As it sometimes happens, a person dies and a part of the world dies with him. Ennio Morricone is one such person. A brilliant composer of film scores, Morricone passed away on July 6, 2020 at the age of 91, leaving behind a prodigious output of some 500 film scores, including some of the most iconic compositions to ever grace the screen. His death leaves a palpable gap in film music, one that will be a hard act to follow. Below, I’ve chosen three Morricone compositions as a small tribute to the master. The pieces are: “La Califfa”, the gorgeous score the 1970 Franco-Italian drama film of the same name directed by Alberto Bevilacqua, followed back-to-back by “Once Upon a Time in America” (1984) from the movie of the same name directed by Morricone’s long-time friend and collaborator, Sergio Leone. The final piece is “Gabriel’s Oboe”, the main theme for the 1986 film The Mission directed by Roland Joffé. Gabriel’s Oboe is performed exquisitely by two popular cellists, Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser at the Lisinki Concert Hall in Zagreb in 2015.

Ennio Morricone, ‘La Califfa’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in America’

Ennio Morricone, ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’ from The Mission (1986)