1. Music 1010 Semester Presentation
“The night is darkest just before the dawn”
-Harvey Dent (The Dark Knight Rises)
The score for the Dark Knight is just a hint of what type of music Hans Zimmer (my choice of composer) can and has created.

2. HANS FLORIAN ZIMMER
Hans Florian Zimmer

3. An Artist Was Born Born September 12th 1957
Frankfurt am Main, Hesse Germany
Alive and well today
Well into his musical career
On September 12th 1957 an incredibly talented artist/composer was born in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany, his name was Hans Florian Zimmer. Today he is fifty-six years old and is still going strong in his music career.

4. A touch of Creativity Mother musically talented
Father skilled engineer
Hans was the combination that would tear apart the piano and change it around to make different sounds.
He was bound to love music from the start because he had a mother who was quite musically talented who taught him to enjoy music and even though his father was not very musically talented, he was an engineer so he taught Hans to create new things and it has been said that Hans would even sometimes be caught altering the piano to make different sounds. The thing that solidified Hans’s drive into his music career is that his father passed away when Hans was just six years old and he said that he was able to get away from the pain of that by diving into music and through that music, in a way, became his best friend.

5. The young zimmer Musical Interests: Piano Keyboard Synthesizer
Piano lessons? Not so much
Moved to London to attend Hurtwood House School
As a child Hans lived in Germany for a short time. His greatest musical interest was the piano, keyboard, and synthesizer. He took piano lessons for a really short amount of time before he quit because he didn’t like the way he had to do things in a sit down and do as the teacher says type of environment, which just goes to show he was born with the talent already in him. He didn’t stay in Germany long, when he was just barely a teenager he moved to London to go to Hurtwood House to school. It was in London that things really got going for him musically.

6. In-Be ”Tweens” Just getting started: Zimmer was going to school
Playing with music
Writing jingles for commercials
And finally….
Got together with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes and created…
While Hans was just freshly into college (just as he was starting in his twenties) he was going through school, playing around with music and writing little jingles and short music for commercials. As this was going on he met Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes and together they formed a little group that they called the Buggles.

7. “Video Killed the radio Star”
Buggles
Video Killed the Radio Star, Worldwide hit
First song eve to be on MTV
In the group the Buggles they came up with the famous “Video Killed the Radio Star” which is a song nearly everyone has heard, or at least heard about. It is such a famous song because it was the very first song (a hit worldwide none the less) ever to be on MTV. Hans continued to work with other bands and work on small pieces for commercials for a time longer after this period.

8. Hallelujah it’s raining men (rain man)
From commercials here and there to a whole score!!
Rain Man
Oscar
Academy Award Nomination
Hans had, had quite a bit of music history up to this point and had done many small musical work with the commercials and bands he created for and also a few small pieces in a few movies and video games, but he had never done anything as large as an entire score until, 1988 when he was invited to do the score for the movie Rain Man. This was a huge step in his career not only because it really got him some great experience, but also because this movie went on to win an Oscar and because it was so well put together Hans was nominated for his first academy award which really got his name out there.

9. And we pause for a Disney fun fact
Zimmer did the score for THE LION KING!!!
Subsequently he was asked to do scores for more movies which all went on to do incredibly well (music, in my opinion, often makes or breaks a movie). A fun Disney fact is that Hans Zimmer did the score for The Lion King and won many awards for this as well as has had 15 million copies of the soundtrack sold. This again just goes to show how well liked his music is because he is so talented when it comes to putting the right sounds in exactly all the right places (the child of a musician and engineer, now you see that in action).
Sold 15 million copes of the soundtrack!!

10. Of 100 music scores Zimmer has created, here are a few:
And so he “scores” big!!
Of 100 music scores Zimmer has created, here are a few:
Rain Man
Lion King
Pearl Harbor
Gladiator
The Last Samurai
The Pirates of the Caribbean movies
and
Batman: The Dark Knight
Since all of this Hans has created 100 music scores, some of those scores besides the Rain Man and the Lion King are Pearl Harbor, Gladiator, The Last Samurai, The Pirates movies, Batman: The Dark Knight, and many, many more. He was nominated for seven Oscars, Golden Globes, and Grammys just for a few of his works. If you take a look at his entire collection of work it is quite impressive and he is still not done!

11. Out of office Zimmer also has a family life:
Married Vicki Carolin and had one child
Divorced Vicki
Married Suzanne
He and Suzanne are still married and have 3 Children together
Hans did marry, he first married a woman named Vicki Carolin and they had one child together, but they got divorced and he remarried a woman named Suzanne whom he is still married to today and they have 3 children together.

