For the American conductor and composer Bernard Herrmann, 1940 was quite a year. On the East Coast, he had been appointed chief conductor of the CBS Symphony Orchestra, and on the West Coast, he was busy in Hollywood, composing music for an Orson Welles film titled "Citizen Kane."

Herrmann was 30 years old at the time, and recalled the experience as follows: "I was given twelve weeks to do my job. I worked on the film reel by reel, as it was being shot and cut. In this way I had a sense of the picture being built and of my own music being a part of that building. Many of the sequences were actually tailored to match the music."

The finished product was released to the public on today's date in 1941, and was an instant success, with The New York Times review the following day noting (quote), "the stunning manner in which the music of Bernard Herrmann has been used."

"Citizen Kane" was up for nine Academy Awards in 1941, but, although nominated for both "Best Picture" and "Best Musical Score," didn't win the Oscar in either category. No matter—for many filmmakers, film critics, and film fans, "Citizen Kane" rates No. 1 among the greatest films ever made.

And what does THE COMPOSERS DATEBOOK have to say on the subject? Just one word, of course: "Rosebud!"