Bernstein, Elmer: Ghostbusters

It was the seminal, feel-good sci-fi paranormal comedy of the 1980s. Ghostbusters earned $220 million for Columbia at the box office, making it the highest-grossing film of 1984. Both audiences and critics adored this effects-laden movie about three down-and-out scientists battling ghosts in New York City. Although the song by Ray Parker Jr. is the most memorable, veteran film composer Elmer Bernstein crafted a masterful score that seamlessly ties the story and characters into a unique and cohesive whole. Director Ivan Reitman and Bernstein identified three key elements needing musical identities. The composer gave the blue-collar, geeky scientists a playful piano shuffle. Bernstein crafted a beautiful melody featuring a solo cello for Dana’s character. For the evil demon Zuul, the composer opted for the Ondes Martenot, a French instrument whose gliding effect perfectly captures the images of eerie, floating specters. The music for the film was recorded in Los Angeles at Burbank Studio, now known as the Eastwood Scoring Stage. Because the Ondes Martenot is such an unusual instrument, Bernstein brought in a specialist from England to perform on the soundtrack. Now musicians, music students, conductors – any music lover – can study Ghostbusters, 2nd Edition in this durable, high-quality edition, carefully reproduced and edited from the original handwritten manuscript.