Sales will resume in early 2025

Immerse yourself in the world of James Horner.

Titanic, Braveheart, Avatar, Apollo 13, Legends of the Fall, Willow, Star Trek, Aliens…

The music from these films has made you shiver, thrill, cry, laugh and dream?
Discover the anecdotes and stories behind the music that touched your heart.

James Horner enchanted the world of cinema with his music for over three decades. His death, like that of other great composers, remains a defining moment.

Do you feel a void every time you think about the absence of new James Horner compositions?
Do you want to discover or rediscover the stories behind the film scores that have marked your life?
Do you wonder how this man was able to make such a meteoric entry into the film industry?
Do you want to know what his sources of inspiration were, and how he created some of cinema’s most iconic scores?
Would you like to feel the emotional impact of his music all over again by learning new details about his compositions?
Are you curious to learn more about the collaborations and friendships that shaped his career and work?

That’s only natural!

You simply want to celebrate a composer who has left no one indifferent, an artist whose music has left an indelible mark on you during and after your viewing of the films, and you want to keep his memory alive by revisiting his universe in depth.

You wish you could:

Learn more about his childhood between Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, London and Sedona, Arizona.
Learn about his studies at three different California universities.
Understand the origins of his collaborations and artistic choices.
Discover little-known anecdotes and inspiring stories about his collaborations with film greats makers such as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Ron Howard, Roger Corman, Walter Hill…
Find comfort in the stories of his family and collaborators, who share their personal and professional experiences.
Appreciate every detail of his music, thanks to analyses that reveal their subtleties and the recurring themes and motifs that run through them.
Learn how his story and his artistic passion can serve as a model for your own creative or personal journey.

I’ve been there, just like you.

Who am I?

My name is Jean-Baptiste Martin, and like you, I’m passionate about cinema and film music. For the past 30 years, I’ve been concentrating on James Horner’s work, because since I was a teenager, I’ve been deeply moved by his music. And I experienced his death as a great emptiness.
The impact of his music on my life was such that I decided to set out in search of the secrets and stories that shaped his exceptional career.

In 2011, I created the James Horner Film Music website, which now boasts over 300 articles and 600 pages. For a decade, I’ve worked daily to share my knowledge with you, gathering all the old and new information about his world.

Today, I’m regularly called upon to contribute as a consultant on discographic editions or online events alongside James Horner’s collaborators.

Recently, in February 2024, I took part in writing the booklet notes for Intrada’s CD release of The Lady in Red (1979).

I keep fond memories of my meetings with the composer. In Vienna in 2013, Liverpool in 2014, and twice in London in 2015, I was able to spend time with him, rubbing shoulders with him in his work, attending his rehearsals, interviewing him and chatting with his collaborators.

Why this project?

In 2018, I visited his studio in Calabasas, California, chatting for many hours with his wife and daughter.

Three photos taken during my visit to the studio

From this meeting came two projects:

Project 1

Like you, I wanted to hear two previously unreleased works Spectral Shimmers (1978) and A Forest Passage (2000). So, with my friends Kim Spildrejorde, Torodd Wigum and Eirik A Sandaker, I created a concert event with these works on the program. It was broadcast live and worldwide on Youtube in 2022.

Project 2

Then, like you, I wanted to know more about his world, the creation of his music, so I decided with the support of his family and collaborators to write the most comprehensive book possible.

That was in 2018. Six years on, I’m excited to present you with the first stage of this long journey in 4 steps – A journey that has allowed me to take a fresh look at his career, to understand more of the colors of his musical language, to grasp some of the subtleties of his art and the influences that run through his work.

Through this 4-volume book, I’d like to share with you the anecdotes and stories I’ve discovered. You will discover :

A detailed account of his childhood and upbringing that led him to film music.
The behind-the-scenes story behind each project.
His sources of inspiration.

The James Horner:The Emotionalist biography is therefore the result of 30 years of listening, 13 years of research, 6 years of writing, and 70 exclusive interviews with the composer’s family, collaborators, producers, directors and musicians.

