10 Best Oscar winners for original score

A composer achieves recognition at the Best Original Score Academy Award contest through their ability to compose music that enhances film production. Films gained their musical history through exceptional compositions created by various legendary composers. From The Way We Were in 1973 to The Brutalist in 2025, all original soundtracks repealed the traditional reliance on visuals and dialogue in storytelling. Remarkable composers received Oscars for composing intense symphonic scores with experimental sounds that elevated every film's essence.

Here is the list of 10 Best Oscar winners for original score.

Disclaimer: Please note that this entire article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader's discretion is advised.

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10. Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist (2025)

The young British composer Daniel Blumberg has earned his first Oscar for the best original score in Brady Corbet's film The Brutalist. After his recent BAFTA victory, this honor represents a major turning point in his fledgling career. His score captures the inner agony of the protagonist, László Tóth, and is praised for its inventive fusion of strong brass & percussion with saxophone jazz and piano. Blumberg congratulated Corbet, whom he called an artistic soulmate, and said,

"It means a lot to be championed like this”

Tóth, a fictional Hungarian architect who immigrated to the US after the Holocaust, is the subject of the film. The compositions of this Oscar-winning composer have been compared with those of Mica Levi. Levi is another British avant-garde composer who has worked with Jonathan Glazer. This acknowledgment highlights his growing impact in the field of cinematic music.

9. Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer (2023)

Ludwig Göransson won the Oscar for the best original score for his work in Oppenheimer, marking yet another triumph in the 2024 award season. This achievement complements his other honors, which include his 2018 Black Panther win. The movie won seven Oscars in all. As per the report from Billboard, Göransson thanked filmmaker Christopher Nolan for the decision to use the violin as the central instrument of the score. He said,

"Thank you, Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, for inviting me on this incredible world"

This decision created a distinctive mood for the movie and allowed this Oscar winner to collaborate closely with his wife, violinist Serena Göransson. The combination of orchestral and electronic components in the score created a dark pattern that penetrated the movie. Moreover, his score highlighted the drama and suspense of the narrative.

8. Hans Zimmer, Dune (2021)

Hans Zimmer composed the Oscar-winning soundtrack for Dune (2021). It serves as a perfect example of building a supernatural world atmosphere. Zimmer broke away from normal orchestral techniques to create a space-age soundscape that delivered viewers directly into Arrakis' desolate desert territory. This Oscar-winning composer used irregular musical elements such as bagpipes, altered percussion, and celestial vocal choir sounds to represent the supernatural elements and extraterrestrial nature of the original story.

The "bent" sound was produced by electronic manipulation that gave the scene a spooky and futuristic feel. The audio score consists of Middle Eastern and North African elements that complement the story's discussion about colonial power and spiritual transcendence. Through his musical compositions, he brings life to the images while making environmental elements feel tangible through his work. The groundbreaking musical achievement redefined sci-fi soundtrack production as it received a prestigious Academy Award for its originality.

7. Hildur Guðnadóttir, Joker (2019)

Hildur Guðnadóttir created an emotional and terrifying soundtrack that forms the psychological foundation of the film Joker. The Oscar-winning composer conveyed Arthur Fleck's mental breakdown journey through his minimalistic score with a solo cello under thick reverberation effects. During the preliminary stages of production, Guðnadóttir created her music, which the director Todd Phillips and actor Joaquin Phoenix utilized to develop their work.

The song melodies move at a leisurely pace because they draw attention to the main character's lonely suffering by sustaining droning sounds. The musical approach by Guðnadóttir differed from typical scores because her work directly connected with the protagonist’s mental processes, thereby becoming an essential storytelling asset that led to her historic Academy Award victory.

6. Justin Hurwitz, La La Land (2017)

La La Land won the Best Original Score title at the 2017 Oscars when Justin Hurwitz received the award on February 26 (2017). His competition included scores from Jackie by Mica Levi, Lion by Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka, Moonlight by Nicholas Britell, and Passengers by Thomas Newman. During his acceptance speech, Hurwitz dedicated his award to his very good friend Damien Chazelle before expressing his happiness about their encounter. He said,

“Thank you to my very, very good friend Damien, I’m so glad I met you.”

