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In this first installment of a new irregular series looking at the early career of some iconic composers, we stroll down memory lane to the first works written by the legendary Ennio Morricone. Morricone had studied at the Conservatory of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome, where he specialized in trumpet performance and composition; then, during the late 1950s, Morricone orchestrated and arranged pop songs for the RCA record label, including some for artists such as Paul Anka, Chet Baker and Mina. While working for RCA Morricone also wrote theater music and classical pieces, and began ghostwriting for composers such as Armando Trovajoli and Mario Nascimbene, before making before making his credited film debut in 1961. These first reviews look at sixteen scores Morricone that wrote between 1961 and 1965, including one of his most groundbreaking spaghetti western scores.

IL FEDERALE [THE FASCIST] (1961)

Il Federale was the first film for which Ennio Morricone, then aged 32, received a screen credit as a composer. It’s an Italian comedy, directed by Luciano Salce, set during World War II about a Mussolini-worshipping but somewhat impressionable and naïve fascist played by Udo Tognazzi, who is sent on an assignment to the Italian countryside, where he has to arrest a prominent liberal professor (played by Georges Wilson) and bring him back to Rome for interrogation. Of course, hi-jinks ensure on the road back to Il Duce’s capital, as the older teacher slowly educates the young soldier about life, politics, and the way of the world. It’s also interesting to note that Morricone would work frequently with Udo’s son Ricky Tognazzi, who is a director – Morricone scored the films La Scorta (1993), Vite Strozzati (1996) and Canone Inverso (2000) for him.

Truthfully, the film would likely be forgotten today were it not for the fact that Morricone scored it; as far as the music is concerned, it’s a competent blend of militaristic riffs for woodwinds and snare drums, offset by a more pompous-sounding march for tubas and weighty horns, and a lively string-based scherzo. It’s perfectly acceptable for a somewhat lightweight 1960s Italian comedy, but it certainly gives no indication as to the astonishing career that lie ahead of the young and relatively inexperienced composer that wrote it.

The soundtrack album is available on the Italian Digitmovies label, having been released for the first time on CD. A single cue, “Titoli,” can be found on the comprehensive 15-CD compilation Ennio Morricone: The Complete Edition, released by GDM Music in 2008.

Track Listing: 1. Titoli (2:02), 2. Combattimento (2:37), 3. Manovre Grottesche (1:51), 4. Tema di Bonafé (1:37), 5. Deportazione (1:53), 6. Colloquio Delle Fragole (1:50), 7. Marcia del Viaggio (1:59), 8. Equilibrismo di Arcovazzi e Fuga dai Partigiani (1:27), 9. Arcovazzi e Bonafé in Viaggio (2:20), 10. Tema dell’Auto Anfibia (0:45), 11. Ritrovamento (1:47), 12. Marcia del Viaggio (Ripresa) (3:00), 13. Desiderio di Matilde (1:53), 14. Fuga di Bonafé (1:35), 15. Pullman in Avaria (1:31), 16. Inseguimento (1:38), 17. Campo Minato (1:13), 18. Tema di Bonafé (Ripresa) (1:24), 19. Arcangelo Bardacci (1:07), 20. Bonafé Al Convento (1:42), 21. La Fine del Viaggio (2:29), 22. Finale (1:07). Digitmovies CDDM-048, 38 minutes 47 seconds.