Giacinto Francesco Maria Scelsi (; 8 January 1905 – 9 August 1988, sometimes cited as 8 August 1988) was an Italian composer who also wrote

surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

poetry in French. He is best known for having composed music based around only one pitch, altered in all manners through

microtonal Microtonal music or microtonality is the use in music of microtones— intervals smaller than a semitone, also called "microintervals". It may also be extended to include any music using intervals not found in the customary Western tuning of t ...

oscillations,

harmonic A harmonic is a wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the ''fundamental frequency'', the frequency of the original periodic signal, such as a sinusoidal wave. The original signal is also called the ''1st harmonic'', the ...

allusions, and changes in

timbre In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or musical tone, tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voice ...

and dynamics, as paradigmatically exemplified in his ''Quattro pezzi su una nota sola'' ("Four Pieces on a single note", 1959). This composition remains his most famous work and one of the few performed to significant recognition during his lifetime. His musical output, which encompassed all Western classical genres except scenic music, remained largely undiscovered even within contemporary musical circles during most of his life. Today, some of his music has gained popularity in certain postmodern composition circles, with pieces like his "Anahit" and his String Quartets rising to increased prominence. Scelsi collaborated with American composers including John Cage,

Morton Feldman Morton Feldman (January 12, 1926 – September 3, 1987) was an American composer. A major figure in 20th-century classical music, Feldman was a pioneer of indeterminate music, a development associated with the experimental New York School ...

, and

Earle Brown Earle Brown (December 26, 1926 – July 2, 2002) was an American composer who established his own formal and notational systems. Brown was the creator of "open form," a style of musical construction that has influenced many composers since� ...

, as well as being a friend and a mentor to

Alvin Curran Alvin Curran (born December 13, 1938) is an American composer, performer, improviser, sound artist, and writer. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and lives and works in Rome, Italy. He is the co-founder, with Frederic Rzewski and Richard ...

. His work was a source of inspiration to Ennio Morricone's

Gruppo di Improvvisazione di Nuova Consonanza (also known as The Group or ) was an avant-garde free improvisation group considered the first experimental composers collective. History The collective was formed by Italian composer Franco Evangelisti in Rome in 1964. Drawing on jazz, seria ...

, and his music influenced composers like

Tristan Murail Tristan Murail (born 11 March 1947) is a French composer associated with the "spectral" technique of composition. Among his compositions is the large orchestral work ''Gondwana''. Early life and studies Murail was born in Le Havre, France. His fa ...

and

Solange Ancona Solange Ancona (born 14 August 1943 in Paris) is a French composer. Ancona studied at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Paris under Olivier Messiaen and Giacinto Scelsi. She resided at the Villa Medici between 1973 and 1975. After complet ...

Life

Born in the village of Pitelli near La Spezia, Scelsi spent most of his time in his mother's old castle where he received education from a private tutor who taught him Latin, chess and fencing. Later, his family moved to Rome and his musical talents were encouraged by private lessons with

Giacinto Sallustio Giacinto is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: *Giacinto Achilli (1803–1860), Italian Roman Catholic discharged from the priesthood for sexual misconduct * Giacinto Allegrini (born 1989), Italian professional fo ...

. In Vienna, he studied with Walther Klein, a pupil of

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

. He became the first exponent of

dodecaphony The twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition first devised by Austrian composer Josef Matthias Hauer, who published his "law o ...

in Italy, although he did not continue to use this system. In the 1920s, Scelsi made friends with intellectuals like

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...

and

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...

, and traveled abroad extensively. He first came into contact with non-European music in

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 ...

in 1927. His first composition was ''Chemin du coeur'' (1929). Then followed ''Rotativa'', first conducted by Pierre Monteux at

Salle Pleyel The Salle Pleyel (, meaning "Pleyel Hall") is a concert hall in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, designed by acoustician Gustave Lyon together with architect Jacques Marcel Auburtin, who died in 1926, and the work was completed in 1927 by ...

