James Bernard

**Joe Skinnell** · 11th July 2001, 01:18 AM

I heard today that Composer James Bernard passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer.
Born September 20, 1925 Mr. Bernard was responcable for the majority of the scores for the classic Hammer films. Mr. Bernard also wrote a new score for the classic vampire film Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) back in 1997.
He will be sadly missed along with so many others.

**Charles Prepolec** · 11th July 2001, 03:50 AM

I read a posting on the Hammer list to that effect as well, but have been unable to get any reliable confirmation anywhere. At this point, I'm hoping it is simply an error, but if he has passed away, then it is indeed very sad news.

**Sylvain Descoteaux** · 11th July 2001, 04:28 AM

you don't know how much i hope this is not true!
If it is, well let me say that it really makes me sad.
The reason it touches me so much, is that i have written a couple of times to mr. Bernard, and i always got very nice letters when he replied.
He really seemed to be a very gentle man, with a really big heart.
The first time i wrote to him, i also got a signed photo of him in my letter, and mr. Bernard also offered to send me a copy of his CD of the music that he wrote for "Nosferatu" because i had told him in the letter that it was hard to find here in Canada.
Of course i could find a copy shortly after, and i was glad i did, because it is a superb score, with mr. Bernard's signature all over.
The last word i heard from him was last January, when he send me a nice letter in response to the christmas card that i had sent him.
I truly loved what little i knew of him,and i adore his music, i personnally think that his piano concerto from "Kiss of the vampire" and the complete score that he wrote for "Taste the blood of Dracula"
were some of the finest piece of music ever written for films.

A great artist, a talented musician, a very nice man, he will be missed!

Sylvain

**Alfonso Casal** · 11th July 2001, 07:28 AM

This has been a very sad year. So many old friends have gone on ahead of us. Eddie Powell, Charles Gray, Nyree Dawn Porter. . . now James Bernard.

Mr. Lee has often said that the true "stars" of Hammer Films were the people who worked behind the camera. This is certainly true of James Bernard. To my lights, James Bernard's music was the soul of many a Hammer film. From the pounding dissonance of his "Dracula Theme" to the tragic romanticism of his score for Frankenstein Created Woman, Mr. Bernard's music captured the essence of Gothicism. I think he will be remembered as one of the great film-score composers of our time.

Goodbye, Mr. Bernard. . . Go now, make music among the stars.

Carmen and Greg · 12th July 2001, 01:54 AM

How sad indeed. What a great loss for the world of music.

Fans of Mr Bernard's work might want to check out this site:

http://www.joesgrille.com/store/p-6964.html

Greg and I have a Hammer music CD which we like to play around Halloween as a backdrop for when the kids come around for candy. It's wonderful, moving, errie, passionate....

I was very interested in reading Sylvain's post about his personal interaction with this man. He truly sounded lovely.

Carmen

**Domenick Fraumeni** · 13th July 2001, 06:47 PM

Very sad news, indeed. And I've yet to hear his Nosferatu score. Now I must get it. Here's a link to a post on Film-score monthly regarding Bernard's passing

http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/Foru...TML/002390.html

**Sylvain Descoteaux** · 13th July 2001, 07:23 PM

For Domenick:
Regarding the "Nosferatu" music that mr. Bernard wrote,
here is a link to the silva screen site where you can order the cd.

http://www.silvascreen.com/america13.html

**Charles Prepolec** · 18th July 2001, 04:22 PM

The Associated Press service finally noted James Bernard's passing yesterday. A copy of the report can be found here.

**John Farrell** · 18th July 2001, 08:33 PM

Well, rest in peace. Lucky thing for all of us that his best music was re-recorded for CD, and Hammer has been able to revive several of the master tapes of his scores....

JF