(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll162/ginastrokes/Ennio_Morricone_108613o.jpg)
The man seen above is film composer Ennio Morricone, one of my all-time favorites. You've undoubtedly heard his work before, if only from the theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. His work with Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci, and other directors named Sergio, helped define what we think of as the sound of the western film. In Once Upon a Time in the West, he and Leone brought sound and music to a level of narrative importance seldom seen in other films.
But Morricone is so much more than his western themes. From the lush exotic pop of the theme to Ad Ogni Costo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ieo4SL8qGS4), to the nervous horror themes of Italian giallos like The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q244qkDlqCI), to the sweeping and beautiful orchestration of the scores for The Mission (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gonKhSIBP54) and Cinema Paradiso (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkIsX5G8WyQ), Morricone was and is constantly stretching his talents in new directions.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to create a piece of music that's inspired by Morricone. This can be an homage to a specific piece of music, an exploration of the sorts of sounds he composed, or a piece in your own style intended as a tribute. I'm going to be fairly lenient with what qualifies this round.
If you're drawing on specific pieces, feel free to link to them, or feel free to make us guess!
Competition will end on May 3, and I'll choose a winner. Good luck and happy composing, everyone!
Nobody take the challenge?
I may post something that I am doing for the MAGS competition, can I ?
Sure, if it fits, I'll allow double-dipping!
Seems I chose a poor theme for this contest. :-[
Anyone planning to submit something? There's now less than 48 hours to go....
ok, tried this one.
http://spectrum.agsarchives.com/music/morricone_impro.mp3
Great theme and did want to contribute but I just haven't had time. Sorry Eric!
(http://www.spaghetti-western.net/images/c/c1/ArrivaSartana_LobbyCards_12.jpg)
This is how I imagine you playing that, Woltaire, on Sartana's deadly pipe organ (though the score for this film was by a Morricone protege, Bruno Nicolai). I'll comment more on this composition after the comp is over!
m0ds -- no problem. I was just worried that my theme had scared everyone away!
You may see my little Ennio inspiration in that :
www.nitro-piano.com/Mort2.mp3
Thanks for the fantastic entries! I need to take the day off tomorrow, but I'm going to put your tracks on loop while I work, and will return to announce a winner on Saturday!
I've just realized I hate judging these contests because I hate having to choose one piece over another. But that's the task I set forth for myself when I started this thing, so....
Two fantastic entries again this time.
Le Woltaire - I can hear the bits of Morricone that you're paying homage to here, the mismatched twang of Harmonica's theme, the callback to the alternating notes that open The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, the sort of double homage to Bach's Toccata and Fugue by way of Morricone's ringing organ in "Sixty Seconds to What?" There's some nice dynamicism, and some great moments where melody suddenly appears from a pool of discord.
Doc Savage - Your piece reminded me strongly of later Morricone, especially of his work for Cinema Paradiso, and super especially the beautiful and haunting love theme. The three voices come together to create something wonderfully cinematic, and equally beautiful and haunting. Is this for your MAGS game?
This is a hard decision to make, but I think in the end, I have to give the prize to Doc Savage, just because his piece is a little more tightly composed and polished. Le Woltaire -- you drew on all of the right pieces for me, and I hope you won't mind second place this week!
:) only a true morricone fan could have sense that cinema paradiso feel - you were spot on.
This was for the tune contest and also is in the Mags of this month : Wages Of Darkness :)
Pretty surprising game if you haven't played yet.
Thanks !