Academy Award for Best Original Score
From "Rule Sixteen" of the "Special Rules for The Music Awards"
Original Score: An original score is a substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.
The years shown are the production years, thus a reference to 1967 means the Oscars presented in 1968 for movies made in 1967.
Most awards won - (nominations)
- 9 : Alfred Newman (41)
- 5 : John Williams (37)
- 4 : John Barry (6)
- 4 : Johnny Green (12)
- 4 : Alan Menken (5)
- 4 : André Previn (11)
- 3 : Saul Chaplin (5)
- 3 : Ken Darby (6)
- 3 : Adolph Deutsch (5)
- 3 : Roger Edens (6)
- 3 : Ray Heindorf (17)
- 3 : Maurice Jarre (8)
- 3 : Miklós Rózsa (16)
- 3 : Morris Stoloff (17)
- 3 : Dimitri Tiomkin (14)
- ? : Howard Shore
1930s
- 1934
- MUSIC (Scoring): One Night of Love - Columbia Studio Music Department, Louis Silvers, head of department (Thematic Music by Victor Schertzinger and Gus Kahn)
- The Gay Divorcee - RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Max Steiner, head of department (Score by Kenneth Webb and Samuel Hoffenstein)
- The Lost Patrol - RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Max Steiner, head of department (Score by Max Steiner)
- MUSIC (Scoring): One Night of Love - Columbia Studio Music Department, Louis Silvers, head of department (Thematic Music by Victor Schertzinger and Gus Kahn)
- 1935
- MUSIC (Scoring): The Informer - RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Max Steiner, head of department (Score by Max Steiner)
- (Write-in Candidate) Captain Blood - Warner Bros.-First National Studio Music Department, Leo Forbstein, head of department (Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
- Mutiny on the Bounty - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Music Department, Nat W. Finston, head of department (Score by Herbert Stothart)
- Peter Ibbetson - Paramount Studio Music Department, Irvin Talbot, head of department (Score by Ernst Toch)
- MUSIC (Scoring): The Informer - RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Max Steiner, head of department (Score by Max Steiner)
- 1936
- MUSIC (Scoring): Anthony Adverse - Warner Bros. Studio Music Department, Leo Forbstein, head of department (Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
- The Charge of the Light Brigade - Warner Bros. Studio Music Department, Leo Forbstein, head of department (Score by Max Steiner)
- The Garden of Allah - Selznick International Pictures Music Department, Max Steiner, head of department (Score by Max Steiner)
- The General Died at Dawn - Paramount Studio Music Department, Boris Morros, head of department (Score by Werner Janssen)
- Winterset - RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Nathaniel Shilkret, head of department (Score by Nathaniel Shilkret)
- MUSIC (Scoring): Anthony Adverse - Warner Bros. Studio Music Department, Leo Forbstein, head of department (Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
- 1937
- MUSIC (Scoring): One Hundred Men and a Girl -- Universal Studio Music Department, Charles Previn, head of department (no composer credit)
- The Hurricane - Samuel Goldwyn Studio Music Department, Alfred Newman, head of department (Score by Alfred Newman)
- In Old Chicago - 20th Century-Fox Studio Music Department, Louis Silvers, head of department (no composer credit)
- The Life of Emile Zola - Warner Bros. Studio Music Department, Leo Forbstein, head of department (Score by Max Steiner)
- Lost Horizon - Columbia Studio Music Department, Morris Stoloff, head of department (Score by Dimitri Tiomkin)
- Make a Wish - Principal Productions, Dr. Hugo Riesenfeld, musical director (Score by Dr. Hugo Riesenfeld)
- Maytime - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Music Department, Nat W. Finston, head of department (Score by Herbert Stothart)
- Portia on Trial - Republic Studio Music Department, Alberto Colombo, head of department (Score by Alberto Colombo)
- The Prisoner of Zenda - Selznick International Pictures Music Department, Alfred Newman, musical director (Score by Alfred Newman)
- Quality Street - RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Roy Webb, musical director (Score by Roy Webb)
