Original Score: An original score is a substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.

The years shown are the production years, thus a reference to 1967 means the Oscars presented in 1968 for movies made in 1967.

Table of contents

1 1930's 2 1970's 3 1980's 4 1990's 5 2000's 6 External Link

1930's

Best Music, Score

• 1935 One Night of Love - Louis Silvers (head of department); Victor Schertzinger (not awarded); Gus Kahn (not awarded); Columbia Studio Music Department
• The Gay Divorcee - Max Steiner (head of department); Kenneth S. Webb (not awarded); Samuel Hoffenstein (not awarded); RKO Radio Studio Music Department
• The Lost Patrol - Max Steiner (also head of department); RKO Radio Studio Music Department

• 1970 separate awards:
  • Best Music, Original Score: Love Story - Francis Lai
    • Airport - Alfred Newman
    • Cromwell - Frank Cordell
    • I Girasoli - Henry Mancini
    • Patton - Jerry Goldsmith
  • Best Music, Original Song Score: Let It Be - Paul McCartney; John Lennon; George Harrison; Ringo Starr
    • The Baby Maker - Fred Karlin; Tylwyth Kymry
    • A Boy Named Charlie Brown - Rod McKuen; John Scott Trotter; Bill Melendez; Al Shean; Vince Guaraldi
    • Darling Lili - Henry Mancini; Johnny Mercer
    • Scrooge - Leslie Bricusse; Ian Fraser; Herbert W. Spencer

• 1980 Fame - Michael Gore

• 1981 Chariots of Fire - Vangelis

• 1982 separate awards:
  • Best Music, Original Score: E.T - John Williams
    • Gandhi - Ravi Shankar; George Fenton
    • An Officer and a Gentleman - Jack Nitzsche
    • Poltergeist - Jerry Goldsmith
    • Sophie's Choice - Marvin Hamlisch
  • Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score: Victor/Victoria - Henry Mancini, Leslie Bricusse
    • Annie - Ralph Burns
    • One from the Heart - Tom Waits

• 1983 separate awards:
  • Original Score: The Right Stuff - Bill Conti
  • Original Song Score or Adaptation Score: Yentl - Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman

• 1984 separate awards:
  • Original Score: A Passage to India - Maurice Jarre
    • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - John Williams
    • The Natural - Randy Newman
    • The River - John Williams
    • Under the Volcano - Alex North
  • Original Song Score: Purple Rain - Prince
    • The Muppets Take Manhattan - Jeff Moss (II)
    • Songwriter - Kris Kristofferson

• 1985 Out of Africa - John Barry
  • Agnes of God - Georges Delerue
  • The Color Purple - Quincy Jones; Jeremy Lubbock; Rod Temperton; Caiphus Semenya; Andraé Crouch; Chris Boardman; Jorge Calandrelli; Joel Rosenbaum; Fred Steiner; Jack Hayes; Jerry Hey; Randy Kerber
  • Silverado - Bruce Broughton
  • Witness - Maurice Jarre

• 1986 'Round Midnight - Herbie Hancock
  • Aliens - James Horner
  • Hoosiers - Jerry Goldsmith
  • The Mission - Ennio Morricone
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - Leonard Rosenman

• 1987 The Last Emperor - Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, Cong Su
  • Cry Freedom - George Fenton; Jonas Gwangwa
  • Empire of the Sun - John Williams
  • The Untouchables - Ennio Morricone
  • The Witches of Eastwick - John Williams

• 1988 The Milagro Beanfield War - David Grusin
  • The Accidental Tourist - John Williams
  • Dangerous Liaisons - George Fenton
  • Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey - Maurice Jarre
  • Rain Man - Hans Zimmer

• 1989 The Little Mermaid - Alan Menken
  • Born on the Fourth of July - John Williams
  • The Fabulous Baker Boys - Dave Grusin
  • Field of Dreams - James Horner
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - John Williams

• 1990 Dances with Wolves - John Barry
  • Avalon - Randy Newman
  • Ghost - Maurice Jarre
  • Havana - Dave Grusin
  • Home Alone - John Williams

