Contents
Ennio Morricone
Writing film scores whose whistles, voices and melodies became inseparable from the scenes.
Sergio Leone · The Mission
- Born
- 10 November 1928
- Birthplace
- Rome, Italy
- Died
- 6 July 2020
More people
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone was an Italian composer who wrote for cinema, concert performance and experimental ensembles. His partnership with Sergio Leone transformed the sound of the western, but his work extended far beyond that genre.
Early life
A musician’s son
His father was a trumpet player, and Morricone learned the instrument as a child.
Conservatory training
He studied trumpet and composition at Rome’s Santa Cecilia Conservatory.
Career
- 1950s
Arranging and composing
He arranged popular music and worked in radio and theatre before establishing himself in film.
- 1961
Feature-film scoring
Il federale began his credited feature-film composing career.
- 1964 onward
Leone partnership
A Fistful of Dollars began a celebrated run of western scores.
- 2016
Competitive Oscar
The Hateful Eight brought an original-score Oscar after his earlier honorary award.
Selected work
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Its distinctive calls, whistles and guitar helped define the film’s identity.
The Mission
Oboe, choir and orchestral music accompanied a story of Jesuit missions in South America.
Cinema Paradiso
A lyrical score supported Giuseppe Tornatore’s remembrance of cinema and childhood.
Beyond work
Concert music
He continued writing music for concert halls and participating in experimental musical circles.
Family
He married Maria Travia in 1956; she also contributed lyrics to some of his work.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Olivier Strecker. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
