First, you're correct, he did not win for The Hurricane. The Wikipedia article on Newman indicates he did, but in checking the film's site itself it was indeed only a nomination. My error.
Second, while the title song for Love is a Many-Splendored Thing was written by Sammy Cahn and Newman adapted the theme for some of the film's music, much of the score is his own and has nothing to do with the song or theme. I don't know how one parses how much of a film's score is entirely original and how much taken from another source (in the case of Bernadette, the Ave Maria), but regardless, arguing about which is more "original" is getting a bit ridiculous. The only salient facts are that TSOB won for Best Original Score, it's a great score, and Newman was a brilliant composer.
Lastly, regarding your statement,
Great music has soul. Inspiration. It's not just a matter of technique, as you write.
I did
not write that it's "just a matter of technique". That is a false characterization. Of course music has soul, has inspiration. But that is not what
you said.
What I wrote was purely in response to your claim that Newman in effect overcame his own religious faith and that as a result his music, quote,
"shows his depth of character that his score could match the Christian inspiration of the film." That is a statement born of religious prejudice, the core aspect of my comment...which I note you were careful to entirely avoid responding about in any of your
three replies.
Why does anyone, in this case a Jew, require "depth of
character" in order to write a movie score dealing with a religious faith different from his own? Depth of
talent, perhaps, but that goes to a person's artistic abilities. But depth of
character? That statement can only be construed one way: as a belief that someone of a faith other than Christianity (or, more specifically, Roman Catholicism) is naturally incapable of composing music inspired by that faith unless he or she has the strength or depth of character to rise above their own background to do so. In this instance, that Newman could be expected to be handicapped by his own religious faith and his own religious prejudices in being able to compose music appropriate to a film about another faith -- but that thanks to his character, he was able to transcend this innate bias or at best lack of first-hand understanding of Christianity to come up with a great score.
That is arrant nonsense and a slander against Newman's religion (and, more subtly, even against Newman himself). A great composer, as Newman was, is trained in many forms of music, of widely varying backgrounds and natures. He studies these things for years and learns to utilize those aspects appropriate to what a particular work calls for. He's capable of creating beautiful and appropriate music dealing with
any background -- religious, cultural, temporal, whatever the nature of the music required. Obviously Newman was "inspired" by the specific story to write the kind of music
The Song of Bernadette required...just as he was similarly inspired to compose the kind of music every other one of his films required. His ability was based on talent, training and knowledge, not "character".
This is something true of any great composer, indeed, even of lesser composers. It does not require
character. It requires
talent. Talent in turn demands inspiration and soul. No one said or implied otherwise. But one thing it does
not require is "character". Some of the nastiest, most personally reprehensible people in the business did brilliant work in their fields irrespective of their characters. It's talent, and all that that requires and implies, that makes the difference.
I'll be charitable and allow that you did not intend to write what is a back-handed anti-Semitic slur, or perhaps a thinly-veiled claim of Christian superiority, but it's obvious you still don't get it.
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