Ennio Morricone: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Ennio Morricone came out of Rome's Santa Cecilia conservatory as a trumpeter and Petrassi pupil, then split his life between avant-garde free improvisation and 400-plus film scores. This mix traces the Renaissance polyphony and post-serial experiment under the spaghetti-western twang, the Roman studio scene that supplied his whistlers and sopranos, and the composers and samplers who inherited it all.

The Kynda mix for Ennio Morricone

• Key Influence · Coro di morti by Goffredo Petrassi (1941). Morricone studied composition with Petrassi at Rome's Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, graduating in 1954, and named him the decisive figure of his training. Petrassi's austere 'madrigale drammatico' for male voices, brass, percussion and pianos shows the concentrated dissonance and choral-ritual severity Morricone would later smuggle into film: the wordless chants of The Mission and the massed male voices of the Leone westerns descend directly from this school.
• Influencia Obscura · Die Schachtel by Franco Evangelisti (1963). Evangelisti founded Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza in 1964, the Roman collective of composers improvising without scores that Morricone joined as trumpeter and stayed with for decades. Evangelisti's radical mistrust of notation and his gestural, theatrical sound world shaped the group's method, and that method fed back into Morricone's cinema: prepared instruments, breath noise, screams and grunts used as orchestral material.
• Local Roots · La Dolce Vita by Nino Rota (1960). Rota was the presiding figure of Roman film music when Morricone entered Cinecittà in the early 1960s, and the two defined the city's twin poles: Rota's circus-band irony for Fellini, Morricone's modernist collage for Leone and Pontecorvo. Both worked the same RCA and Cinecittà orchestras, the same session players, the same Via Margutta economy of quick dates and recycled ensembles.
• Beyond the Medium · Missa Papae Marcelli by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1562). Morricone was a lifelong student of Renaissance polyphony and taught counterpoint as the bedrock of his craft, insisting that film music be built on voice-leading rather than colour. Palestrina's serene, rule-bound Roman school is the tradition he inherited by geography as well as training, and you hear it plainly in The Mission's 'On Earth as It Is in Heaven' and the interlocking choral lines of his sacred concert works.
• Peer · Il Postino by Luis Bacalov (1994). Bacalov was Morricone's near-exact contemporary in Rome's scoring world, arriving from Argentina and writing for Pasolini, Damiani and the western cycle — his Django is the other pillar of the genre's sound. Both men navigated the same double life of pop-session arranging and art-cinema commissions; Bacalov's Oscar for Il Postino came from the same Italian melodic tradition Morricone spent his career complicating.
• From the Canon · Once Upon a Time in the West by Ennio Morricone (1968). The score where his method is fully exposed: each character gets a timbre rather than a tune — Edda Dell'Orso's soaring wordless soprano for Jill, harmonica for the avenger, banjo for Cheyenne — and Leone cut the film to playback so the music dictates pacing. It is the clearest demonstration that Morricone was writing dramaturgy, not accompaniment, and the reason directors began hiring him before shooting.
• Key Collaborator · Once Upon a Time in America by Sergio Leone (1984). Leone and Morricone were classmates at a Rome elementary school and reunited on A Fistful of Dollars in 1964, beginning cinema's most symbiotic director-composer partnership. Here Morricone wrote much of the music before shooting and Leone played it on set; the panpipe theme and Deborah's melody dictate the film's rhythm of memory. Leone's editing to music is the reason those cues work as narration.
• Legacy · The Big Gundown by John Zorn (1986). Zorn's album is an explicit reworking of Morricone themes, arranged for his downtown New York ensembles with turntables, harp, klezmer clarinet and free-jazz blasts. Zorn treated Morricone not as kitsch nostalgia but as a fellow avant-gardist who had hidden radical material inside genre cinema — the record did more than anything else to reposition Morricone for experimental listeners outside film circles.

