Martin Scorsese is renowned for his masterful use of music in his films. His relationship with music is deep and complex, and he considers it a crucial element of cinematic storytelling. In many of his films, music plays a role almost as important as the characters themselves. It can serve to underscore the characters' emotions, reinforce the film's themes, or evoke a particular era. While Scorsese regularly collaborates with renowned composers to create memorable soundtracks, from Bernard Herrmann and Elmer Bernstein to Robbie Robertson and Howard Shore, what he enjoys most is incorporating existing pieces of music ; "the soundtrack to his life", as he puts it.