Ennio Morricone

Ennio Morricone
Morricone in 2007
Morricone in 2007
Background information
Birth nameEnnio Morricone
Also known as
  • Maestro
  • Dan Savio
  • Leo Nichols
Born(1928-11-10)10 November 1928
Rome, Kingdom of Italy
Died6 July 2020(2020-07-06) (aged 91)
Rome, Italy
Genres
Occupation(s)
InstrumentsTrumpet, piano
Years active1946–2020
Spouse(s)
Maria Travia
(m. 1956)
Websiteenniomorricone.org
Signature

Ennio Morricone OMRI[1] (Italian: [ˈɛnnjo morriˈkoːne]; 10 November 1928 – 6 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter, and pianist who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classical works, Morricone is widely considered one of the most prolific and greatest film composers of all time.[2][3] He has received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Golden Globes, six BAFTAs, ten David di Donatello, eleven Nastro d'Argento, two European Film Awards, the Golden Lion Honorary Award, and the Polar Music Prize in 2010.

His filmography includes more than 70 award-winning films, all Sergio Leone's films since A Fistful of Dollars, all Giuseppe Tornatore's films since Cinema Paradiso, Dario Argento's Animal Trilogy, as well as The Battle of Algiers (1968), 1900 (1976), La Cage aux Folles (1978), Le Professionnel (1981), The Thing (1982), and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989). He received Academy Award for Best Original Score nominations for Days of Heaven (1978), The Mission (1986), The Untouchables (1987), Bugsy (1991), Malèna (2000) and The Hateful Eight (2015), winning for the latter.[4] He won the Academy Honorary Award in 2007.[5] His score to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) is regarded as one of the most recognizable and influential soundtracks in history.[6] It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[7]

After playing the trumpet in jazz bands in the 1940s, he became a studio arranger for RCA Victor and in 1955 started ghost writing for film and theatre.[8] Throughout his career, he composed music for artists such as Paul Anka, Mina, Milva, Zucchero, and Andrea Bocelli. From 1960 to 1975, Morricone gained international fame for composing music for Westerns and—with an estimated 10 million copies sold—Once Upon a Time in the West is one of the best-selling scores worldwide.[9] From 1966 to 1980, he was a main member of Il Gruppo, one of the first experimental composers collectives, and in 1969 he co-founded Forum Music Village, a prestigious recording studio. He continued to compose music for European productions, such as Marco Polo, La piovra, Nostromo, Fateless, Karol, and En mai, fais ce qu'il te plait.

Morricone composed for Hollywood directors such as Don Siegel, Mike Nichols, Brian De Palma, Barry Levinson, Oliver Stone, Warren Beatty, John Carpenter, and Quentin Tarantino. He has also worked with directors such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Mauro Bolognini, Giuliano Montaldo, Roland Joffé, Roman Polanski, Henri Verneuil, Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, Umberto Lenzi, Gillo Pontecorvo, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. His best-known compositions include "The Ecstasy of Gold", "Se telefonando", "Man with a Harmonica", "Here's to You", "Chi Mai", "Gabriel's Oboe", and "E Più Ti Penso". He has influenced many artists including Hans Zimmer,[10] Danger Mouse,[11] Dire Straits,[12] Muse,[13] Metallica,[14] Fields of the Nephilim,[15] and Radiohead.[16]

  1. ^ "Morricone Sig. Ennio". www.quirinale.it. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  2. ^ Ennio Morricone Was More Than Just a Great Film Composer, The New York Times
  3. ^ The film scores of Ennio Morricone: Five tracks you need to hear by the late, great composer, CNN Style
  4. ^ "Quentin Tarantino says The Hateful Eight will have Ennio Morricone score". www.theguardian.com. 11 July 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Italian composer Morricone scores honorary Oscar". Reuters. 23 February 2007. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  6. ^ McCormack, Neil (13 May 2011). "10 most influential film soundtracks". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  7. ^ "The Police, Queen, Morricone Honoured at Grammy Hall of Fame". Uncut. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  8. ^ "Ennio Morricone". www.wisemusicclassical.com. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Ennio Morricone Discusses 85th Anniversary Before Moscow Concert". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  10. ^ "Hans Zimmer on Ennio Morricone's score for Once Upon a Time in the West". telegraph.co.uk. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  11. ^ "What influenced Danger Mouse". nymag.com. 27 April 2006. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits". Guitar Player. September 1984. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Behind the music: 17 artists that had a huge influence on Muse". gigwise.com. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  14. ^ Metallica: The Music and the Mayhem. Omnibus Press. 4 November 2011. ISBN 978-0-85712-721-1. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  15. ^ "Celebrate: Field of the Nephilims 'The Nephilim' at 25". popmatters.com. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  16. ^ The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition. Mojo. November 2007. ISBN 978-1-84767-643-6. Retrieved 20 January 2016.