Influential and prolific film composer Ennio Morricone died in Rome on Monday, Italian news agency ASNA reported. He was 91.
The Italian maestro created landmark scores for films by Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci, Dario Argento, Roland Jaffe, Brian De Palma and Giuseppe Tornatore. He worked on an estimated 500 productions in Italy as well as Hollywood. His music was characterised by evocative melodies, lush orchestration and often eccentric arrangements.
Morricone’s scores in the Spaghetti Western genre, particularly for Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci, have earned iconic status. He also extensively composed for Italian giallo films.
His notable work in Hollywood include Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Mission (1986), The Untouchables (1987), Frantic (1988), and Bugsy (1991). In 2016, Morricone became the oldest composer to win the Academy Award for Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight (2015). Here’s an incomplete list of his best tunes.
‘A Fistful of Dollars’ (1964) theme.
‘The Ecstasy of Gold’ from ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’ (1966).
‘Death Rides a Horse’ from the 1967 film of the same name, reused in ‘Kill Bill: Volume 1’ (2003).
‘Man with the Harmonica’, ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (1968).
‘L’Arena’, ‘The Mercenary’ (1968).
‘Metti, una sera a cena’ (1969) theme.
‘Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion’ (1971) theme.
‘Chi Mai’, ‘Maddalena’ (1971).
‘What Have You Done to Solange?’ (1972) theme.
‘The Mission’ (1986) theme.
‘L’Ultima Diligenza Di Red Rock’, ‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015).