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Walt Disney Studio Music Department, Leigh Harline, head of department (Score by Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline and Paul J. Smith)
- Something to Sing About - Grand National Studio Music Department, C. Bakaleinikoff, musical director (Score by Victor Schertzinger)
- Souls at Sea - Paramount Studio Music Department, Boris Morros, head of department (Score by W. Franke Harling and Milan Roder)
- Way Out West - Hal Roach Studio Music Department, Marvin Hatley, head of department (Score by Marvin Hatley)
- MUSIC (Scoring): One Hundred Men and a Girl -- Universal Studio Music Department, Charles Previn, head of department (no composer credit)
- 1938
- MUSIC (Original Score): The Adventures of Robin Hood - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
- Army Girl - Victor Young
- Block-Heads - Marvin Hatley
- Blockade - Werner Janssen
- Breaking the Ice - Victor Young
- The Cowboy and the Lady - Alfred Newman
- If I Were King - Richard Hageman
- Marie Antoinette - Herbert Stothart
- Pacific Liner - Russell Bennett
- Suez - Louis Silvers
- The Young in Heart - Franz Waxman
- MUSIC (Scoring): Alexander's Ragtime Band - Alfred Newman
- Carefree - Victor Baravalle
- Girls' School - Morris Stoloff, Gregory Stone
- The Goldwyn Follies - Alfred Newman
- Jezebel - Max Steiner
- Mad about Music - Charles Previn, Frank Skinner
- Storm over Bengal - Cy Feuer
- Sweethearts - Herbert Stothart
- There Goes My Heart - Marvin Hatley
- Tropic Holiday - Boris Morros
- The Young in Heart - Franz Waxman
- MUSIC (Original Score): The Adventures of Robin Hood - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
- 1939
- MUSIC (Original Score): The Wizard of Oz - Herbert Stothart
- Dark Victory - Max Steiner
- Eternally Yours - Werner Janssen
- Golden Boy - Victor Young
- Gone with the Wind - Max Steiner
- Gulliver's Travels - Victor Young
- The Man in the Iron Mask - Lud Gluskin, Lucien Moraweck
- Man of Conquest - Victor Young
- Nurse Edith Cavell - Anthony Collins
- Of Mice and Men - Aaron Copland
- The Rains Came - Alfred Newman
- Wuthering Heights - Alfred Newman
- MUSIC (Scoring: Stagecoach - Richard Hageman, Frank Harling, John Leipold, Leo Shuken
- Babes in Arms - George E. Stoll, Roger Edens
- First Love - Charles Previn
- The Great Victor Herbert - Phil Boutelje, Arthur Lange
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Alfred Newman
- Intermezzo - Lou Forbes
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - Dimitri Tiomkin
- Of Mice and Men - Aaron Copland
- The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
- She Married a Cop - Cy Feuer
- Swanee River - Louis Silvers
- They Shall Have Music - Alfred Newman
- Way Down South - Victor Young
- MUSIC (Original Score): The Wizard of Oz - Herbert Stothart
1940s
- 1940
- MUSIC (Original Score): Pinocchio - Leigh Harline, Paul J. Smith, Ned Washington
- Arizona - Victor Young
- The Dark Command - Victor Young
- The Fight for Life - Louis Gruenberg
- The Great Dictator - Meredith Willson
- The House of the Seven Gables - Frank Skinner
- The Howards of Virginia - Richard Hageman
- The Letter - Max Steiner
- The Long Voyage Home - Richard Hageman
- The Mark of Zorro - Alfred Newman
- My Favorite Wife - Roy Webb
- North West Mounted Police - Victor Young
- One Million B.C. - Werner Heymann
- Our Town - Aaron Copland
- Rebecca - Franz Waxman
- The Thief of Bagdad - Miklos Rozsa
- Waterloo Bridge - Herbert Stothart
- MUSIC (Scoring): Tin Pan Alley - Alfred Newman
- MUSIC (Original Score): Pinocchio - Leigh Harline, Paul J. Smith, Ned Washington
- 1941
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic Picture): All That Money Can Buy - Bernard Herrmann
- Back Street - Frank Skinner
- Ball of Fire - Alfred Newman
- Cheers for Miss Bishop - Edward Ward
- Citizen Kane - Bernard Herrmann
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Franz Waxman
- Hold Back the Dawn - Victor Young
- How Green Was My Valley - Alfred Newman
- King of the Zombies - Edward Kay
- Ladies in Retirement - Morris Stoloff, Ernst Toch
- The Little Foxes - Meredith Willson
- Lydia - Miklos Rozsa
- Mercy Island - Cy Feuer, Walter Scharf
- Sergeant York - Max Steiner
- So Ends Our Night - Louis Gruenberg
- Sundown - Miklos Rozsa
- Suspicion - Franz Waxman
- Tanks a Million - Edward Ward
