metronome paces the opening sequence of
A Ennio ; his daily routine is crosscut with excerpts from family , friends , and colleagues : “ He wrote music without playing it ,” “ individualist ,” “ ahead of times ,” “ in the first notes , you know it ’ s him ,” before entering his uniquely personal studio . Scores are strewn everywhere , piled high , and yet for this creative genius , frightfully organized . Cozying to the topic sans braggadocio , the maestro talks about his life beginning in Rome in 1928 ; Italy was his lifelong residence . Explaining that he knew what enthused him , his father , Mario , a trumpeter , had “ decided I ’ d be a trumpet player .” At 12 , Ennio began studying at the Saint Cecilia Conservatory , receiving a degree in trumpet in 1946 and in arrangement in 1954 with a 9.5 / 10 from the great Italian composer / educator Goffredo Petrassi .
In 1950 , Ennio met future wife Maria Travia and transitioned from jobs playing trumpet to an RCA Victor studio arranger ; writing radio programs ’ background music led to film work , and he learned intriguing techniques . Retaining that toolbox , he started ghost-writing music for film and theater . In 1956 , he and Maria married , and to support their growing family ( four children ), he
Ennio
Ennio Morricone – Die Maestro The Glance of Music
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USA 2022 Opened December 22 , 2022
arranged pop music ( Paul Anka , Mina , Andrea Bocelli , etc .) for Italy ’ s RAI broadcasting service . Morricone ’ s debut film score was Luciano Salce ’ s 1961 Il Federale ( The Fascist ); he went on to score over 500 films and more than 70 award-winners , plus all of the films by Italian directors Sergio Leone ( childhood schoolmates ) and Giuseppe Tornatore . When Bruce Springsteen first saw The Good , the Bad , and the Ugly ( 1966 ) and heard the music , he thought , “ There ’ s something going on here .”
At home and comfortably seated , Ennio ’ s lively detailed descriptions of “ three-tone chords ,” Bach , or describing ( while humming ) countless songs / scores he composed are incredibly impressive . He laughs and jokes while recounting the breadth of his career , his passion for playing chess , and about creative innovations used for productions lacking funding , e . g ., whips cracking , gun shots , jew ’ s harp , trumpets , etc ., in Leone ’ s so-called “ Dollars Trilogy .” Of Tornatore ’ s Cinema Paradiso , Ennio says , “ Working on that film brought me a lot of joy .”
© Pandora Filmverleih
Directed by : Giuseppe Tornatore Writing credits : Giuseppe Tornatore Principal actors : Documentary
Morricone ’ s legendary , divergent , creatively eclectic style opened unexplored vistas for composers , while also influencing artists across the broad sweep of music and film genres from westerns to Dario Argento horror / cult to experimental movies . Guitarist Pat Metheny admiringly says , “ He ’ s the only one who understands the guitar ,” Hans Zimmer believes “ Morricone ’ s very good at creating a character with sound ,” while Joan Baez says of their collaborative song Here ’ s to You for Giuliano Montaldo ’ s Sacco & Vanzetti ( 1971 ), “ That song ’ s not just pop ”; and Bernardo Bertolucci says “[ He ] also knows how to use silence .”