John Barry (1933–2011) was one of the most distinctive and influential film composers of the 20th century, standing alongside such giants as John Williams, Ennio Morricone, Maurice Jarre, and James Horner. Born in York, England, Barry began his musical career in the 1950s with a successful pop and jazz ensemble before turning to film scoring.
Before 1980, Barry became internationally renowned for shaping the musical identity of the James Bond series, ultimately scoring 11 Bond films. His characteristic combination of lush strings, powerful brass, jazz influences, electric guitar, and dramatic orchestration became an essential element of the classic Bond sound.
From the 1980s onward, Barry’s mature style gradually evolved toward a more romantic, spacious, melancholic, and elegant form of orchestration, often built around long, lyrical melodies and rich string writing. He won five Academy Awards—for Born Free (Best Original Score and Best Original Song), The Lion in Winter, Out of Africa, and Dances with Wolves. Among his many other important film scores are Midnight Cowboy, Somewhere in Time, Indecent Proposal, Hanover Street, Enigma, The Scarlet Letter, and Chaplin.
Barry died in New York in 2011 at the age of 77, leaving behind one of the most distinctive and enduring musical legacies in the history of cinema.
John Barry: Greatest Romance
【01】The John Dunbar Theme (from Dances with Wolves) 【02】I Had a Farm in Africa (from Out of Africa) 【03】Main Theme (from Indecent Proposal) 【04】Somewhere in Time (from Somewhere in Time) 【05】Give me a Smile (from The Beyondness of Things album) 【06】Flying over Africa (from Out of Africa) 【07】Lullabying (from Eternal Echoes album) 【08】Smile (from Chaplin) 【09】The Old Woman (from Somewhere in Time) 【10】Winning (from Eternal Echoes album)