- That Uncertain Feeling - Werner Heymann
- This Woman Is Mine - Richard Hageman
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Dumbo - Frank Churchill, Oliver Wallace
- All-American Co-Ed - Edward Ward
- Birth of the Blues - Robert Emmett Dolan
- Buck Privates - Charles Previn
- The Chocolate Soldier - Herbert Stothart, Bronislaw Kaper
- Ice-Capades - Cy Feuer
- The Strawberry Blonde - Heinz Roemheld
- Sun Valley Serenade - Emil Newman
- Sunny - Anthony Collins
- You'll Never Get Rich - Morris Stoloff
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic Picture): All That Money Can Buy - Bernard Herrmann
- 1942
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Now, Voyager - Max Steiner
- Arabian Nights - Frank Skinner
- Bambi - Frank Churchill, Edward Plumb
- The Black Swan - Alfred Newman
- The Corsican Brothers - Dimitri Tiomkin
- Flying Tigers - Victor Young
- The Gold Rush - Max Terr
- I Married a Witch - Roy Webb
- Joan of Paris - Roy Webb
- Jungle Book - Miklos Rozsa
- Klondike Fury - Edward Kay
- The Pride of the Yankees - Leigh Harline
- Random Harvest - Herbert Stothart
- The Shanghai Gesture - Richard Hageman
- Silver Queen - Victor Young
- Take a Letter, Darling - Victor Young
- The Talk of the Town - Frederick Hollander, Morris Stoloff
- To Be or Not to Be - Werner Heymann
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Yankee Doodle Dandy - Ray Heindorf, Heinz Roemheld
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Now, Voyager - Max Steiner
- 1943
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The Song of Bernadette - Alfred Newman
- The Amazing Mrs. Holliday - Frank Skinner, Hans J. Salter
- Casablanca - Max Steiner
- Commandos Strike at Dawn - Morris Stoloff, Louis Gruenberg
- The Fallen Sparrow - Roy Webb, C. Bakaleinikoff
- For Whom the Bell Tolls - Victor Young
- Hangmen Also Die - Hanns Eisler
- Hi Diddle Diddle - Phil Boutelje
- In Old Oklahoma - Walter Scharf
- Johnny Come Lately - Leigh Harline
- The Kansan - Gerard Carbonara
- Lady of Burlesque - Arthur Lange
- Madame Curie - Herbert Stothart
- The Moon and Sixpence - Dimitri Tiomkin
- The North Star - Aaron Copland
- Victory Through Air Power - Edward H. Plumb, Paul Smith, Oliver G. Wallace
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): This Is the Army - Ray Heindorf
- Coney Island - Alfred Newman
- Hit Parade of 1943 - Walter Scharf
- Phantom of the Opera - Edward Ward
- Saludos Amigos - Charles Wolcott, Edward H. Plumb, Paul J. Smith
- The Sky's the Limit - Leigh Harline
- Something to Shout About - Morris Stoloff
- Stage Door Canteen - Frederic E. Rich
- Star Spangled Rhythm - Robert Emmett Dolan
- Thousands Cheer - Herbert Stothart
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The Song of Bernadette - Alfred Newman
- 1944
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Since You Went Away - Max Steiner
- Address Unknown - Morris Stoloff, Ernst Toch
- The Adventures of Mark Twain - Max Steiner
- The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Dimitri Tiomkin
- Casanova Brown - Arthur Lange
- Christmas Holiday - H. J. Salter
- Double Indemnity - Miklos Rozsa
- The Fighting Seabees - Walter Scharf, Roy Webb
- The Hairy Ape - Edward Paul, Michel Michelet
- It Happened Tomorrow - Robert Stolz
- Jack London - Frederic Efrem Rich
- Kismet - Herbert Stothart
- None but the Lonely Heart - Hanns Eisler, C. Bakaleinikoff
- The Princess and the Pirate - David Rose
- Summer Storm - Karl Hajos
- Three Russian Girls - Franke Harling
- Up in Mabel's Room - Edward Paul
- Voice in the Wind - Michel Michelet
- Wilson - Alfred Newman
- Woman of the Town - Miklos Rozsa
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Cover Girl - Morris Stoloff, Carmen Dragon
- Brazil - Walter Scharf
- Higher and Higher - C. Bakaleinikoff
- Hollywood Canteen - Ray Heindorf
- Irish Eyes Are Smiling - Alfred Newman
- Knickerbocker Holiday - Werner R. Heymann, Kurt Weill
- Lady in the Dark - Robert Emmett Dolan
- Lady, Let's Dance - Edward Kay
- Meet Me in St. Louis - Georgie Stoll
- The Merry Monahans - H. J. Salter
- Minstrel Man - Ferde Grofe, Leo Erdody
- Sensations of 1945 - Mahlon Merrick
- Song of the Open Road - Charles Previn
- Up in Arms - Ray Heindorf, Louis Forbes
