enniomorricone Blog and Journals

        Before the days of hiring Paramore to record a pop song to make a movie the next big thing, film score captured the imaginations of audiences. It took the perfect combination of musical talent and inner aesthetic for a composer to arrest the mood of the film, a task that was easy in comparison to representing the movie’s actions through sound. Most great composers fell short. Sure, the score caused goose bumps and reminded the listener of the main character’s struggle, but could that same theme bring to life in the minds eye say, a gunfight?

            This is where Ennio Morricone surpasses other great composers. Having trained in music since he was a small child Morricone not only was a musical phenomenon, he was innovative. Both were traits sought after by infamous Spaghetti Western director Sergio Leone. Having heard Morricone’s work for television, film and pop music Leone has complete confidence when approaching Morricone for a series of scores for his latest works with Clint Eastwood.

          Morricone’s originality was the perfect match to Leone’s creativity and, more importantly, the filming budget. Unable to afford a full orchestra Morricone found himself having to improvise. Rather than using a field of oboes or blasting euphoniums he turned to the unusual sounds of whistling, chanting, whips, gunfire and dramatic pauses. Not only did the curious themes enchant the ears of moviegoers, it meshed perfectly with Leone’s filming techniques. In fact, the music was the breath that brought the movies to life, so much so that Leone would draw out his pacing just so Morricone’s music wouldn’t end.

          Sergio Leone’s films had taken Ennio Morricone from being just another Italian composer and turned him into a silver screen legend. Directors from across the globe (John Carpenter, Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma to name a few) approached Morricone to compose for their films, cementing him as the legend he is today. Every generation has come to enjoy his work, including Gen Y due to Morricone’s music in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill and Inglorious Basterds.

           While it seems the art of film scores is lost Ennio Morricone stands as the great pinnacle of film composers. His style, emotion and impressive ability to sum up a story with the simple blaring of a trumpet is second to none. Morricone set the bar so high, no other film composer can grab it. Perhaps, that’s why directors are hiring pop stars these days?

 

Tracks:

PER QUALCHE DOLLARO IN PIUA  AKA Few Dollars More (Theme)

Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo AKA The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Theme)

The Mission (Theme)

Rabbia E Tarantella

For a Taste of How His Music Meshes with Film:

"Il triello" Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo AKA "The Trio" from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly 

Murder by Death's Red Of Tooth And Claw, their debut on Vagrant, signifies a marked departure from their previous work. This is the band at its most electric, sexual, and urgent. It's the soundtrack to a thousand country westerns that were never made and it might just be the best record of 2008 so far.

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