Your Pick of the Week: Ennio Morricone
in Music ·
Since I highly doubt I’ll ever be granted moderator status to properly edit polls—probably because there's a lingering fear I might commit some sort of digital terrorist act against the forum—I've decided that from now on, polls will just feature song titles, with the corresponding links tucked neatly in the text below. I think this will make things much cleaner and easier for everyone to navigate, so you'll know exactly what you're voting for.
By the way, we already know what's dropping next week. I'm just fulfilling the request of the very first person who spoke up.
Let's get back on track.
When it comes to Morricone, he is personally my favorite composer, and honestly, his work is a genre all its own. He possessed an incredible talent that allowed him to produce a massive volume of high-quality work. Even a list of 50 tracks can't begin to scratch the surface of his full musical spectrum; his style could jump from experimental and jazzy to completely atonal.
What you see on this list are, let's say, the "safe bets," though they are all undeniably brilliant. I had to make some painful compromises regarding what to include and what to leave out. I know people tend to get really excited about the spaghetti western vibes, so I tried to maximize those while still doing justice to the rest of his career. Morricone himself actually gets a bit annoyed when people only associate him with westerns; he often points out that he only scored about 30 westerns, whereas he composed over 400 soundtracks for other genres.
In recent years, Tarantino has been using his work extensively in his films, which has helped bring Ennio's legacy to a whole new generation. In fact, for his upcoming film, Morricone actually composed original music.
Personally, I believe a musician like Morricone is a true rarity in human history. His music can shift seamlessly from terrifyingly dramatic to pieces so beautiful they can easily bring a tear to your eye. His ability to craft melodies and harmonies is simply otherworldly. I've heard people claim that his music sometimes doesn't quite "fit" certain scenes, but honestly, that's exactly what I love about him. He isn't afraid to be uncompromising, creating sounds that challenge the listener, unlike the sterile background music we've become accustomed to in modern cinema. Best of all, unlike many other film composers, Ennio's work stands perfectly on its own for independent listening while simultaneously telling the story through emotion on screen.
By the way, we already know what's dropping next week. I'm just fulfilling the request of the very first person who spoke up.
Let's get back on track.
When it comes to Morricone, he is personally my favorite composer, and honestly, his work is a genre all its own. He possessed an incredible talent that allowed him to produce a massive volume of high-quality work. Even a list of 50 tracks can't begin to scratch the surface of his full musical spectrum; his style could jump from experimental and jazzy to completely atonal.
What you see on this list are, let's say, the "safe bets," though they are all undeniably brilliant. I had to make some painful compromises regarding what to include and what to leave out. I know people tend to get really excited about the spaghetti western vibes, so I tried to maximize those while still doing justice to the rest of his career. Morricone himself actually gets a bit annoyed when people only associate him with westerns; he often points out that he only scored about 30 westerns, whereas he composed over 400 soundtracks for other genres.
In recent years, Tarantino has been using his work extensively in his films, which has helped bring Ennio's legacy to a whole new generation. In fact, for his upcoming film, Morricone actually composed original music.
Personally, I believe a musician like Morricone is a true rarity in human history. His music can shift seamlessly from terrifyingly dramatic to pieces so beautiful they can easily bring a tear to your eye. His ability to craft melodies and harmonies is simply otherworldly. I've heard people claim that his music sometimes doesn't quite "fit" certain scenes, but honestly, that's exactly what I love about him. He isn't afraid to be uncompromising, creating sounds that challenge the listener, unlike the sterile background music we've become accustomed to in modern cinema. Best of all, unlike many other film composers, Ennio's work stands perfectly on its own for independent listening while simultaneously telling the story through emotion on screen.