Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the United Kingdom before moving to the United States. He is the head of the film music division at DreamWorks studios and works with other composers through the company that he founded, Remote Control Productions, formerly known as Media Ventures. His studio in Santa Monica, California has an extensive range of computer equipment and keyboards, allowing demo versions of film scores to be created quickly.
Zimmer's works are notable for integrating electronic music sounds with traditional orchestral arrangements. He has received four Grammy Awards, three Classical BRIT Awards, two Golden Globes, and an Academy Award. He was also named on the list of Top 100 Living Geniuses, published by The Daily Telegraph.
Zimmer was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany on 12th September 1957, and moved to London as a teenager. While he lived in London, Zimmer wrote advertising jingles for Air-Edel Associates. Zimmer began his musical career playing keyboards and synthesisers. In 1980 he worked with The Buggles, a New Wave band formed in 1977 with Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, and Bruce Woolley, appearing briefly in the video for "Video Killed the Radio Star" (1979).
In the 1980s, Zimmer worked with film composer Stanley Myers, a prolific film composer who composed scores for over sixty films. Zimmer and Myers co-founded the London-based Lillie Yard recording studio. Together, Myers and Zimmer worked on fusing the traditional orchestral sound with state-of-the-art electronics. Some of their first movies with this new sound include "Moonlighting" (1982), "Success is the Best Revenge" (1984), "Insignificance" (1985), and "My Beautiful Launderette" (1985). In 1986, Zimmer joined David Byrne and Ryuichi Sakamoto on their Oscar-winning score for "The Last Emperor" (1988).
Soon afterwards, Zimmer began working on his own solo projects. During his solo career years, Zimmer experimented and combined the use of old and new musical technologies. His first solo score was for Chris Menges’s film "A World Apart" (1988). However, the turning point in his career came later that year when he was asked to compose a score for Barry Levinson’s film "Rain Man" (1988). In the score, Zimmer uses synthesizers mixed with steel drums. The score was nominated for an Academy Award in 1989. A year later Zimmer was asked to compose a score for Bruce Beresford's "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989), which won a Grammy Award 1991.
In 1994, Zimmer won his biggest commercial hit for Disney’s "The Lion King" (1994). He wanted to go to South Africa himself to record the soundtrack, but couldn't because he had a police record there for making subversive films. "The Lion King" soundtrack won numerous awards, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and two Grammys. It was then adapted for the Broadway musical version, which won the Tony for Best Musical in 1998.
Since the success of "The Lion King", Zimmer has written numerous film scores. His hundredth composition was for "The Last Samurai" (2003), for which he won both a Golden Globe and a Broadcast Film Critics nomination in 2004. After composing over a hundred film scores, Zimmer finally performed live for the first time in concert with a hundred-piece orchestra and a hundred-person choir at the twenty-seventh Annual Flanders International Film Festival.
He has received numerous honours and awards, including: Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in Film Composition from the National Board of Review, Frederick Loewe Award in 2003 at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, ASCAP’s Henry Mancini Award for Lifetime Achievement, and BMI's prestigious Richard Kirk Award for lifetime achievement in 1996. Today, Zimmer is considered to be the father of integrating the electronic musical world with traditional orchestral arrangements.
Zimmer's first wife was a model, Vicki Carolin, with whom he has a daughter, model Zoe Zimmer. Zimmer lives in Los Angeles with his second wife Suzanne Zimmer with whom he has an additional three children.
Quattro grammy, tre golden globe, due oscar; le sue colonne sonore sono tra le più amate della storia del cinema!
Dune, Spider-Man 2, Il Cavaliere Oscuro, Interstellar, Il Codice Da Vinci, Pearl Harbor, Il Gladiatore, Mission Impossible, Inception, Pirati dei Caraibi, Spirit, Wonder Woman, Madagascar – tutti i più grandi successi di Hans Zimmer – verranno eseguiti dalla famosa orchestra sinfonica di Kiev, Lords Of The Sound, riconosciuta in tutta Europa per la sua professionalità e bravura.
Nella sua carriera Hans Zimmer ha vinto quattro Grammy, due Oscar alla migliore colonna sonora su dodici candidature, tre Golden Globe e un Brit Award: è uno dei compositori contemporanei più influenti che ha trovato la sua fama dopo l’uscita del film cult “Rain Man”.
