Greetings fellow Horner fans! My name is Julie, and I am a student at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. I am currently double majoring in
music composition and music education. My birthdate is April 24, 1977 (you do the math!), and I have lived in Eau Claire my whole life.
I have been a film buff ever since I saw Empire Strikes Back in the
theaters. Was just a wee girl, then, but it had a definite effect on me... I
got so scared in the scene when Luke confronts Vador on Yoda's planet that I
thew up in the theater! Needless to say, film has been a major part of my
life ever since. :-)
Being a movie fan and a musician naturally made me a film music devotee at
an early age as well. The first film I remember being completely obsessed
with, music and all, was Star Trek III. I was seven when it came out and
didn't know who on earth this James Horner was on the credits, but I could
sing every minute of the score along with the film. Mr. Horner's music in
that film means a lot to me... I can still sing every minute of it in sync!
The first score I owned a copy of was Batman - Danny Elfman. Mr. Elfman
is very close to my heart. He was the man who first got me into the
purchasing of film scores. Batman is one of my favorite movies of all
time. The music is my favorite from Mr. Elfman (Black Beauty being a
close second).
Upon entering college, my heart was set on becoming a secondary music
educator. (After striking up a friendship with two professors who were both
film music fans, my passion for the medium and composition was rekindled.
All throughout my youth, I had wanted to be a cartoonist, but between
reality setting in and the tenor saxophone adding to my piano instruction,
music became an intoxicating passion.) I became enchanted with James Horner
after buying the Braveheart CD. It was only after this that I learned of
Mr. Horner by name and realized that he was the one who had gotten to me
through Star Trek III all those years ago.
My favorite style of music is that of the passionate... the kind of music that
washes over you like a gigantic wave and leaves you completely exhausted and
drained after hearing it. To me, Mr. Horner achieves this style the
greatest of the modern film composers. His "orgasmic" way of writing,
examplified in such scores as Krull, the Star Treks, Braveheart,
Apollo 13, The Rocketeer, Willow, and most recently Titanic is the
stuff I'm talking about. I also greatly enjoy the quiet side of Horner. He
has a way of making his "quiet" scores interesting and emotional as well... a
quality I have found some composers lack. Some of my favorite "quiet"
Horner works are Casper, "The Searching for Bobby Fischer, and Field of
Dreams.
The things for me that separate a great score from a good one for me are as
follows: it works on both CD and with the film and it is both intellectual
and emotional. Mr. Horner has accomplished this very well... better than any
other modern film composer, in my opinion.
My dream would be to take a conducting job in a university near Los Angeles
and compose and conduct film music on the side. If anyone has an interest
in hearing some pieces I have done, please feel free to e-mail me! :-)
[ Back to the Profiles Page ]