# Looking for Italian Composers.



## Manok (Aug 29, 2011)

I have a very limited knowledge of Italian composers, it consists of: Vivaldi, Paganini, Respighi, and that is about it. I suppose I could throw in Ligeti, but I don't know if he's actually from Italy, then there is Monteverdi as well, and a couple of the early Italian composers. The reason I'm asking, is I'd like to visit at least one place they lived, or died when I go to Italy, I know I'm going to Venice, so there is that. Other cities we will be going to: Milan, Rome, Naples. So can someone help me out here? As I said, I barely have knowledge of Italian composers.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

According to wikipedia, Salvatore Sciarrino (b. 1947) lives in Umbria. Other avant-garde Italian composers I like are Luigi Nono (1924-1990) and Luciano Berio (1925-2003). Franco Donatoni (1927-2000) is also nice.

For older generations, I enjoyed the string quartets of these Italian composers.
Italian String Quartets - Venezia String Quartet (Dynamic)
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Antonio Bazzini (1818-1897)
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
Riccardo Zandonai (1883-1944)
Gian Francesco Malipiero (1882-1973)


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## Guest (Apr 10, 2015)

Manok said:


> I have a very limited knowledge of Italian composers, it consists of: Vivaldi, Paganini, Respighi, and that is about it. I suppose I could throw in Ligeti, but I don't know if he's actually from Italy, then there is Monteverdi as well, and a couple of the early Italian composers. The reason I'm asking, is I'd like to visit at least one place they lived, or died when I go to Italy, I know I'm going to Venice, so there is that. Other cities we will be going to: Milan, Rome, Naples. So can someone help me out here? As I said, I barely have knowledge of Italian composers.


Ligeti is Hungarian.

My favorites are surely:

Gesualdo
Monteverdi
Verdi
Respighi
Maderna
Nono
Berio
Donatoni
Sciarrino
Francesconi

I feel like I'm forgetting some people...sigh...


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

I would add Donizetti to the above lists.


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## HIDEKI SUKENOBU (Mar 31, 2015)

Manok said:


> I have a very limited knowledge of Italian composers, it consists of: Vivaldi, Paganini, Respighi, and that is about it. I suppose I could throw in Ligeti, but I don't know if he's actually from Italy, then there is Monteverdi as well, and a couple of the early Italian composers. The reason I'm asking, is I'd like to visit at least one place they lived, or died when I go to Italy, I know I'm going to Venice, so there is that. Other cities we will be going to: Milan, Rome, Naples. So can someone help me out here? As I said, I barely have knowledge of Italian composers.


It'not certain, but acccording to my knowledge, Vivaldi acted around Venice. I have'nt visited Venice. Only Firenze and Milan I have visited. But you may not have listened to the opera. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) and Giacomo Puccini、(1858-12-22～ 1924-11-29）. Didn't you hear them? They're first-rate great composers, I think. By all means you should listen to them.
As to Venice, you can find Lucino Visconti's film _Die in Venice_ easily. You'll know the desire for the warm and sometimes grotesque phase of the Italian culture.


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

For music-related visiting in Italy, what about Resphigi's Roman pieces? Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome depict specific Roman places - the fountains are even at different times of day. Also, you should pay a visit to La Scala - performance, tour or both" plenty of composers have been there!


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## musicrom (Dec 29, 2013)

Let me just add two more names:
- Rossini, who is one of the most well-known Italian composers, and I'm surprised nobody's mentioned yet.
- Cherubini, whose set of string quartets is among my favorites of any composer


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## Manok (Aug 29, 2011)

Apparently I knew more than I thought! I forgot all about Verdi, and Puccini! Going to try and convince my brother to at least go by La Scala .


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## HIDEKI SUKENOBU (Mar 31, 2015)

dgee said:


> For music-related visiting in Italy, what about Resphigi's Roman pieces? Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome depict specific Roman places - the fountains are even at different times of day. Also, you should pay a visit to La Scala - performance, tour or both" plenty of composers have been there!


La Scala was the most impressive architecture and spot for me. I remember seeing and listening to Romeo and Julliet ballet version written by Prokofief there. As a souvenir, I bought the EMI recording with_ Schwarzkopf & Karajan's Der Rosenkavalier_.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Manok said:


> I have a very limited knowledge of Italian composers, it consists of: Vivaldi, Paganini, Respighi, and that is about it. I suppose I could throw in Ligeti, but I don't know if he's actually from Italy, then there is Monteverdi as well, and a couple of the early Italian composers. The reason I'm asking, is I'd like to visit at least one place they lived, or died when I go to Italy, I know I'm going to Venice, so there is that. Other cities we will be going to: Milan, Rome, Naples. So can someone help me out here? As I said, I barely have knowledge of Italian composers.


