1. Presentation of renowned composer Hans Zimmer

2. Contents Biography Composition
Listening Guide: includes two songs from the motion picture Inception
“Old Souls”
“Mombasa”

3. Biography: Hans Zimmer
I chose to do my biography on Hans Zimmer. One of my favorite things is listening to soundtracks from major motion pictures and Hans Zimmer is the composer of the music from some of my favorite movies.

4. The Early Days of Zimmer
Was born on september 12th , 1957
Moved to London when he was fourteen to attend Hurtwood House School.
His father died when he was a child and that event helped him escape in to music
Music then became his best friend
Hans Zimmer was born in Frankurt am Main, Germany on September 12th, (allmusic) When he was a teenager around the age of fourteen he moved to London where he then attended Hurtwood House School. Hurtwood House School is renowned for having outstanding theatre and media departments and is the most expensive school in the UK. Hans Zimmer’s father died when he was a child and after that tragic event he dove right into music and was even quoted as saying: “My father died when I was just a child, and I escaped somehow into the music and music has been my best friend.” (Classicfm)

5. Beginning of his Career
He worked with many bands including, The Buggles’, Krisma, and Helden.
He wrote jingles for Air-Edel Associates.
This led him to partner with Stanley Myers
The Bangles”
He began his career playing keyboards and synthesizers. Over the years he had worked with many bands including The Buggles’, an Italian group Krisma, and Helden. While living in London, Zimmer wrote jingles for Air-Edel Associates. (Vintageking) This then led him to partner with Stanley Myers who was a prolific British composer and has composed the score to over 60 films. Together Myers and Zimmer worked on fusing the traditional orchestra sound with electronic instruments. Some of the films they worked on include, Moonlighting, Success is the Best Revenge, Insignificance, and My Beautiful Launderette. (Vintageking)

6. ….Beginning of his career continued
Zimmer and Myers focused on traditional orchestra sound with electronic instruments and worked on motion pictures together
Stanley Myers

7. Start of his solo career
Zimmer’s first solo score was for the movie Terminal Exposure in 1987
He then was score producer for The Last Emperor 1988
His first mainstream success in Hollywood would come from composing the music to the movie Rain Man, which would go on to be nominated for four Academy Awards
Zimmer’s first solo score was for the movie Terminal Exposure in He then went on and acted as score producer for the film The Last Emperor in 1988 which won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. (Hubpages) The year 1988 was a big turning point for Zimmer and his career. At that time Hollywood director Barry Levinson was looking for a composer to score the movie Rain Man that he was then working one. Berry Levinson and his wife were searching for a composer when they came across the CD of the anti-Apartheid drama A World Apart. As luck would have they loved the music and Hans Zimmer was the composer. Rain Man would go on to be nominated for 4 Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Best picture.

8. Success of Rain Man ignites Hans Zimmer
He would go on to compose the music for Academy Award nominees such as, The Lion King, Driving Miss Daisy, Gladiator and many more
All of which won Best Picture Award of their corresponding years
Rain Man ignited Hans Zimmer and the rest was history. He then composed the score for Driving Miss Daisy which like Rain Man also won Best Picture. In 1994 Zimmer ventured on to compose the score for his first animated feature which was The Lion King. The Lion King went on to win numerous awards including, Academy Award for Best Original Score, a Golden Globe, and two Grammys. In 1997, the score was adopted into a Broadway musical version which then went on to with a Tony Award for Best Musical in (Smashinglists)
Over the past 10 to 20 years Hans Zimmer has composed the music to some of the biggest Blockbusters and critically acclaimed movies. They include, Gladiator, The Last Samurai,
Pearl Harbor, Pirates of the Caribbean, Batman Begins, and the Dark Knight.
Hans Zimmer is on fire right now. In 2010 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Abclocal) He is no were near done with composing and is loving life where he is now living in Los Angeles with his wife Suzanne and their four children. (Artistopia)

9. …Success of Rain Man ignited Zimmer continued
He would also compose the music to some of the biggest Blockbusters of our time incuding, Pearl Harbor, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Dark Knight

10. Composition History: Mombasa and Old Souls
Both Mombasa and Old Souls come from the Motion Picture Inception.
While director Christopher Nolan was working on the picture he asked Zimmer to compose the music to it
For the minutes of music I selected two songs from the soundtrack of the film Inception. Which are “Mombasa” and “Old Souls.” The director of Inception, Christopher Nolan, asked Hans Zimmer to compose and finish the soundtrack as he was shooting the film. Zimmer was presented by Nolan with the great task of unleashing the audience’s imagination in the best possible way. At one point, while composing, Zimmer incorporated a guitar sound reminiscent of Ennio Morricone and was interested in having Johnny Marr, former guitarist in the influential 80s rock band ,”The Smiths,” play the parts. Zimmer asked Nolan, about having Johnny Marr help with the score. After Zimmer got the approval of Nolan he then approached Johnny Marr with him later accepting the offer. Marr spent four 12-hour days working on the score, playing notes written by Zimmer with a 12-string guitar. According to Zimmer, it is "a very electronic score. (Allmoviereplicas)

