David Newman- Composer
Author of the soundtracks to dozens of popular films
Over the centuries there have been many families that demonstrated remarkable musical talents. The so called "Newman's of Hollywood" are one such gifted clutch of composers that have written music for television and movies dating back nearly a century. David Newman (born in 1954) is the son of the late film composer Alfred Newman who scored such memorable films as State Fair (1933), The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), and Gunga Din (1939). David Newman has accomplished much in his own right as a film composer, scoring the soundtracks to dozens of the more popular feature films of the past decade.
David Newman's musical credits predate his compositions. Beginning his career as a concert violinist he performed on the instrument in many major orchestrations including an uncredited part in the music of the Stephen Spielburg blockbuster, Close Encounters of the Third Kind*. His first composition debut was in a rather poorly perceived film titled Frankenweenie (1984). David's talents as a composer quickly blossomed however, with the addition of more memorable film soundtracks such as Dragnet(1987) and Throw Mamma From The Train (1987).
David Newman's current activities are not solely relegated to composing soundtracks for Hollywood's biggest movies. In addition to his composing duties he also continues as a respected conductor, taking the helm of the Los Angeles Philharmonic as recently as 2005 for a concert of classic film music. In previous years he also served as conductor of the American Symphony in New York and the Utah Symphony as a part of the Sundance Film Festival in 1989. Newman's most recent compositions include the soundtrack to the recently released Norbit (2007), starring Eddie Murphy.
David Newman continues to delight audiences with his scoring and composition abilities even to present day. While paying passing homage in his music to such musical greats as Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky he maintains a sense of humor and a fresh, open minded style. With the soundtrack to the highly acclaimed Serenity (2005) he ventured into a very different style of music when compared to the light comedic scores that formed many of his more well known works . The soundtrack for Serenity is quite unlike that of his previous films, and quite out of character for a science fiction film. Adapting his composition to the unique nuances of the Serenity story line, he stays away from traditional sci-fi electronica in favor of country western acoustic instruments including the guitar and banjo. His treatment of the score for Serenity has earned him a cult following, with several fan clubs and no sense of a pending decline in popularity. A fitting heir to the Newman musical legacy, David Newman has succeeded in carrying on the family name and heritage of great movie compositions.
Note: * There are conflicting references as to which of Spielburg's movies the David Newman actually performed in as a violinist. The two movies debated in this context include Close Encounters and E.T. The Extraterrestrial.