For Venice buy this CD of Merulo's music played by Claudio Tasini









and this CD of some lovely venetian opera


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Although he's not an Italian composer, you might consider William Walton, who lived for a considerable time on the island of Ischia, which is a wonderful place to visit in any case (try the natural hot springs, for example). Here's a link about the composer's home, which includes an interesting garden complex and museum: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Mortella


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Manok said:


> I have a very limited knowledge of Italian composers, it consists of: Vivaldi, Paganini, Respighi, and that is about it. I suppose I could throw in Ligeti, but I don't know if he's actually from Italy, then there is Monteverdi as well, and a couple of the early Italian composers. The reason I'm asking, is I'd like to visit at least one place they lived, or died when I go to Italy, I know I'm going to *Venice*, so there is that. Other cities we will be going to: *Milan, Rome, Naples*. So can someone help me out here? As I said, I barely have knowledge of Italian composers.


Venice: beside Vivaldi, it's the city of the Venetian School (maybe you've heard of Giovanni Gabrieli and his uncle Andrea) and, more recently, where some of the most important 20th-century composers lived and operated (Luigi Nono, Bruno Maderna).
Gian Francesco Malipiero was also born there.

Milan: Verdi, of course. Every morning while going at work, I cross the square where Verdi made what he said to be his most beautiful work: casa Verdi. Giuseppe (or Peppino, as we people from Milan call him dearly) is buried there.
Then La Scala with all its memories, and the museum of La Scala. Then the Convervatory, where composers such as Giacomo Puccini, Pietro Mascagni Franco Donatoni, Luciano Berio, Bruno Maderna (just to name a few) and musicians such as Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, Maurizio Pollini, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, etc. have been educated.

Rome: in the late-renaissance / early baroque period the Eternal City was home of the Roman School with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Then Arcangelo Corelli lived there, he's well known for his concerti grossi. He is buried in the Pantheon in Rome. More recently Ottorino Respighi, Alfredo Casella, Ildebrando Pizzetti and Goffredo Petrassi lived and operated in Rome

Naples: The Neapolitan School of course, with his "founder" Alessandro Scarlatti and his son Domenico (who left Naples quite early in his life for Rome, Lisbon and then Madrid) and his evolution to the Neapolitan Opera: Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Domenico Cimarosa and many others.

Hope it helps.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

One very beautiful place to visit is Torre del Lago, in the Toscana. It's a nice lake, with the villa where Puccini lived just there. You can visit the house and see the piano that the composer used for his last operas, along with some pictures, and also a small chapel and the tomb. You can have also a nice dinner by the lakeshore.

There is another Puccini museum nearby, at the city of Lucca, where the composer was born. The one at Torre del Lago is certainly more emotional in content, but in this one there is another piano, another set of pictures and scores, and the spectacular robe worn by Maria Jeritza at the premiere of _Turandot_ in the MET.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Manok said:


> I have a very limited knowledge of Italian composers, it consists of: Vivaldi, Paganini, Respighi, and that is about it. I suppose I could throw in Ligeti, but I don't know if he's actually from Italy, then there is Monteverdi as well, and a couple of the early Italian composers. The reason I'm asking, is I'd like to visit at least one place they lived, or died when I go to Italy, I know I'm going to Venice, so there is that. Other cities we will be going to: Milan, Rome, Naples. So can someone help me out here? As I said, I barely have knowledge of Italian composers.


The greatest Italian composer of opera was Giuseppe Verdi. He composed many operas, many are established, accepted pieces today with tunes you can whistle and likely be familiar with.


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## CMonteverdi (May 2, 2014)

When you'll be in Venice, you may want to visit Santa Maria dei Frari where Claudio Monteverdi (possibly the greatest among the italian composers) is buried (along with Tiziano and Canova...).

As my fellow citizen GioCar mentioned, Milan is quite a "Verdian" city... and the musical heart is La Scala - temple of the opera...

Enjoy your tour!

LK


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Some famous twentieth century American composers were of Italian descent and changed their names.

Walter Piston and Peter Mennin come to mind. Also Vincent Persichetti.


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