“Quando ho ideato la musica per Rain Man, ho continuato a pensare: non cercare di soffocare i personaggi. Non venire in primo piano. Raymond, il personaggio principale, non capisce davvero dove si trova. Vede il mondo in modo diverso da noi… Perché non creare “musica del mondo” per un mondo che esiste solo nella sua testa?” ricorda il compositore.
Da quel film e quella prima candidatura all’Oscar i migliori registi di Hollywood si sono messi in fila per lavorare con lui. La sua musica ha impressionato così tanto la Disney che gli ha commissionato la colonna sonora per il cartone animato “Il Re Leone”: il tema musicale del cartone animato ha portato al compositore tre dei premi più prestigiosi: “Oscar”, “Golden Globe” e “Grammy”.
Nella sua carriera Zimmer ha continuato ad essere premiato per i suoi lavori, diventando davvero il numero uno a Hollywood, tanto che ormai una cerimonia degli Oscar è rara senza una sua candidatura: anche nel 2022 ha vinto con il film Dune.
La straordinaria bravura dell’orchestra Lords of the Sound e le migliori composizioni di Hans Zimmer, faranno vivere al pubblico sensazioni indimenticabili, in un’atmosfera fiabesca e piena di bellezza.
Un concerto sinfonico, che riproporrà quelle che sono tra le colonne sonore più amate della storia del cinema, impreziosito dalla presenza di una rock band e una stupefacente produzione visual con luci e effetti speciali, potenti parti vocali di solisti e coristi e soprattutto un’energia inarrestabile che conquisterà il pubblico in sala.
Minstrel Boy
Hans Zimmer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the ranks of death you'll find him
His father's sword he hath girded on
And his wild harp slung behind him
"Land of Song!" cried the warrior bard
(Should) "Tho' all the world betrays thee
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard
The Minstrel fell! But the foeman's chain
Could not bring that proud soul under
The harp he lov'd ne'er spoke again
For he tore its chords asunder
And said "No chains shall sully thee
Thou soul of love and brav'ry
Thy songs were made for the pure and free
They shall never sound in slavery
The lyrics to Hans Zimmer's "Minstrel Boy" are poetic and powerful, telling the story of a young minstrel who goes to war with his father's sword and his harp slung behind him. The lyrics indicate that despite the minstrel boy's vulnerability as a musician, he is willing to fight for his land and the principles he believes in. The warrior bard calls out to the "Land of Song," which represents a place of beauty, poetry, and ideals. The minstrel boy recognizes that the world may betray his land, but he is willing to put his sword forward to defend it.
The minstrel boy's fate is tragic, but he goes down fighting. The foeman's chain could not break his proud soul. The minstrel boy's harp falls silent, but this is not due to defeat. He has torn its cords asunder, indicating that he has chosen to end his own music and thus the symbol of his own life. His harp was made for the pure and free, and its music will never sound in slavery. These lyrics suggest that freedom and purity are central to the minstrel boy's ethos, and that he is willing to die for these principles.
Line by Line Meaning
The minstrel boy to the war is gone
The singer is headed to the front of the war
In the ranks of death you'll find him
He will be fighting until the end of his life
His father's sword he hath girded on
He is taking his father's sword with him for protection
And his wild harp slung behind him
He is taking his beloved harp to bring joy to his comrades
"Land of Song!" cried the warrior bard
The country which cherishes music the most!
"Tho' all the world betrays thee
Even if the world turns its back on his nation
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard
His one weapon will be a protector of his country's rights
One faithful harp shall praise thee!"
He will use his harp to hail and commend his motherland!
The Minstrel fell! But the foeman's chain
The minstrel was defeated, captured and chained
Could not bring that proud soul under
Even with his defeat, he kept his pride and remained unbroken
The harp he lov'd ne'er spoke again
His beloved harp never made another sound.
For he tore its chords asunder
He broke his own harp so that it would not be used by his captors.
And said "No chains shall sully thee
His harp was too important to be defiled by his imprisonment.
Thou soul of love and brav'ry
As a symbol of love and courage
Thy songs were made for the pure and free
The magic of his music was meant for the pure and free.
