Damn, it's a bad season for cinematic music. First Jerry Goldsmith died in July. Then, two weeks ago, composer David Raksin died. Film composers like John Williams continually listed Raksin as one of the all-time greats, having created classic scores for Laura, Carrie, and Forever Amber.

Now, tonight comes word that Elmer Bernstein has passed away at the age of 82. A protege of Aaron Copland, Bernstein first came to national prominence with the score for The Ten Commandments when DeMille's long-time favorite, Victor Young, was unavailable for the job. Young recommended Bernstein, and his career was off to the races. IMDB lists over 250 composition credits - his last was for a Cecil B. DeMille documentary for TCM that let him revisit that Ten Commandments score. (It's on my iPod.)

Things Elmer Bernstein wrote that you'd recognize:

• The Magnificent Seven
• The Great Escape
• The fanfare to the National Geographic Specials
• Thoroughly Modern Millie (Oscar winner)
• True Grit
• Animal House
• Airplane!
• Heavy Metal
• Ghostbusters
• Being John Malcovich
• Far From Heaven

It's the music of people like Bernstein and Goldsmith and Raksin that got me interested in contemporary music at all, and they're all dying at once. It's very depressing, though once again:

Thank you, Elmer, and David, for what you gave us.