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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

RIP Ennio Morricone, 1928-2020

Dan Webster

One of the most significant features of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns was the music.

Along with the likes of Clint Eastwood, Elis Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Charles Bronson and even Henry Fonda, Leone would use the vast landscapes of Spain, all conveyed in wide-screen format, along with long takes, and repetitive sequencing, to affect his own style of the classic western.

But it was Morricone's music, which he wrote for a number of filmmakers, that remains most memorable. The man, who died today in Rome, created as many cinematic ear-worms as any movie composer ever.

Nominated six times for an Oscar, he won only once — in 2016 for Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight." (He was also awarded an honorary Oscar in 2007 for " his magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music.") If you saw "The Hateful Eight" in the theater as I did, you know that Tarantino began his film with a musical interlude that put Morricone's music front and center.

Take the time to listen to the YouTube video below to get a full feel for what Morricone managed to achieve over his long career.. The man is gone, but his music lives on.