10 Iconic Hans Zimmer Film Scores

As one of the great film score composers, Hans Zimmer has made his mark on the movie industry – and he’s not done yet!

Hans has composed over 150 film scores during his career so far. His music has helped him earn many awards, including four Grammys, two Oscars, three Golden Globes, one BAFTA, and more. In fact, 50 of his soundtracks and songs have earned nominations!

The type of movies that Hans has composed music for range from live-action superhero films to animations to sci-fiction and more. Plus, he’s also expanded into video games; for example, he wrote the main themes for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and composed the score for FIFA 19 with Lorne Balfe.

We wanted to share some of his most iconic film scores. Maybe you’ve listened to them before, or perhaps you’ll discover something new! Either way, you’ll get to enjoy great music and can even find a new arrangement to start learning.

Beneath each film, you’ll find a few sheet music titles that we recommend adding to your sheet music collection! 🎼

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

First up on our list is The Amazing Spider-Man 2! Hans Zimmer composed the score for this superhero film, but he didn’t do it by himself. He wrote with The Magnificent Six (Pharrell Williams, Mike Einziger, Junkie XL, Johnny Marr, Andrew Kawczynski, and Steve Mazzaro).

• “The Electro Suite”
• “I’m Spider-Man”
• “It’s On Again” (Alicia Keys feat. Kendrick Lamar)
• All arrangements from The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Da Vinci Code

Up next, we’re taking a look at the music from The Da Vinci Code! Hans Zimmer ended up earning a Golden Globe nomination for ‘Best Original Score’ and a Grammy nomination for ‘Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.’ The music features a big orchestra and choir to create the feeling of a ‘stained glass cathedral.’

• “Chevaliers de Sangreal”
• “The Citrine Cross”
• “Fructus Gravis”
• All arrangements from The Da Vinci Code

The Dark Knight

Hans Zimmer collaborated with James Newton Howard to create the powerful soundtrack for The Dark Knight. Their music ultimately won ‘Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media’ at the 2009 Grammy Awards!

• “Agent of Chaos”
• “The Dark Knight Main Theme”
• “Why So Serious?”
• All arrangements from The Dark Knight

Dune

Hans’ music in Dune ended up earning him an Academy Award (‘Best Original Score’) and Golden Globe Award (‘Best Score Motion Picture’)! The immersive soundtrack won’t be his last for this franchise – it has already been announced that he will be returning to work on the sequel.

• “Dune Main Theme”
• “House Atreides”
• “Paul’s Dream”
• All arrangements from Dune

Gladiator

Hans Zimmer teamed up with Lisa Gerrard and Klaus Badelt to compose the music for Gladiator. While they didn’t take home the win at the Academy Awards or BAFTAs, the soundtrack did win the Golden Globe Award for ‘Best Original Score’!

• “Gladiator Main Theme”
• “Honor Him”
• “Now We Are Free”
• All arrangements from Gladiator

Interstellar

When Hans Zimmer first started writing music for this movie, he didn’t know even know what it was! (Learn more in the video) The soundtrack was nominated for an Academy Award, among other awards, but ultimately lost the ‘Best Original Score’ category to The Theory of Everything.

• “Cornfield Chase”
• “First Step”
• “Interstellar (Main Theme)”
• All arrangements from Interstellar

Fun note: As of June 6, Patrik Pietschmann’s cover of “Interstellar (Main Theme)” is currently one of the best-selling arrangements on our site!

Inception

Up next, we’re featuring the music of Inception. You may not have realized it, but Hans took “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” (Edith Piaf) and used elements of it to create his own score!

• “Dream Is Collapsing”
• “Dream Within a Dream”
• “Time”
• All arrangements from Inception

Kung Fu Panda

The animated film Kung Fu Panda was released back in 2008 and featured original music from Hans Zimmer & John Powell. Hans continued to work with the franchise, composing music for Kung Fu Panda 2 (again with John Powell) and Kung Fu Panda 3!

• “Hero”
• “Inner Peace” (Kung Fu Panda 2)
• “Oogway Ascends”
• All arrangements from Kung Fu Panda

The Lion King

So many iconic songwriters/musicians worked on this film: Elton John and Tim Rice wrote the original songs, while Hans Zimmer created the score! The Lion King earned Hans an Academy Award, Grammy Award, and Golden Globe Award. The music was then taken to the stage for the Broadway production of The Lion King! Years later, he also worked on the live-action film.

• “King of Pride Rock”
• “Remember”
• “Shadowland”
• “This Land”
• All arrangements from The Lion King

Pirates of the Caribbean

Finally, let’s wrap things up with Pirates of the Caribbean! Hans Zimmer is well-known for his work with this iconic franchise. Arguably one of the most popular pieces from the film series, “He’s a Pirate” was co-written by Hans, Klaus Badelt, and Geoff Zanelli.

• “Davy Jones”
• “He’s a Pirate”
• “Jack Sparrow”
• “Up is Down”
• All arrangements from the Pirates of the Caribbean series

For more arrangements by Hans Zimmer, click here!

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