Positive Quiddity: soundtrack composer John Barry

It is with deep and profound personal sadness that I announce the death of John
Barry (nee John Barry Pendergast) last weekend.

Barry was simply the best soundtrack composer, arranger and conductor from 1962
(with his arrangement of Monty Norman's "James Bond Theme") through the late
eighties (with his great work on "Dances with Wolves").  Along with Henry
Mancini, he was on top of the wave of movie music that simply "ate" instrumental
recording in the 1960s.

I can't think of enough great things to say about this artist.  He could get all
the way inside my heart as no other pop composer of the twentieth century except
perhaps Harry Warren or Hoagy Carmichael.  For the rest of my life I will regret
that I didn't know beforehand about his 1998 live concert at the Royal Albert
Hall -- I would have made it to London at any cost had I known he was going to
do what turned out to be his last great live performance.

With great regret, I have to answer the question of the world's greatest living
composer with a different answer.  With Jerry Goldsmith and John Barry both
gone, the answer has to be, "Angelo Badalamenti."

Here's a good and thorough tribute to John Barry:

http://www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/features/2011/020211.html