Galentine’s and Valentine’s 2025 has come and gone, but that does not mean romance is no longer in the air. Indeed, people are buzzing online about Netflix’s inside look at Bridgerton Season 4, on YouTube. The next season is due to come out at the end of this year or early next year. In the lull that is waiting for the next Bridgerton season, and the seasonal woes of winter studying, I never find anything more motivating for a study sesh than listening to composers who score romantic films.
Composers in the world of film scores is small, since many are nominated for the same awards year after year. Yet, these musical geniuses can be still be divided into categories. Interestingly enough, what separates composers from one another are those who have scored Twilight films and win awards, and those who only win awards. The latter category can be divided further into women composers who have written scores for Jane Austen’s classic novel Emma, and “The G.O.A.T. composers” of romantic films, who only write for devastating dramas. Read on for recommendations to create a swoon-worthy playlist for an excellent study sesh.
the twilight composers ✨
Carter burwell
Carter Burwell, a Harvard graduate (Wikipedia contributors), was the original composer of the most famous Twilight theme, “Bella’s Lullaby.” Edward plays the theme on piano in the first film, and the song is an excellent addition to any romantic movie-score playlist. If you prefer more action-packed melodies, check out Burwell’s scores of Twilight, Breaking Dawn Part 1, and Breaking Dawn Part 2. Burwell also composed the score for Carol (2015), the critically-acclaimed lesbian romance film which stars Rooney Mara, and Cate Blanchett. “Lovers,” the theme for the film, is haunting, dark, and romantic, and perfect for Twilight and 2SLGBTQ+ fans.
Alexandre Desplat
Alexandre Desplat, “a French film composer who studied at the Royal College of Music and the Conservatoire of Paris” expertly scored Twilight: New Moon (2009). He is more widely known for his love of composing “Oscar-winning” dramas, including the three excellent period films with romantic tones (Wikipedia contributors). “Memories of Childhood” from The King’s Speech (2014), is reminiscent of an idyllic childhood tinged with sadness. “Joan,” “Farewell to Christopher,” and the theme from the Imitation Game (2014), are three songs from the same score, romantic at heart, but which could be from three entirely different genres, Desplat is is so innovative. His entire score for Greta Gerwig’s Little Women (2019) is worth a listen, but some excellent places to start are its main theme of the same name, “The Beach,” and “Amy.” Desplat composed the haunting film scores for both films in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, including “Lilly’s Theme,” which is dedicated to Snape, Lilly, and Harry.
Howard shore
Howard Shore from Toronto, and fellow Canadian, went to Boston’s Berklee College of Music, and scored Twilight: Eclipse (2010). He wrote themes for three main characters, including, “Jacob,” “Rosalie,” and “Jasper.” “First Kiss” and “The Kiss” are certainly the most romantic from the album. Shore is known for composing both Lord of the Rings Triology and The Hobbit franchise, so if you are interested in a high-fantasy twist, check out “The Grace of Undómeil.”
Female composers of jane austen’s romantic Emma
Rachel Portman
Rachel Portman is a British composer and Oxford-graduate, and “the first woman ever “to win the Academy Award for Best Original Score,” which she won for the 1996 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, starring Gwyneth Paltrow. She is equally notable for her scores of romantic period dramas. Portman “was nominated [for Oscars] for The Cider House Rules (1999), and Chocolat (2000).” More recently, she has scored Belle (2013), Bessie (2015) for which she won an Emmy, Despite the Falling Snow (2016), and Their Finest (2016). Each score is worth listening to in its own right, but to start, check out, “Mr. Knightley Returns” from Emma, “Main Title” from Chocolat, and “John Pulls Dido Aside” from Belle.
Isobel waller-bridge
Isobel Waller-Bridge is the sister of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the famous creator of the television series of Fleabag and Killing Eve. Waller-Bridge received her “Bachelor of Music from the University of Edinburgh, a diploma from the Royal Academy of Music, and her master’s of music from King’s College London.” She wrote the score of her sister’s critically acclaimed dramedy Fleabag (2016-2019). Waller-Bridge wrote the soundtrack for the most recent adaptation of Emma (2020), starring Anya-Taylor Joy. Additionally, Waller-Bridge wrote the score for the limited series War and Peace (2016), which featured the ensemble cast of Lily-James, Brian Cox, James Norton, Jessie Buckley, and Callum Turner (Wikipedia contributors).
Drama-only: The G.o.a.t.s of romantic film scores
James Horner
James Horner is the G.O.A.T. of writing film scores for epic romantic dramas. Having studied at the Royal College of Music, he has written film scores for many Oscar-winning period dramas, including A Beautiful Mind (2001), Legends of the Fall (1994), and Titanic (1997), for which he won two Oscars: “Best Original Score, and Best Original Song, for ‘My Heart Will Go On.'” He has also written scores for action epics with significant romance plot lines: “For the Love of a Princess,” is the romantic theme Braveheart (1995), “Elena’s Truth” provides a surging romantic theme in The Legend of Zorro (1998), “Briseis and Achilles” is the central love theme of Troy (2004), and “Rooftop Kiss,” from The Amazing Spiderman (2012) is most romantic theme from a supero film ever (Wikipedia contributors).
Dario marianelli
My all time favourite, Dario Marianelli is the G.O.A.T. of writing film scores gut-wrenching romantic period films. A classically trained Italian composer, Marianelli is a graduate of London’s National Fim and Television School. He is a long-time collaborator on director Joe Wright’s films, who regularly casts Keira Knightly in the leading role (Wikipedia contributors).
Marianelli wrote the score for the most beloved romance film of all time, Joe Wright’s and Keira Knightly’s Pride and Prejudice 2005. All of the songs from the score are worth adding to your playlist since they featured quiet, understated, romantic piano suited to the English countryside. To start, I recommend checking out “Dawn, The Living Sculpture’s of Pemberely, and Liz on Top of the World.” If you prefer something more spicy, check out “A Postcard from Henry Purcell, Another Dance, [and] Your Hands Are Cold.”
Marianelli’s also worked on Antonment (2007), and Anna Karenina (2012), with Joe Wright and Keira Knightly, for which he produced dramatic scores. “Antonement” and “Denoument” from Antonement, convey the tragedy of a solider and heiress being separated during World War II. “Curtain” and “Dance With Me” from Anna Karenina (2012), bring the audience into the theatrics of tragic Russian romances.
My favourite dramatic Marianelli score is his soundtrack for Jane Eyre (2011). The film is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, and stars Michael Fassbender, and Mia Wasikowska. Marianelli provides a hauntingly searing score, which conveys of Brontë’s famous romance. Indeed, without the eerie violins over shots of the dark and cold English countryside, the film may not packed such a gut-wrenching punch. I recommend checking out “Wandering Jane, The End of Childhood, The Dress, Yes!, The Call Within, and Awaken.”
Some notable mentions include “Herodotus” from The English Patient by Gabriel Yared (1996); “Mia’s Makeover” from The Princess Diaries (2001), by John Debney; “Opening” from Far From the Madding Crowd (2015), by Craig Armstrong; “The Cave” from The Hunger Games (2012), and “I Need You” from Catching Fire (2013) by James Newton Howard; “Une barque sur l’océan,” André Laplante’s version, from Call Me By Your Name (2017).
Now that you have some dreamy recommendations, you can create the best romantic movie sccore playlist. Happy listening and studying! 🎧📝