OSCAR HISTORY: Best Music - Original Score

What would a movie be without music? The right piece of instrumental musical scoring can evoke an emotion that otherwise might not be there, heighten or strengthen the emotions already there, or give us the sense of dread needed for a film trying to scare us. The best composers can create musical scores that can instantly transport us back to the memory of a great film when we hear it, and the Academy has honored a good number of scores that can instantly evoke the memory of what made their films great, and stand as classics in the history of good movie music.


2023: Ludwig Göransson for OPPENHEIMER     (Listen to Score)
2022: Volker Bertelmann for ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT     (Listen to Score)
2021: Hans Zimmer for DUNE     (Listen to Score)
2020: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, & Jon Batiste for SOUL     (Listen to Score)
2019: Hildur Guðnadóttir for JOKER     (Listen to Score)
2018: Ludwig Göransson for BLACK PANTHER     (Listen to Score)
2017: Alexandre Desplat for THE SHAPE OF WATER     (Listen to Score)
2016: Justin Hurwitz for LA LA LAND     (Listen to Score)
2015: Ennio Morricone for THE HATEFUL EIGHT     (View Music Score Video)
2014: Alexandre Desplat for THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL     (Listen to Score)
2013: Steven Price for GRAVITY     (Listen to Score)
2012: Mychael Danna for LIFE OF PI     (Listen to Score)
2011: Ludovic Bource for THE ARTIST     (Listen to Score)
2010: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for THE SOCIAL NETWORK     (Listen to Score)
2009: Michael Giacchino for UP     (Listen to Score)
2008: A.R. Rahman for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE     (Listen to Score)
2007: Dario Marianelli for ATONEMENT     (Listen to Score)
2006: Gustavo Santaolalla for BABEL     (Listen to Score)
2005: Gustavo Santaolalla for BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN     (Listen to Score)
2004: Jan A.P. Kaczmarek for FINDING NEVERLAND     (Listen to Score)
2003: Howard Shore for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING     (Listen to Score)
2002: Eliot Goldenthal for FRIDA     (Listen to Score)
2001: Howard Shore for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING     (Listen to Score)
2000: Tan Dun for CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON     (Listen to Score)
1999: John Corigliano for THE RED VIOLIN     (Listen to Score)
1998: Nicola Piovani for LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL     (Listen to Score)
1997: James Horner for TITANIC     (Listen to Score)
1996: Gabriel Yared for THE ENGLISH PATIENT     (Listen to Score)
1995: Luis Bacalov for THE POSTMAN (IL POSTINO)     (Listen to Score)
1994: Hans Zimmer for THE LION KING     (Listen to Score)
1993: John Williams for SCHINDLER'S LIST     (Listen to Score)
1992: Alan Menken for ALADDIN     (Listen to Score)
1991: Alan Menken for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST     (Listen to Score)
1990: John Barry for DANCES WITH WOLVES     (Listen to Score)
1989: Alan Menken for THE LITTLE MERMAID     (Listen to Score)
1988: Dave Grusin for THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR     (Listen to Score)
1987: David Byrne, Cong Su, and Ryuichi Sakamoto for THE LAST EMPEROR     (Listen to Score)
1986: Herbie Hancock for 'ROUND MIDNIGHT     (Listen to Score)
1985: John Barry for OUT OF AFRICA     (Listen to Score)
1984: Maurice Jarre for A PASSAGE TO INDIA     (Listen to Score)
1983: Bill Conti for THE RIGHT STUFF     (Listen to Score)
1982: John Williams for E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL     (Listen to Score)
1981: Vangelis for CHARIOTS OF FIRE     (View Music Score Video)
1980: Michael Gore for FAME     (Listen to Score)
1979: Georges Delerue for A LITTLE ROMANCE     (Listen to Score)
1978: Giorgio Moroder for MIDNIGHT EXPRESS     (Listen to Score)
1977: John Williams for STAR WARS     (Listen to Score)
1976: Jerry Goldsmith for THE OMEN     (Listen to Score)
1975: John Williams for JAWS     (Listen to Score)
1974: Carmine Coppola and Nino Rota for THE GODFATHER PART II     (Listen to Score)
1973: Marvin Hamlisch for THE WAY WE WERE     (Listen to Score)
1972: Charles Chaplin, Raymond Rasch, and Larry Russell for LIMELIGHT     (Listen to Score)
1971: Michel Legrand for SUMMER OF '42     (Listen to Score)
1970: Francis Lai for LOVE STORY     (Listen to Score)
1969: Burt Bacharach for BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID     (Listen to Score)
1968: John Barry for THE LION IN WINTER     (Listen to Score)
1967: Elmer Bernstein for THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE     (Listen to Score)
1966: John Barry for BORN FREE     (Listen to Score)
1965: Maurice Jarre for DOCTOR ZHIVAGO     (Listen to Score)
1964: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman for MARY POPPINS     (Listen to Score)
1963: John Addison for TOM JONES     (Listen to Score)
1962: Maurice Jarre for LAWRENCE OF ARABIA     (Listen to Score)
1961: Henry Mancini for BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S     (Listen to Score)
1960: Ernest Gold for EXODUS     (Listen to Score)
1959: Miklos Rozsa for BEN-HUR     (Listen to Score)
1958: Dimitri Tiomkin for THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA     (Listen to Score)
1957: Malcolm Arnold for THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI     (Listen to Score)
1956: Victor Young for AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS     (Listen to Score)
1955: Alfred Newman for LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING     (Listen to Score)
1954: Dimitri Tiomkin for THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY     (Listen to Score)
1953: Bronislau Kaper for LILI     (Listen to Score)
1952: Dimitri Tiomkin for HIGH NOON     (Listen to Score)
1951: Franz Waxman for A PLACE IN THE SUN     (Listen to Score)
1950: Franz Waxman for SUNSET BOULEVARD     (Listen to Score)
1949: Aaron Copland for THE HEIRESS     (Listen to Score)
1948: Brian Easdale for THE RED SHOES     (Listen to Score)
1947: Dr. Miklos Rozsa for A DOUBLE LIFE     (Listen to Score)
1946: Hugo Friedhofer for THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES     (Listen to Score)
1945: Miklos Rozsa for SPELLBOUND     (Listen to Score)
1944: Max Steiner for SINCE YOU WENT AWAY     (Listen to Score)
1943: Alfred Newman for THE SONG OF BERNADETTE     (Listen to Score)
1942: Max Steiner for NOW, VOYAGER     (Listen to Score)
1941: Bernard Herrmann for ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY     (Listen to Score)
1940: Leigh Harline, Paul J. Smith, and Ned Washington for PINOCCHIO     (Listen to Score)
1939: Herbert Stothart for THE WIZARD OF OZ     (Listen to Score)
1938: Erich Wolfgang Korngold for THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD     (Listen to Score)
1937: Charles Previn for ONE HUNDRED MEN AND A GIRL     (View Film)
1936: Leo Forbstein for ANTHONY ADVERSE     (Listen to Score)
1935: Max Steiner for THE INFORMER     (Listen to Score)
1934: Louis Silvers for ONE NIGHT OF LOVE     (Listen to Score)