“As far I am concerned, [Ennio Morricone] is my favorite composer — and when I say ‘favorite composer,’ I don’t mean ‘movie composer,’ I’m talking about Mozart … Beethoven … Schubert,” – Quentin Tarantino
Ennio Morricone died in Rome on July 6, 2020 at the age of 91. Having scored more than 500 films, Morricone was most known for his work on Italian Westerns as well as Quentin Tarantino and John Carpenter’s films.
Ennio Morricone was born in Rome, Italy in 1928 and composed his first song at the age of six. A prodigy, he went on to learn the trumpet and also study composition and direction at the National Academy of Cecilia. Although he worked on many American films and those from other countries, he never left Rome and composed everything remotely. He waited for most of his life, until 2007, to set foot in the United States.
The prolific composer was nominated for six academy awards and won the lifetime achievement Oscar in 2007. He won his first individual academy award in 2016 for his work on Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight.”
“Maestro Morricone’s melody,” says movie director Roger Waters, “will haunt me the rest of my days.”
