Is there a difference between applied and absolute art? How do you remain free as a creator within the constraints of a commission? No one knew it better than Ennio Morricone, the great Roman composer who, with over 400 scores to his name, inspired generations of musicians inside and outside the film world. He discussed it with us in 2003 within the context of the In Progress section dedicated to the relationship between cinema and music, starting from medieval church music and arriving at his experiences with Italian Westerns, complete with musical interludes on the piano.