Once Upon a Time in the West
ABOUT THE MUSIC
We will be performing pieces written by arguably the world’s most important film composer, Ennio Morricone. Not only was he a composer, but he was also an orchestrator, conductor AND trumpet player! He scored over 400 films in his lifetime, and interestingly, wrote down every single note himself!
LEARN MORE ABOUT MORRICONE’S LIFE
Photo credit: ©Ferdinando Scianna / Magnum Photos
ENNIO MORRICONE’S “THEME” FROM ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
Did you know: Director Sergio Leone had Morricone compose the key themes before filming even began for Once Upon a Time In The West? He did this to inspire his cast with Morricone’s music. Each song in the film relates to the main characters, meaning every character has their own theme song!
JOHN WILLIAMS’ COWBOYS: OVERTURE
Williams’ notable career spanning over five decades has only included composing scores for less than five Westerns in total! The main theme in Cowboys evokes images of galloping horses, sweeping landscapes, and of course…cowboys. After listening to this 1972 movie, we wish Williams had composed even more Westerns!
AARON COPLAND’S RODEO: FOUR DANCE EPISODES
Copland’s most enduring successes with compositions celebrate the folk culture of America, and can be found in works like, Rodeo(1942). The plot follows a cowgirl who dresses and acts like a man in hopes of impressing a handsome wrangler. When she realizes the tactic isn’t working, she goes back to wearing skirts and eventually wins him over.