frank Spencer Hammer Credits: Dr. Morelle, The Adventures Of P.C. 49, Dick Barton-Special Agent, Dick Barton At Bay, The Lady Craved Excitement, The Man In Black, Meet Simon Cherry, Room To Let, Someone At The Door, A Case For P.C. 49, Cloudburst, The Dark Light, To Have and To Hold, Death Of An Angel, The Last Page.
British composer who served as the studios resident composer from 1949 to 1952. He was responsible for the scores to many of their second features.


Mike Vickers Hammer Credits: Dracula A.D. 1972 British composer who was also a former member of Manfred Mann.

David Whitaker Hammer Credits: Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde, Vampire Circus.
British composer who was trained at London's Guildhall School Of Music. He score other genre pictures like Blind Terror, Vampire, Dominique and The Sword and the Sorcerer for which he won the Best Original Score Award from the Academy of Science Fiction.

Malcolm Williamson Hammer Credits: The Brides Of Dracula, Crescendo, Horror Of Frankenstein.
Australian compserwho is noted for his many documentary scores.


HAMMER MUSIC SUPERVISORS

Philip Martell (1915 - 1993)
British conducter who became Hammer's resident musical supervisor in 1963 after the death of John Hollingsworth. Martell retained the title until his death in 1993. The was trained at London's Guildhall School Of Music. He worked on every Hammer project made during his term as musical supervisor and would later supervise many of the soundtrack releases of Hammer film music. He also served as musical supervisor at Tyburn Films.


John Hollingsworth (1923 - 1963)
British Condutor. In 1953 he became the first in-house musical supervisor at Hammer studios. A title he retained until his death. He was trained at London's Guildhall School Of Music.



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| Hammer Links | Bibliography |

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