Goffredo Petrassi

Goffredo Petrassi was an Italian composer, conductor, and teacher known for his modern classical music. Born in Zagarolo, near Rome, on 16 July 1904, Petrassi became fascinated with music while working at a music shop at 15. He studied organ and composition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome starting in 1928. His career spanned multiple roles, including professor of composition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory, musical director of La Fenice opera house, and a teacher at the Salzburg Mozarteum. Among his students were notable composers like Ennio Morricone and Peter Maxwell Davies. Characterized by neoclassical style influenced by Bartók, Hindemith, and Stravinsky, his composition style later included post-Webernian influences. He is renowned for his eight Concerti for Orchestra. Petrassi's composition ceased in 1986 due to eyesight loss and he passed away in Rome on 2 March 2003.