Through his speech, he described the music writers as vital elements because, without their expertise, sheet music simply remained notes on a page, yet they transformed it into its present stunning sounds. He acknowledged the musicians who brought his compositions to life and said,

“I just put the notes on a page — they’re the ones who made it beautiful and sound the way it does.”

This Oscar-winning composer received four Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards in addition to a BAFTA Award because of his score work in La La Land, First Man, and Babylon.

5. A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

In 2008, A.R. Rahman received the Academy Award for Best Original Score for his musical work in Slumdog Millionaire. His musical achievements included winning Best Original Score and Best Original Song awards through his work on "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire. During the composition of the film, he combined classical Indian musical elements with present-day sounds into what became an original and engaging score. As reported by the Free Press Journal, Rahman said during his winning speech that,

"All my life, I had a choice of hate and love. I chose love and I'm here. God Bless!"

Rahman collaborated with director Danny Boyle for extensive cooperation that aimed to match the musical elements to the storyline and mood of the film. Moreover, this Oscar-winning composer blended classical Indian instruments with electronic music and orchestral sections to establish an extensive and differentiated musical background.

4. Luis Enríquez Bacalov, The Postman (Il Postino) (1995)

Luis Enríquez Bacalov won the Oscar for Best Original Score for The Postman (Il Postino) at the 1995 Academy Awards. The Oscar winner shared his appreciation for Michael Radford as director, Antonio Skármeta as writer, and the producers of the film. He honored Massimo Troisi by giving this prestigious award to the late actor along with his co-director since the film had lost its lead actor before going to theaters. During his winning moment, he said,

"This movie was made because of the passion of Massimo Troisi, a wonderful man and a great actor. And I dedicate this work to him. Grazie tanti."

He integrated conventional Italian music with recent musical types to bring out the deep emotional layers found within the movie. Bacalov developed a touching musical score through orchestrated music with solo instrumentation. His ability to convey the film's themes of love and friendship through music was instrumental in his Oscar win.

3. Henry Mancini, Breakfast at Tiffany's (1962)

Breakfast at Tiffany's received the Best Original Score award from Mancini during the 1962 Academy Awards ceremony. In his acceptance speech, he praised director Blake Edwards while showing appreciation toward the Academy. Mancini applied his composition skills to unite jazz with classical music elements to design a subtle yet unforgettable musical score.

Mancini worked intimately with lyricist Johnny Mercer during the creation of the movie's defining piece, "Moon River." Through his musical talent, Mancini brought out the romantic and whimsical essence of the film that led directly to his Oscar win.

2. Ralph Burns, All That Jazz (1979)

At the 52nd Academy Awards, Ralph Burns collected the Best Original Score trophy for the presentation of All That Jazz (1979). By infusing his musical arrangement with various components of jazz and Broadway together with classical orchestration, Burns achieved exact musical harmony with the film's theatrical semi-autobiographical format. He matched all dramatic sequences seamlessly with his original compositions and pre-existing music through precise musical timing.

The film obtained heightened force by using big-band jazz in combination with precise orchestration and emotional melodies created by Burns. The narrative elements Burns created with his musical sequences in the film allowed the natural and artistic qualities of the film to shine while developing a unique storytelling approach.

1. Marvin Hamlisch, The Way We Were (1973)

The Way We Were (1973) earned its Best Original Score at the 46th Academy Awards due to Marvin Hamlisch. Hamlisch designed a romantic and wistful symphonic soundscape from retro and classical symphonic elements for his musical arrangement.

An everlasting masterpiece emerged from The Title Song when Streisand performed it in the film, and it captured both the love and loss from the story's narrative. Hamlisch developed one of the finest musical compositions in film history by weaving delicate piano passages with delicate string arrangements in his score.

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We can conclude that every score in a film functions as a key storytelling element that goes beyond set design, as its ability to express emotions enables more profound storytelling. The Oscar-winning musicians revolutionized movie scoring techniques by using innovative studio technology and musical instruments, which transformed how people viewed films.

The genius musicians Ludwig Göransson and Hans Zimmer incorporated unsettling music with emotive violin and advanced audio effects to show how music exerts power in Oppenheimer (2023) and Dune (2021). Through his artistic contributions, Daniel Blumberg advances the film scoring tradition to create fresh concepts, which will improve future cinematic experiences.