On July 6, 2020 composer Ennio Morricone died at the age of 91 in Rome, Italy. Over the course of 60 years, he has been known as one of the most prolific musicians in history. With over 400 movie scores to his credit, the Oscar-winning composer is considered one of the most influential and important in his field, producing such masterpieces as The Good The Bad and The Ugly. While he never moved to America, his collaborations with various American filmmakers remain unparalleled, managing to bring their voices to life in meaningful and exciting ways. While he's gone, his endless body of work will continue to live on in meaningful and exciting ways.
Morricone was born on November 10, 1928 in Rome, Italy. His father, Mario Morricone, was a musician. He was encouraged to be a musician from a young age, where he picked up playing the trumpet. By 1946, he would compose "Il Mattino ("The Morning") for voice and piano. This would lead to endless collaborations both in Italy and later overseas. He would work in radio and television as well as with pop artists. His first major film score came in 1954, where he worked under pseudonyms such as Dan Savio and Leo Nichols.
He was versatile, able to work in every genre that was offered to him. The most noteworthy collaboration came when he met Sergio Leone. When they didn't have enough money to afford a traditional orchestra, he woulds use sound effects and guitars to create the sound of A Fistful of Dollars. The film would go on to be the highest-grossing Italian film of the time. Similarly, the third film in The Dollars Trilogy, The Good The Bad and The Ugly would wind up being an even bigger success, even becoming a major seller for the soundtrack that helped Morricone to earn millions. It also produced some of the most memorable western themes, including "Ecstasy of Gold."
With Morricone, who defined The Spaghetti Western genre, they would work together until Leone's death. It was one of many partnerships that he shared throughout his career, managing to work with directors like Sergio Corbucci, Roland Joffe, John Carpenter, Brian De Palma, and Quentin Tarantino. He continued to be a success, eventually earning his first Oscar nomination for Days of Heaven. Even while he was making these scores, he lived in Italy where he scored all of his films. This gave off the impression that he wasn't keen on being associated with the Hollywood elite.
In his later years, he would find a worthwhile partnership with Tarantino. As an exerting fan, Tarantino was eager to work with him and settled for sampling his music in his films. It wasn't until Django Unchained that he recorded "Ancora Qui" for the film. By their next collaboration, The Hateful Eight, he will produce a fully original score for Tarantino. After several nominations and an Honorary Oscar, he finally won Best Original Score. He showed up at the ceremony, giving a speech in Italian since he refused to learn English despite his major collaboration with American artists.
His career is too massive to go into full detail here, though do know that this barely scratches the surface of an amazing and accomplished career. As one of the most successful musicians of his generation, he has helped to redefine film music for the better, and the results speak for themselves. His music will continue to live on as some of the most memorable melodies ever conceived. With a prolific body of work, it's likely that you'll never grow tired of hearing his work. It will continue to live on, and the world was better for having him in it.
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