A prolific and talented composer and arranger, James Horner was raised in England where he studied at the Royal College of Music. Returning to his native California, he obtained his undergraduate degree at USC and graduate degrees at UCLA. In 1978, his avant-garde composition "Spectral Shimmers" was premiered but the critical reaction was mixed. That same year, Horner entered the film industry, first composing scores for individual student films at the American Film Institute and later under the aegis of Roger Corman at New World Pictures. Although his early efforts were mostly low-budget horror flicks (i.e., "Battle Beyond the Stars" 1980), Horner eventually began to branch out to thrillers and dramatic fare (e.g., "The Pursuit of D B Cooper" 1981). In 1982, he won his first mainstream success with his jazz-fusion underscore for Walter Hill's "48 Hrs." and for his stirring themes for "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan". Employing strings and brass, the composer fashioned a score that perfectly complimented the film's action sequences.
After the boxoffice success of "Star Trek II", Horner's stock in Hollywood rose and he was soon in demand. Since 1983, he has composed over 75 film scores in a variety of genres. Horner has experimented with different types of instruments, from steel drums in "Commando" (1985) to pan flutes in "Patriot Games" (1992). For James Cameron's superior sequel "Aliens" (1986), he earned his first Oscar nomination for what some have called one of the best action film scores. Horner utilizes flutes, strings, brass and timpani to create memorable themes. One of his biggest successes came with the Academy Award-nominated, Grammy-winning song "Somewhere Out There", co-written with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Penned for the animated "An American Tail" (1986), the song became a hit thanks to a lovely duet by Linda Rondstadt and James Ingram.
Horner also won considerable acclaim for his stirring themes for "Glory" (1989), which also employed the Boys Choir of Harlem, The film's main theme, begun on a single trumpet which eventually gives way to a full orchestra, brought him another Grammy. That same year, he was again Oscar-nominated for "Field of Dreams", which perfectly matched the film's tearjerking tone, beginning in a light-hearted fashion before becoming more serious. Throughout the 90s, he has continued to provide thoroughly enjoyable, strong scores. Some critics felt his songs (written with Will Jennings) for the animated sequel "An American Tail: Fievel Goes West" (1991) were superior to the original. The piano-heavy score for the underrated film "Searching for Bobby Fisher" (1993) and the synthesizer-heavy music for "Bopha!" (also 1993) rank among his better work. He earned a fair amount of critical attention for the melodic "Legends of the Fall" (1994), which interwove themes written to represent each of the major characters. Horner was a double Oscar nominee in 1995 for the Celtic-influenced "Braveheart" and for the triumphant music in "Apollo 13". Two years later, he reteamed with director James Cameron for what stands as Horner's most accomplished and successful achievement, the powerful Oscar-winning score to the blockbuster "Titanic" (1997). From its subdued beginning through the heavy use of brass and drums to indicate the ship's sinking, the score was Horner's masterwork. He again employed Celtic instruments as well as the haunting vocalizations of Norwegian singer Sissel to create the ethereal underscore for the romantic scenes. The film's award-winning love theme, "My Heart Will Go On" (with lyrics by Will Jennings), also proved popular in a rendition by Celine Dion.
Once in the mainstream, Horner has barely stopped, penning scores for several features a year. Although some have detected influences of other composers, Horner most often recycles his own compositions. Themes or motifs from one film may be heard in variation in another (e.g., the main theme of "Aliens" appears in 1987's "Project X" motifs from "Glory" are reused in 1994's "The Pagemaster"). Despite this self-plagiarism, Horner continues to captivate audiences with his aurally pleasing film music.