STAR TREK composer Alexander Courage has died (1 Viewer)

[Nick Martin]

Alexander (Sandy) Courage, composer of the original Star Trek theme and an Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated arranger for TV and movies, died May 15 at the Sunrise assisted-living facility in Pacific Palisades, Calif. He was 88 and had been in declining health since 2005.

Courage's fanfare for the Starship Enterprise, written in 1965 for the first of two Star Trek pilots, was heard throughout the three original seasons of the show and has been reprised in all of the Trek feature films and several of the TV series, especially Star Trek: The Next Generation in the 1980s and '90s.

Courage's eight-note brass signature for the Enterprise may be the single best-known fanfare in the world. When told that more people know it than know Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, Courage – in his typically self-deprecating fashion – said that must surely be an exaggeration.


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The Film Music Society

 

[Ockeghem]

Goodness, another excellent composer has passed. I wish his family well at this time. He will leave many, many excellent musical memories for me.

 

[Nathan*W]

Thank you for sharing your talents Mr. Courage, and Godspeed.

 

[Peter McM]

As a Trekkie since the original syndication days of the early 70's, Courage's fanfare is a part of who I am. Sorry to hear he's left us.

 

[Nick Martin]

The best arrangement of his fanfare can be heard during the opening of the movie "Star Trek Generations". It explodes into a massive, epic statement that is thrilling.

If there's a list somewhere of most memorable pieces of music of all time, I'm sure the fanfare must be at or very near the top.

 

[Parker Clack]

This has been an unbelieveable week with the numbers of great people that we have lost.

 

[Nick Martin]

Star Trek episode director Joseph Pevney has also died at the age of 96.

 

[Nelson Au]

With all the recent people involved in Star Trek leaving us, at least we can feel good knowing that their work in Star Trek is being taken care of and preserved for all to enjoy.

It's also great to see that Alexander Courage is credited in the new Star Trek movie, ensuring a new generation of fans will hear his fanfare in the new film.

trekmovie.com posted a link to a youtube video of a film made made some years ago that celebrates his life and work. In case you've not seen it, here's a link to it:
YouTube - Alexander Courage Pt 1 of 4

He has a great comment on Star Trek, calling it "Malarky"! And it was not a negative comment. His Star Trek comments are in part 4 of that film. He did a lot outside of Trek and I was surprised that he collaborated so much with Jerry Goldsmith as well as did work on Lost in Space! While he did write the theme music to Star Trek, he only scored The Cage, Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Man Trap, Naked Time and Enterprise Incident.

 

[Ockeghem]

Nelson,

And aren't those gems? I have the soundtracks for some of those episodes. They are among my most cherished.

 

[Nelson Au]

Yes they are, I took The Naked Time HD-DVD out for a spin the other evening after I heard the news.

 

[Nick Martin]

Which made him involved directly with Star Trek music right up to the film "Insurrection", as he served as lead orchestrator for many of Goldsmith's scores.

Courage also rewrote his Trek theme for "The Motion Picture" in a somber tone, used for the 'Captain's Log' narration throughout that film.