They shall never sound in slavery
He vowed that his music would never be played in captivity under any condition.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sanyog Sridhar
I heard this many, many years ago when i was still a little kid. Today,
I'm listening to this unable to hold back my tears for 3 of my friends
whom i saw pass away into the Davy Jone's locker. Most of my tears come
not because they passed away but because ever since, I've been dying
inside every day. Some days are good and some days are bad. But oh boy,
what would i not give to share just one more beer wth my buddies in our
foxhole again. God bless to all those who have served, serve and will
serve. We may be from different countries. We may even be enemiesbut the
one that shall always remain the same is the feelings we have towards
our brothers, through thick and thin, something no civilian will ever
understand.
Paul Hester
"The minstrel fell! - but the foeman's chain
Could not bring that proud soul under;
The harp he loved ne'er spoke again
For he tore its' chords asunder;
And said "No chains shall sully thee,
Thou soul of love and bravery!
Thy songs were made for the pure and free,
They shall never sound in slavery."
such powerful imagery
SP Biswal
It is neither the movie nor the events...
A soldier's life.
So good in life and death
So honourable in victory and defeat
After a courageous and all out fight
A soldier's life is like none other
He triumphs even in death but never succumbs to defeat.
God bless all soldiers.
Matthew Allen Ramsay
In memoriam to Sgt. (Sergeant) Jeremiah Holmes of the 744th Transportation Company, New Hampshire Army National Guard who died in a massive IED Expolsion on a bridge near Ramadi, Anbar Province, Iraq on Monday, March 29, 2004. MAR - NDSM with bronze service star both wars 1991 and 2004 with the 744 TC.
Lyrics of Minstrel Boy
By Thomas Moore
The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone
In the ranks of death you will find him;
His father's sword he hath girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him;"
Land of Song!" said the warrior bard,
"Tho' all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!"
The Minstrel fell! But the foeman's chain
Could not bring that proud soul under;
The harp he lov'd ne'er spoke again,
For he tore its chords asunder;
And said "No chains shall sully thee,
Thou soul of love and brav'ry!
Thy songs were made for the pure and free,
They shall never sound in slavery!"
The Minstrel Boy will return we pray
When we hear the news we all will cheer it,
The minstrel boy will return one day,
Torn perhaps in body, not in spirit.
Then may he play on his harp in peace,
In a world such as Heaven intended,
For all the bitterness of man must cease,
And ev'ry battle must be ended.
_ JDP2104 _
@hulmad "America never did nothing for nobody but America"
America played a vital role in the fall of the Third Reich.
America liberated east Asia from the genocidal empire of Japan.
America rebuilt Europe after the devastation of WW2.
America kept South Korea free from communism.
America saved Kuwait and protected the world economy in the Gulf War.
America continues to be the world's leader by far in humanitarian aid.
Apologies for replying to a 3 year old comment but I had to say something to this blatantly false notion
Sanyog Sridhar
I heard this many, many years ago when i was still a little kid. Today,
I'm listening to this unable to hold back my tears for 3 of my friends
whom i saw pass away into the Davy Jone's locker. Most of my tears come
not because they passed away but because ever since, I've been dying
inside every day. Some days are good and some days are bad. But oh boy,
what would i not give to share just one more beer wth my buddies in our
foxhole again. God bless to all those who have served, serve and will
serve. We may be from different countries. We may even be enemiesbut the
one that shall always remain the same is the feelings we have towards
our brothers, through thick and thin, something no civilian will ever
understand.
_ JDP2104 _
Salute
Gavin Franklin
@Pipe Duster yeah I agree but WW2 guys were also lucky yes war is Hell but it’s also some good things too cause if you fought in WW2 you get to see the great monuments in Europe you thought you never see and also you go to different countries it’s like war can also be an adventure
Todd Nichols
Thank you for your service sir. I am so sorry for all the pain you have to bear. May the Lord help you through your traumatic times.
Pipe Duster
Oops I meant in ww 2. Let’s hope to god there’s no ww 3.
Pipe Duster
War is hell, my friend. Some time if you want I’ll tell you about my dad’s experiences as a pow on we 3.
Dave Cunningham
One of the greatest Irish songs of all time. The lyrics are so poweful
Michael Foley
@Robert Davis you might want to learn some history, The song ,Minstrel Boy is an old Irish Song with an very old Irish air. The song was written about the Irish Rebellion against the british in 1798.
Seán Ó Laocha
@Robert Davis I'm afraid not my friend, The Minstrel Boy is indeed an Irish song written by Thomas Moore to a traditional Irish air.
Pat Branagh
@Robert Davis Bullsnit.