Ennio Morricone (1928–2020) was an Italian composer and conductor, one of the most influential authors of film music in history. He wrote more than 400 scores for cinema and television, creating scores that often became better known than the films themselves.
World fame came through his collaboration with the director Sergio Leone: the music for the “spaghetti westerns,” notably “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” with its whistles, guitar, and human voice, became iconic. Among his other masterpieces are the themes for “The Mission,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” and “Cinema Paradiso.” Morricone combined classical craft with bold innovations — unusual timbres, noises, and electronics. For his contribution he received an honorary Oscar and later a competitive statuette, becoming a symbol of how film music can be a great art in its own right.
