Vittorio Rieti (January 28, 1898 – February 19, 1994) was a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

. Born in

Alexandria, Egypt Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, Rieti moved to

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

to study economics. He subsequently studied in Rome under Respighi and Casella, and lived there until 1940."Rieti, Vittorio" in ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of 20th Century Classical Musicians'', ed. Laura Kuhn. Schirmer Books, 1997. In 1925, he temporarily moved to Paris and composed music for

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

's ballet for

Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pat ...

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...

, ''Barabau''. He met his wife in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. He was a cousin of actor Vittorio Rietti. He emigrated to the United States in 1940, becoming a naturalized American citizen on 1 June 1944. He taught at the

Peabody Conservatory of Music The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

(1948–49), Chicago Musical College (1950–54), Queens College, New York (1958–60), and

New York College of Music The New York College of Music was an American conservatory of music located in Manhattan that flourished from 1878 to 1968. The college was incorporated under the laws of New York and was empowered to confer diplomas and degrees ranging from a Bac ...

(1960–64). He died in New York on 19 February 1994. His music is tonal and neo-classical with a melodic and elegant style.

Selected works

;Ballet * ''Barabau'' (1925) * ''Le bal'' (1929) * ''

La Sonnambula ''La sonnambula'' (''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the '' bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eug ...

'' (1946) ;Orchestral * Symphony No. 3 (1932) * Symphony No. 4 (1942) * ''Suite "La Fontaine"'' (1968) ;Concertante * Piano Concerto No. 3 (1955) * Concerto for harpsichord and orchestra (1952–1955, 1972) * Cello Concerto No. 2 (1953) * ''Triple Concerto'' for violin, viola, piano and orchestra (1971) ;Chamber music * ''Capriccio'' for violin and piano (1941) * ''Partita'' for harpsichord, flute, oboe, 2 violins, viola and cello (1945) * String Quartet No. 3 (1951) * Woodwind Quintet (1957) * String Quartet No. 4 (1960) * ''Concertino for 5 Instruments'' for flute, viola, cello, harp and harpsichord (1963) * ''Pastorale e fughetta'' for flute, viola and piano (or harpsichord) (1966) * ''Sonata à 5'' for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and piano (1966) * ''Incisioni'' for brass quintet (1967) * ''Silografie'' for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and basson (1967) * ''Sestetto pro Gemini'' for flute, oboe, piano, violin, viola and cello (1975) ;Keyboard * ''Second Avenue Waltzes'' for 2 pianos (1942) * ''Sonata all' Antica'' for harpsichord (1946) * ''Suite champêtre'' for 2 pianos (1948) * ''Medieval Variations'' (1962) * ''Chorale, variazioni e finale'' for 2 pianos (1969) ;Film musicInternet Movie Database
/ref> * '' Your Money or Your Life'', directed by

Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia (8 July 1894 – 4 January 1998) was an Italian film director whose career spanned from the 1930s to the mid-1960s. He mainly directed adventure pictures and popular comedies, including some starring Totò. His 1942 f ...

(1933) * ''Ritorno alla terra'', directed by Mario Franchini (1934) * ''Amore'', directed by

(1935) * ''

The Happy Road ''The Happy Road'' is a 1957 French-American comedy film starring Gene Kelly, Barbara Laage, Michael Redgrave and Bobby Clark. Its plot involves two students (a boy and girl) who escape from their Swiss private school and make for Paris. Their ...

'' (''La route heureuse''), directed by Georges Lacombe (1936) * '' The Cuckoo Clock'', directed by

Camillo Mastrocinque Camillo Mastrocinque (11 May 1901 – 23 April 1969) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 60 films between 1937 and 1968, and is known to horror film fans for directing ''Terror in the Crypt'' (1964) starring ...

(1938)

Notes

External links

Interview with Vittorio Rieti
November 10, 1985 1898 births 1994 deaths Italian ballet composers Italian classical composers Italian male classical composers 20th-century Italian Jews Jewish American classical composers New York College of Music faculty People from Alexandria Italian emigrants to the United States 20th-century classical composers Peabody Institute faculty Queens College, City University of New York faculty 20th-century Italian composers Ballets Russes composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American Jews Egyptian emigrants to Italy {{Italy-composer-stub