Recently, the famous Italian musician Ennio Morricone celebrated his 90th birthday. The composer became famous as the author of music for hundreds of films, as well as the arranger and conductor. At different times, 27 of his discs became gold and 7 platinum. He was awarded dozens of prestigious awards, including twice received an Oscar.
Carier start
Ennio was born into a large family of a jazz trumpeter and a housewife in 1928. His biography is connected with Rome, in the capital of Italy he was born and lived his whole life. At age 12, the boy decided to continue his father’s business and chose the profession of a musician. He became a student at the conservatory, studied with the distinguished teacher Goffredo Petrassi. The young man received diplomas in several areas at once: pipe, instrumentation and composition. At the same time he had to work part time in an ensemble where his father once performed. A year later, the musician was able to get into the theater, for the first time his authorial works sounded there. In 1950, Ennio tried himself as an arranger of songs by popular composers. His work sounded in concert halls and on the radio. Listeners liked the musical arrangements, and Morricone came a real success. In 1960, he began to collaborate with television, creating arrangements for television shows. In the mid-60s, the musician began working with the recording company "RCA", where he created hundreds of song arrangements for Italian popular artists.
Movie soundtracks
For the first time, the composer created music for films at the age of 33. Debut work appeared in the genre of spaghetti westerns. The name Morricone is firmly connected with this trend. After a successful creative union with the director Sergio Leone, cooperation with other domestic filmmakers followed. An amazing feature of Ennio was that he created the melody not at a musical instrument, but at his desk, bringing the idea to perfection.
The incredible talent and performance of the musician helped him get into Hollywood. The composer and arranger created nearly 500 soundtracks for movies. His paintings appeared on the screens once a month. He did not express a preference for one genre of cinema, he liked to experiment. Adhering to classical norms, I used moments of folk music in my work, I tried myself in avant-garde directions. Once Upon a Time in America, Octopus, Professional, The Untouchables, The Abominable Eight are examples of his outstanding works, which have long been hits and independent works.
Personal life
With his wife Maria Travia, the musician started a family more than half a century ago. Love and mutual understanding reign in their union. The couple raised four children. In the footsteps of his father, only the eldest son Andrea went, he became a composer and conductor. Giovanni devoted his life to theatrical direction. Marco deals with copyright issues, Alexander's daughter became a physician. Morricone happily shares with reporters the details of a happy family life. Talking about children, he says that he respected everyone’s professional choice and gave them a quality education.
