The Disappearing Composer

Nicholas Hooper is gone.

After scoring the two most recent films in the “Harry Potter” franchise (Order of The Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince), the British-born composer has announced he will not return to score the last two pictures.

It is nearly certain maestro John Williams will return to complete the series, after having expressed interest in doing so. While Williams' work will most certainly please both Potter's and Williams' fans, nonetheless it is regrettable to hear of Hooper's departure.

One question comes to mind: What will become of Hooper after “Harry”?

The forked road takes two paths: one towards fame, the other to obscurity. The former is a hard road, traveled successfully by only a handful of people. The latter road is the final destination of many a talented artist. It is the fate of the disappearing composer.

The disappearing composer can be defined as one who scores a popular film or series of movies, then fades away shortly thereafter. This composer may continue to score films, but these later works do not generate the same amount of public interest.

Take Composer X, for example. This composer (the name has been changed to protect the innocent) scored a series of revolutionary science fiction films earlier this decade. The score themselves were revolutionary; packed with postmodern, orchestral atonality and fast-paced electronica, capped by a set of bold, energetic themes. Composer X became the talk of the town. A few years after the series concluded, Composer X's name disappeared off the cinematic radar. One can only hope he will return to score again.

Nicholas Hooper 's notoriety is due mainly to the Potter franchise, and as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart told Harry in “the Chamber of Secrets”, “Fame is a fickle friend”. Just as Composer X lost the limelight, Hooper, too, could find himself out in the dark.

The path to obscurity beckons.