1. Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone is probably one of the most, if not the most, polyvalent and influential score composer of movie history, having written for European and American composers for decades, for a multitude of movie genres. Fun fact: he even composed the main theme of the 1978 FIFA World Cup held in Argentina. He is best known for his work with Sergio Leone, especially for the spaghetti westerns (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, For a Few Dollars More, A Fistful of Dollars) starring Clint Eastwood, and the masterpiece of the Western genre, Once Upon a Time in the West. In America, Morricone is mostly known for his score for The Mission, of which the main theme, Gabriel’s Oboe, is considered by many as the most beautiful piece ever written for cinema. Morricone’s music keeps being used in films today, for instance in Quentin Tarantino’s works, where it takes a predominant place. Morricone’s scores have been recognized in 2007 with the Academy Honorary Award.
Here is the soundtrack of the lovely Italian film Cinema Paradiso, which would never have been so touching without the beautiful score of this great composer.