You don't enter the world of film scores without recognizing the works of John Williams. His music is the soundtrack of generations: E.T. The Extraterrestrial, Jaws, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Superman soar above the rest of many living composers. Still, his range is extraordinary with Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, and Lincoln's haunting score. Watching a YouTube interview with Williams and his collaborator Steven Spielberg, I was struck by how subdued, and almost shy, this musical genius is.

Right up there with John Williams is Maurice Jarre. Who can watch Lawrence of Arabia without noticing how the music moves along with the sweeping sands and eccentric Lawrence himself? Jarre was perfection with director David Lean. Doctor Zhivago followed Lawrence, and Jarre’s mastery was noted worldwide. In A Passage to India, Gorillas in the Mist, Witness, and Ryan’s Daughter, the music brilliantly matched the movie, telling listeners Jarre was in charge.