Life and career

Alfredo Casella was born in Turin, Italy, to Maria (née Bordino) and Carlo Casella. His family had many musicians. His grandfather, a friend of the famous violinist Paganini, was a cellist who played in the São Carlos Theatre in Lisbon and later became a soloist in the Royal Chapel in Turin. Alfredo’s father, Carlo, was also a professional cellist, as were Carlo’s brothers, Cesare and Gioacchino. His mother was a pianist who taught Alfredo his first music lessons.

In 1896, Alfredo entered the Conservatoire de Paris to study piano with Louis Diémer and composition with Gabriel Fauré. His classmates included Lazare Lévy, George Enescu, and Maurice Ravel. During his time in Paris, he met composers such as Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, and Manuel de Falla. He also knew Ferruccio Busoni, Gustav Mahler, and Richard Strauss.

Casella admired the music of Debussy after hearing Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune in 1898. However, he focused on a more romantic style influenced by Strauss and Mahler in his own compositions. His first symphony, written in 1905, was performed in Monte Carlo in 1908, and Casella conducted the premiere.

During World War I, Casella returned to Italy and taught piano at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome. From 1927 to 1929, he was the principal conductor of the Boston Pops, a position later taken by Arthur Fiedler. Casella was a well-known Italian pianist and helped form the Trio Italiano in 1930 with Arturo Bonucci (cello) and Alberto Poltronieri (violin). The trio performed in Europe and America and inspired Casella to write works such as A Notte Alta, the Sonatina, Nove Pezzi, and the Six Studies, Op. 70, for piano. For the trio’s performances, he also composed the Sonata a Tre and the Triple Concerto.

Casella’s most famous work was the ballet La Giara, based on a story by Luigi Pirandello. Other notable compositions include Italia, the Concerto Romano (commissioned by Rodman Wanamaker and performed in New York with rare instruments), Partita, Scarlattiana for piano and orchestra, the Violin Concerto, Cello Concerto, Paganiniana, and the Concerto for Piano, Strings, Timpani, and Percussion. His chamber music, such as the two Cello Sonatas, the Harp Sonata, and music for flute and piano, is often performed. Casella also created piano rolls for the Aeolian Duo-Art system, which are still available today. In 1923, he helped start the "Corporation of the New Music" with Gabriele D’Annunzio and Gian Francesco Malipiero to promote modern Italian music.

Casella played a key role in reviving the works of Antonio Vivaldi in the 20th century. In 1939, he organized the historic "Vivaldi Week," which included the poet Ezra Pound. This event helped Vivaldi’s music gain widespread popularity. In 1947, the Istituto Italiano Antonio Vivaldi was founded to promote Vivaldi’s music, with Malipiero as its director. Casella’s work to revive Italian Baroque music influenced his own compositions and the Neoclassical revival in music. His editions of Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven’s piano works shaped the playing style of Italian musicians.

Casella was part of the "generazione dell'ottanta" ("generation of the '80s"), a group of composers born around 1880, including Malipiero, Respighi, Pizzetti, and Alfano. These composers focused on instrumental music rather than operas, which had been the focus of earlier composers like Puccini. They were major figures in Italian music after Puccini’s death in 1924 and had counterparts in Italian literature and painting.

Casella collected many artworks and sculptures and was known for his international perspective, partly due to his early training in Paris. He died in Rome.

Casella’s students included Clotilde Coulombe, Stefan Bardas, Maria Curcio, Francesco Mander, Branka Musulin, Maurice Ohana, Robin Orr, Primož Ramovš, Nino Rota, Maria Tipo, Gaetano Giuffrè, Camillo Togni, and Bruna Monestiroli.

In 1921, he married Yvonne Müller in Paris. Their granddaughter is actress Daria Nicolodi, and their great-granddaughter is actress Asia Argento.

Casella supported Italy’s Fascist regime for many years but later had conflicts with it after the 1938 racial laws, as his wife was Jewish. From 1943, he lived in fear of being separated from his wife and daughter, who were at risk of arrest. When a raid was planned, the family split up and hid with friends until the threat passed.

Works

• Symphony No. 1 in B minor, Op. 5 (1905–1906)
• Italia, Rapsodia per Orchestra, Op. 11 (1909)
• Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 12 (1908–1909)
• Suite in C major, Op. 13 (1909–1910)
• Suite from the Ballet Le Couvent sur l'Eau (Il Convento Veneziano), Op. 19 (1912–1913)
• Pagine di Guerra, Op. 25bis (1918)
• Pupazzetti, Op. 27bis (1920)
• Elegia Eroica, Op. 29 (1916)
• Concerto per Archi, Op. 40bis (1923–1924)
• La Giara, Suite Sinfonica, Op. 41bis (1924)
• Serenata per piccola orchestra, Op. 46bis (1930)
• Marcia Rustica, Op. 49 (1929)
• La Donna Serpente, Frammenti Sinfonici Seria I, Op. 50bis (1928–1931)
• La Donna Serpente, Frammenti Sinfonici Seria II, Op. 50ter (1928–1931)
• Introduzione, Aria e Toccata per Orchestra, Op. 55 (1933)
• Introduzione, Corale e Marcia, Op. 57 (1931–1935) for Band, Piano, Double Basses, and Percussion
• Concerto per Orchestra, Op. 61 (1937)
• Symphony No. 3, Op. 63 (1939–1940)
• Divertimento per Fulvia, Op. 64 (1940)
• Paganiniana: Divertimento per Orchestra, Op. 65 (1942)
• Concerto for Strings, Piano, Timpani, and Percussion, Op. 69 (1943)

• A notte alta, for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 30bis (1921)
• Pupazzetti, Op. 27bis (1920)
• Concerto per Archi, Op. 40bis (1923–1924)
• La Giara, Suite Sinfonica, Op. 41bis (1924)
• Serenata per piccola orchestra, Op. 46bis (1930)
• Marcia Rustica, Op. 49 (1929)
• La Donna Serpente, Frammenti Sinfonici Seria I, Op. 50bis (1928–1931)
• La Donna Serpente, Frammenti Sinfonici Seria II, Op. 50ter (1928–1931)
• Introduzione, Aria e Toccata per Orchestra, Op. 55 (1933)
• Introduzione, Corale e Marcia, Op. 57 (1931–1935) for Band, Piano, Double Basses, and Percussion
• Concerto per Orchestra, Op. 61 (1937)
• Symphony No. 3, Op. 63 (1939–1940)
• Divertimento per Fulvia, Op. 64 (1940)
• Paganiniana: Divertimento per Orchestra, Op. 65 (1942)
• Concerto for Strings, Piano, Timpani, and Percussion, Op. 69 (1943)

• A notte alta, for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 30bis (1921)
• Pupazzetti, Op.