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Ennio Morricone: “L’Uomo dell Armonica” (“The Man with the Harmonica”)
From the album Once Upon a Time in the West (1969), the soundtrack to the 1968 film directed by Sergio Leone (original Italian title: C’era una volta il West)
Perhaps the most awesomely dramatic three-and-a-half minutes of music ever recorded.
Starting with the plaintive, reverberant harmonica riff that is one of the soundtrack’s many recurring musical symbols, the music builds to an imposing wall of sound comprising harpsichord, orchestral accompaniment, and an epic melody played on a distorted electric guitar. Strings, chorus, and a military drumbeat bring the music to a glorious climax, then fade away, leaving the harmonica alone again.
Needless to say, the music has added power when heard in the context of the film. It accompanies the final showdown between “Harmonica” (Charles Bronson) and Frank (Peter Fonda). The slow unfurling of the music is carefully synched to the cinematic pacing, down to the last detail: the drums and chorus enter at the instant Frank’s jacket hits the ground.
Played 365 time(s).
February 18, 2009, 12:51pm