12. What will come next?... only time will tell
Rumors are all we know of Zimmer’s future plans
Teach (as a pay it forward for all he has learned)
Traveling the world playing music for others
But who really knows? Anything could happen.
He has done so much up to now and still has so much time to do even more. There are rumors about what he plans to do in the future. He has helped other composers by teaching them what he knows in the past, but it has been said that he plans to teach even more as a sort of pay it forward for all that he has learned. There are also rumors that he will travel throughout the world performing his masterpieces and sharing that with everyone, everywhere. It will be an exciting thing to see where this talented man ends up, whatever he ends up doing with his music he is sure to be good at it with the talent and experience he has.

13. ~Music that moves you~
Real music is the music that picks you up and moves you to places you didn’t know you could go.
Pearl Harbor is a good example of Zimmer’s music where the music affects your emotions so strongly in accordance with what you are viewing that you are taken (maybe against your will) to a whole new level of emotions and feelings, all because of a well written piece of music.
There are not many words out there about Hans, and I believe this to be in part because he is still alive and people are usually more talked about once they pass away, but also I think a big part of the reason is because his music says so much more about the man that he is, than he or anyone else could say about him. Each piece of music moves me in a way I have a hard time explaining. When I watch the movie Pearl Harbor, for instance, I find the story of the film very moving, especially since it is a true story, but I think what really gets my emotions going during the film is the music because it portrays exactly my feelings and the emotional roller coaster I, and anyone else watching such a tragic story, go through. It makes me feel past the human emotions of sad or upset and into the musical emotions that cannot be defined with words.

14. Quotes worth quoting
When you write a theme one of the things you want to do is you want to see how much life it really has. How many possibilities there are. Can it speak to you in joy? Can it speak to you in sorrow? Can it be love? Can it be hate? Can you say all these things with just a few notes? That's the thing when you figure out if a tune is any good or not. Does it have more than one shallow little character? Does it have just one little thing to tell you. Can it get underneath there under your skin? Can it get dark? Can it talk about the death of a father or something like that.
You have to remain flexible, and you must be
your own critic at all times.
I believe that no matter what you do, whether you are a truck driver, a store manager, an Olympic athlete, a film score writer, and so on, if you are passionate about what you do then you will be good at it and you will thrive in that position. Hans is a fantastic example of this, he says, “If something happened where I couldn't write music anymore, it would kill me. It's not just a job. It's not just a hobby. It's why I get up in the morning.” (Original quote taken from his mini biography on IMDB.com) He is clearly passionate and it shows in his work, it’s why people are moved by what he does, it’s why when you watch a film whose score was created by Hans Zimmer you can’t help but feel that at least one part in the film moved you.
-Hans Zimmer

15. The Dynamic Duo
Christopher Nolan hand picked Hans Zimmer to score his film.
Hans focused on each character very thoroughly as he created the music for the film.
10,000 bars of noise was the start of the Joker.
Together they truly brought each character to life.
Hans was set on making a masterpiece that was the theme without it being too catchy so it would not be corny but taken very seriously so that it matched up with the seriousness of the films. Christopher Nolan knew he wanted to work with Hans Zimmer on these films because he knew Hans Zimmer from the work they did on the movie Inception, so he knew his work was incredible, and he also knew that they both worked together really well.
Hans Zimmer worked with James Newton Howard on this project and together they created exactly what Christopher Nolan was searching for, for his film. While creating the music Hans was considering each character and what sounds needed to be heard to portray each character. He put on an iPod 10,000 bars worth of different squeaks and other nasty sounding sounds that Christopher Nolan listened to on an entire ride to Hong Kong and back so that he could get a feel of what Hans was thinking of creating musically for the Joker. This is how he was inspired to create music that brought each character to life.

16. The dark knight Warner Brothers published the album
Sold 25,000 copies in one week
Won a Grammy for The Best Score Soundtrack
Won the Classical Brit Award for Best Soundtrack
Warner Brothers Inc. then published the album and the full album The Dark Knight soundtrack sold 25,000 copies in one week. Since then it has also won a Grammy for The Best Score Soundtrack, and it won the Classical Brit Award for the best Soundtrack.