What influenced Ennio Morricone

• Goffredo Petrassi. Morricone studied composition under Petrassi at the Saint Cecilia Conservatory. (also via Coro di morti) “He studied the trumpet, composition, and choral music under the direction of Goffredo Petrassi” (Wikipedia)
• Il deserto by Egisto Macchi (1969). Il deserto (Egisto Macchi) — ghost for Ennio Morricone “It is in the same year that he joined Franco Evangelisti's Gruppo di Improvvisazione di Nuova Consonanza, an avant garde improvisation group that also recruited Macchi's close friend and collaborator Ennio Morricone.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Saint Cecilia Conservatory. Morricone studied trumpet at the Saint Cecilia Conservatory. “He entered the Saint Cecilia Conservatory to take trumpet lessons under the guidance of Umberto Semproni.” (Wikipedia)
• Coro di morti by Goffredo Petrassi (1941). Coro di morti (Goffredo Petrassi) — titan for Ennio Morricone “He studied the trumpet, composition, and choral music under the direction of Goffredo Petrassi, to whom Morricone would later dedicate concert pieces.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Die Schachtel by Franco Evangelisti (1963). Die Schachtel (Franco Evangelisti) — ghost for Ennio Morricone “"Improvisation als 'weiteste Ausdehnung des Begriffs der aleatorischen Musik': Franco Evangelisti und die Improvisationsgruppe Nuova Consonanza".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Missa Papae Marcelli by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1562). Missa Papae Marcelli (Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina) — culture for Ennio Morricone (musicbrainz.org)
• Fiori musicali by Girolamo Frescobaldi (1635). Fiori musicali (Girolamo Frescobaldi) — culture for Ennio Morricone (musicbrainz.org)
• The Art of Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach (1740). The Art of Fugue (Johann Sebastian Bach) — culture for Ennio Morricone (musicbrainz.org)
• The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. The Rite of Spring (Igor Stravinsky) — titan for Ennio Morricone
• Six Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6 by Anton Webern (1910). Six Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6 (Anton Webern) — titan for Ennio Morricone

