MANILA, Philippines ? What would a great film like ?Chariots of Fire? be without its exhilarating score? The music composed for its soundtrack effectively captured the competitors? aspirations and their quest for glory.
Max Steiner, one of the most respected musical scorers during Hollywood?s golden heyday, was a piano prodigy under the tutelage of Johannes Brahms in his native Austria, where he was born in 1888. In fact, by the age of 16, Steiner already had an operetta, ?The Beautiful Greek Girl,? that ran for a year.
Theme song
Max is best remembered for composing the theme song of ?The Third Man.? At the university, he studied under Gustav Mahler. He was so talented that he finished a four-year course in two years!
In 1914, Max migrated to New York, where he worked in operettas and Broadway musicals as musical director, arranger or orchestral conductor for Victor Herbert, Jerome Kern and George Gershwin?s productions. He distinguished himself in such memorable hits as ?Scandals,? ?Lady Be Good? and ?Rosalie.?
He was then hired by Hollywood in 1929 to write the score of ?Rio Rita,? then became established with his music for ?King Kong,? followed by several Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musicals like ?Top Hat? and ?Roberta.?
Steiner composed background music for over 100 distinguished films and TV series. He received 26 Oscar nominations and won three golden statuettes for ?The Informer,? ?Now Voyager? and ?Since You Went Away.?
Max?s music is immortalized in beautifully scored classics like ?The Gay Divorcee,? ?Dark Victory,? ?Mildred Pierce,? ?Night and Day? and ?The Caine Mutiny.? But, his most memorable works are the music he created for the unforgettable classics, ?Casablanca? and ?Gone with the Wind.? His most popular composition was ?A Summer Place,? which he composed with his half-brother, Owen.
Steiner?s music is recognized for its soaring lyricism and rich orchestral arrangements, which reflect his collaborations with Brahms, Mahler, Kern and Gershwin. He died in 1971, but his musical legacy lives on.
