Ennio Morricone composer music personal life

Place of birth : Rome, Italy

Profession : Italian composer, conductor, arranger

Marital status : married, four children

News with Ennio Morricone

One of the greatest composers of our time, the author of brilliant soundtracks for dozens of films, arranger and conductor Ennio Morricone was born in the most beautiful city in the world – Rome in a friendly family of professional jazz trumpeter Mario Morricone and a housewife, the eldest of five children.

Already at the age of twelve, the boy showed great promise and demonstrated unique abilities in music, which brought him to the threshold of the famous Conservatory of St. Cecilia in Rome, where the talented teenager instantly became the favorite student of the legendary teacher Goffredo Petrassi. Upon graduation, Ennio received not one, but three diplomas: in composition, instrumentation and trumpet.

Career and creativity

Morricone’s creative activity began at the age of sixteen, when the young man joined the ensemble of Alberto Flamini, in which his father once played. The musical group performed in hotels, casinos and restaurants, entertaining the public and giving band members the opportunity to earn a piece of bread during that difficult war time.

A year later, Ennio entered the theater, and at eighteen, while still a student at the conservatory, he wrote arrangements of his first tunes for radio. For almost ten years, Morricone collaborated with radio stations and television, and only towards the end of the fifties did he begin to write arrangements for cinema. And not under his own name, but under the pseudonym Leo Nichols. The first who appreciated the talent of the young composer and who glorified the name of the future star of the musical Olympus was his classmate Sergio Leone, the founder of the “spegetti-western” subgenre, who invited Ennio to write music for the film “A Fistful of Dollars.” From that moment on, a long history of cooperation between friends and like-minded people began.

Over his long life, Morricone turned the films of many famous directors into masterpieces, including Bernardo Bertolucci, Dario Argento, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Salvatore Samperi, Pedro Almodóvar, Brian De Palma, Roman Polanski and Quentin Tarantino.

His wonderful music with easily recognizable author’s notes can be heard in the films: “The Professional”, “Once Upon a Time in America”, “The Untouchables”, “Lolita”, “The Legend of the Pianist”, “Inglourious Basterds”, “Malena”, “The Hateful Eight”, “Django Unchained”, in the series “Octopus” and many other European and Hollywood projects.

But it was not only his work in cinema that brought Ennio fame. The composer has been conducting concert activities as a conductor since 1958, and has been arranging songs for many famous performers. Such as Mario Lanza, Gianni Morandi and Miranda Martino.

In 2018, the maestro, summing up the results, made a tour of thirty European cities, dedicated to the sixtieth anniversary of musical activity. Morricone, so beloved in Russia, could not help but come to us and gave concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

In 1996, Ennio tried his hand at the epistolary genre – he wrote a book about his favorite city – Rome, designing it with priceless photographs by Augusto De Luca. Having received a high award for the work – the City of Rome Prize.

In his free time, the maestro preferred playing chess. And not with amateurs, but with professionals, choosing as opponents the world-famous grandmasters of the strongest Soviet chess school: Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov.

Morricone’s unique talent has been repeatedly awarded with prestigious awards. In 1987, the composer received his first of three Golden Globes for his soundtrack to The Mission in the Best Original Score category, and a year later he received his first of six BAFTA Awards for the score of The Untouchables in the Best Original Score Writing category. to the film.” In 2007 – Oscar for his contribution to the development of cinema. In 2016, he received his second, long-deserved Oscar for the music for Quentin Tarantino’s western The Hateful Eight. It’s funny, but after decades of working with Hollywood directors, Morricone never learned English. Therefore, he delivered his thank-you speeches in his native Italian. At the first ceremony, his words were translated by Clint Eastwood himself.

Beloved Italy awarded her famous son the title of Knight Grand Cross, the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and nine David di Donatello film awards for Best Music.

Much to our regret for posterity, many of the musical genius’s recordings were burned during a fire at Universal Studios Hollywood that broke out in 2008. Firefighters fought against the elements for more than a day, but failed to save much. Hundreds of unique evidence of the author’s genius were lost.

Personal life

Even in his distant youth, Morricone met his younger sister’s friend Maria Travia and fell in love. The happy marriage lasted until the last breath of the brilliant Italian. He died in her arms, having had time to say goodbye to his family. In sixty-three years of family life, they never quarreled. They became parents of three sons and a daughter, and even co-authors in their work. Maria wrote lyrics for her husband’s music. Talented and deep. Matches Ennio’s works.

Cause of death of Ennio Morricone

On July 6, 2020, Morricone died without surviving complications from an injury previously received in a fall – a fracture. Only his inconsolable widow and family members attended the funeral, which took place to the soundtrack of his music from the film “The Mission.” Italy mourned with them.

