Some of you may have noticed the decrease in the number of publications on the site in the past year or so. Indeed, following our meeting with Sara & Emily Horner in March 2018, we became involved in two important projects and we had to put aside the articles for the site. We continue to follow the news with the releases (La-La Land / Intrada) but our efforts are focused on these two projects that are really close to our hearts. On this particular day of the 4th anniversary of James Horner's death, it seemed appropriate to us to talk to you about these two projects. We won't go into details yet, but at least you'll know.
[divider]PROJECT 1[/divider]
We all know and love the vast musical universe James Horner left us. Even in this universe we know so well there are still parts that remain shrouded in mystery, pieces from the puzzle that are missing, some having been discovered and then swiftly forgotten. But soon, the time has come for us to show the world these forgotten and treasured gems. Our goal is that you will be able to listen to these gems soon. We will have more information to share with you in September.
[divider]PROJECT 2[/divider]
James Horner's professional career deserves to be told. So we are writing a biography and we are aiming for a paper publication. The work is huge. We are ambitious and very rigorous in proposing the reference work on the composer. We rely on 300 sources: 150 interviews with the composer, some 20 unpublished or rare, and 150 interviews with collaborators, a third of which are unpublished. For example, at the beginning of James Horner's career, we had the great honour of interviewing Roger Corman, Nicholas Meyer, Christopher Cain… The book will offer a new look at the composer with exclusive information. As exhaustiveness is one of our main objectives, we are calling for testimony. The James Horner Film Music Association would like to collect as many testimonies as possible about the composer. So if you would like to share your anecdotes, your memories of the composer for him to appear in the book, please fill out the form below or click on this link.
Finally, if you think you can help us and invest in one of the two projects on a long-term basis, please contact us at the address indicated on this page.
Thank you very much in advance.
I will absolutely contribute to this book when I have a moment. James Horner meant a great deal to me and I even named my recent first-born son James, partly for this legendary composer. I also am in the process of fixing his very flawed Wikipedia page. RIP James Horner.
I still hope that the soundtrack to Romeo and Juliet will be released. I am looking forward to seeing the biography, I hope it will be translated into Russian.
Really good News. Please go on. Looking forward to all of it!
The final collaboration between Horner and director James Cameron acted as a summation of sorts of the composer’s career. Horner’s infamous tendency to self-plagiarize his own material is rendered on an epic scale here, with bits and pieces of
I wish I could help. But I haven never seen the great master himself in person.That is a pity. A very great project. Looking forward. I really wish I could help as a big fan. Thank you for everything,James Horner Film Music Association.
The JHFM Association deserves high praise and sincere gratitude from everyone passionate about the music of James Horner for its bold decision to publish a full length study on the composer’s life and work. While JHFM is a tremendous resource for the maestro’s worldwide legion of fans I think only by means of a scholarly well researched book is it possible to put the stamp of greatness on Horner’s achievements and his towering contribution over many years to the art of music for film. My view would be that lack of material is not your main problem. If anything you have an incredible abundance of primary sources on which to draw, and perhaps the most daunting task confronting the authors is the editing of this prodigious archival wealth, so that the book has a well-defined shape, is cogently argued but not of excessive length. In my view the aim of the project is succinctly encapsulated in the title of one of the key articles published on JHFM: James Horner’s place in film music history. I believe this short yet important analysis serves as a springboard for the book’s principal objective: in the vast firmament of film composition over the past hundred years, there is truly a place for the prolific movie scores of James Horner, and the aim of those writing the book must be to find that place and to ensure that he is recognised and his work appreciated in perpetuity. The JHFM team has demonstrated time and again that it possesses the analytical skill and intellectual rigour to succeed in this huge task, and I wish you the very best in taking up such a challenge.
James Horner spoke on film in his own language. He was able to build on the output of those who came before him, yet in his lifetime focused his considerable ability and energy on taking the art form to a new level. The purpose of a book dedicated to his legacy must be to translate and interpret his language so that everyone can learn its meaning, form an understanding of his goals and grasp the magnitude of what he accomplished.
We are all aware of the endless negative commentary on James Horner by detractors who consistently misjudge and misread his intentions. For this reason alone I consider the proposed book to be essential and certain to be a labour of love for those inspired to write it. Publication of such a book is an opportunity to set the record straight, as the cliché has it, but more than that, it will be welcomed by those who value musical excellence, and now that he is no longer with us, it has the potential to enhance and secure James Horner’s reputation for all time.