Petrassi, Goffredo (1904-2003)

Italian composer. His music made individual use of 12-note methods. Though mainly an instrumentalist, his big choral works, Psalm IX (1934), Coro di morti (1940), and Noche oscura (1950), were of prime importance.

He born at Zagarolo, near Rome, and learnt music as a child in the singing-school of the church of San Salvatore in Lauro at Rome. He only began to study music systematically at the age of 21, when he entered the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia, winning composition and organ prizes there. He came under the influence of Alfredo Casella and Paul Hindemith, and in 1933 made his composition debut with a performance of his orchestral Partita at the Augusteo, which was later given at the International Society for Contemporary Music festival in Amsterdam. In 1939 he became professor of composition at his former school. He continued as a brilliant orchestral composer (writing seven concertos for orchestra) in the neoclassical idiom until the early 1950s. Eventually his style became outmoded, but in the late 1950s he renewed his prominence with a succession of smaller instrumental works in an avant-garde idiom.

Works Opera and stage the operas Il Cordovano (1949) and La morte dell' aria (1950); ballet Il ritratto di Don Chisciotte (after Cervantes, 1947); incidental music for A Aniante's play Carmen.

Choral and voice Psalm IX for chorus and orchestra; Il coro dei morti and Noche oscura for chorus (1940); Magnificat for voice and orchestra (1940); Partita, Passacaglia, concertos, and concert overture for orchestra (1933-72).

Chamber Tre Cori for chamber orchestra; piano concerto; Lamento d'Arianna (Rinuccini) for voice and chamber orchestra (1936); Introduzione ed Allegro for violin and 11 instruments (1933); Sinfonia, Siciliana e Fuga for string quartet; Preludio, Aria e Finale for cello and piano; toccata for piano; Siciliana e Marcetta for piano duet; song cycle Colori del tempo, and other songs.