Music by Ennio Morricone for films

1960 – Death of a Friend (orig. Morte di un amico)
1961 – The Fascist Leader (orig. Il federale)
1962 – Thirst (orig. La voglia matta)
1962 – Bonanza (orig. La cuccagna)
1962 – Motorized (orig. I motorizzat)
1962 – Italians on holidays (orig. Gli italiani e le vacanze)
1962 – Teenagers in the sun (orig. Diciottenni al sole)
1964 – For a fistful of dollars ( orig. Per un pugno di dollari)
1964 – Before the revolution (orig. Prima della rivoluzione)
1964 – The Bad World (orig. I malamondo)
1965 – Fists in the pocket (orig. I pugni in tasca)
1965 – For a few dollars more (orig. Per qualche dollaro in più)
1965 – Slalom (orig. Slalom)
1966 – Battle of Algiers (orig. La battaglia di Algeri)
1966 – Birds great and small (orig. . Uccellacci e uccellini)
1966 – The Good, the Bad, the Evil (orig. Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo)
1967 – The Witches (orig. Le streghe (episode “The Earth Seen from the Moon”)
1967 – Harem (orig. L’harem)
1967 – Face to Face (orig. Faccia a faccia)
1967 – Death on Horseback (orig. Da uomo a uomo)
1968 – Diabolik (orig. Diabolik)
1968 – The Silent Man (orig. Il grande sillenzio)
1968 – Once Upon a Time in the Wild West (orig. C’era una volta il West)
1968 – Partner (orig. Partner)
1968 – Theorem (orig. Teorema)
1968 – Quiet place outside the city (orig. Un tranquillo posto di campagna)
1968 – Galileo Galilei (orig. Galileo)
1969 – Queimada ( (orig. Queimada)
1969 – The Red Tent (orig. La tenda rossa)
1969 – The Sicilian Clan (orig. Le clan des siciliens)
1969 – Tepepa (orig. Tepepa)
1970 – Two mules for sister Sarah (orig. Two Mules for Sister Sara)
1970 – Companeros (orig. Companeros)
1970 – Cannibals (orig. I cannibali)
1970 – Bird with Crystal Plumage (orig. L’uccello dalle piume di cristallo)
1970 g. – The most beautiful wife (orig. La moglie più bella)
1970 – Investigation into the case of a citizen beyond all suspicion (orig. Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto)
1971 – For no apparent reason (orig. Sans mobile apparent)
1971 – Burglars (orig. Le casse)
1971 – The Decameron (orig. Il Decamerone)
1971 – It’s a pity that she is a harlot (orig. Peccato che sia una puttana)
1971 – For a fistful of dynamite (orig. Giù la testa)
1971 – The Short Night of the Glass Dolls (orig. La corta notte delle bambole di vetro)
1971 – Magdalena (orig. Maddalena)
1971 – The Cat of Nine Tails (orig. Il gatto a nove code)
1971 – The working class goes to heaven (orig. La classe operaia va in paradiso)
1971 – Sacco and Vanzetti (orig. Sacco e Vanzetti)
1971 – Four flies on gray velvet (orig. 4 mosche di velluto grigio )
1971 – The lizard under a woman’s skin (orig. Una lucertola con la pelle di donna)
1972 – The Canterbury Tales (orig. I racconti di Canterbury)
1972 – Who saw her death? (orig. Chi l’ha vista morire?)
1972 – The Master and Margarita (orig. Master and Margarita)
1972 – What do we have to do with it when there is revolution all around!? (orig. Che c’entriamo noi con la rivoluzione?)
1973 – The Serpent (orig. Le serpent)
1973 – My name is Nobody (orig. Il mio nome è Nessuno)
1973 – Murder in Rome (orig. Massacre in Rome)
1973 – Giordano Bruno (orig. Giordano Bruno)
1974 – The Flower of the Thousand and One Nights (orig. Il fiore delle mille e una notte)
1975 – Salo, or the 120 days of Sodom (orig. Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma)
1975 – Fear of the City (orig. Peur sur la ville)
1975 – Murders on the Night Train (orig. L’ultimo treno della notte)
1976 – Twentieth Century (orig. Novecento )
1976 – Tartari Desert (orig. Il deserto dei Tartari)
1976 – San Babila Square, 20 o’clock (orig. San Babila ore 20: un delitto inutile)
1977 – Exorcist 2 (orig. Exorcist 2 : The Heretic)
1977 – The Hitchhiker: The Beginning or the Bloody Hitchhiker (orig. Autostop rosso sangue)
1977 – Death Among the Icebergs (orig. Orca)
1978 – Days of the Harvest (orig. Days of Heaven)
1978 – The Cage for Eccentrics (orig. La cage aux folles)
1978 – Just as you are (orig. Così come sei)
1979 – Humanoid (orig. L’umanoide)
1979 – And… like Icarus (orig. I… comme Icare)
1979 – Bloodline (orig. Bloodline)
1979 – Moon (orig. . La luna)
1979 – Operation “Beast” (orig. Ogro)
1980 – The Banker (orig. La banquière)
1980 – The Thief (orig. Il ladrone)
1980 – Cage of Weird 2 (orig. La cage aux folles 2)
1980 – The Island (orig. An Island)
1981 – The Lady with Camellias (orig. La storia vera della signora delle camelie)
1981 – The Professional (orig. Le professionnel)
1981 – The tragedy of a funny man (orig. La tragedia di un uomo ridicolo)
1982 – White Dog (orig. White Dog)
1982 – Something (orig. The Thing)
1983 – Scarlet and black (orig. The Scarlet and the Black)
1983 – Andra (orig. Hundra)
1983 – Outlaw (orig. Le marginal)
1983 – Time to Die (orig. A Time to Die)
1983 – The Key (orig. La chiave)
1983 city ​​- Sahara (orig. Sahara)
1984 – Night Thieves (orig. Les voleurs de la nuit)
1984 – Once Upon a Time in America (orig. Once Upon a Time in America)
1985 – Red Sonja (orig. Red Sonja)
1986 – Mission ( orig. The Mission)
1986 – Octopus 2 (orig. La piovra 2)
1987 – Fury (orig. Rampage)
1987 – The Untouchables (orig. The Untouchables)
1987 – Gold-rimmed glasses (orig. Gli occhiali d’oro)
1987 – Octopus 3 (orig. La piovra 3)
1988 – Furious (orig. Frantic)
1988 – New cinema “Paradiso” (orig. Nuovo cinema Paradiso)
1989 – Military losses (orig. Casualties of War)
1989 – Time to kill (orig. Tempo di uccidere)
1990 – Forget Palermo (orig. Dimenticare Palermo)
1989 – Octopus 4 (orig. La piovra 4)
1989 – Fat Man and Little Boy
1990 – Hamlet
1990 – Crossing the Line
1990 – Tie Me Up!
1990 State of Grace 1990
La piovra 5
1990 Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair)
1990 – Everyone’s All Right (orig. Stanno tutti bene)
1990 – The Bachelor (orig. The Bachelor)
1991 – Bugsy (orig. Bugsy)
1991 – Husbands and Lovers (orig. La villa del venerdì)
1992 – City of Joy
1992 – Love Potion No. 9
1992 – Octopus 6 (original La piovra 6)
1993 – In the Line of Fire
1993 – Security (La scorta)
1994 – Abraham
1994 – Wolf
1994 – Love Story (orig. Love Affair)
1994 – Disclosure (orig. Disclosure)
1994 – Pure formality (orig. Una pura formalità)
1995 – Joseph (orig. Joseph)
1995 – Octopus 7 (orig. La piovra 7)
1995 – Star Factory (orig. L’uomo delle stelle)
1996 – Stendhal Syndrome (orig. La sindrome di Stendhal)
1997 – Lolita (orig. Lolita)
1997 – Turn (orig. U Turn)
1998 – Bulworth (orig. Bulworth)
1998 – The Legend of the Pianist (orig. La leggenda del pianista sull’oceano)
1998 – The Phantom of the Opera (orig. Il fantasma dell’opera)
2000 – Vatel
2000 – Malèna
2000 – Mission to Mars
2000 – Octopus 10 (original La piovra 10)
2002 – Ripley’s Game
2004 – 72 meters
2005 – Without Destiny (orig. Sorstalanság)
2005 – Karol. The Man Who Became Pope (orig. Karol – Człowiek, który został Papieżem)
2006 – The Stranger (orig. La sconosciuta)
2009 – Baarìa
2009 – Inglourious Basterds (orig. Inglourious Basterds )
2012 – Django Unchained
2013 – The Best Offer (La migliore offerta)
2015 – The Hateful Eight
2016 – Two in the Universe (original La corrispondenza)