, Paris, on 20 December 1931. In 1937, he organised a series of concerts of contemporary works, introducing the music of (among others)

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ''Ne ...

, Schoenberg,

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...

, and

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

to an Italian audience for the first time. Due to the enforcement of racial laws under the

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

regime of

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

, which prevented the performance of works by Jewish composers, these concerts did not continue for long. Scelsi refused to comply, and gradually distanced himself from Italy. In 1940, when Italy entered the war, Scelsi was in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, where he remained until the end of the conflict, composing and honing his conception of music. He married Dorothy Kate Ramsden, a divorced Englishwoman. Back in Rome after the war, his wife left him (eventually inspiring ''Elegia per Ty''), and he underwent a profound psychological crisis that eventually led him to the discovery of Eastern spirituality, and also to a radical transformation of his view of music. In this so-called second period, he rejected the notions of composition and authorship in favour of sheer

improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

. His improvisations were recorded on tape and later transcribed by collaborators under his guidance. They were then orchestrated and filled out by his meticulous performance instructions, or adjusted from time to time in close collaboration with the performers. Scelsi came to conceive of artistic creation as a means of communicating a higher, transcendent reality to the listener. In this view, the artist is considered a mere intermediary. For this reason, Scelsi never allowed his image to be shown in connection with his music; he preferred instead to identify himself by a line under a circle, as a symbol of Eastern provenance. Some photographs of Scelsi have emerged since his death. One of the earliest interpreters Scelsi closely worked with was the singer Michiko Hirayama, whom he met in 1957 in Rome. From 1962 to 1972 he wrote the extensive song cycle ''Canti del Capricorno'' directly for her in view of her special and unique vocal range. The writing process of the piece set an example for Scelsi's very personal way of working: developing pieces through improvisation, recording, and then making a final transcription. From the late 1970s, Scelsi met several leading interpreters, such as the

Arditti String Quartet The Arditti Quartet is a string quartet founded in 1974 and led by the British violinist Irvine Arditti. The quartet is a globally recognized promoter of contemporary classical music and has a reputation for having a very wide repertoire. Th ...

, the cellist

Frances-Marie Uitti Frances-Marie Uitti (born 1946) is an Americans, American cellist and composer known for her use of extended techniques and performance of contemporary classical music. Tom Service, music criticism, music critic for the ''The Guardian, Guardian'' n ...

, and the pianists

Yvar Mikhashoff Yvar Emilian Mikhashoff (born Ronald Mackay; March 8, 1941 in Troy, New York – October 11, 1993 in Buffalo, New York) was an American virtuoso pianist and composer. He is best known for his performance of contemporary classical music. Mik ...

and

Marianne Schroeder Marianne Schroeder (born 1949 in Reiden) is a Swiss pianist and composer. She studied with Giacinto Scelsi. She played at Carnegie Hall, Lucerne Festival and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. She worked with John Cage and Shigeru Kan-no. She ...

, who have promoted his music all over the world and gradually opened the gates to wider audiences. Scelsi was a friend and a mentor to

(whose '' VSTO'' is a tribute) and other expatriate American composers such as

Frederic Rzewski Frederic Anthony Rzewski ( ; April 13, 1938 – June 26, 2021) was an American composer and pianist, considered to be one of the most important American composer-pianists of his time. His major compositions, which often incorporate social an ...

who were residing in Rome during the 1960s. Scelsi also collaborated with other American composers including John Cage,

, and

(who visited him in Rome). Frances-Marie Uitti, dedicatee of all Scelsi's cello works, collaborated intensively with him for over 10 years editing and then recording La Trilogia, a massive 3 part work of 45 minutes in length which Morton Feldman called his "autobiography in sound". It was first premiered in Festival di Como, and recorded on Fore records (Raretone) with Scelsi in the studio and later for

Etcetera Records Etcetera Records is a Dutch/Belgian classical music record label founded in Amsterdam in 1982. The original founders were David Rossiter and Michel Arcizet. In 2002 Coda Distribution bought the label with the late Paul Janse (1967-2014) and Dirk De ...

