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Danny Elfman

BornDaniel Robert Elfman
May 29, 1953 (1953-05-29) (age 55)
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Spouse(s)First marriage: Unknown spouse - 2 children: Lola (born 1979) and Mali (born 1985, adopted); second marriage:Bridget Fonda (November 29, 2003 - present) 1 child

Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American musician who is famous for composing scores and songs for Tim Burton's films, the "The Simpsons Theme" and leading the rock band Oingo Boingo as singer / songwriter from 1976 until its breakup in 1995, and has composed film scores extensively since 1985's Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Bridget Jane Fonda (born January 27, 1964) is an Emmy - and Golden Globe Award -nominated American actress. Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a "The Simpsons Theme", also referred to as "The Simpsons Main Title Theme" in album releases is the theme song of the animated Television Oingo Boingo was an American New Wave band They are better known for their influence soundtrack contributions and high energy Halloween concerts A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 A film score is a broad term referring to the music in a film which is generally categorically separated from songs used within a film Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Pee-wee's Big Adventure is a 1985 adventure Comedy film directed by Tim Burton in his full-length film debut He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and won a Grammy Award for Tim Burton's Batman and an Emmy Award for his Desperate Housewives theme. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Timothy "Tim" William Burton (born August 25 1958 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and Set designer, notable for the quirky Batman is a 1989 Superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Desperate Housewives is an American Television Dramedy series created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as Show runner, and produced Elfman has also written themes for video games such as Fable. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. Fable is a role-playing Video game for Xbox, Mac OS X, and Windows platforms

Contents

Early career

Elfman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Blossom (née Bernstein), a writer and teacher, and Milton Elfman, a teacher who was in the Air Force. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West An air force, also known in some countries as an air army or historically an army air corps, is in the broadest sense the national military or armed service [1] Elfman grew up in a racially mixed community in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles, where he was known as 'the whitest white kid'. This article is about the district in Los Angeles For the BET reality TV show see Baldwin Hills (TV series. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West [2] He spent much of his time in the local movie theatre, adoring the music of such film composers as Bernard Herrmann and Franz Waxman. Bernard Herrmann ( June 29, 1911 &ndash December 24, 1975) was an American composer noted for his work in Motion pictures. Franz Waxman (24 December 1906 &ndash 24 February 1967 was a Jewish German American Composer, known for his bravura Carmen Fantasie

After dropping out of high school, he followed his brother Richard to France, where he played his violin on the street and performed with Le Grand Magic Circus, an avant-garde musical theater group. Richard "Rick" Elfman (born March 6, 1949, in Los Angeles, California) is an American Film director, Writer This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Avant-garde (avɑ̃gaʁd in French) means "advance guard" or "vanguard Violin in tow, Elfman next journeyed to Africa where he traveled through Ghana, Mali, and Upper Volta, absorbing new musical styles, including the Ghanaian highlife genre which would eventually influence his own music. The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast to the west Burkina Faso to the north Togo to the Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (République du Mali is a Landlocked nation in Western Africa. The Republic of Upper Volta (République de Haute-Volta was established on December 11, 1958, as a Self-governing colony within the French Highlife is a Musical genre that originated in Ghana and spread to Sierra Leone and Nigeria in the 1920s and other West African Elfman contracted malaria during his one-year stay and was often sick. Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including Eventually he returned home to the United States, where his brother was forming a new musical theater group, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. Oingo Boingo was an American New Wave band They are better known for their influence soundtrack contributions and high energy Halloween concerts The group performed the music for Richard's debut feature film, Forbidden Zone. Forbidden Zone is a 1982 musical Comedy film based upon the stage performances of the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. Danny Elfman composed his first score for the film and played the role of Satan. Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally By the time the movie was completed, The Mystic Knights had shortened their name to Oingo Boingo and become a recording and touring rock group. Oingo Boingo was an American New Wave band They are better known for their influence soundtrack contributions and high energy Halloween concerts

Personal Life

In November of 2003, Elfman married actress Bridget Fonda in a private ceremony at Los Angeles' First Congressional Church, with Fonda's father, Peter Fonda, giving her away. Bridget Jane Fonda (born January 27, 1964) is an Emmy - and Golden Globe Award -nominated American actress. Peter Henry Fonda (born February 23[[ 940]] is an American actor The couple reportedly met while working on the film A Simple Plan. A Simple Plan is a novel by American author Scott Smith that was published in 1993. They have one son, Oliver, born January 2005.