Awards and prizes

Oscar

1979 – Best Original Score – Days of the Harvest – Nominated
1987 – Best Original Score – The Mission – Nominated
1988 – Best Original Score – The Untouchables – Nominated
1992 – Best Original Score – Bugsy – Nominated
2001 – Best original soundtrack – Malena – Nominated
2007 – Honorary Oscar – Win
2016 – Best Original Score – The Hateful Eight – Win

Golden Globe

1982 – Best Song – Butterfly – Nominated
1985 – Best Score – Once Upon a Time in America – Nominated
1987 – Best Score – Mission – Victory
1988 – Best Score – The Untouchables – Nominated
1990 – Best Score – Military losses – Nomination
1992 – Best soundtrack – Bugsy – Nomination
2000 – Best soundtrack – The Legend of the Pianist – Victory
2001 – Best soundtrack – Malena – Nomination
2016 – Best soundtrack – The Hateful Eight – Victory

BAFTA

1980 – Anthony Esquith Award for Achievement in Film Score – Days of the Harvest – Victory
1985 – Best Score – Once Upon a Time in America – Victory
1987 – Best Score – Mission – Victory
1988 – Best Score – The Untouchables — Victory
1991 — Best Soundtrack — New Cinema “Paradiso” — Victory
2016 — Best Soundtrack — The Hateful Eight — Victory

Photo with Ennio Morricone