Ennio Morricone Italian composer, arranger and conductor. Date of Birth: 10.11.1928 Country: Italy

Biography of Ennio Morricone

Ennio Morricone was an Italian composer, arranger, and conductor. He was born on November 10th (according to other sources, October 11th), 1928, in Rome, Italy, into a family of a trumpeter. In 1938, he began studying trumpet at the Conservatory of Saint Cecilia, and in 1944, after completing a course in harmony, he started studying composition. In October 1946, Ennio Morricone received his diploma as a trumpeter. He continued his education at the conservatory and started composing musical works, arranging folk songs, and writing music for radio, television, and theater.

In the mid-1950s, Morricone started composing and arranging music for films, though the credits often mentioned more famous composers. He worked for Gianni Morandi during that time and later did arrangements for Paul Anka. In 1961, the film "Il Federale" was released, which is considered the first film in which Ennio Morricone was involved as a composer. In 1964, his collaboration with directors Sergio Leone and Bernardo Bertolucci began. The tremendous success of the film "A Fistful of Dollars," directed by his classmate Leone, became a stepping stone for Morricone (although the composer hid under the pseudonym Leo Nichols). He used unconventional instruments such as electric guitars, bells, and the pan flute in creating the film's sound design. It is no wonder that many famous directors started inviting Morricone to work on their films. Throughout his career, he collaborated with directors such as Gillo Pontecorvo, Mauro Bolognini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Mike Nichols, Roman Polanski, Brian De Palma, and Pedro Almodóvar.

In total, the tireless Ennio Morricone composed music for nearly 400 films, and among them, notable ones include "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," "Once Upon a Time in the West," "Once Upon a Time in America," "The Mission," "The Untouchables," "The Big and the Little Birds," "Bugsy," "Alonzo Harris," "The Professional," "The Intouchables," "Cinema Paradiso," and "Wolf." In 1995, the composer was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for his outstanding creative achievements.

Morricone never parted with music even for a minute. In his hometown, he performed charity concerts, including performances at the Vatican. While touring with concerts in different countries, Morricone allowed audiences to enjoy his familiar compositions such as "The Wind's Cry" and "Chi Mai," as well as new works performed by an orchestra under his direction. His discography was extensive, with over 70 million records sold throughout his creative career.

On July 6th, 2020, Ennio Morricone passed away. The musician's cause of death was attributed to complications from an injury. Just a few days prior, he had suffered a serious fracture from a fall. As noted by Giorgio Assuma, a close friend of Morricone, the maestro passed away surrounded by his family and had the chance to bid farewell to his loved ones. Only his family attended the funeral, and the music accompanying the composer's final journey was the theme he had written for the film "The Mission."