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Since You Went Away - Max Steiner
- 1945
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Spellbound - Miklos Rozsa
- The Bells of St. Mary's - Robert Emmett Dolan
- Brewster's Millions - Lou Forbes
- Captain Kidd - Werner Janssen
- The Enchanted Cottage - Roy Webb
- Flame of Barbary Coast - Morton Scott, Dale Butts
- G. I. Honeymoon - Edward J. Kay
- The Story of G.I. Joe - Louis Applebaum, Ann Ronell
- Guest in the House - Werner Janssen
- Guest Wife - Daniele Amfitheatrof
- The Keys of the Kingdom - Alfred Newman
- The Lost Weekend - Miklos Rozsa
- Love Letters - Victor Young
- The Man Who Walked Alone - Karl Hajos
- Objective, Burma! - Franz Waxman
- Paris--Underground - Alexander Tansman
- A Song to Remember - Miklos Rozsa, Morris Stoloff
- The Southerner - Werner Janssen
- This Love of Ours - H. J. Salter
- The Valley of Decision - Herbert Stothart
- The Woman in the Window - Arthur Lange, Hugo Friedhofer
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Anchors Aweigh - Georgie Stoll
- Belle of the Yukon - Arthur Lange
- Can't Help Singing - Jerome Kern, H. J. Salter
- Hitchhike to Happiness - Morton Scott
- Incendiary Blonde - Robert Emmett Dolan
- Rhapsody in Blue - Ray Heindorf, Max Steiner
- State Fair - Alfred Newman, Charles Henderson
- Sunbonnet Sue - Edward J. Kay
- The Three Caballeros - Charles Wolcott, Edward Plumb, Paul J. Smith
- Tonight and Every Night - Marlin Skiles, Morris Stoloff
- Why Girls Leave Home - Walter Greene
- Wonder Man - Ray Heindorf, Lou Forbes
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Spellbound - Miklos Rozsa
- 1946
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The Best Years of Our Lives - Hugo Friedhofer
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): The Jolson Story - Morris Stoloff
- 1947
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): A Double Life - Miklos Rozsa
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Mother Wore Tights - Alfred Newman
- 1948
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The Red Shoes - Brian Easdale
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Easter Parade - Johnny Green, Roger Edens
- 1949
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The Heiress - Aaron Copland
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): On the Town - Roger Edens, Lennie Hayton
1950s
- 1950
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Sunset Boulevard - Franz Waxman
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Annie Get Your Gun - Adolph Deutsch, Roger Edens
- 1951
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): A Place in the Sun - Franz Waxman
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): An American in Paris - Johnny Green, Saul Chaplin
- 1952
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): High Noon - Dimitri Tiomkin
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): With a Song in My Heart - Alfred Newman
- 1953
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Lili - Bronislau Kaper
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Call Me Madam - Alfred Newman
- 1954
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The High and the Mighty - Dimitri Tiomkin
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - Adolph Deutsch, Saul Chaplin
- 1955
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing - Alfred Newman
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Oklahoma! - Robert Russell Bennett, Jay Blackton, Adolph Deutsch
- 1956
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Around the World in Eighty Days - Victor Young
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): The King and I - Alfred Newman, Ken Darby
- 1957
- 1958
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The Old Man and the Sea - Dimitri Tiomkin
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Gigi - Andre Previn
- 1959
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Ben-Hur - Miklos Rozsa
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Porgy and Bess - Andre Previn, Ken Darby
1960s
- 1960
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Exodus - Ernest Gold
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Song without End (The Story of Franz Liszt) - Morris Stoloff, Harry Sukman