17. Listening Guide
0:00 Introduction is the dark and ominous sound of the cello rolling deep and powerfully as it sets the dark mood.
0:12 The form begins as violins cut through the deep gloom of the cello in very quiet and small sounds of hope. The Rhythm stays the same, slow and even but the sounds contrast.
0:33 The background of the violins rhythm picks up the pace and the texture is that of the gloomy sounding cello and then the sound of the every quickening positive influence of the violins trying to come in and take over.
1:08 The melody now becomes the violins and the cello harmonizes as the violins took over. The rhythm continues to pick up the pace. The form of these two instruments is a battle that the instruments playing the major melody have won.
1:28 The dynamics are played forte here for just a moment in a swell to emphasize the good taking over.
1:57 Dynamics move into a crescendo as the music grows into the main melody/theme.
0:00 Introduction is the dark and ominous sound of the cello rolling deep and powerfully as it sets the dark mood.
0:12 The form begins as violins cut through the deep gloom of the cello in very quiet and small sounds of hope. The Rhythm stays the same, slow and even but the sounds contrast.
0:33 The background of the violins rhythm picks up the pace and the texture is that of the gloomy sounding cello and then the sound of the every quickening positive influence of the violins trying to come in and take over.
1:08 The melody now becomes the violins and the cello harmonizes as the violins took over. The rhythm continues to pick up the pace. The form of these two instruments is a battle that the instruments playing the major melody have won.
1:28 The dynamics are played forte here for just a moment in a swell to emphasize the good taking over.
1:57 Dynamics move into a crescendo as the music grows into the main melody/theme.

18. Listening guide (continued)
2:30 The music then slows down again, the texture that of slowly bringing in the main melody but also remember the dark and dreary beginning.
3:02 The music then becomes forceful and urgent as the tempo and rhythm pick up and each instrument is played loudly and with vigor.
3:53 The timbre here is shown with the drums hitting extremely hard, they are emphasized above all other sounds at this moment as the melody stops once again.
4:05 The same thing happens here as well, the other sounds are background music as the timbre of the drums stands out against it.
4:17 The form is also shown here as the timbre of the drums stands out as the contrast, the same sounds that started in the beginning come in once again creating repetition in the music.
4:32 This time as the rhythm picks up it adds a few more sounds to the melody as if to show that it has just a little more strength than it did last time.
2:30 The music then slows down again, the texture that of slowly bringing in the main melody but also remember the dark and dreary beginning.
3:02 The music then becomes forceful and urgent as the tempo and rhythm pick up and each instrument is played loudly and with vigor.
3:53 The timbre here is shown with the drums hitting extremely hard, they are emphasized above all other sounds at this moment as the melody stops once again.
4:05 The same thing happens here as well, the other sounds are background music as the timbre of the drums stands out against it.
4:17 The form is also shown here as the timbre of the drums stands out as the contrast, the same sounds that started in the beginning come in once again creating repetition in the music.
4:32 This time as the rhythm picks up it adds a few more sounds to the melody as if to show that it has just a little more strength than it did last time.

19. Listening Guide (continued)
5:00 The same slow but steady pace continues as the melody once again comes in on the violins the rhythm is slow but it has a hint of beginning to pick up.
5:32 A new sound is added and for timbre it stands out even though it is very small because it is the instrument of a vocalist.
6:02 The rhythm once again picks up and the form is that of repetition once more with the timbre and texture of a few new sounds (like the vocals) the dynamics are forte once again.
6:19 The vocals dynamics are louder still and stand out even more at this point in time.
7:04 The notes dynamics are now played in a staccato sound which is new to the piece, the melody was slowing down but the staccato indicates that it is not slowing down for long.
7:15 The music goes nearly silent as it plays in pianissimo just before this point, then it begins to play staccato notes again and then builds very powerfully back into the melody/theme of the song, with a lot of power.
5:00 The same slow but steady pace continues as the melody once again comes in on the violins the rhythm is slow but it has a hint of beginning to pick up.
5:32 A new sound is added and for timbre it stands out even though it is very small because it is the instrument of a vocalist.
6:02 The rhythm once again picks up and the form is that of repetition once more with the timbre and texture of a few new sounds (like the vocals) the dynamics are forte once again.
6:19 The vocals dynamics are louder still and stand out even more at this point in time.
7:04 The notes dynamics are now played in a staccato sound which is new to the piece, the melody was slowing down but the staccato indicates that it is not slowing down for long.
7:15 The music goes nearly silent as it plays in pianissimo just before this point, then it begins to play staccato notes again and then builds very powerfully back into the melody/theme of the song, with a lot of power.

