Hans Zimmer: We have a duty to do something that shakes people awake

By Francesca Merlo

From royal marches to Gregorian chants, from Mongolian throat singing to the beats of Senegal’s drum circles, music captures the infinite faces of humanity. It accompanies us through our struggles and celebrates our triumphs.

For composer Hans Zimmer, music holds the power to confront the challenges of our times and offer a voice to those whose suffering often goes unnoticed. Speaking ahead of the Vatican’s Concert with the Poor on Saturday December 7th, Zimmer reflects on how such an event is not only a source of comfort for the poor, but, more importantly, a “rallying cry” for those who aren’t present, urging them to act.

In an interview with Vatican News, Zimmer stresses the concert’s focus, highlighting that its title says it all. It’s not “for” the poor, but with them. “We need to look the poor in the eye and treat them as human beings,” he says.

The power of music

Bringing his music to the Vatican is an important moment. Zimmer expresses a desire for a resurgence of the Church’s commitment to sacred music, recounting an anecdote:

“When Steven Spielberg showed John Williams Schindler’s List for the first time, John got up and said, “I need to go for a walk.”
When he came back, he said, “You’ve got the wrong man-you need a much better composer.”
And Steven replied, “I know, but they’re all dead.”

Zimmer admitts sometimes feeling the same way about the state of music for the Church.
Hollywood, he recognises, is full of flaws. But one thing it does is commission music daily. “That is something the Church used to do, and we need to find a way to bring that back, to be there for each other and keep music alive”.

However, if Zimmer were tasked with composing music for Pope Francis, he confesses he would likely feel pressure. “If you gave me 20 minutes, I could do it. If you gave me longer, I’d just spend all that time panicking,” he laughs.

3,000 poor people will attend the concert, and with new music by Dario Vero and Msgr Marco Frisina, and with the participation of Grammy nominated cellist Tina Guao, the Church is in fact bringing in new music, and at the same time, as Zimmer asks, being there for each other.

Music for social justice

Zimmer, known for his iconic film scores, believes that artists and musicians must step up and take a stance on issues concerning social justice. “For a long time” he says, “musicians weren’t considered ‘real’ people. They were at the bottom of the gene pool. So it’s nice to rise up and give back” .

Zimmer points to 1985, when almost all of the great musicians of the time took to the stage in Wembley, London, for a charitable and historic concert: Live Aid. That, he states, was powerful example of how music can inspire action, albeit temporary. “I knew all those people,” Zimmer recalls. Harvey Goldsmith, who organised Live Aid, was Zimmer’s promoter in England. “It’s great, sitting down with Harvey and Bob Gelfod and talking about those stories”, he says. It is true that Live Aid, amazing as it was, is fading, but the fact that we are talking about it now proves its legacy, and that event proved that, “in the short term, something can happen”.

Decades later, the crisis has not faded

However, Zimmer recognises that the legacy of Live Aid also serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining these efforts. The issues Live Aid addressed remain as pressing as ever. “Watching the BBC footage now, we should be more shocked than we were then, just because of how relevant it still is”.

Therapeutic music

Zimmer's thoughts on the responsibility of musicians are that they go far beyond entertainment alone. It is a tool for change and Zimmer recognises its phenomenal healing capactities and therapeutic nature. He describes his own experience, saying “when I sit down at the piano…at a certain point, it feels like there’s no one else in the room - just me and the piano. In that space, all pain fades away.”

This deeply personal experience is what makes music a powerful ally in the healing of victims of injustices around the world. It explains why music is used as a form of therapy, why it heals and saves. “Music becomes a refuge” he reflects. It may just be for a moment “but it gives you a break from the forces of darkness”.

As musicians, as artists, as people, he says, “we have a duty to use our imagination, which is what we’re good at. Write a song, make a movie, write a book - do something that shakes people awake and lets them participate”.

Music for war, songs of peace

But Zimmer is aware of the double sided nature of music. Whilst songs, such as those of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, have become anti-war anthems, shaping an entire generation’s view and understanding on the futility of war, he also points to the power of military marches, which throughout history have motivated young men and women as they march to risk their lives, and take others, on the front lines.

Songs of peace and marches of war, but also Beethoven, or Bach, are great examples, to Zimmer, of music showing us the depth of humanity, including its dark sides, “and allowing us to wrestle with it”.

The advice is: do what you want

Finally, Zimmer replies "no, no, no" when he is asked whether he has any advice for young musicians. "Don't listen to me" he tells them. "Don't listen to anyone! Do your thing".  His message to young people is clear, and it is to create without fear. "Go out there, plug in, turn it up, and make a noise. Whatever the neighbours say about your noise", he concludes, "they’re wrong."