- 1961
- MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Breakfast at Tiffany's - Henry Mancini
- MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): West Side Story - Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin, Irwin Kostal
- 1962
- MUSIC (Music Score--substantially original): Lawrence of Arabia - Maurice Jarre
- MUSIC (Scoring of Music--adaptation or treatment): The Music Man - Ray Heindorf
- 1963
- MUSIC (Music Score--substantially original): Tom Jones - John Addison
- MUSIC (Scoring of Music--adaptation or treatment): Irma La Douce - Andre Previn
- 1964
- MUSIC (Music Score--substantially original): Mary Poppins - Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman
- MUSIC (Scoring of Music--adaptation or treatment): My Fair Lady - Andre Previn
- 1965
- MUSIC (Music Score--substantially original): Doctor Zhivago - Maurice Jarre
- MUSIC (Scoring of Music--adaptation or treatment): The Sound of Music - Irwin Kostal
- 1966
- MUSIC (Original Music Score): Born Free - John Barry
- MUSIC (Scoring of Music--adaptation or treatment): A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - Ken Thorne
- 1967
- MUSIC (Original Music Score): Thoroughly Modern Millie - Elmer Bernstein
- MUSIC (Scoring of Music--adaptation or treatment): Camelot - Alfred Newman, Ken Darby
- 1968
- MUSIC (Original Score--for a motion picture [not a musical]): The Lion in Winter - John Barry
- MUSIC (Score of a Musical Picture--original or adaptation): Oliver! - Adaptation score by John Green
- Finian's Rainbow - Adaptation score by Ray Heindorf
- Funny Girl - Adaptation score by Walter Scharf
- Star! - Adaptation score by Lennie Hayton
- The Young Girls of Rochefort - Music and adaptation score by Michel Legrand; lyrics by Jacques Demy
- 1969
- MUSIC (Original Score--for a motion picture [not a musical]): Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Burt Bacharach
- MUSIC (Score of a Musical Picture--original or adaptation): Hello, Dolly! - Adaptation score by Lennie Hayton and Lionel Newman
- Goodbye, Mr. Chips - Music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse; adaptation score by John Williams
- Paint Your Wagon - Adaptation score by Nelson Riddle
- Sweet Charity - Adaptation score by Cy Coleman
- They Shoot Horses, Don't They? - Adaptation score by John Green and Albert Woodbury
1970s
- 1970 separate awards:
- Best Music, Original Score: Love Story - Francis Lai
- Best Music, Original Song Score: Let It Be - music and lyrics by The Beatles
- The Baby Maker - music by Fred Karlin; lyrics by Tylwyth Kymry
- A Boy Named Charlie Brown - music by Rod McKuen, John Scott Trotter; lyrics by Rod McKuen, Bill Melendez; Al Shean; adaptation score by Vince Guaraldi
- Darling Lili - Music by Henry Mancini; lyrics by Johnny Mercer
- Scrooge - music by Leslie Bricusse; lyrics by Ian Fraser; Herbert W. Spencer
- 1971 separate awards:
- Original Dramatic Score: Summer of '42 - Michel Legrand
- Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score: Fiddler on the Roof - Adaptation Score by John Williams
- Bedknobs and Broomsticks - Song Score by Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman; Adaptation Score by Irwin Kostal
- The Boy Friend - Adaptation Score by Peter Maxwell Davies, Peter Greenwell
- Tchaikovsky - Adaptation Score by Dimitri Tiomkin
- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - Song Score by Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley; Adaptation Score by Walter Scharf
- 1972 separate awards:
- Original Dramatic Score: Limelight - Charles Chaplin, Raymond Rasch, Larry Russell
- The Godfather - Nino Rota (Note: Was Withdrawn when found that Nino Rota has used music from an earlier score and was replaced by that of Sleuth)
- images - John Williams
- Napoleon and Samantha -- Buddy Baker
- The Poseidon Adventure -- John Williams
- Sleuth - John Addison
- Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score: Cabaret -- Adaptation Score by Ralph Burns
- Lady Sings the Blues - Adaptation Score by Gil Askey
- Man of La Mancha - Adaptation Score by Laurence Rosenthal
- 1973 separate awards:
- Original Dramatic Score: The Way We Were - Marvin Hamlisch
- Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation -or- Scoring: Adaptation: The Sting - Adaptation Score by Marvin Hamlisch
