Culture

Maurice Jarre has died at the age of 84

By No author
31/03/2009

Maurice Jarre has died at the age of 84 (13 September 1924 – 29 March 2009)

Maurice Jarre, father of Jean-Michel Jarre, and famous French composer and conductor passed away in his sleep in his house in Malibu on Sunday 29th March. He is believed to have died of cancer.

 

Although Maurice Jarre wrote some beautiful concert works, he will mostly be remembered for some of the most amazing film scores ever written. He received three Oscars, for Lawrence of Arabia, Dr Zhivago and A Passage to India.

He was also nominated many more times for films such as Sundays and Cybele, Ghost, Witness, Mohammad, Messenger of God, The message, Gorillas in the Mist, Dead Poet Society, Fatal Attraction…
His collaboration with the Film Director David Lean was long lasting and he also worked with other great directors such as Luciano Visconti and John Huston.

In total, he wrote more than 170 movie scores.  He started with short films in the 1950s. In fact, he recorded his first movie scores in France in 1951.

"He's one of the giants of 20th century film music," Jon Burlingame, a film music historian who teaches at USC, told The Times on Monday.

Maurice Jarre, who was born in Lyon (France) in 1924, went on to study at the Sorbonne very briefly and then, against his father’s wishes, decided to join the Conservatoire de Paris.

He said once:

“One could say my life itself has been one long soundtrack. Music was my life, music brought me to life, and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head and that only I can hear.”

 

Maurice Jarre was last seen in February at the Berlin International Film Festival where he received a Golden Bear Award for his life long achievement.