Breaking News: Legendary Composer Lalo Schifrin Passes Away at 93
His name has certainly been known to many film and television viewers since the 1960s—but also who does not know what to do with Lalo Schifrin straight away, probably still knows his music today. Above all, Schifrin’s play for “Mission: Impossible” is one of the immortal recognition melodies of TV and cinema history. His music for film classics such as “Bullitt” or “The man with the death claw” or the television series “Starsky & Hutch” is also a cult. Now the renowned Argentine composer has died at the age of 93, as his sons Ryan and William confirmed the US magazines “Deadline” and “Variety.”
World-Famous Title Melody Written Under Curious Circumstances
Schifrin wrote his most famous piece under strange conditions. For the TV series “Mission: Impossible,” which was broadcast in the USA from 1966 and later ran on German television under the title “Kobra, took over,” he initially composed the accompanying music. Then he should deliver the music for the opening credits, but without having seen it before.
“You have to write the notes on the screen without anything,” he was told, Schifrin said in the interview of the Television Academy. “We are looking for your music. Give us some rhythmic.” And it became rhythmic. The music in the extremely unusual 5/4 stroke sounded exciting and atmospherically fit perfectly with the stories about espionage, hidden operations and the constant race against time. Schifrin received a Grammy for his soundtrack. The iconic intro became known as a piece of music beyond the series.
Lalo Schifrin: A Life in Music
Lalo was actually his nickname. He was born on June 21, 1932, as Boris Claudio Schifrin in Buenos Aires. His musical development began at the piano at a young age. His piano teacher was Enrique Barenboim, the father of the pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim. As a violinist, Schifrin’s father Luis had good contacts in the world of classical music from which the young Lalo benefited.
Schifrin brought jazz rhythms to the cinema. On the college, he also discovered jazz for himself. “And since then I have been devoting myself to both expressions,” he told “Jazz Professional” magazine in 1967. “It has nothing schizophrenes. People don’t understand that good music is a big whole. I don’t make a difference between jazz and classical music. It is the only thing that counts.” The combination of the styles shaped his work. He made classic motifs accessible to a mainstream audience and brought jazz rhythms to the cinema.
New Career in the USA
An encounter with the jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie proved to be pioneering for his future career. First, he composed the album “Gillespiana” for Gillespie, where he also played the piano. A few years later, Gillespie brought him into his quintet as a pianist. Schifrin moved to New York City in the early 1960s and made a name for himself in the USA—with jazz and also with Bossa Nova. He later accepted American citizenship.
Long List of Well-Known Films
The online film database IMDB today lists over 200 soundtracks by Lalo Schifrin. His casual, jazzy music for the Steve McQueen classic “Bullitt” (1968), the almost oppressive accompaniment for Clint Eastwood’s thriller “Dirty Harry” (1971), including some sequels, are particularly famous. For the cult film with Bruce Lee, Schifrin ventured on new terrain and combined elements of funk with Asian sounds and samples.
In later years, the composer was responsible for the soundtracks for the “Rush Hour” series with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, among other things, and produced the music for some smaller or independent productions. His iconic melody for “Mission: Impossible” always remained present, especially since, thanks to the Hollywood blockbuster with Tom Cruise, she also sounded regularly in the cinema since 1996, arranged by modern film composers such as Danny Elfman or Hans Zimmer.
Lalo Schifrin received a total of five Grammys, including a Latin Grammy. He was nominated four times for an Emmy, six times for an Oscar. In autumn 2018, he received the honor Oscar for his life’s work. In the interview of the Television Academy, which awards the Emmys annually, Schifrin was asked what he would like to remember after his death. “This is not my problem,” replied the musician. “The following generations have to judge that.”
Stay tuned to archyde.com for more updates on this breaking news and other entertainment stories. Share your thoughts and memories of Lalo Schifrin’s work in the comments below.
