Fred Myrow
Fredric Myrow (July 16, 1939 – January 14, 1999) was an American composer.[1] He composed the soundtracks for Soylent Green, Scarecrow, and Phantasm.[2][3] He was composer in residence of the Los Angeles Theatre Center in the mid-1980s, and before that at the New York Philharmonic.[4] By the time of his death in 1999, he had scored dozens of films, collaborated on numerous theater projects, and released albums.[5]
Early life and musical beginnings
Myrow was the son of renowned composer
Musical career
After the release of his first album, 1965's "Songs from the Japanese", Myrow decided to move beyond the world of classical music and undertook studies of world music. He was a friend of Jim Morrison and in 1969 provided the music for Morrison's experimental film HWY: An American Pastoral, with a further theatrical collaboration planned at the time of Morrison's death.[12][13] The following year, Leo the Last was Myrow's first feature film score. John Boorman won Best Director at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival for the film. A few years later, in 1973, he scored Soylent Green, laying down a soundtrack that "is an arresting piece of work" with a "wide array of styles and often ingenious arrangements" and ultimately veering into "particularly bizarre an unnerving territory"[14] The same year he scored Scarecrow, and closed the decade by co-writing the celebrated score for the film Phantasm.[15] In 2015, the soundtrack was re-released on vinyl.[16][17]
His stage musical “Sure Feels Good” at the Los Angeles Actor's Theatre led to his joining Los Angeles Theatre Center. During his four-year tenure he produced forty concerts and scored twenty plays. In May 1993, his symphony “Frontiers,” commissioned by the
Personal life and death
Fred Myrow and actress Elana Eden were married in 1969. They had three daughters together - Rachael, Shira and Neora - and remained married for three decades until his death, in 1999, of a heart attack, at their Hollywood Hills home. He was 59 years old.[20]
Rachael Myrow, the Senior Editor of
Filmography
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References
- ^ "Fred Myrow".
- ISBN 978-0-7864-8505-5.
- ^ "The 31 Best Electronic Horror Movie Soundtracks of All Time".
- ^ "Fredric Myrow, 59; Composer, Musician". 17 January 1999.
- ^ "An Iconic Horror Soundtrack's Surprising KQED Connection".
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- ^ "Fred Myrow".
- ^ "An Iconic Horror Soundtrack's Surprising KQED Connection".
- ^ "Fredric Myrow, 59; Composer, Musician". 17 January 1999.
- ^ "Fred Myrow".
- ^ "An Iconic Horror Soundtrack's Surprising KQED Connection".
- ISBN 978-1-101-21827-3.
- ^ "HWY: An American Pastoral – Cast & Crew on MUBI".
- ^ "Soylent Green / Demon Seed : Music Composed by Fred Myrow / Jerry Fielding: Film Music on the Web CD Reviews July 2003".
- ^ "Halloween 2012: Top 5 Horror Movie Themes To Set A Scary Mood". IBT, By Tom Herrmann 10/18/2012
- ^ "‘Phantasm’ Soundtrack Coming To Vinyl After 35 Years!". Bloody Disgusting, By JonathanBarkan on April 27, 2015
- ^ "Death Waltz prep reissue of the score to horror classic Phantasm". Fact Magazine. May 26, 2015
- ^ "Fredric Myrow, 59; Composer, Musician". 17 January 1999.
- ^ "Music Review : Myrow Opens Theatre Center Series : Music By Fred Myrow In Theatre Center Series". Los Angeles Times. June 26, 1986|JOHN VOLAND
- ^ "Archives".
- ^ "Senior Editor of KQED's Silicon Valley News Desk".
- ^ "An Iconic Horror Soundtrack's Surprising KQED Connection".
- ISBN 978-0-932117-37-3.
External links
- Fred Myrow at IMDb
- Fred Myrow discography at Discogs