Steiner had over 300 scores didn't he? I mean how do you really compare?
I prefer John Williams simply because his music was a part of too many movies in my time. Steiner came before my time, so I don't know as many of his themes, and they don't have the same impact on a personal level. I also know some of Williams work outside of movie scores, but I can't really say who is better, or more talented. I think it's just really preference.
Williams is a better composer than Steiner. Goldsmith, Herrmann, Morricone Barry, Elmer Bernstein and Korngold were also better composers.
(All just my own opinions).
Not sure you can judge because I suspect the remits are different. These days I think they want a big theme that can get inside the audience's head and become part of the package. In the past the music was less intrusive, more supportive background.
It's interesting to wonder when the change came to this very broad brush answer. Names that pop up in my mind are Ennio Morricone, John Barry and Ron Goodwin. But there is also influence from Westerns and even earlier we have Korngold, who I always think of as the bloke who wrote 'The Errol Flynn' theme.
Steiner was amazingly prolific, but offhand I only know two melodies: "Theme From A Summer Place" and "Gone With the Wind" title sequence.
John Williams's music gets played by symphony orchestras on a fairly regular basis, and tickets sell well. I don't think the same can be said for Steiner--you might hear his music at your local symphony orchestra only at a "Hollywood Night" tribute.
Symphony orchestras play Williams's music on pop nights more frequently because they figure the audience knows most of his movies. Today, most of the movies Steiner scored are only familiar to old movie aficionados.
shareTrue. But I just can't imagine Steiner's stuff generating the same level of excitement as Williams's, regardless of age.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDrWcFGlyKg&t=38s
Steiner wrote some very exciting music, in a wider stylistic range than Williams. He was a more sophisticated composer. That being said, I think if Williams had been born around the turn of the 20th century he would have held his own with film scorists like Steiner, Korngold, Alfred Newman, Friedhoffer, Herrmann, Moross, Elmer Bernstein, Goldsmith, and Goodwin.
shareI love both. Williams is terribly derivative, but he does it well. I suppose that's inevitable when one is more of a conductor than a composer (L. Bernstein notwithstanding). It's rather hard to give Williams a fair shake because his music is so pop-py.
shareWilliams, then Jerry Goldsmith, then John Barry, then Bernard Herrmann.
shareAlways John Williams
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