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Remembering Bruno Nicolai, 1926-1991
Composer, conductor, and pianist Bruno Nicolai died ten years ago today in Rome on August 16, 1991, at the age of 65.
One of the most accomplished figures in Italian film music during the 1960s and 1970s, Nicolai wrote scores for more than 100 films and television productions while also enjoying an important career as a conductor, publisher and advocate for contemporary classical music. His own work was particularly associated with spaghetti westerns, gialli and European horror cinema.
Nicolai was born in Rome on May 26, 1926. He studied piano with Aldo Mantia and composition with Goffredo Petrassi and Antonio Ferdinandi at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory, as well as organ at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. From 1950 to 1964 he performed as pianist, organist and harpsichordist with the Santa Cecilia and RAI orchestras, while also writing extensively for theatre and television.
At Santa Cecilia Nicolai became friends with fellow student Ennio Morricone, beginning one of the most important—and sometimes misunderstood—professional relationships in Italian film music. Nicolai became Morricone’s preferred conductor and conducted many of his most famous scores, including For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. He also collaborated with Morricone as composer and conductor on several projects before their partnership ended during the 1970s. Nicolai’s extensive contribution to Morricone’s recordings sometimes led to confusion over authorship, but both men maintained substantial composing careers of their own. Read more…
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