News Roundup: 1/31/11

R.I.P. Oscar-winning composer John Barry,who died Sunday in New York at age 77. Barry won five Oscars over thecourse of his career, including one each for the score and theme songto the 1966 movie Born Free, as well as one each for his music for The Lion in Winter, Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves. Barry also wrote the music for a dozen James Bond movies, including 1962’s Dr. No (though his work was not credited), Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds are Forever, Moonraker and 1998’s The Living Daylights,which was his final Bond score. Said Barry in a 1991 Associated Pressinterview, ” “The James Bond movies came because we were successful inthe pop music world, with a couple of big instrumental hits. Theythought I knew how to write instrumental hit music.” Prior to his filmwork, Barry trained as a pianist, took up the trumpet, and founded thejazz group the John Barry Seven in 1957. [Billboard.com]

Composer Milton Babbitt, one of the mostinfluential and polarizing figures in contemporary classical music diedon Saturday, January 29 in Princeton, NJ at the age of 94. He was knownfor the uncompromising complexity of his work, which made strenuousdemands of listeners and gained him a reputation as an exemplar of thekind of “difficult” academic composer whose music drove audiences outof concert halls. He was widely respected by colleagues for the rigorof his discipline and his intellectual integrity, and received a numberof the music world’s highest awards. He is frequently remembered forhis 1956 article (whose title he was not responsible for choosing),“Who Cares if You Listen?” which suggested that, as was the case withphysicists or mathematicians, it was not the concern of seriouscomposers whether or not the general public understood their work.
[NYTimes.com]