Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings score tops Classic FM poll

Classic FM Howard Shore film scores movie music The Lord of the Rings

Howard Shore’s score for The Lord of the Rings trilogy has been voted the favourite film score by Classic FM listeners for the fourth consecutive year. The announcement was made during the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame poll, which featured a countdown of the 100 favourite film scores.

The trilogy score, which includes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, outperformed other major soundtracks. John Williams’ score for Schindler’s List took second place, followed by John Barry’s Out of Africa in third, Hans Zimmer’s Gladiator in fourth, and Williams’ Jurassic Park theme in fifth.

Composer Howard Shore expressed his honor regarding the result, noting his gratitude to the musicians and singers involved in the work. Presenter Jonathan Ross described the music as the ‘gold standard for film scores’ due to its ability to capture the scale and heart of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world.

Entities

Classic FM · Howard Shore · John Williams · Jonathan Ross · The Lord of the Rings

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] The Lord of the Rings film score was voted the favourite in a Classic FM poll. metro.co.uk · www.independent.co.uk · www.standard.co.uk
[● 2 SOURCES] John Williams’ Schindler’s List score placed second in the poll. www.independent.co.uk · www.standard.co.uk
[● 3 SOURCES] The Lord of the Rings score has topped the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame poll for four consecutive years. metro.co.uk · www.independent.co.uk · www.standard.co.uk
[● 2 SOURCES] John Williams’ Jurassic Park theme ranked fifth. www.independent.co.uk · www.standard.co.uk
[● 2 SOURCES] John Barry’s Out of Africa soundtrack ranked third. www.independent.co.uk · www.standard.co.uk
[● 3 SOURCES] The poll counted down the 100 favourite film scores of all time. metro.co.uk · www.independent.co.uk · www.standard.co.uk
[● 2 SOURCES] Hans Zimmer’s Gladiator score placed fourth. www.independent.co.uk · www.standard.co.uk

Sources

Tolkien Tuesday: The Best Lord of the Rings Memes This Week (September 1, 2026) [cheezburger.com]

11 days ago

4 Things That Happen in Every Lord of the Rings Movie (Including the Animated Spinoff) [comicbook.com]

11 days ago

The most popular movie music revealed in major poll [metro.co.uk]

11 days ago

Lord of the Rings beats classics to be named favourite film soundtrack [www.independent.co.uk]

11 days ago

The Lord Of The Rings voted Classic FM listeners’ favourite film score [www.standard.co.uk]

11 days ago