Obituary: Mario Nascimbene

For a complete list of his credits, see http://us.imdb.com/Name?Nascimbene,+Mario.

Here is a remembrance from a soundtrack album producer who knew the composer and worked closely with him; another Italian producer, Claudio Fuiano, also wrote in to pay his respects.

My beloved friend, the great italian composer maestro Mario Nascimbene, is dead at 12:00 of today, 6th January 2002.

His wonderful wife, Catherine, near to him until the end, told me this sad new crying... and I'm really without words now.

Well known through the worlds as one of the best italian film-music composers of all the times, great Mario worked with most famous USA directors too, and he was the first of italian fil-music composer to be invited to score in the States, during the fifties.

Impossible, in few lines, to describe the genius of his mind... and to speak about his more than 300 film music scores.

The "Mixerama", a superb invention of Nascimbene at his own studio "La Meridiana", was the root of such  wonderful compostions like the famous scores for BARABBA, THE VIKINGS, A MILLION YEARS B.C., and many, many others.

I like to remember him in Prato, my town, speaking to the children in my school, explaining them what does it means to believe in a work, and how to make it with all the heart. At the age of a mature man, but with brain and heart of a child, he spoke to me by telephone three days ago (!!), asking me to stay in stand by for our common new projects for this year 2002 after his - he hoped - soon recovery !! Still he had a great light and joy to live and work in his soul !
All the film-music lovers will remember him for ever.

I and my wife Paula will consider Mario - as usual - part of our family for ever. I'll be forever grateful to him for everything he has been able to teach me, especially the phrase "... the score "drops" from the screen itself!!"

MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com