Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
April 3, 1895 - March 16, 1968born in Florence, Italy, composed during the Modern period
Biography
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was one of the most prolific Italian composers of the first half of the twentieth century. He had established a career as a composer in a number of genres, including chamber music, vocal and choral music, opera, keyboard music, and orchestral music, before fleeing Europe to escape Nazi persecution. His later years in the United Stated were devoted largely to writing film scores.
Born in Florence, Castelnuovo-Tedesco studied piano and composition at the Florence Conservatory, taking diplomas in both subjects (piano 1914, composition 1918). While primarily studying with Ildebrando Pizzetti, Castelnuovo-Tedesco also attracted the attention of Italian composer, pianist, and conductor Alfredo Casella, who would become one of the young composer's earliest champions.
After successfully supporting himself as a freelance composer, pianist, and essayist during the 1920s and 1930s, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who was Jewish, left Europe in 1939 to avoid persecution under the Hitler and Mussolini regimes. Toscanini sponsored his relocation to the U.S. The composer settled in California, and while he continued to compose for a variety of media, he spent much of the next decade and a half scoring films for major studios.
Selected Discography
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