11. Challenges
Unleashing the audiences imagination in the best way possible
Incorporating a guitar sound reminiscent of Ennio Morricone
Getting Christopher Nolan to let Johnny Marr help with the Score

12. Inspiration Zimmer read Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
It combined the idea of playfulness in mathematics and playfulness in music
“For inspiration, Zimmer read Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter because it combined "the idea of playfulness in mathematics and playfulness in music". Zimmer did not assemble a temp score but "every now and then they would call and say 'we need a little something here.' But that was OK because much of the music pieces aren't that scene specific.” (Allmoviereplicas)

13. Listening Guide: Old Souls
The overall concept of the song is organic growth
Old Souls is a piece that starts off slowly, but as the seconds pass the dynamics start to build and incorporate more instruments
The building of the song is very gradual
It builds little by little from the first seconds of the song until about minute six
“Old Souls” (7:45)
0:00 Introduction: Is sustained and devoid of rhythm. The dynamics have a sense of building. The pitch of the introduction turns out to be the first note of the melody.
0:23 The Melody enters with two notes. The second note leaps up from the first. Their timbre is bell-like and percussive. Harmony has a minor feel. Dynamics are soft but with a slight increase over the introduction. The texture includes the melody accompanied by held cords.
0:57 The low bass enters at a very soft dynamic. Soft sustained trumpets respond to the bell-like melody. A very subtle piano, step-like melody enters in steady rhythm and it is two notes per beat.
1:25 Guitar-like sounds are added to the melody. Bass drum is added at the end of each phrase.
2:25 Pulsating strings enter the harmony. A pluck-string enters at a faster pulsating beat. This increases the texture.
3:15 The texture thins a bit and takes on an almost ocean-like feel. This is helped by the low flute-like addition to the step-like melody and soft high strings to the main melody.
3:47 The song changes keys. The melody changes to violins and is answered by cellos. The dynamics remain flowing and constant.
5:27 Another key change.
5:48 There is a major texture change. Lost high strings and step-like melody. In their place we have a walking tempo pulsation of increased dynamic intensity. Sustained bass drum underneath give an eerie tone that seems to promise an eventual climax.
6:10 The step-like melody reenters in a bass range.
6:30 Low bass doubling is added to the step-like melody.
6:45 There is an accelerating increase in dynamics and the melody is joined by bass stings.
7:01 Pulsating strings enter the melody which further increase the dynamic level and sense of impending climax.
7:13 It seems that all of the instruments have joined the melody to increase the level of pulsating rhythm and dynamic intensity.
7:30 Everything suddenly drops out except for the pulsating low bass strings on the first note of the melody. This fades away by the end.
7:45 END

14. ….Old Souls continued
At that point the song picks up tempo and the building dynamics start to increase at a rapid rate
The rapid rate continues with the listener anticipating a great climax
Then the song at about minute 7:30 cuts short and fades out
Leaving the listener without the anticipated climax

15. Listening Guide: Mombasa
As like with Olds Souls, Mombasa’s concept is also organic growth
Mombasa starts out with a loud dynamic level
The tempo is quick and very fast paced
A continuous rhythmic repetition of four slow and two fast beats is set up from the beginning
“Mombasa” (4:54)
0:00 Introduction: A machine-gun-like rhythm and timbre immediately catch the ear. Underneath the machine-gun-like rhythm we hear recurring bass drum explosions. A continuous rhythmic repetition of four slow and two fast beats is set up from the beginning. The dynamic level is loud.
0:14 A brighter percussion sound is added to the machine-gun-like rhythm.
0:26 Brighter percussion sound is dropped and violins are added to the machine-gun-like rhythm. The violins seem to introduce a sense of harmony.
0:40 The introduction ends as guitars enter playing the melody.
1:05 Very low wind instruments enter with a sustained minor melody.
1:19 Everything drops off except for the violins playing the machine-gun-like rhythm. We also still have the bass drum explosions.
1:26 The melody reenters in low strings.
1:40 Violin rhythm only on the key note.
1:46 Second violin note added to key note in the same rhythm.
1:53 Third violin note added. Additional notes are added to the violins every few seconds creating a very exciting sense of anticipation.
2:46 Loud low horn sustained notes join the machine-gun rhythm.
3:05 Horns and violins drop out leaving only the introductory rhythmic elements.
3:19 Dynamics drop in the rhythm. Melody reenters softly in the low bass. The rhythm and melody gradually increase to a very loud dynamic level until 4:38
4:38 Everything slowly fades.
4:54 END

16. ……Mombasa continued
The song keeps up the same dynamics and rhythm pretty much throughout the whole piece
Throughout the whole song there is addition and subtraction of new instruments
It doesn’t build to a climax
It gets to about minute 4:40 and then fades to an end

17. Bibliography/References
Abclocal.go.com “Hans Zimmer Gets Star..” December 8,
Allmovierepicas.com “Inception” March 9,
Allmusic.com “Hans Zimmer” March 9,
Artistopia.com “Hans Zimmer” March 9,
Classicfm.co.uk “Composers V to Z” March 9,
Hubpages.com “Where symphony meets synthesizer” March 9,
Smashinlists.com “10 Most Recognizable Film Scores” March 9,
Vintageking.com “Film Composer” March 9,