These volumes are therefore intended above all to be comprehensive. The format is that of an oral history. The actors of this history are given the opportunity to speak, with the help of numerous quotes taken from interviews already published or exclusive to this project.

These books will be a unique opportunity for us to explore the world of James Horner together, to learn more about his story, his musical legacy that continues to resonate with us through time.

Testimonials

“I am deeply grateful that Jean-Baptiste has undertaken the daunting task of writing such a thoroughly researched and carefully documented life of James.”

Sara Horner

Wife

"From some of the chapters I've read, I can say that Jean-Baptiste's work is well written, extremely well documented with both professional and sentimental touches that truly resonate about James' character and his talent. I learned things I didn't know about him. In addition to the above, one of the best compliments I can give Jean-Baptiste's book is that I recognized my brother in it."

Christopher Horner

Brother

“Jean-Baptiste has written an extraordinary book. For those of us lucky enough to work with James, it’s a time capsule of memories. For anyone who cares about film music, it’s a unique insight into the spirit, art and work of James’ life.”

Simon Franglen

Composer of Avatar The Way of Water, The Magnificent Seven and Horner collaborator

“The amount of thought and dedicated research that has gone into this book is quite frankly staggering. Jean-Baptiste Martin has unearthed details about James Horner projects that I had long forgotten, even though I worked on them. It’s a great tribute to the emotional life and process of an artist.”

Joe E. Rand

Music editor on Titanic, West Side Story (Steven Spielberg's version), Jurassic World ...

“The terms ‘monumental’ and ‘exquisitely sensitive’ would rarely inhabit the same sentence. But James Horner and his music most definitely deserve this descriptive pairing. The same is true for my new colleague & dear friend Jean-Baptiste Martin. His Volume 1 of ‘James Horner: The Emotionalist’ is an astounding tribute to both of these gentlemen.”

Russell Fox

James Horner's music teacher

VOLUME 1

Discover the life and work of James Horner like never-before-seen.

In June 2024, I present the first volume, covering the period 1953-1989.

Sales will resume in early 2025

This 448-page first volume covers the composer’s youth and early career:
His childhood and university career
His first compositions for pictures in the late 1970s
All projects from the 1980s through to Field of Dreams and Glory,
including Star Trek II and III, Krull, Brainstorm, Aliens, An American Tail and Willow.

A visual experience

The texts are accompanied by over 400 illustrations.
72 photos feature James Horner, including 24 never-before-seen.
More than 50 documents or score excerpts come from his personal archives.

Unique and original content

A complete book

This first volume features previously unpublished interviews with :
Sara Horner (Wife)
Emily Horner (Daughter)
Christopher Horner (Brother)
Russell Fox (High school music teacher)
Jim Henrikson (Composer’s music editor for 25 years)
Ian Underwood (Composer’s synthesizer programmer for 31 years)
Roger Corman (Producer of Battle Beyond the Stars)
Douglas Trumbull (Director of Brainstorm)
Lynne Littman (Director of Testament)
Nicholas Meyer (Director of Star Trek II)
Jeremy Kagan (Director of Journey of Natty Gann)
Christopher Cain (Director of Where The River runs Black and Young Guns)
Jean-Jacques Annaud (Director of The Name of the Rose)
Walter Hill (Director of 48Hrs., Red Heat, Another 48Hrs.)
David Kirschner (Producer of An American Tail)
Matthew Robbins (Director of *batteries not included)
Michael Dinner (Director of Heaven Help Us and Off Beat)
Phil Alden Robinson (Director of Field of Dreams)

In addition to this non-exhaustive list, there are testimonials from classmates and musicians.

As well as exclusive interviews, this first volume draws on 140 sources (books, magazines, DVDs, online resources, etc.), all referenced in footnotes and indexed at the end of the book.
There is also a complete list of recording sessions and a detailed index of all the people and works mentioned.