Danny Elfman and Tim Burton

In 1985, Tim Burton and Paul Reubens invited him to write the score for their first feature film, Pee-wee's Big Adventure. A film score is a broad term referring to the music in a film which is generally categorically separated from songs used within a film Pee-wee's Big Adventure is a 1985 adventure Comedy film directed by Tim Burton in his full-length film debut Elfman was apprehensive at first because of his lack of formal training, but with orchestration assistance from Oingo Boingo guitarist and arranger Steve Bartek he achieved his goal of emulating the mood of such composers as Nino Rota and Bernard Herrmann. Steve Bartek, born in Garfield Heights Ohio on January 30, 1952, is an American Guitarist, Film composer, conductor Nino Rota ( December 3, 1911 &ndash April 10, 1979) was an Italian Composer best known for his work on Film scores Bernard Herrmann ( June 29, 1911 &ndash December 24, 1975) was an American composer noted for his work in Motion pictures. [3] He later described the first time he heard his music played by a full orchestra as one of the most thrilling experiences of his life[4]. An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well Elfman has spoken of the affinity he developed right away with Burton,[3] and he has gone on to score all but two of his major studio films (Ed Wood, which was scored by Howard Shore, and Sweeney Todd, an adaptation of the 1979 Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical for which music already existed). Ed Wood is a 1994 American comedic biopic directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as the cross-dressing Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy Award -winning Canadian Composer Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 2007 musical thriller and the Film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and Stephen Joshua Sondheim (born March 22 1930 is an American musical and film composer and lyricist winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards (seven

To date Elfman has scored the following Burton films:

Burton has said of Elfman: "We don't even have to talk about the music. We don't even have to intellectualize – which is good for both of us, we're both similar that way. We're very lucky to connect" (Breskin, 1997).

Musical influences

Elfman’s film scores can be described as dark and brooding, lush and romantic, wild and manic - reflecting the many composers and styles which have influenced him over the years.

He recalls that the first time he became aware of film music was in his youth during a screening of The Day the Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise, 1951). The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 Black-and-white Science fiction film that tells the story of a humanoid alien visitor who comes Robert Wise ( September 10, 1914 &ndash September 14, 2005) was an American sound effects editor film editor and Academy The music was by Bernard Herrmann, and that, he has said, was where his love of film music began (Russell and Young, 2000). Bernard Herrmann ( June 29, 1911 &ndash December 24, 1975) was an American composer noted for his work in Motion pictures. Elfman purposefully nodded towards Herrmann's The Day the Earth Stood Still score in Tim Burton's sci-fi spoof Mars Attacks!

Other film composers have also proven to be influential, such as Nino Rota and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, the former in Elfman's playful music for Pee-wee's Big Adventure, the latter in his much grander work, Batman. Mars Attacks! is a 1996 Black comedy and Science fiction Movie by Tim Burton based on the popular card series Mars Nino Rota ( December 3, 1911 &ndash April 10, 1979) was an Italian Composer best known for his work on Film scores Erich Wolfgang Korngold ( May 29, 1897 &ndash November 29, 1957) was an Academy Award -winning 20th century Film and Pee-wee's Big Adventure is a 1985 adventure Comedy film directed by Tim Burton in his full-length film debut Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Sometimes his music has a distinctly Russian feel, inspired by the likes of Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky’s ballet music, while his frequent use of choirs reflects his love of choral music by the likes of Mozart and Carl Orff. Russia is a large and extremely culturally diverse country with dozens of Ethnic groups each with their own forms of Music. Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Серге́й Серге́евич Проко́фьев Sergéj Sergéjevič Prokófjev) ( - 5 March 1953 was a Russian composer who Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский) ( &ndash 6 April 1971 was a Russian born Composer, considered by many to Ballet as a Musical form is a musical composition intended for ballet performance. For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers Carl Orff ( &ndash) was a 20th-century German Composer, most famous for Carmina Burana (1937 Jazz and rock influences from his earlier career are evident in such films as Chicago and To Die For. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Chicago is a Musical film adaptation of the satirical stage musical Chicago, the film explores the themes of To Die For is a 1995 film written by Buck Henry, based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard (ISBN 0-595-26939-7 and directed

