Canto Morricone Songbook
ENNIO MORRICONE
A Short Biography
Ennio Morricone was born in the autumn of 1928 in Rome. The son of a club orchestra trumpet player he learned the same instrument and replaced his father in the band of Costantino Ferri in 1945. While performing Morricone continued his education by studying composition, orchestration and conducting at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia. He graduated in 1956. To supplement his earnings Morricone wrote radio and TV show arrangements for the light music orchestra of the RAI. This resulted in a contract with RCA studios where the composer produced an astounding 500 song arrangements between 1959 and 1967! He worked with such artists as Mario Lanza, Paul Anka, Peggy March and Gianni Morandi.
Following this hard-won period of "paying his dues," and on the heels of an initial sprint of sporadic score assignments, Morricone's status, beginning in the mid-'60s, rather quickly evolved into that of a full-time film composer. His successful collaboration with director Sergio Leone provided Morricone with worldwide recognition, although, for a few films he hid behind the names of Dan Savio and Leo Nichols. He then went on to write for many other famous directors, including Pasolini, Bertolucci, and much later for Oliver Stone and Brian DePalma. He has scored more than 300 films of all genres, among them many masterworks such as ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, THE GOOD,THE BAD, AND THE UGLY, 1900, CINEMA PARADISO, and the THE MISSION, which was nominated for an Oscar. There also exist lesser known works of genius like VERGOGNA SCHIFOSI, LA PROPRIETA 'NON E' PIU' UN FURTO and IL SORRISO DEL GRANDE TENTATORE. Morricone is today acknowledged as the most distinguished and prolific film composer of our time. The 20th Century has certainly been privy to a distinctive and unmistakable "Morriconean" sound. The Maestro still lives in Rome with his wife Maria, whom he married in 1956, and their four children. His son Andrea has been following in his father's footsteps as a composer. Now in his seventies, Morricone still continues to score major film productions. He has also continued to pursue the development of his highly evolved classical compositions.
Best Regards, Stefan Rambow - CINESOUNDZ
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