he soundtrack to The Lord Of The Rings has been voted the nation’s favourite film music in the Classic FM Movie Music Hall Of Fame 2023.
Howard Shore’s score beat the likes of Schindler’s List, which was runner-up, and Star Wars, which came in third.
More than 10,000 votes were cast by members of the public in a poll to find the nation’s most popular piece of film music.
The top 100 were played on Classic FM before the number one was revealed by chat show host and radio presenter Jonathan Ross at just before 7pm on Monday.
He said: “I’m so thrilled to see The Lord Of The Rings make it to number one in this incredible celebration of history’s greatest film scores in the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame.
“JRR Tolkien’s adventures are beautiful, spectacular films, but the experience is so enhanced by the incredible score that I’m delighted to see Howard Shore’s music getting this much love.”
Reacting to the news, Shore said: “Many thanks to all the Classic FM listeners. I’m very happy that I was able to bring you a little closer to JRR Tolkien’s Middle-earth.”
Other music in the top 20 included the soundtracks of Gladiator, Chariots Of Fire, Titanic, Pirates Of The Caribbean, and Interstellar.
John Williams proved to be the nation’s favourite composer in the list with five entries in the top 20 alone – Schindler’s List, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone.
The first Lord Of The Rings film in the trilogy premiered in 2001 and won Oscars for visual effects, make-up, cinematography, and music for its original score.
More recently, it has enjoyed a resurgence with the launch of The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power TV series, after season one was released in 2022.
The top 20 of the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame 2023:
1. The Lord of the Rings – Howard Shore
2. Schindler’s List – John Williams
3. Star Wars – John Williams
4. Out of Africa – John Barry
5. Gladiator – Hans Zimmer
6. Wilde – Debbie Wiseman
7. Dances with Wolves – John Barry
8. Jurassic Park – John Williams
9. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – Ennio Morricone
10. The Mission – Ennio Morricone
11. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – John Williams
12. Chariots of Fire – Vangelis
13. Indiana Jones – John Williams
14. Ladies in Lavender – Nigel Hess
15. Doctor Zhivago – Maurice Jarre
16. The Magnificent Seven – Elmer Bernstein
17. Interstellar – Hans Zimmer
18. The Godfather – Nino Rota
19: Titanic – James Horner
20. Pirates of the Caribbean – Klaus Bedelt
– Classic FM is available across the UK on Global Player, 100-102 FM, DAB digital radio and TV, and ClassicFM.com.