Ennio Morricone – Deborah’s Theme (1984)

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The world of music lost a great man this week. Prolific and enduring, Ennio Morricone won an Oscar for the soundtrack of The Hateful Eight as recently 2016 at the ripe old age of 87. Not a bad career for someone that originally achieved fame in 1964 for the first of Sergio Leone’s crossover westerns – A Fistful Of Dollars. Nevertheless, loved though he was, he was certainly under appreciated in some quarters. Before he received his 2006 Oscar for contributions to the art of film music, Morricone had been incredulously overlooked for his work on 1984’s Once Upon a Time in America and 1986’s The Mission. ‘Deborah’s Theme’ immortalised the score of the former. R.I.P. Ennio.

Ennio Morricone – Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

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From the greatest western to ever grace the silver screen, Ennio Morricone’s ‘Cera Una Volta Il West’ is as sublime as the movie itself. The spatial awareness of the music, the characterised theme tunes, the audiovisual crane shots, the face of Claudia Cardinale… need I say more.  Superlatives would not do it justice, so I’ve chipped away at the magnificence instead; I’ve chosen a YouTube clip that has the nostalgic sound quality of my overplayed VHS tape. Have a great weekend.