• 1991 Beauty and the Beast - Alan Menken
  • Bugsy - Ennio Morricone
  • The Fisher King - George Fenton
  • JFK - John Williams
  • The Prince of Tides - James Newton Howard

• 1992 Aladdin - Alan Menken
  • Basic Instinct - Jerry Goldsmith
  • Chaplin - John Barry
  • Howards End - Richard Robbins
  • A River Runs Through It - Mark Isham

• 1993 Schindler's List - John Williams
  • The Age of Innocence - Elmer Bernstein
  • The Firm - Dave Grusin
  • The Fugitive - James Newton Howard
  • The Remains of the Day - Richard Robbins

• 1994 The Lion King - Hans Zimmer
  • Forrest Gump - Alan Silvestri
  • Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles - Elliot Goldenthal
  • Little Women - Thomas Newman
  • The Shawshank Redemption - Thomas Newman

• 1995 separate awards:
  • Best Music, Original Dramatic Score: Il Postino - Luis Enríquez Bacalov
    • Apollo 13 - James Horner
    • Braveheart - James Horner
    • Nixon - John Williams
    • Sense and Sensibility - Patrick Doyle
  • Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score: Pocahontas - Alan Menken; Stephen Schwartz
    • The American President - Marc Shaiman
    • Sabrina - John Williams
    • Toy Story - Randy Newman
    • Unstrung Heroes - Thomas Newman

• 1996 separate awards:
  • Best Music, Original Dramatic Score: The English Patient - Gabriel Yared
    • Hamlet - Patrick Doyle
    • Michael Collins - Elliot Goldenthal
    • Shine - David Hirschfelder
    • Sleepers - John Williams
  • Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score: Emma - Rachel Portman
    • The First Wives Club - Marc Shaiman
    • The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Alan Menken; Stephen Schwartz
    • James and the Giant Peach - Randy Newman
    • ''The Preacher's Wife - Hans Zimmer

• 1997 separate awards:
  • Best Music, Original Dramatic Score: Titanic (1997 movie) - James Horner
    • Amistad - John Williams
    • Good Will Hunting - Danny Elfman
    • Kundun - Philip Glass
    • L.A. Confidential - Jerry Goldsmith
  • Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score: The Full Monty - Anne Dudley
    • Anastasia - Stephen Flaherty; Lynn Ahrens; David Newman
    • As Good As It Gets - Hans Zimmer
    • Men in Black - Danny Elfman
    • My Best Friend's Wedding - James Newton Howard

• 1998 separate awards:
  • Best Music, Original Dramatic Score: La Vita è bella - Nicola Piovani
    • Elizabeth - David Hirschfelder
    • Pleasantville (movie) - Randy Newman
    • Saving Private Ryan - John Williams
    • The Thin Red Line - Hans Zimmer
  • Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score: Shakespeare in Love - Stephen Warbeck
    • A Bug's Life - Randy Newman
    • Mulan - Matthew Wilder (music); David Zippel (lyrics); Jerry Goldsmith (orchestral score)
    • Patch Adams - Marc Shaiman
    • The Prince of Egypt - Stephen Schwartz (music/lyrics); Hans Zimmer (orchestral score)

• 1999 Le Violon rouge - John Corigliano
  • American Beauty - Thomas Newman
  • Angela's Ashes - John Williams
  • The Cider House Rules - Rachel Portman
  • The Talented Mr. Ripley - Gabriel Yared

• 2000 Wo hu cang long - Tan Dun
  • Chocolat - Rachel Portman
  • Gladiator - Hans Zimmer
  • Malèna - Ennio Morricone
  • The Patriot - John Williams
• 2001 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The - Howard Shore
  • A.I.:Artificial Intelligence - John Williams
  • A Beautiful Mind - James Horner
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - John Williams
  • Monsters, Inc - Randy Newman

• 2002 Frida - Elliot Goldenthal
  • Catch Me If You Can - John Williams
  • Far from Heaven - Elmer Bernstein
  • The Hours - Philip Glass
  • Road to Perdition - Thomas Newman
• 2003 nominees:
  • Big Fish - Danny Elfman
  • Cold Mountain - Gabriel Yared
  • Finding Nemo - Thomas Newman
  • House of Sand and Fog - James Horner
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Howard Shore