By Catherine Chen

“I, Ennio Morricone, am dead”, read the self-composed obituary that was handed to reporters waiting outside of a Roman hospital on the morning of 6th July, 2020. The Italian composer Ennio Morricone had died at the age of 91, marking the end of an era for contemporary classical music.

For many people, Ennio Morricone needs no introduction. With more than 500 scores for films and series, over 100 pieces of absolute music (including the album ‘Note di Pace Venezia 10 settembre 2007’ in memory of the victims of 9/11), having received multiple awards, Ennio Morricone was the embodiment of a modern film composer. Although he admitted that his original intention was to be a classical composer like Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen or Luciano Berio, due to his preference for that genre, 95% of his work was for film scores. The main motivation behind this was money. Morricone explained that he never would reject the opportunity to compose film scores, as this has ensured his basic living and provided him with the opportunities and resources to pursue his dream of being a classical music composer.

As a classical music lover, listening to Morricone's film score is like a treasure hunt. The music is cohesive to the plot and frame of the movie but contains traces of classical music hidden inside. The main tune of The Sicilian Clan is adapted from Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in D minor”; the rhythm in The Big Gundown mirrors both Beethoven's "Für Elise" and allusions to his “Moonlight Sonata” can be identified in Morricone’s other works.

Morricone's scores cover classical, jazz, rock, electronic, pop and avant-garde genres. He is also no stranger to manipulating various musical instruments, some of which include the classical piano, electric guitar, Jewish harp, Chinese pan flute and the human voice. Any sound can be his material. Film directors as diverse as Quentin Tarantino, Giuseppe Tornatore, and Wong Kar-wai have featured Morricone's score as an important element in their films. Even if the soundtracks are separated from the films, they are still meaningful to the audience. During a collaboration with Sergio Leone in the famous ‘Spaghetti Western’ film series Dollars Trilogy, Morricone created his own style of music. By incorporating the sounds of whips, guns, whistles and electric guitars into his pieces, he expanded and added narrative elements to the music. Morricone’s music in Dollars Trilogy has transcended the limitations of any genre of music or film, and reveals an eclecticism and has influenced a generation of musicians including German film composer Hans Zimmer, American composer John Zorn, and American singer/songwriter Mike Patton, along with many rock bands such as Muse, Pixies, Metallica and Primus.

Sergio Leone’s Western Trilogy: A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly — Sergio Leone’s Western Trilogy: *A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More,* and *The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly*

Morricone defined himself as a composer of the post-Webern generation. Anton von Webern, the notorious “mad scientist” of music, was extremely particular about music theory and logic. Just like Webern, Morricone was keen on musical experiments and also used music theory and logic when composing. A super-fan of Bach, Morricone spelled Bach’s name into his music by incorporating a combination of B(B♭), A, C, and H(B♮) in his film scores. However, unlike Webern, Morricone's music serves the film to better convey the mood of a particular scene in a way that is easy for audiences to understand even without watching the film itself. His priorities were always to meet the directors’ concept, cooperate with the film screen, coexist with the film, and assist the audiences’ understanding of the film on a larger scale.

Once Upon a Time in the West A Fistful of Dynamite Once Upon a Time in America — *Once Upon a Time in the West* *A Fistful of Dynamite Once Upon a Time in America*

Throughout his life, Morricone prided himself on being a composer. He sought simplicity and harmony in his scores, and just like Bach and Mozart, used only three notes when composing chords. Morricone always measured himself against these two great classical composers, often belittling his own achievements because he felt he would never be as prolific. Nevertheless, the masses fell in love with Morricone’s style of classical music which blended seamlessly into the movies. This achievement is no less than the creation of a classic, something only Morricone can do.

*Cinema Paradiso The Legend of 1900 Malena*

Back in February 2020, I was excited about a biopic of Morricone written and directed by Tornatore, also a fan of his, titled “ENNIO: THE MAESTRO”. Unfortunately, Morricone himself was never able to see the day it was released. While Ennio Morricone has passed humbly, as he wished for a small, private funeral to not “disturb” those around, his music and memory will live on in the hearts and minds of those who come after him.