Peers and kindred spirits

• Sergio Leone. Leone and Morricone's long collaboration began with A Fistful of Dollars. (also via Once Upon a Time in America) “The collaboration with Leone is considered one of the exemplary collaborations between a director and a composer.” (Wikipedia)
• Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino used Morricone's existing tracks in Inglourious Basterds. (also via The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) “Tarantino did use eight tracks composed by Morricone in the film, with four of them included on the soundtrack” (Wikipedia)
• John Zorn (1953). John Zorn recorded a tribute album of Morricone's music, The Big Gundown. (via The Big Gundown) “John Zorn recorded an album of Morricone's music, The Big Gundown , with Keith Rosenberg in the mid-1980s.” (Wikipedia)
• Il Postino by Luis Bacalov. Il Postino (Luis Bacalov) — peer for Ennio Morricone “9; Nicole, 1962), Rita Pavone (Come te non c'e' nessuno and Pel di carota from 1962, arranged by Luis Bacalov), Catherine Spaak (Penso a te; Questi vent'anni miei, 1964), Luigi Tenco (Quello che conta; Tra tanta gente; 1962), Gino Paoli …” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Once Upon a Time in America by Sergio Leone (1984). Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone) — collaborator for Ennio Morricone “His filmography includes more than 70 award-winning films, all of Sergio Leone's films from A Fistful of Dollars on, all of Giuseppe Tornatore's films since Cinema Paradiso, Dario Argento's Animal Trilogy, as well as The Battle of Algier…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Lady Frankenstein by Alessandro Alessandroni (1971). Lady Frankenstein (Alessandro Alessandroni) — collaborator for Ennio Morricone “With the score of A Fistful of Dollars, Morricone began his 20-year collaboration with his childhood friend Alessandro Alessandroni and his Cantori Moderni.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Il Gruppo. Morricone was a main member of the experimental composers collective Il Gruppo. “From 1966 to 1980, he was a main member of Il Gruppo , one of the first experimental composers collectives.” (Wikipedia)
• Forum Music Village. Morricone co-founded the Forum Music Village recording studio. “In 1969, he co-founded Forum Music Village , a prestigious recording studio.” (Wikipedia)
• Democratic Party. Morricone was a founding member of Italy's Democratic Party. “becoming also a founding member of the Democratic Party (PD) in 2007” (Wikipedia)
• Yo-Yo Ma. Yo-Yo Ma collaborated with Morricone recording an album of his music. “virtuoso cellist Yo-Yo Ma (in 2004), who both recorded albums of Morricone classics with the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra and Morricone himself conducting” (Wikipedia)
• Dulce Pontes. Morricone collaborated with Dulce Pontes on the album Focus. “Morricone collaborated with world music artists, such as Portuguese fado singer Dulce Pontes (in 2003 with Focus” (Wikipedia)
• Pet Shop Boys. Morricone collaborated with the Pet Shop Boys on a song. “In 1987, Morricone co-wrote It Couldn't Happen Here with the Pet Shop Boys.” (Wikipedia)
• Sting. Morricone composed a song for Sting. “My heart and I (2001) by Sting” (Wikipedia)
• Joan Baez. Morricone collaborated with Joan Baez on Sacco e Vanzetti's 'Here's to You'. “he collaborated with the legendary American folk singer and activist Joan Baez” (Wikipedia)
• Morrissey (1959). Morricone arranged strings for a Morrissey track. “Morricone provided the string arrangements on Morrissey's "Dear God Please Help Me" from the album Ringleader of the Tormentors in 2006.” (Wikipedia)
• Hayley Westenra. Morricone collaborated with Hayley Westenra on her album. “In spring and summer 2010, Morricone worked with Hayley Westenra for a collaboration on her album Paradiso.” (Wikipedia)
• Laura Pausini. Morricone collaborated with Laura Pausini on a re-recording. “In 2013, Morricone collaborated with Italian singer Laura Pausini on a new version of her hit single " La solitudine "” (Wikipedia)
• Andrea Morricone. Morricone collaborated with son Andrea on scores. “In the late 1990s, he collaborated with his son Andrea on the Ultimo crime dramas” (Wikipedia)
• Metallica. Metallica covered Morricone's composition. (via The Ecstasy of Gold) “An instrumental metal cover by Metallica (with minimal vocals by lead singer James Hetfield ) appeared on the 2007 Morricone tribute album We All Love Ennio Morricone” (Wikipedia)
• The Prodigy. The Prodigy repurposed Morricone's score in their album. (via The Big Gundown) “The Prodigy repurposed Morricone's score from 1966's La resa dei conti (Seconda Caccia) for The Big Gundown on 2009's Invaders Must Die.” (Wikipedia)
• The Mars Volta. The Mars Volta uses Morricone's Fistful of Dollars theme live. (via A Fistful of Dollars) “The theme from A Fistful of Dollars is also used as a concert intro by The Mars Volta.” (Wikipedia)
• Coolio. Coolio sampled Morricone's 'The Ecstasy of Gold' for his song. (via The Ecstasy of Gold) “In 2009, the Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist Coolio extensively sampled the theme for his song "Change".” (Wikipedia)
• La Dolce Vita by Nino Rota (1960). La Dolce Vita (Nino Rota) — geography for Ennio Morricone (musicbrainz.org)
• Svezia, inferno e paradiso by Piero Umiliani (1968). Svezia, inferno e paradiso (Piero Umiliani) — geography for Ennio Morricone (musicbrainz.org)
• Sette uomini d'oro by Armando Trovajoli (1965). Sette uomini d'oro (Armando Trovajoli) — geography for Ennio Morricone “==== First film scores ==== After graduation in 1954, Morricone started to write and arrange music as a ghost writer for films credited to already well-known composers, while also arranging for many light music orchestras of the RAI tele…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• All the Colors of the Dark by Bruno Nicolai (1972). All the Colors of the Dark (Bruno Nicolai) — collaborator for Ennio Morricone “While studying piano and composition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, he befriended Ennio Morricone and formed a long working relationship, with Nicolai eventually conducting for and co-scoring films with Morricone.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Leopard by Nino Oliviero (1963). The Leopard (Nino Oliviero) — peer for Ennio Morricone
• Il gattopardo by Carlo Rustichelli (1963). Il gattopardo (Carlo Rustichelli) — peer for Ennio Morricone

