"Although I enjoyed writing Film Music it was always a means to an end, in that it enabled me to keep a wife and family and write my classical music, which has always been my passion"

The words of Malcolm Arnold convey a heartfelt distinction between work done out of necessity and work pursued for the love of the craft. While acknowledging the satisfaction he derived from composing film music, Arnold draws a clear line between professional obligation and personal passion. For him, film music was not an end in itself but rather a practical vehicle, a means to earn a living, provide for his wife and family, and, crucially, to create the financial security and space required to focus on his true artistic calling: classical music.

Arnold’s reflections reveal the dualities many artists face, balancing the pragmatic demands of life with the pursuit of creative fulfillment. The pressures to support a household can often mean accepting work that serves more as material sustenance than as an artistic ideal. Yet, even when such work contains its own pleasures and satisfactions, it remains secondary to, even in service of, the artist’s primary passion. For Arnold, classical music represented the summit of his creative ambition and personal fulfillment, while film music, although enjoyed, was subordinate, a facilitator rather than the object of his deepest commitment.

His words also speak to the sacrifices and compromises that underpin the artist’s journey. Pursuing a career or passion in the arts is rarely without material concerns; families, responsibilities, and day-to-day realities often influence the kind of work artists produce. Arnold’s honesty about these practicalities does not read as resignation, but rather as an acceptance of the realities of a working artist’s life. There is a sense of gratitude for the opportunities film composition provided, enabling stability, nurturing his domestic life, and underwriting his creative freedom in the realm of classical music.

Through this reflection, Arnold underscores the enduring importance of personal passion in the creative process. Despite necessary compromises, he remained devoted to his classical work, nurturing it as the truest expression of himself as an artist.