Biography
Composer Francesco De Masi entered the world in Rome on January 11, 1930. Although his father pursued a political path that eventually took him to the post of Italian ambassador in Romania, the younger De Masi displayed an early aptitude for music. As an adolescent he enrolled at the San Pietro a Maiella conservatory in Naples, where his uncle Achille Lango guided his composition studies. When Lango received a commission to score a motion picture, he brought De Masi aboard as an assistant; the experience ignited the teenager’s lasting interest in cinematic music.
After finishing his training, De Masi relocated to Rome in pursuit of film work and delivered his debut score in 1951 for the documentary Fiat Panis. His initial assignments remained largely confined to documentaries, yet during the 1960s and 1970s he gained prominence for his contributions to the spaghetti-Western cycle. Among the titles he scored were the cult favorites Il Pistolero di Arizona (released in some territories as Arizona Colt), Ammazzali Tutti e Torna Solo (also known as Kill Them All and Come Back Alone), and C’e Sartana…Vendi la Pistola e Comprati la Bara (likewise distributed under the English title Sartana’s Coming, Get Your Coffins Ready).
De Masi’s output nevertheless extended well beyond any single genre. He composed for horror pictures such as Orgia de los Muertos (issued in English-speaking markets as Terror of the Living Dead), wartime dramas including Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato (better known as The Inglorious Bastards), crime thrillers like I Familiari delle Vittime Non Saranno Avvertiti (Crime Boss), and sword-and-sandal epics exemplified by Ercole l’Invincibile (Hercules the Invincible). While the majority of his scores accompanied Italian or Spanish productions, he also furnished music for the Chuck Norris vehicle Lone Wolf McQuade and collaborated with Basil Poledouris on the Judd Nelson comedy Making the Grade.
Outside the recording studio, De Masi served as conductor and leader of several prominent Italian symphony orchestras and maintained a parallel reputation as an accomplished horn player; his catalog includes performances of major works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky. He died of cancer at a hospital in Rome on November 6, 2005.
After finishing his training, De Masi relocated to Rome in pursuit of film work and delivered his debut score in 1951 for the documentary Fiat Panis. His initial assignments remained largely confined to documentaries, yet during the 1960s and 1970s he gained prominence for his contributions to the spaghetti-Western cycle. Among the titles he scored were the cult favorites Il Pistolero di Arizona (released in some territories as Arizona Colt), Ammazzali Tutti e Torna Solo (also known as Kill Them All and Come Back Alone), and C’e Sartana…Vendi la Pistola e Comprati la Bara (likewise distributed under the English title Sartana’s Coming, Get Your Coffins Ready).
De Masi’s output nevertheless extended well beyond any single genre. He composed for horror pictures such as Orgia de los Muertos (issued in English-speaking markets as Terror of the Living Dead), wartime dramas including Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato (better known as The Inglorious Bastards), crime thrillers like I Familiari delle Vittime Non Saranno Avvertiti (Crime Boss), and sword-and-sandal epics exemplified by Ercole l’Invincibile (Hercules the Invincible). While the majority of his scores accompanied Italian or Spanish productions, he also furnished music for the Chuck Norris vehicle Lone Wolf McQuade and collaborated with Basil Poledouris on the Judd Nelson comedy Making the Grade.
Outside the recording studio, De Masi served as conductor and leader of several prominent Italian symphony orchestras and maintained a parallel reputation as an accomplished horn player; his catalog includes performances of major works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky. He died of cancer at a hospital in Rome on November 6, 2005.
Albums
Una storia d'amore (Original Soundtrack)
2026
Alla conquista dell'Arkansas (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2025
Sette contro tutti (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2018
Maciste, il gladiatore più forte del mondo (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2018
F.B.I. operazione vipera gialla (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2018
F.B.I. operazione Pakistan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2018
Alla scoperta dell’Africa (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2018
7 dollari sul rosso (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2018
Arizona Colt (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2018
La morte viene da Manila (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2016
Col ferro e col fuoco (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2016
Quella sporca storia nel West (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2013
Ti Koyo E Il Suo Pescecane (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2011
Per un pugno nell'occhio (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2007
La vendetta di Spartacus (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2007
Gli schiavi più forti del mondo (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2007
Maciste l'eroe più grande del mondo (Oirignal Motion Picture Soundtrack)
1999
Lone Wolf McQuade
1995
Concerto per pistola solista (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
1992
Sinfonia per due spie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
1965