Goffredo Petrassi (July 16, 1904 – March 3, 2003) was an Italian composer of modern classical music, conductor, and teacher. He is considered one of the most influential Italian composers of the 20th century.

Life

Petrassi was born in Zagarolo, a town near Rome. At 15 years old, he began working at a music shop to help support his family's financial needs. During this time, he became deeply interested in music. In 1928, he enrolled at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome to study organ and composition for five years under the teacher Vincenzo di Donato. In 1933, the composer Alfredo Casella performed Petrassi's Partita for orchestra at the ISCM festival in Amsterdam.

From 1940 to 1960, Petrassi taught composition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory. Later, he became the musical director of the opera house La Fenice. From 1960 to 1978, he taught composition at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia's master courses. He also taught at the Salzburg Mozarteum. Petrassi had many well-known students, including Franco Donatoni, Aldo Clementi, Cornelius Cardew, Ennio Morricone, Karl Korte, Boris Porena, Norma Beecroft, Mario Bertoncini, Ernesto Rubin de Cervin, Eric Salzman, Kenneth Leighton, Peter Maxwell Davies, Michael Dellaira, Armando Santiago, and Richard Teitelbaum. Petrassi died in Rome at the age of 98.

Music

Petrassi's early work was part of an effort by Italian composers to create a revival of Italian classical music, similar to the romantic style of German composers like Richard Wagner. During this time, his music was neoclassical in style, meaning it looked back to older musical forms, and was influenced by composers such as Bartók, Hindemith, and Stravinsky.

Later in his life, Petrassi's open-minded approach and strong personality led him to explore new musical ideas inspired by composers who came after Anton Webern. He also used a wide variety of literary works, including Latin hymns, poems by Ariosto such as La follia d'Orlando, and Ritratto di Don Chisciotte (Portrait of Don Quixote), which is based on the character from Miguel de Cervantes' writing. These influences appear in a series of eight Concerti for Orchestra that he composed between 1934 and 1972. His music can be found on CD labels such as Chandos, Stradivarius, Naxos, and Capriccio.

Petrassi stopped composing in 1986 because of a gradual loss of eyesight.

Works

• Symphony, Siciliana, and Fugue for String Quartet (1929)
• Partita for Orchestra (1932)
• Prelude, Aria, and Finale for Cello and Piano (1933)
• Concerto for Orchestra (1934)
• Psalm IX (1934–1936)
• Piano Concerto (1936–1939)
• Magnificat (1939–1940)
• Choir of the Dead (1941)
• Four Sacred Hymns (1942–1950)
• The Madness of Orlando (1942–1943) (also known as a symphonic suite)
• Portrait of Don Quixote (1945)
• The Cordovan (1948)
• Death of the Air (1950)
• Dark Night (1950–1951)
• Concerto for Orchestra No. 2 (1951)
• Concerto for Orchestra No. 3 (1953)
• Concerto for Orchestra No. 4 (1954)
• Concerto for Orchestra No. 5 (1955)
• Concerto for Orchestra No. 6 (1956–1957)
• String Quartet (1957)
• Serenade (1957)
• String Trio (1959)
• Flute Concerto (1960)
• Concerto for Orchestra No. 7 (1963–1964)
• Concerto for Orchestra No. 8 (1970–1972)
• Orationes Christi (1975)
• Kyrie (1990)