Who Ennio Morricone influenced

• Hans Zimmer. Wikipedia states Morricone influenced Hans Zimmer. (also via Once Upon a Time in the West, Gladiator) “He has influenced many artists including Hans Zimmer” (Wikipedia)
• Adrian Utley (1957). Utley names Morricone's music as a major personal influence. (also via The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) “Utley has mentioned the spaghetti western guitar music composed by Ennio Morricone as a big influence; he said that "[Morricone's] The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is the sort of soundtrack that I love".” (Wikipedia)
• Radiohead (1985). Ennio Morricone was among the artists Radiohead listened to for inspiration during OK Computer sessions. “listening to the Beatles , DJ Shadow , Ennio Morricone and Miles Davis for inspiration.” (Wikipedia)
• Fields of the Nephilim. Fields of the Nephilim listed as influenced by Morricone. “He has influenced many artists including Hans Zimmer , [ 10 ] Danger Mouse , [ 11 ] Dire Straits , [ 12 ] Muse , [ 13 ] Metallica , [ 14 ] Fields of the Nephilim , [ 15 ] and Radiohead” (Wikipedia)
• Mike Patton. Mike Patton was heavily influenced by Morricone's experimental work. “Singer and composer Mike Patton was heavily influenced by Morricone's more experimental oeuvre” (Wikipedia)
• Gnarls Barkley. Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy' was inspired by Morricone. “Gnarls Barkley 's hit single " Crazy " (2006) was musically inspired by Morricone.” (Wikipedia)
• Alex Turner. Alex Turner cited Morricone's influence on his songwriting. “Alex Turner has noted Morricone's influence on his writing, in particular on The Last Shadow Puppets album The Age of the Understatement of 2008.” (Wikipedia)
• David Guetta (1967). David Guetta's song influenced by Morricone's western scores. “" Lovers on the Sun ", a song released in 2014 by French music producer David Guetta , is influenced by Morricone's western scores.” (Wikipedia)
• Anna Calvi. Anna Calvi cited Morricone as an influence. “Anna Calvi has cited Morricone as an influence.” (Wikipedia)
• Sabaton. Sabaton based a song partly on Morricone's style. “Sabaton , known for their history based music, based their song on "Audie Murphy (To Hell and Back)" partly on Morricone's style, according to the band's singer.” (Wikipedia)
• Sea Girls. Sea Girls' song influenced by Morricone's Good, the Bad and the Ugly score. (via The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) “Sea Girls ' song " Lonely " was written on the day of Morricone's death and is influenced by his music, particularly on the film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” (Wikipedia)
• PJ Harvey. PJ Harvey said Morricone's score inspired her song 'Telco'. (via Guns for San Sebastian) “PJ Harvey has said that Morricone's score for Guns for San Sebastian inspired the song "Telco" from her 1995 album To Bring You My Love.” (Wikipedia)
• The Big Gundown by John Zorn (1986). The Big Gundown (John Zorn) — legacy for Ennio Morricone “Their influence can be heard in free improvising ensembles from the European movements including the Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble, the Swiss electronic free improvisation group Voice Crack, John Zorn, and in the techniques of mo…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Gladiator by Hans Zimmer. Gladiator (Hans Zimmer) — legacy for Ennio Morricone “He has influenced many artists including Hans Zimmer, Danger Mouse, Dire Straits, Muse, Metallica, Fields of the Nephilim, and Radiohead.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Rome by Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi (2011). Rome (Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi) — legacy for Ennio Morricone
• Danger Mouse. Danger Mouse cited as influenced by Morricone. (also via Rome)
• Dire Straits. Dire Straits listed as influenced by Morricone.
• Muse. Muse explicitly cites Morricone as influence.