Criticism

According to Alex Ross of The New Yorker, Elfman's "rock origins and lack of classical training raised doubts at the start; some established composers considered him a 'hummer'—Hollywood slang for a would-be composer who can’t read music and relies on ghostwriters. Alex Ross (born 1968 is an American music critic He has been on the staff of The New Yorker magazine since 1996 and published an important book on 20th-century classical The New Yorker is an American Magazine that publishes reportage commentary criticism essays fiction satire cartoons and poetry A ghostwriter is a professional Writer who is paid to write books articles stories reports or other content which are officially credited to another person (Charlie Chaplin was a hummer. )"[5]

After the release of Batman, Elfman reacted to comments in Keyboard Magazine wherein Micah Rubenstein conjectured that a rock musician like Elfman, not classically trained, probably didn't even write out the musical score to Batman. Batman is a 1989 Superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Keyboard Magazine is a Music -related Magazine that covers the Electronic keyboard instruments Speaking on behalf of "the many musicians, composers, and arrangers who lack formal education," Keyboard published an open letter by Elfman in March 1990. An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience or a letter intended for an individual but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally Elfman referred to Rubenstein's comments as a growing "musical elitism," stating he worked 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week, for a month and a half to write the Batman score, and called Rubenstein a "dumb fuck" for supposing that Elfman didn't write down his scores: ". . . I actually wrote it down - I will not sit back passively and allow myself to be discredited for the work I did by an idiot who mistakenly thinks that I lazily hire people to do it for me, or that only a conservatory can produce a real film composer. "[6]

And, as Alex Ross notes, Elfman has gone on to receive Academy Award nominations and other accolades for his work. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. [5]

Hearing damage

When asked during a 2007 phone-in interview on XETRA-FM if he ever had any notions of performing in an Oingo Boingo reunion, Elfman immediately rejected the idea and stated that in the last few years with the band he had begun to develop significant and irreversible hearing damage as a result of his continuous exposure to the high noise levels involved in performing in a rock band. XETRA-FM (or 91X) (sometimes identified as XTRA-FM) is an English language Mexican-owned ( Border blaster) Modern rock music station Oingo Boingo was an American New Wave band They are better known for their influence soundtrack contributions and high energy Halloween concerts Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. He went on to say that he believes his hearing damage is partially due to a genetic predisposition to hearing loss, and that he will never return to the stage for fear of worsening the condition. Genetics (from Ancient Greek grc-Latn genetikos, “genitive” and that from grc-Latn genesis, “origin” a discipline of Biology, is

Filmography

In addition to his work with Tim Burton, Elfman has written scores for numerous other films including:

He has also written the theme music for several television series, including:

Serenada Schizophrana and concert works

Elfman has recently started working in the classical world, beginning with Serenada Schizophrana for the American Composers Orchestra. Serenada Schizophrana is a series of compositions by American film composer Danny Elfman that he wrote for the American Composers Orchestra at The American Composers Orchestra ( ACO) is an American orchestra based in New York City. It was conducted by John Mauceri on its recording and by Steven Sloane at its premiere at Carnegie Hall in New York City on 23 February 2005. John Mauceri (born 1945 New York is an American conductor producer and Composer for theatre Opera and television Carnegie Hall (generally ˌkɑrnɨgi ˈhɔːl is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east The City of New York Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. After its premiere, it was recorded in studio and released onto SACD on 3 October 2006. Super Audio CD ( SACD) is a read-only optical audio disc format that can provide higher fidelity digital audio reproduction than the Red Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The meeting with Mauceri proved fruitful as the composer was encouraged then to write a new concert piece for Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Elfman composed an "overture to a nonexistent musical" and called the piece "The Overeager Overture. "

Selected awards and nominations

References

  1. ^ Danny Elfman Biography (1953-)
  2. ^ Danny Elfman 's Music For A Darkened People: Danny Elfman in L.A. Times
  3. ^ a b Fanfare Article
  4. ^ Danny Elfman
  5. ^ a b Alex Ross. "Oscar Scores. " The New Yorker. The New Yorker is an American Magazine that publishes reportage commentary criticism essays fiction satire cartoons and poetry 9 March 1998. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Accessed on 15 November 2007. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria.
  6. ^ Elfman, Danny (1990). "An Open letter from Danny Elfman". Keyboard Magazine (March): 47.  

External links

allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. Discogs, short for discographies, is a Website and Database of information about Music Recordings including commercial releases promotional MusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an Open content Music database This is an article about the magazine For other uses see Synthesis Synthesis
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