Mark Snow, cult composer of X-Files, died at 78 years old

With his disturbing electronic tablecloths and his famous whistled melody, Mark Snow redefined sound anxiety on television. From X-Files to Smallville, he leaves behind an unforgettable work.

Mark Snowlegendary American television composer, died on Friday at his home in Connecticut. He was 78 years old. He will remain forever associated with the mythical whistled melody of X-Files In the 1990s, an unexpected tube in Europe in the 1990s.

Trained in the prestigious Juilliard SchoolSnow was a pillar of the small screen: named 15 times to the Emmy Awards, he signed music by more than 200 episodes of X-Filesas well as those of his two adaptations to the cinema, all carried by David Duchovny And Gillian Anderson. But his career was not limited to this only fantastic universe. We also owe him the partitions of popular series as For the love of risk,, Tj hooker,, Smallville,, Ghost Whisperer or Blue Bloods.

Six of his Emmy appointments were assigned to him to X-Filesbut he also obtained five for successful TV movies and mini-series such as Something about Amelia,, An American Story,, Oldest Living Confederate Widow TELLS ALL,, Children of the Dust or Helter Skelter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haaldoatv7yy

In the 1980s, while most composers still worked with orchestra, Mark Snow was one of the first to embrace a 100 % electronic approach, creating alone in his studio, surrounded by synthesizers and samplers. This is how he composed in 1993 the theme of X-Filesby posing a minimalist rhythmic loop on a mysterious whistled melody. Against all expectations, this voiceless song, without guitar or percussion, became in 1996 a hit throughout Europe, reaching the top 10 in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. “It’s crazy, nothing is huge in this song. She stays in minor, and yet it was a box”he confided with fun.

Besides X-FilesSnow also signed the music of other series of Chris Carter (Millennium,, Harsh Realm,, The Lone Gunmen), and won a new appointment for its theme of Nowhere Man in 1996.

The composer Sean Calleryto whom we owe in particular the music of 24 hours chrono And Homelandconsiders in variety that “Mark Snow’s scores for X-Files have brought a whole new musical language on television”. A tribute to the height of his inheritance.