I was saddened to hear of Ennio Morricone leaving this world. I was wondering how much his musical influence has had overtly, or subliminally on exploration.
Some of us wanted to be Clint (or Clintess) Eastwood in the movies and instead of loading the Colt revolver and chewing on a cheroot cigar, we're loading a Petzl Stop and chewing on a lump of carbide while exploring things, and finding things measureless to man.  We're all looking for something and I reckon Ennio's work's sums it up on emotional and practical levels.
He also used a lot of alternative sounds, and I think there's gentleman on the forum that plays a Jew's Harp that Ennio also used on his works.
Obviously there's comparisons to other composers, so in my humble opinion, I'll describe those as impressive, and Ennio's as beautiful.  The Spaghetti Westerns, Malena and Cinema Paradiso, to name  a few are sublime.
So, I'll start with Ecstasy of Gold (Estasi of Gold), which is the most caving dig frenzy track I could relate. Thoughts and contributions welcome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3IlqY1CbI0



 

Great choice ZC.
Ennio will be missed. 

As far as digging tunes go, you really can't beat Ecstasy of Gold, it totally captures the emotion when a crow bar disappears through the fill into black space and the frenzied spree that follows to open up caverns measureless, usually (as per the movie) only to end in a bitter disappointment. Not that digs often end in a 3-way shoot-out!

One of my favourite of Ennio's composition and perhaps very fitting at this time would be Farewell To Cheyenne, from Once Upon a Time in the West. Not sure what relevance this has to caving, but I like it and I like caving, which is good enough for me 

Farewell Ennio!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5IpN3grKDI

PeteHall said:

Not that digs often end in a 3-way shoot-out!

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You haven't been in our digging group them

What a pity things turn so soon to the local politics.

Morricone was one of the great film music composers of all time, with a massive lifetime output of memorable music, and only belately recognized by receiving the main international awards.  You only have to listen to the main theme for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly to recognize a genius at work.  His original intention was to become a recognized classical music composer but, as for many of us, life presents other opportunities and avenues to follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enuOArEfqGo

This video solves the mystery of how all those eclectic and contrasting sounds were actually made with orchestral instruments, percussion, choirs and soloists.  It is all on a grand scale.

Another film music composer whose output (well the solo piano material anyway) suits cave moods is Dave Grusin who also has a string of Academy Awards.  By complete constrast to large film scores, how about the simplicity of On Golden Pond against a backdrop of clouds of straws or water dripping timelessly into pools, or Memphis Stomp at that breakthrough moment into passages measureless?

Hi Stuart, Thanks for posting that link ? brilliant!

Not that digs often end in a 3-way shoot-out

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And after the 'close diplomatic discussion' there remains the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2w9X_tHU7k

Oh  Queue the Music then

https://youtu.be/ao4TIiziT-g

Cue. I mean cue.  . 

Although his music for westerns seems to be most famous, some of his other work is great too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oag1Dfa1e_E

(or https://youtu.be/2WJhax7Jmxs?t=9 for just Gabriel's Oboe).

Powerful stuff. He had a good innings, winning an Oscar when he was closer to 90 than 80.

Thanks for that - my favourite of his film scores.  A great composer gone.