Listen to Ennio Morricone's timeless film music

When I was growing up, the film music of Ennio Morricone — who died Monday at 91 — was always playing in my family's home, blasting from a reel-to-reel tape on my father's massive console stereo system.

The music came via conductor Hugo Montenegro's pop-oriented arrangements of the Italian composer's work, on an album that topped the charts in the late 1960s. But while they weren't the originals, those often-cheesy recordings became my gateway to one of the greatest film composers in history and what I still feel is the best score ever written, Morricone's groundbreaking music for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Listen now to music from that 1966 film, along with some of Morricone's other memorable scores, including Once Upon a Time in America and The Mission. Oh, and these recordings are all the original — just like Morricone.

Playlist

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Main Title

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly "Il Tramonto" ("Sundown")

The Mission: "On Earth as It Is in Heaven"

The Mission: "Gabriel's Oboe"

A Fistful of Dollars: Main Title

For a Few Dollars More: Main Title

"Chi Mai" (used in several films, including Maddalena [1971] and Le Professionnel [1981])

Cinema Paradiso: Main Title

In the Line of Fire: Main Title

The Untouchables: End Title

Two Mules For Sister Sara: "Sister Sara's Theme"

Once Upon a Time in the West: Main Title

Once Upon a Time in America: Main Title

Orca: Main Title

Days of Heaven: Main Title

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: "The Ecstasy of Gold"