Historically, music for films has been provided by orchestras, however in recent years it is becoming increasingly popular to also feature synthesisers and electronics, in what is sometimes referred to as a hybrid orchestra. Pioneers of this include Nicholas Britell with his score for the HBO programme Succession, and Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch’s score for Bladerunner 2049, works almost entirely with synthesised sound.

However, another prolific user of this technique was Jóhann Jóhannsson, an Icelandic composer, born in 1969. He scored a number of films, perhaps most notably James Marsh’s The Theory of Everything, a 2014 biopic of the life of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, and won a Golden Globe for Best Original Score. He didn’t always compose for media though, and only began taking music more seriously in the 1980s, where he formed bands and worked as a producer for many different genres.

His creativity blossomed particularly in his solo work which began with the album Englabörn, and featured recordings of string instruments that had been processed and put alongside other electronic music. He even took inspiration from his father’s workplace at IBM and has used computer sounds as part of his compositions.

Jóhannsson’s work for film and TV began in the mid 2000s, first composing for Icelandic television programmes, before collaborating with Denis Villeneuve on films including Prisoners, Sicario, and they even began work on Bladerunner 2049, until it was decided Zimmer and Wallfisch would finish off the project themselves. All of these works featured long horn, string, and synthesised lines which evoke a multitude of emotions and help to carry the storyline of the film.

And really, that’s what scoring a film or television programme is about – helping to tell the story alongside what is physically visible on the screen. It could be argued that deeper messages and emotions can be conveyed through the use of music, and through which medium a composer chooses to do that is up to them. In the twenty-first century, where production techniques are being ever developed, and technologies are advancing and becoming more accessible, it would seem silly to rely solely on the soundscape an orchestra can provide. This was the space in the field that Jóhannsson occupied and developed both through his film work and his solo compositions. He reinforced the importance of music connecting with people and when asked about what he hopes to communicate with his art, he said ‘I think my music is a way of communicating very directly with people and with people’s emotions. I try to make music that doesn’t need layers of complexity or obfuscation to speak to people’. That simplicity is equally apparent as it is effective in his scores and solo work.

Unfortunately, Jóhannsson died in 2018 with many projects unfinished, and in some cases unbegun. The final notes we heard from him were in his scores for the films Mandy and Mary Magdalene, the music for which were released posthumously, as were a few compilations of his previous work. Ultimately, his creativity and exploration in the field of music and film continue to inspire and evoke emotion in many people to this day, and for many years to come.