20. Listening Guide (continued)
7:41 Timbre is some hard drum accents once more. Very forceful sounds set themselves apart from the melody.
8:00 The melody begins to take on a new sound and key up to this point to build to the next big part where just after this it swells very loudly with a new sounding rhythm and then in a decrescendo falls back down to nearly no sound.
8:30 The form picks up again in repetition sounding almost the very same as when it started.
9:19 Timbre the Drums help emphasize the build once again as the rhythm slowly picks up and introduces the melody/chorus again even stronger than time before.
9:54 The build is the texture of gloom and darkness and then just after this point it fades away and the violins and a little of the trumpets come in again as they did in the beginning to sort of ward off the bad.
10:25 Timbre, all of the instruments collide together making a huge sound of clashing but also harmonious sound to create great contrast to the repetition of the form that has been playing thus far.
7:41 Timbre is some hard drum accents once more. Very forceful sounds set themselves apart from the melody.
8:00 The melody begins to take on a new sound and key up to this point to build to the next big part where just after this it swells very loudly with a new sounding rhythm and then in a decrescendo falls back down to nearly no sound.
8:30 The form picks up again in repetition sounding almost the very same as when it started.
9:19 Timbre the Drums help emphasize the build once again as the rhythm slowly picks up and introduces the melody/chorus again even stronger than time before.
9:54 The build is the texture of gloom and darkness and then just after this point it fades away and the violins and a little of the trumpets come in again as they did in the beginning to sort of ward off the bad.
10:25 Timbre, all of the instruments collide together making a huge sound of clashing but also harmonious sound to create great contrast to the repetition of the form that has been playing thus far.

21. Listening Guide (Continued)
10:44 The violins squeal alone and the timbre is that of the violins completely standing out as well as the form shows another great contrast.
11:38 Then the violins squeal begins to turn into the sound of the melody once more and begins to take on the repetitious sound it has been making the whole song. All of this creating a big build once again to nearing the end of the song.
12:10 The form continues to be that of a build and then a quiet drop as the dynamics pick up very loudly and then drop suddenly soft.
12:46 The drums hit once again to signify the change from this contrast in the music to the slow repetitive sound it started with.
12:56 Sounds like the beginning once again and builds again with repetitive form.
13:34 This time when the melody comes in, it comes in with all of the instruments, the dynamics louder and stronger than all others
10:44 The violins squeal alone and the timbre is that of the violins completely standing out as well as the form shows another great contrast.
11:38 Then the violins squeal begins to turn into the sound of the melody once more and begins to take on the repetitious sound it has been making the whole song. All of this creating a big build once again to nearing the end of the song.
12:10 The form continues to be that of a build and then a quiet drop as the dynamics pick up very loudly and then drop suddenly soft.
12:46 The drums hit once again to signify the change from this contrast in the music to the slow repetitive sound it started with.
12:56 Sounds like the beginning once again and builds again with repetitive form.
13:34 This time when the melody comes in, it comes in with all of the instruments, the dynamics louder and stronger than all others

22. Listening Guide Finale
13:59 The sounds stop causing contrast in the music and also building up to the finale.
14:02 The tempo picks up significantly just after the music had nearly ceased.
14:15 Timbre and dynamics, the staccato notes are back sounding hard and forceful and strong as the song begins to end.
14:42 The same melody is heard as from the beginning but the timbre of the drums hitting changes the form to that of contrasting sounds from the rest and the dynamics of the hard hits emphasizes that sound even more.
14:47 It then goes into the melody very strongly once more, continuing hard drum hits are heard throughout the melody. It sounds urgent this time and more positive and less gloomy.
15:40 Dynamic fades out to the end.
13:59 The sounds stop causing contrast in the music and also building up to the finale.
14:02 The tempo picks up significantly just after the music had nearly ceased.
14:15 Timbre and dynamics, the staccato notes are back sounding hard and forceful and strong as the song begins to end.
14:42 The same melody is heard as from the beginning but the timbre of the drums hitting changes the form to that of contrasting sounds from the rest and the dynamics of the hard hits emphasizes that sound even more.
14:47 It then goes into the melody very strongly once more, continuing hard drum hits are heard throughout the melody. It sounds urgent this time and more positive and less gloomy.
15:40 Dynamic fades out to the end.

23. Google images for the many pictures
Cite the works!
IMDB.com
Google images for the many pictures
Original quotes from Hans Zimmer taken from his mini biography on IMDB.com, many images from various sites through google images, and the information on his life from the IMDB biography as well as a little from allmusic.com to look at the work he has created.

24. Thank you!