. A more recent acclaimed version with several of the Latin Prayers is to be found on ECM under the title Natura Renovatur. Uitti also transcribed many of the chamber works for contrabass, contrabass and cello, viola, and two improvisations based on the ondiolina tapes that are found under the title Voyages. Alvin Curran recalled that: "Scelsi ... came to all my concerts in Rome even right up to the very last one I gave just a few days before he died. This was in the summer time, and he was such a nut about being outdoors. He was there in a fur coat and a fur hat. It was an outdoor concert. He waved from a distance, beautiful sparking eyes and smile that he always had, and that's the last time I saw him" (Ross, 2005). Scelsi died of a cerebral hemorrhage on 8 August 1988, in Rome.

Music

Scelsi remained largely unknown for most of his career. A series of concerts in the mid to late 1980s finally premiered many of his pieces to great acclaim, notably his orchestral masterpieces in October 1987 in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

, about a quarter of a century after those works had been composed and less than a year before the composer's death. Scelsi was able to attend the premieres and personally supervised the rehearsals. The impact caused by the late discovery of Scelsi's works was described by Belgian musicologist

Harry Halbreich Harry Halbreich (Berlin, 9 February 1931 – Brussels, 27 June 2016) was a Belgian musicologist.Dust jacket biography of Harry Halbreich from #Halbreich2007, Halbreich (2007).Patrick Szersnovicz. Harry Halbreich (obituary). ''Diapason (magazine), ...

: Scelsi was also an idol of Ennio Morricone's

, whose sixteen-minute track 'Omaggio a Giacinto Scelsi' features on their live album 'Musica Su Schemi', released in 1976. The music of Scelsi was heard by millions in

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

's ''

Shutter Island ''Shutter Island'' is a novel by American writer Dennis Lehane, published by HarperCollins in April 2003. It is about a U.S. Marshal who goes to an isolated hospital for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of a patient who is ...

'', in which excerpts of his two works ''Quattro pezzi su una nota sola'' and ''Uaxuctum'' (3rd movement) were featured alongside the music of his contemporaries György Ligeti,

Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best known works include ''Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', ' ...

, John Cage and

. Scelsi's archives are held at the Isabella Scelsi Foundation.

Works

:''See List of compositions by Giacinto Scelsi''.

Bibliography

* ''Le Poids net et l'Ordre de ma vie'', Vevey, 1945 * ''Sommet du feu'', Rome, 1947 * ''Le Poids net'', éditions GLM (Guy Levis Mano), 1949 * ''L'Archipel Nocturne'', éditions GLM, 1954 * ''La conscience aiguë'', éditions GLM, 1962 * ''Cercles'', Éditions Le parole gelate, Rome, 1986 * ''Il Sogno 101'' (Dream 101), an autobiographical book.

Macerata Macerata () is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza ...

: , 2010.Sardo, F.
"Giacinto Scelsi, the Count who Invented Drone Music"
Pixarthinking, 12 August 2016. The French company

Actes Sud Actes Sud is a French publishing house based in Arles. It was founded in 1978 by author Hubert Nyssen. By 2013, the company, then headed by Nyssen's daughter, Françoise Nyssen, had an annual turnover of 60 million euros and 60 staff members. H ...

published writings of Giacinto Scelsi in three volumes, the majority of which are now out of print: * ''L'homme du son'', poetry edited and with commentary by Luciano Martinis, with collaboration from Sharon Kanach. Actes Sud 2006, * ''Les anges sont ailleurs'', writings on Scelsi's life, music and art. Actes Sud, 2006. * ''Il Sogno 101'', an autobiography. Actes Sud.

Selected discography

Accord/Universal-Musidisc

*''Œuvre intégrale pour choeur et orchestre symphonique'' (1. ''Aion – Pfhat – Konx-Om-Pax'', 2. ''Quattro Pezzi – Anahit – Uaxuctum'', 3. ''Hurqualia – Hymnos – Chukrum''). