# Is Ennio Morricone the best composer of the 20th century?



## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

Is Ennio Morricone the best composer of the 20th century?

I think he is.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

He would not be in my top100 of the century - and I like his work.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

Art Rock said:


> He would not be in my top100 of the century - and I like his work.


How much do you know about the works of Ennio Morricone?


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

He is really great if you're drinking booze! :devil:


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I've listened to about ten suites from his films, including the most famous ones.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

It would be a tiny minority opinion, in the least, to say so.


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

.........................................................


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

Art Rock said:


> I've listened to about ten suites from his films, including the most famous ones.


Ennio Morricone was not a western movie composer because it was the minority of his works.

Most people don't actually know the works of Ennio Morricone. Probably you don't either.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

Kjetil Heggelund said:


> He is really great if you're drinking booze! :devil:


Then you know who is Ennio Morricone actually


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

atsizat said:


> Is Ennio Morricone the best composer of the 20th century?
> 
> I think he is.


It's unlikely that many here will agree, but if he works for you then that's all that matters.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

It's music that's pretty engaging in films (my fave Morricone scores are probably _The Good, the Bad and the Ugly_ and _The Untouchables_), but, just as the music of other dedicated film composers, really none of it stands up at all as satisfying listening independently from the films beyond evoking nostalgia for the films it came from. The only people who think so are lying about the nostalgic appeal or are really, really ignorant about the pre-existing concert music it was lifted from.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

Knorf said:


> It's music that's pretty engaging in films (my fave Morricone scores are probably _The Good, the Bad and the Ugly_ and _The Untouchables_), but, just as the music of other dedicated film composers, really none of it stands up at all as satisfying listening independently from the films beyond evoking nostalgia for the films it came from. The only people who think so are lying about the nostalgic appeal or are really, really ignorant about the pre-existing concert music it was lifted from.


I don't like it when everybody brings up his western music compositons because he was a hell lot greater than this.

It is so pity that a composer as great as Ennio Morricone will be remembered as a western movie composer even though it was the minority of his works.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

Let me tell you something. If Ennio Morricone was just about his western music pieces. I would give zero sh** about thim. Zero. ZERO.

So I don't wanna hear about THE GOOD THE BAD THE UGLY.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

It also pisses me off that when I say Vivaldi, everybody says 4 seasons.

I am also a great lover of Vivaldi.

Vivaldi is also my best composer from the 18th century (I like him more than Bach and Mozart as a composer who lived in the 18th century).


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Is Ennio Morricone the best composer of the 20th century?

No and if one did find him to be ‘the best composer of the 20th Century’, I’d seriously have question if they’ve ever sat down and listened to Debussy, Mahler, Strauss, Bartók, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Stravinsky et. al.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

Neo Romanza said:


> Is Ennio Morricone the best composer of the 20th century?
> 
> No and if one did find him to be 'the best composer of the 20th Century', I'd seriously have question if they've ever sat down and listened to Debussy, Mahler, Strauss, Bartók, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Stravinsky et. al.


Did you ever listen to this?

If this is not great music, then nothing is.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

I don't remember how many times I got blackout drunk listening to this.


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

atsizat said:


> I don't remember how many times I got blackout drunk listening to this.


nothing wrong with the Lester Bangs approach to music criticism


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

atsizat said:


> I don't like it when everybody brings up his western music compositons because he was a hell lot greater than this.
> 
> It is so pity that a composer as great as Ennio Morricone will be remembered as a western movie composer even though it was the minority of his works.





atsizat said:


> Let me tell you something. If Ennio Morricone was just about his western music pieces. I would give zero sh** about thim. Zero. ZERO.
> 
> So I don't wanna hear about THE GOOD THE BAD THE UGLY.


I find your defensive attitude funny. Not because you're saying something that is actually humorous, but because you're getting pissed off at someone's experience with Morricone's music and for sharing a different opinion about him. I think he was a fine film composer. I loved the soundtracks to _The Good, the Bad and the Ugly_, _Once Upon a Time in America_, _Once Upon a Time in the West_, _The Mission_, _Cinema Paradiso_ among others. Outside of these film music, he's not a terribly interesting composer and he sure as hell doesn't stand up against composers like Debussy, Mahler or Shostakovich for example.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

Neo Romanza said:


> I find your defensive attitude funny. Not because you're saying something that is actually humorous, but because you're getting pissed off at someone's experience with Morricone's music and for sharing a different opinion about him. I think he was a fine film composer. I loved the soundtracks to _The Good, the Bad and the Ugly_, _Once Upon a Time in America_, _Once Upon a Time in the West_, _The Mission_, _Cinema Paradiso_ among others. Outside of these film music, he's not a terribly interesting composer and he sure as hell doesn't stand up against composers like Debussy, Mahler or Shostakovich for example.


Are you telling me you don't like these?


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

I think Morricone shows enough sheer musicality and talent (he has an astonishingly deep catalog of works, many for terrible, forgotten films- he wasn't a "bring out the big guns" guy like John Williams was, he'd score prestige films and bad films alike) that he could have been great in any field, including classical music, if he wanted to, but he apparently didn't. And who can blame him?


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

fbjim said:


> I think Morricone shows enough sheer musicality and talent (he has an astonishingly deep catalog of works, many for terrible, forgotten films) that he could have been great if he wanted to, but he apparently didn't. And who can blame him?


The problem with Ennio Morricone is people actually don't know his music.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

For example, who knows this music? No one.


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

I wonder how much of it is borderline lost. It's not just film music - he did television and production music as well. I hope there's some scholarly attempt to catalog his art.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

atsizat said:


> Did you ever listen to this?
> 
> If this is not great music, then nothing is.


Again, your defensive attitude isn't scoring you any points with anyone. It's fine that you like Morricone's music and it's also fine if you believe him to be the greatest 20th Century composer, but, bear in mind, that I have a right to call you out on your claim, which is what I'm doing and will continue to do.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

Neo Romanza said:


> Again, your defensive attitude isn't scoring you any points with anyone. It's fine that you like Morricone's music and it's also fine if you believe him to be the greatest 20th Century composer, but, bear in mind, that I have a right to call you out on your claim, which is what I'm doing and will continue to do.


Did you even listen to the music you quoted?


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Morricone is far from the "greatest" 20th c composer. He is a very likeable one. His music falls easily on the ear but that's not enough. He was a fine film composer. His concert music is too little known to really evaluate him completely. I've played several of his movie scores in pops concerts; even arranged one GBU for orchestra. But in all these years I've only played one of his non-movie works, the 1955 Cantata for chorus and orchestra, once. And it wasn't exactly the most memorable thing. Nino Rota was a better composer, really.


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## Andrew Kenneth (Feb 17, 2018)

Thanks to this thread I did a wiki search on Morricone and discovered he was part of an avant-garde free improvisation group called : "Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza".

from the wikipedia page => : " The collective was formed by Italian composer Franco Evangelisti in Rome in 1964. Drawing on jazz, serialism, musique concrete, and other avant-garde techniques developed by contemporary classical music composers such as Luigi Nono and Giacinto Scelsi, the group was dedicated to the development of new music techniques by improvisation, noise-techniques, and anti-musical systems. The group members and frequent guests made use of extended techniques on traditional classical instruments, as well as prepared piano, tape music and electronic music. During the 1970s the music continued to evolve to embrace techniques and genres such as guitar feedback and funk. In addition to concerts, the group issued a series of albums and contributed to many scores by group member Ennio Morricone, including A Quiet Place in the Country (1968) and Cold Eyes of Fear (1971).[3] The group slowly disbanded after Evangelisti's death in 1980."

wiki => https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruppo_di_Improvvisazione_Nuova_Consonanza

Even DG were in on their act =>


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

atsizat said:


> Did you even listen to the music you quoted?


Whether I listened to them or not holds no bearing on my afore mentioned assertion. I told you I've liked the Morricone I heard in the films I mentioned, but beyond that, I don't think he holds up against Debussy, Mahler et. al., so no he isn't the greatest 20th Century composer.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

<<Jean Sibelius has entered the chat>>


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

MatthewWeflen said:


> <<Jean Sibelius has entered the chat>>


:lol: Although, it is interesting that Sibelius thought Bartók was the greatest 20th Century composer.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Neo Romanza said:


> :lol: Although, it is interesting that Sibelius thought Bartók was the greatest 20th Century composer.


I'm sure Mahler thought Mahler was the greatest, though


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

* Is Ennio Morricone the best composer of the 20th century?*

He's certainly the best composer of the 20th century with the name Ennio Morricone!

And you _may_ quote me on that!


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

MatthewWeflen said:


> I'm sure Mahler thought Mahler was the greatest, though


There's probably some truth in that for sure, although he did admire Wagner and Bruckner. He once said of Bruckner that he was "Half simpleton, half God".


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Neo Romanza said:


> he did admire *Wagner and Bruckner*.


"Wagner and Beethoven", actually. There is a good discussion on this; https://www.talkclassical.com/71596-what-your-first-experience-4.html#post2105709


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

MatthewWeflen said:


> <<Jean Sibelius has entered the chat>>


I actually think he had entered it earlier, but left soon after:


janxharris said:


> .........................................................


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

I've read similar superlatives written about Morricone before...

The diversity and volume of Morricone's work, at the level of quality he wrote it, is not to be underestimated. He was a giant of European film scoring, with over 400 productions to his name, plus many concert works, very much an European equal match to America's Jerry Goldsmith.

My own initial scepticism about his ability had to be rolled back more than a few times. I am by no means a "fan in the know", but some of the scores that well represent his craft are:

1966 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
1968 Il Mercenario
1969 Queimada
1971 Verushka; Giu La Testa
1975 The Human Factor (Il giustiziere)
1977 Orca
1979 L'Umanoide
1983 Once Upon a Time in America
1986 The Mission
1987 Secret of the Sahara
1988 Cinema Paradiso (the famous _Love Theme_ written by his son, Andrea Morricone); Frantic
1990 State of Grace

He was a prolific, polystylist composer whose experimental combinations influenced many musicians, especially in Europe, across a variety of genres. He was a recipient of the Polaris Prize for music, the Pontifical Golden Medal, the Princess of Asturias award, and the French Legion of Honour, among other awards.

It is beyond any doubt to me that every composer of note active in Europe today has heard of Ennio Morricone and most of them either do respect his work, or would if they heard more of it.

Even if his music is a fair bit too pop-ish in instrumental choices for my taste, I would say that Morricone does deserve a standing as something of a 20th century Telemann (no pun intended), and I certainly do see him as belonging to a high echelon among 20th century composers.


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## Skakner (Oct 8, 2020)

I like Morricone's film music but...best composer of 20th century?

With Mahler, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Strauss, Stravinsky, Bartok, Prokofiev (and maybe some others) deleted from the History of Music, this question could have some meaning.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

Neo Romanza said:


> Whether I listened to them or not holds no bearing on my afore mentioned assertion. I told you I've liked the Morricone I heard in the films I mentioned, but beyond that, I don't think he holds up against Debussy, Mahler et. al., so no he isn't the greatest 20th Century composer.


Why not try the music you quoted earlier?


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

atsizat said:


> Is Ennio Morricone the best composer of the 20th century?
> 
> I think he is.


I think he isn't.....


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

It's hard to tell when someone's trolling. But when the effect is the same, the intention doesn't matter.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Good? Sure.
Greatest? No.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

amfortas said:


> It's hard to tell when someone's trolling. But when the effect is the same, the intention doesn't matter.


What?

Most don't know the works of Ennio Morricone. They have to bring up the Good the Bad The Ugly sadly.

Ennio Morricone was NOT a western movie composer. It was only a small percentage of his works.

So... no point in bringing up the good the bad the ugly or his other western music everytime when one says Ennio Morricone


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

No. No he isn't.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Having around 85 soundtracks by Morricone in my music collection, I can say I 'know' his various musical facets well enough to assess his position(s).

Within the realm of Italian soundtracks, I rank Morricone below my Top 10:

1. Piero Piccioni
2. Roberto Nicolosi
3. Mario Migliardi
4. Gino Marinuzzu jr.
5. Carlo Savina
6. Egisto Macchi
7. Angelo Franceso Lavagnino
8. Armando Trovajoli
9. Giovanni Fusco
10. Giorgio Gaslini
11. Ennio Morricone
12. Manuel de Sica
13. Mario Nascimbene
14. Lallo Gori
15. Vittorio Gelmetti
16. Riz Ortolani
17. Piero Umiliani
18. Gianfranco Plenizio
19. Roman Vlad
20. Gianni Ferrio

With respect to the 20th century composers of abstract/absolute concert/stage works, my ranking of Italians is ...

1. Giacinto Scelsi
2. Luigi Dallapiccola
3. Luciano Berio
4. Goffredo Petrassi
5. Alessandro Solbiati
6. Bruno Maderna
7. Luca Francesconi
8. Ennio Morricone 



9. Sylvano Bussotti
10. Luigi Nono

I prefer Morricone over Nono ... and I think Morricone is greater than a number of other Italians whose music I don't care for (Franco Donatoni, Salvatore Sciarrino, etc.) ... but he's not THE greatest to me.

Scelsi is my 2nd favorite 'classical' composer, whilst Piccioni is my 3rd favorite composer of film music.

Now this in no way means Morricone isn't a 1st rate writer; I'd sooner say Morricone's music is indespensible rather than 'greatest' of all time.

FYI, here are my favorite dozen Morricone soundtrack albums:

1. Tarantola Dal Ventre Nero, La (Black Belly Of The Tarantula)
2. Lucertola Con La Pelle Di Donna, Una (A Lizard In A Woman's Skin)
3. Addio Fratello Crudele ('Tis Pity She's A *****)
4. The Stendhal Syndrome
5. Giustiziere, Il (The Human Factor)
6. Uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo, L' (The Bird With The Crystal Plumage)
7. Poliziotto Della Brigata Criminale, Il (Fear Over The City)
8. Giornata Nera Per L'Ariete (The Fifth Cord)
9. Macchie Solari (Autopsy)
10. Mose' (Moses The Lawgiver)
11. Gli Occhi Freddi Della Paura (Cold Eyes Of Fear)
12. Tranquillo Posto Di Campagna, Un (A Quiet Place In The Country)

These above I treasure before any of Ennio's Euro-Westerns or post-1975 Hollywood assignments.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

I think Morricone is a very unique and charming film composer. Personally however, I like this better. Reminds me somewhat of Mahler or Shostakovich, just a lot more simple:


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Ethereality said:


> I think Morricone is a very unique and charming film composer. Personally however, I like this better. Reminds me somewhat of Mahler or Shostakovich, just a lot more simple:


My favorite Mahler-like moment in Morricone:


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## jdec (Mar 23, 2013)

Of course not, he is not the best composer of the 20th century. Far from it when we have the likes of Mahler (late), Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Strauss, Bartok, Schoenberg, Debussy (late), Ravel, Rachmaninov, Britten, Vaughan Williams, etc, etc.

And yes, I know Morricone's works....And yes, I like them.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Skakner said:


> I like Morricone's film music but...best composer of 20th century?
> 
> With Mahler, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Strauss, Stravinsky, Bartok, Prokofiev (and maybe some others) deleted from the History of Music, this question could have some meaning.


Prokofiev alone would be enough to stop that notion dead in its tracks. Morricone was an exceptional composer of FILM music-no more, no less. But, even within his genre, he would be far from the best with Bernard Herrmann and Michel Legrand having made greater contributions.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

atsizat said:


> Why not try the music you quoted earlier?


Why insist on beating a dead horse? I told you my thoughts on Morricone --- accept them or don't. At this juncture, you're coming across as nothing more than a troll.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Red Terror said:


> Prokofiev alone would be enough to stop that notion dead in its tracks. Morricone was an exceptional composer of FILM music-no more, no less. But, even within his genre, he would be far from the best with Bernard Herrmann and Michel Legrand having made greater contributions.


Herrmann? Absolutely! But then there's Jerry Goldsmith (who is my favorite film composer), Howard Shore (_The Lord of the Rings_ scores were incredibly well done, IMHO), Erich Wolfgang Korngold, John Barry, Max Steiner, Franz Waxman et. al. I mean the notion that Morricone is better than any of these film music composers is absurd.

Outside of film music, only Korngold, Herrmann and Waxman have actually made worthwhile contributions to classical music. Korngold more than any of the others. He started off as an opera composer, but wrote some exquisite orchestral, chamber, lieder and concerti (esp. in his later years).


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

atsizat said:


> Is Ennio Morricone the best composer of the 20th century?
> 
> I think he is.


Yes, I just looked it up. He is.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

fluteman said:


> Yes, I just looked it up. He is.


The Internet has spoken. :lol:


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

atsizat said:


> Most people don't actually know the works of Ennio Morricone. Probably you don't either.


It would be easy to get one of Morricone's soundtracks in the Top 200 of Talk Classical. You would just have to play the game this way, not that way. I personally like the first way, even our final result, however short-lived.


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## Bourdon (Jan 4, 2019)

Of course he isn't,the thought alone !


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

atsizat said:


> Ennio Morricone was not a western movie composer because it was the minority of his works.
> Most people don't actually know the works of Ennio Morricone. Probably you don't either.


So the sole reason why you think he's the best of the 20th century is because he isn't just a western movie composer?


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Neo Romanza said:


> Outside of film music, only Korngold, Herrmann and Waxman have actually made worthwhile contributions to classical music.


Actually, there are many composers who contributed music to both 'classical' repertoire as well as cinema & TV ... and I don't consider their collective lifetime output as unworthy of my while.
Indeed, I've spent 30 years listening to them.

Yasushi Akutagawa
William Alwyn
Daniele Amfitheatrof
George Antheil
Malcolm Arnold
Tadeusz Baird
Richard Rodney Bennett
Francis Chagrin
Benjamin Frankel
Giorgio Gaslini
Paul Glass
Arthur Honegger
Wilfred Josephs
Elisabeth Lutyens
Toshiro Mayuzumi
Alex North
Jean Prodromidès
Leonard Rosenman
Miklós Rózsa
Gerard Schurmann
Humphrey Searle
Mátyás Seiber
Toru Takemitsu
Mikis Theodorakis
Roman Vlad
etc.

There's more to cinema than only English-language productions just as there's more to 20th century/contemporary classical than what Korngold or Herrmann wrote.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

amfortas said:


> It's hard to tell when someone's trolling. But when the effect is the same, the intention doesn't matter.


I trust that you are not referring to my post Alan....just checking.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Tōru Takemitsu scored a significant number of films. I find his work in the genre a great deal more appealing than Morricone's.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Prodromides said:


> Actually, there are many composers who contributed music to both 'classical' repertoire as well as cinema & TV ... and I don't consider their collective lifetime output as unworthy of my while.
> 
> Yasushi Akutagawa
> William Alwyn
> ...


I'm well aware there are so many composers who wrote film music, but many of them wrote to make ends meet like Shostakovich for example or Schnittke. Someone like Takemitsu made some interesting contributions to the medium, especially his score for _Ran_ where it's essentially Mahler in _Das Lied_ mode meets traditional Japanese music and it's great music. Anyway, I only made a small list based on film composers that _I liked_ and I wasn't trying to exhaustive or anything of the sort. Of those examples I initially cited, I singled out the composers who made important contributions to classical music. So I think your post is over-the-top and rather presumptuous.

Anyway, I made my point about Morricone, so any further reiteration is pointless.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Methinks his music lacks the fluidity of many other composers, including even film composers. I feel his music is more like orchestrated pop. I heard his concerto for orchestra which was the only non film work I could find on youtube, it sounded pretty clunky to me. Check it out here, conducted by his son, next to Nielsen's 4th which I feel is sort of a similiar idiom.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I wasn't aware that Morricone composed the music for The Mission - wonderful film music that beats anything Williams wrote for the movies. Think I'll watch it again tonight.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

mikeh375 said:


> I trust that you are not referring to my post Alan....just checking.


No, not at all. But if you look at whom you were quoting, you're getting warmer.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

How many composers and works do you know to claim that Morricone is the best composer of the 20th century?


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Best composer of the 20th century is either Stravinsky or Bartók — take your pick.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Best 19th-century composer of the 20th century: Richard Strauss.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

hammeredklavier said:


> So the sole reason why you think he's the best of the 20th century is because he isn't just a western movie composer?


Nope. I just don't like him to be called a western movie composer because he is NOT a western movie composer. It just shows that people don't actually know Ennio Morricone.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

Neo Romanza said:


> Why insist on beating a dead horse? I told you my thoughts on Morricone --- accept them or don't. At this juncture, you're coming across as nothing more than a troll.


But you would not even listen and decide how good or bad the music was to you, which you quoted above.

This is pre-judgment.


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

Bulldog said:


> I wasn't aware that Morricone composed the music for The Mission - wonderful film music that beats anything Williams wrote for the movies. Think I'll watch it again tonight.


How about this one?


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

atsizat said:


> Nope. I just don't like him to be called a western movie composer because he is NOT a western movie composer. It just shows that people don't actually know Ennio Morricone.


WE know that Morricone was not a western film composer, but to the public at large he is. That ingenious AH-EE-AH-EE-AH motif from GB&U forever typecast him, however unfairly, as a western film composer par excellence. He wasn't the first composer to be branded for one small example of his output, and he won't be the last. But that simple musical idea was so perfect and memorable that you can't blame people. Several years ago I was hired to do an orchestral arrangement of the theme from GB&U for a pops concert. The opening I used a rain stick, vibra-slap, and snare head with brushes - then an ocarina to play the AhEeAhEeAh - as soon as that was played you could hear the audience chuckle and even clap with approval and appreciation at the familiar sound. There are few works in the literature by any composer that elicits such a response.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

The best composer of the 20th century is Sibelius followed closely by Shostakovich.

Morricone is nowhere near their league nor the league of the likes of Prokofiev, Stavinsky, Bartok ... the list goes on. OP is a very niche opinion.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

amfortas said:


> Best 19th-century composer of the 20th century: Richard Strauss.


I'm not sure if I agree with this entirely. _Salome_ and _Elektra_ were both operas that were Expressionistic in their musical extremes. In fact, here's a surprising quote from Schoenberg: "I was never revolutionary. The only revolutionary in our time was Strauss!" Mighty strong praise about someone who was a 19th Century composer trapped in a 20th Century composer's body.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

amfortas said:


> Best 19th-century composer of the 20th century


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

This is TC. You're supposed to argue about who's the greatest, not the best.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

atsizat said:


> But you would not even listen and decide how good or bad the music was to you, which you quoted above.
> 
> This is pre-judgment.


It doesn't matter what I write at this juncture as you're completely fixated on somehow proving everyone wrong when the fact remains Morricone couldn't carry any of the afore mentioned serious 20th Century composers' lunchbox.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

If 99 people believe Morricone is a weak composer, and 1 person says he's the best, I consider him in TalkClassical's Top 100.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

^ Can't fault that logic.


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## Forster (Apr 22, 2021)

Well, I like _The Thing_ (Carpenter, 1982), but that's because Morricone's score is part of the whole package. No, he's not the greatest composer of the 20thC. He's not, IMHO, even the greatest film composer of any century.

(But then, I'm not a subscriber to notions of 'greatest'.)


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

I remember some players who played on 'The Mission' score telling me how hot-headed he could get if things were not played to his liking.


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

mikeh375 said:


> I remember some players who played on 'The Mission' score telling me how hot-headed he could get if things were not played to his liking.


That's interesting... not quite the temperament described in his biography  But then, the biography consisted of conversations with a man in his 80s...


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Fabulin said:


> That's interesting... not quite the temperament described in his biography  But then, the biography consisted of conversations with a man in his 80s...


I'd say more but shouldn't really to protect the players so I wont. Suffice to say he was also considered to be amazing by them too, so it wasn't total condemnation of him. IIRC it was because of a particular moment in the score that required multiple takes before one was done to his liking.
Sometimes things can get a bit tetchy in a studio when the clock is ticking.


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## Abneretto (7 mo ago)

Hello. This is my first time on this forum and I would like to share with you my recording from Morricone's Theme; this was recorded during the pandemic with the Post-Apocalyptic String Quartet. Thank you.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

atsizat said:


> Did you ever listen to this?
> 
> If this is not great music, then nothing is.


I'm a fan of Morricone, but this is *not* really a great example of what a great composer he was. This is merely a song scored for orchestra. This is orchestral pop. The harmonic structure and harmonic progressions are more in the Popular music genres. Lovely melody; you could easily write lyrics for it and sing it. It's pretty, but "great"? 

Great is

*The Planets
The Firebird
Rhapsody in Blue
Peter Grimes
Pelléas Et Mélisande
Quartet for the End of Time
La Mer
The Rite of Spring
Symphony No. 6, Tragic
Erwartung
Symphony No. 5 (Sibelius)
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
Harmonielehre
Symphony No. 7, Angel of Light*

The music from *The Sicilian Clan*, as good as it may be, is not in the same league.

Regardless, and in spite of *this* sweet little piece of drivel from *Morricone*, I *still* regard him as a *great composer of the 20th Century*. 

*But there is no "Best*". One does not compare *Morricone* to *Williams, Holst, Stravinsky, Lennon/McCartney, Gershwin, Ravel, Debussey, Bartok, Mahler*, and *Copland*. It's like comparing different types of apples, or colors. One simply cannot claim that "Yellow" is the Best Color.


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## Forster (Apr 22, 2021)

No, he's not even the best composer of film music from the 20thC.

That would be...er...Steiner...no, wait, Goldsmith...or is it...um...Hermann or Korngold...

...I'm quite partial to Goodwin too.


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

John Barry was great too! (though Morricone is probably my favorite of the old-school film composers from that era)

(for modern ones, I like Nyman and Greenwood a lot...)


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## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

Isn’t Shostakovich considered the best composer of the 20th century or am I far off?


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

No single composer would be considered the best composer of the 20th century without at least some qualification.


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## VoiceFromTheEther (Aug 6, 2021)

EvaBaron said:


> Isn’t Shostakovich considered the best composer of the 20th century or am I far off?


I thought we have agreed on Stravinsky


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

> Is Ennio Morricone the best composer of the 20th century?


No.


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## Forster (Apr 22, 2021)

fbjim said:


> No single composer would be considered the best composer of the 20th century without at least some qualification.


LRAM at least, surely?


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## AaronSF (Sep 5, 2021)

atsizat said:


> I don't remember how many times I got blackout drunk listening to this.


Well that explains it!


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## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

AaronSF said:


> Well that explains it!


What did you mean by that?


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