Stan’s Obligatory Blog

5/30/2008

Eight notes that changed the geek world

Filed under: — stan @ 6:40 am

In today’s obituary pages, Alexander Courage has died at 88. The headline says it all:

Alexander ‘Sandy’ Courage, 88; composer wrote ‘Star Trek’ theme

Apparently, he had a prolific career writing music for movies and TV for over 50 years. But in the geek world, he’s going to always be known for “Star Trek”.

And the eight notes:

The eight-note brass fanfare that Courage wrote to herald the starship Enterprise became one of the most familiar musical signatures in TV history.

“I’d argue that it’s the most famous fanfare in the world,” Burlingame, who teaches film music history at USC, said Thursday.

“It’s been around 42 years — and it’s all around the world — and when you hear those eight notes you immediately think of the Enterprise,” he said.

Read the whole article here: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-courage30-2008may30,0,1290138.story

One Response to “Eight notes that changed the geek world”

  1. Carol Elaine Says:

    Wow. As I wrote to my boyfriend yesterday, May has not been a good month for talented men. Joseph Pevney, Alexander Courage, Sydney Pollock, Dick Martin and Harvey Korman.

    I know all of these men lived long, fruitful lives and have contributed an immense amount of quality entertainment, but I am truly saddened by the passing of each and every one of them.

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