As a fan whose favorite Newman is Alfred, I quickly think of three of his finales that affect me as the HOW THE WEST WAS WON finale strikes you, TNF:
1) the immeasurably grand "Conquest" march (which often distracts viewers from the fact that CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE doesn't have an ending);
2) the incredible expression of redemption and renewal conveyed by DAVID AND BATHSHEBA's glorious "Twenty-Third Psalm" end title; and 3) the piercing power of the rising Darby-guided chorus and Newman-led orchestra, again, in the "Home in the Meadow" climax to the HTWWW exit music. (It's not just the story, or the thought of the multiple generations of characters who are long gone by the ending, but the movie's entire Cinerama experience that is capped here so magnificently.)
I don't listen to any of those unless my wife is out of the house, so I can crank them up as they deserve!
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