Bernstein won an Oscar for his score to Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) and was nominated for 14 Oscars in total. He also won two Golden Globe Awards, an Emmy Award, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards.
Bernstein was born to a Jewish family in New York City, the son of Selma (née Feinstein, 1901-1991), from Ukraine, and Edward Bernstein (1896-1968), from Austria-Hungary.
Contrary to popular assumption, he was not related to the celebrated composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, but the two men were friends. Within the world of professional music, they were distinguished from each other by the use of the nicknames Bernstein West (Elmer) and Bernstein East (Leonard). They also pronounced their surnames differently. Elmer pronounced his "BERN-steen", and Leonard used "BERN-stine".
During his childhood, Bernstein performed professionally as a dancer and an actor, in the latter case playing the part of Caliban in The Tempest on Broadway, and he also won several prizes for his painting. He attended Manhattan's progressive Walden School and gravitated toward music at the age of twelve, at which time he was given a scholarship in piano by Henriette Michelson, a Juilliard teacher who guided him throughout his entire career as a pianist. She took him to play some of his improvisations for composer Aaron Copland, who was encouraging and selected Israel Citkowitz as a teacher for the young boy.
Elmer Bernstein's music has some stylistic similarities to Copland's music, most notably in his western scores, particularly sections of Big Jake, in the Gregory Peck film Amazing Grace and Chuck, and in his spirited score for the 1958 film adaptation of Erskine Caldwell's novel God's Little Acre.
He had a lifelong enthusiasm for an even wider spectrum of the arts than his childhood interests would imply and, in 1959, when he was scoring The Story on Page One, he considered becoming a novelist and asked the film's screenwriter, Clifford Odets, to give him lessons in writing fiction. '
He influenced Alan Silvestri, Georges Delerue, Howard Shore, James Newton Howard, John Barry, Lalo Schifrin, Dick Hyman, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Trevor Jones, Mark Isham, Bear McCreary, Danny Elfman, Alan Menken, and Randy Newman.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Elmer Bernstein among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
prologue
Elmer Bernstein Lyrics
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There was once a king so cruel, and so evil, that even the gods feared him.
Since no prison could hold him, he was thrown alive into a crucible of moltin iron.
There his demonic spirit was captured, in the form of a great black cauldron.
For uncounted centuries The Black Cauldron lay hidden, while evil men searched for it.
Knowing whoever possessed it, would have the power to resurrect an army of deathless warriors.
And with them, rule the world.
The lyrics to Elmer Bernstein's song Prologue recount the legend that takes place in the mystical land of Prydain, where once there lived a king so cruel and evil that even the gods feared him. No prison could hold him, and as a result, he was thrown alive into a crucible of molten iron. His demonic spirit was then captured in the form of a great black cauldron. The Black Cauldron lay hidden for uncounted centuries while evil men sought after it. The one who possessed the Black Cauldron would have the power to resurrect an army of deathless warriors, and with them, would rule the world.
The Prologue song sets the scene for the story that follows, which centers on a young pig keeper named Taran, who embarks on a quest to stop the Horned King from using the Black Cauldron to raise an undead army. The song creates an ominous and foreboding atmosphere, as it warns of the danger that the Black Cauldron represents and the dire consequences that would ensue if it were to fall into the wrong hands.
Line by Line Meaning
Legend has it, in the mystic land of Prydain.
This story takes place in a mysterious land called Prydain, the details of which are not known for certain.
There was once a king so cruel, and so evil, that even the gods feared him.
The king was incredibly cruel and wicked, to a degree that even the deities were afraid of him.
Since no prison could hold him, he was thrown alive into a crucible of moltin iron.
Because it was impossible to keep the king imprisoned, he was instead thrown into a pot of molten metal while still alive.
There his demonic spirit was captured, in the form of a great black cauldron.
When the king was thrown into the fiery liquid, his demonic essence was somehow contained within a large black cauldron.
For uncounted centuries The Black Cauldron lay hidden, while evil men searched for it.
The Black Cauldron remained hidden for many years, during which time wicked individuals sought it out.
Knowing whoever possessed it, would have the power to resurrect an army of deathless warriors.
These people had the knowledge that if they were to obtain the cauldron, then they would be able to revive an army of soldiers who could not be killed.
And with them, rule the world.
Through the control of the deathless warriors, the individuals who found the cauldron could potentially become rulers of the entire world.
Writer(s): Elmer Bernstein
Contributed by Thomas I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nuwandax
Beautiful. Wish this was on spotify.
Rob Johnson
Mr. Bernstein is wonderful very excellent talent
Harry Thompson
Rob Johnson YES!! Absolutely Beautiful Score!
Love Chicago
Love this movie and this score!
LaRon Rosser
Amazing intro. Almost as good as the movie itself. Bravo Mr. Bernstein
Wispy Fellow
Is there nothing in this world that you love enough...that you would kill for it, or die for it...?
Warr Klownn
Best track ever made
NappYulii💜💚❤
Love this movie
Noodle Flames
In my humble opinion, Hoodlum is the best movie I've ever seen.
Явор Ганев
well i like it too. I dont want to offend your opinion but compared to The Godfather seems mediocre. But soundtracks are very nice and pleasent to hear