- Jesus Christ Superstar - Adaptation Score by Andre Previn, Herbert Spencer and Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Tom Sawyer -- Song Score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman; Adaptation Score by John Williams
- 1974 separate awards:
- Original Dramatic Score: The Godfather Part II - Nino Rota, Carmine Coppola
- Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation -or- Scoring: Adaptation: The Great Gatsby - Adaptation Score by Nelson Riddle
- The Little Prince - Song Score by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe; Adaptation Score by Angela Morley and Douglas Gamley
- Phantom of the Paradise - Song Score by Paul Williams; Adaptation Score by Paul Williams and George Aliceson Tipton
- 1975 separate awards:
- Original Score: Jaws - John Williams
- Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation -or- Scoring: Adaptation: Barry Lyndon - Adaptation Score by Leonard Rosenman
- Funny Lady - Adaptation Score by Peter Matz
- Tommy - Adaptation Score by Peter Townshend
- 1976 separate awards:
- Original Score: The Omen - Jerry Goldsmith
- Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score: Bound for Glory - Adaptation Score by Leonard Rosenman
- Bugsy Malone - Song Score and Adaptation Score by Paul Williams
- A Star Is Born - Adaptation Score by Roger Kellaway
- 1977 separate awards
- Original Score: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - John Williams
- Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score: A Little Night Music - Adaptation Score by Jonathan Tunick
- Pete's Dragon - Song Score by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn; Adaptation Score by Irwin Kostal
- The Slipper and the Rose--The Story of Cinderella - Song Score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman; Adaptation Score by Angela Morley
- 1978 separate awards
- Adaptation Score: The Buddy Holly Story - Joe Renzetti
- Original Score: Midnight Express - Giorgio Moroder
- 1979 separate awards:
- Original Score: A Little Romance - Georges Delerue
- Original Song Score and Its Adaptation -or- Adaptation Score: All That Jazz - Adaptation Score by Ralph Burns
- Breaking Away - Adaptation Score by Patrick Williams
- The Muppet Movie - Song Score by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher; Adaptation Score by Paul Williams
1980s
- 1982 separate awards:
- Best Music, Original Score: E.T. - John Williams
- Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score: Victor/Victoria - Song Score by Henry Mancini, Leslie Bricusse Adaptation Score by Henry Mancini
- Annie - Adaptation Score by Ralph Burns
- One from the Heart - Song Score by Tom Waits
- 1983 separate awards:
- Original Score: The Right Stuff - Bill Conti
- Original Song Score or Adaptation Score: Yentl - Song Score by Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman
- Sting II - Adaptation Score by Lalo Schifrin
- Trading Places - Adaptation Score by Elmer Bernstein
- 1984 separate awards:
- Original Score: A Passage to India - Maurice Jarre
- Original Song Score: Purple Rain - Prince
Best Music, Original Score
1990s
- 1995 separate awards:
- Best Music, Original Dramatic Score: Il Postino - Luis Enríquez Bacalov
- Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score: Pocahontas - Alan Menken; Stephen Schwartz
- 1996 separate awards:
- Best Music, Original Dramatic Score: The English Patient - Gabriel Yared
- Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score: Emma - Rachel Portman
- 1997 separate awards:
- Best Music, Original Dramatic Score: Titanic (1997 film) - James Horner
- Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score: The Full Monty - Anne Dudley
- 1998 separate awards:
- Best Music, Original Dramatic Score: La Vita è bella - Nicola Piovani
- Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score: Shakespeare in Love - Stephen Warbeck
- A Bug's Life - Randy Newman
- Mulan - Matthew Wilder (music); David Zippel (lyrics); Jerry Goldsmith (orchestral score)
- Patch Adams - Marc Shaiman
- The Prince of Egypt - Stephen Schwartz (music/lyrics); Hans Zimmer (orchestral score)
Best Music, Original Score
2000s
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score