Rome, 1928–2020
Ennio Morricone
He reinvented the western with Sergio Leone and wrote melodies that stand on their own, such as The Mission and Cinema Paradiso.
He studied trumpet and composition at the Santa Cecilia conservatory, where Goffredo Petrassi taught him. He wrote more than 400 scores for film and television. With Sergio Leone he changed the sound of the western, and with Tornatore he wrote some of the best-loved melodies in European cinema.
- Style
- Whistling, electric guitar, wordless voices and melodies that stand on their own away from the screen.
- Awards
- Honorary Oscar in 2007 and the Oscar for Best Original Score for The Hateful Eight in 2016.
Essential films
- A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
- Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
- Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
- The Mission (1986)
- The Untouchables (1987)
- The Hateful Eight (2015)
Listen
- Gabriel's Oboe · The MissionSpotifyYouTube
- The Ecstasy of Gold · The Good, the Bad and the UglySpotifyYouTube
- Cinema Paradiso Love Theme · Cinema ParadisoSpotifyYouTube
Everything on Spotify Everything on YouTube Full biography on Wikipedia
The music, scene by scene
Three gunmen, three sounds · The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) · Ennio Morricone
Upcoming concerts with their music
- Great Film Choirs: Morricone, Zimmer & WilliamsMadrid, Spain · Auditorio Nacional de Música
- The Music of Morricone, Zimmer & WilliamsMadrid, Spain · Auditorio Nacional de Música · Royal Film Concert Orchestra
- Morricone and 100 Years of CinemaZaragoza, Spain · Auditorio de Zaragoza · Royal Film Concert Orchestra
- Morricone and 100 Years of CinemaBilbao, Spain · Palacio Euskalduna · Royal Film Concert Orchestra
- Morricone and 100 Years of CinemaMadrid, Spain · Auditorio Nacional de Música, Sala de Cámara
- Tribute to Morricone & Ludovico EinaudiMadrid, Spain · Auditorio Nacional de Música, Sala de Cámara
Awards counted up to the 2026 Academy Awards. Facts reviewed in October 2026.