Some films begin even before the first frame. A single electric guitar note, a whistle, a bell or a human voice is enough to open up the world of Sergio Leone before the viewer. Behind this cinematic memory stands Ennio Morricone, who today ranks among the most recognisable composers in the history of cinema.
Morricone was born in Rome and began his studies at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory at the age of just 12. His first film score was for Luciano Salce’s Il federale in 1961, but his major breakthrough came with Sergio Leone’s series of westerns.
The Music That Changed the Western
The themes for A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West turned music into a character in its own right. Morricone used sounds unusual for a traditional film score, combining orchestra, guitars, choir, whistles and sound effects.
Sergio Leone and Morricone had known each other since childhood, and their collaboration became one of the most important creative partnerships in cinema. The composer, however, did not remain within the confines of the western. He wrote music for dramas, thrillers, historical films and crime stories, working with directors such as Giuseppe Tornatore, Brian De Palma and Roman Polanski.
Five Nominations Before His First Win
Among his best-known scores are those for Days of Heaven, The Mission, The Untouchables, Bugsy, Malèna and Nuovo Cinema Paradiso. It was with the latter film that he began his long collaboration with Giuseppe Tornatore, which continued through a number of other productions.
Before winning a competitive Oscar, Morricone received five nominations for the music to Days of Heaven, The Mission, The Untouchables, Bugsy and Malèna. In 2007, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented him with an honorary Oscar for his “magnificent and multifaceted contribution to the art of film music”. Nine years later, he won the award for Best Original Score for Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight.
“Some people think that I write only film music, but that is not true,” says Morricone, who also composed concert works and music for theatre, radio and television.More Than 500 Film Scores
Over the course of seven decades, Morricone worked on more than 500 films. His music also reached popular culture through recordings, covers and concerts. He was the recipient of six BAFTA Awards, four Grammys and three Golden Globes, while his works have been performed by orchestras around the world.
In 2016, he began the “60 Years of Music” tour, which took him to more than 40 European cities. His final concert was held in Rome in January 2019. Morricone died on 6 July 2020, but his themes continue to sound like a recognisable language of cinema – even when the viewer has already forgotten the film’s title.
Sources: theguardian.com, latimes.com