Remembering ...Composer JAMES BERNARD: Born 20th September 1925, India. Died: 12th July 2001, London, England, UK
Today, 20th September marks the birthday of the late JAMES BERNARD composer of many of Hammer films greatest music scores,starring
Peter Cushing. Probably best remembered for his music score for Hammer
films, Dracula (1958). It featured a motif based on the name...
Dra-cu-laaaaa.... However, he could also write lushly romantic
melodies, such as appear in Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), Taste the
Blood of Dracula (1970) and Scars of Dracula (1970). Unlike the
majority of film composers, Bernard orchestrated almost all of his work.
Bernard's first major break as a composer was at the age of 17 when he met Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, for whom Bernard later wrote a song cycle.
Other memorable Hammer scores include The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), She (1964),The Kiss of the Vampire (1962), The Plague of the Zombies (1966) and The Devil Rides Out (1968).
TRIVIA: James Bernard was educated at Wellington College, where the future actor Christopher Lee was a classmate!
