Music to remember Ennio Morricone

This Monday, July 6, Ennio Morricone died in a hospital in Rome. The Italian composer signed in his life more than five hundred soundtracks for films of different genres. He was also an excellent orchestral teacher, in the sixties, his film career began by training alongside the director Sergio Leone, with whom he collaborated repeatedly. Although he is recognized for his compositions for the films of the subgenre spaghetti westerns, his legacy also extends outside this genre to the point of being considered one of the most versatile composers of cinema and of the century. Some of the compositions we list here are considered masterpieces.

Morricone, 91, was admitted to a clinic in Rome on Monday after suffering a fall. In the announcement of his death, his family declared that he had died accompanied and after saying goodbye to his wife María. The composer also left a letter saying goodbye to his loved ones and that his family has made public. We gather here some of his most recognized works to remember him in the week of his death.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)

One of his sixties collaborations with Sergio Leone. This film is the founder of the genre spaghetti western and is considered one of the best in history. The composition of the soundtrack was entirely done by Morricone and the main theme has become a classic of the Wild West. This film is part of the Dollar Trilogy along with For a Fistful of Dollars (1964) and A Few Dollars More, whose soundtracks were also composed by Morricone.

Days of Heaven (1978)

The film in which director Terrence Malick defined his style and tone and moved away from commercial cinema. A woman recounts in voiceover the love triangle between a woman, her boyfriend and her husband in the American fields of the beginning of the century. In the background, Morricone's compositions accompany the story starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adas and Sam Shepard.

Also read: Biopics we can't wait for

The Mission (1986)

Starring Robert DeNiro and Jeremy Irons, The Mission is a movie about faith and the new world. Its two protagonists face each other at the mouth of Río de la Plata in the context of the Colonia de Sacramento dispute. In the middle of this fight, we listened to the soundtrack of Morricone, whose music plays an important role, since it is the way in which one of the characters, that of Jeremy Irons, relates to the Indians of Río de la Plata. Another sample of the variety of film genres for which Morricone composed.

The untouchables (1987)

Western, romance, drama and now gangsters. Morricone's music brings to life this eighties box office hit based on the Eliott Ness novel. Starring Kevin Costner, this film follows Eliot Ness, an idealistic federal agent, amid alcohol prohibition and his persecution of boss Al Capone, played by Robert DeNiro. Morricone received much applause for his compositions for this film.

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

It is perhaps the one for which he is best known, in addition to westerns. The soundtrack of this film is listed as a true masterpiece not only of the Italian composer but also of the history of cinema. Directed by Guiseppe Tornatore, Cinema Paradiso is a declaration of love for cinema, a nostalgic portrait of post-war Italy, and a tribute to films.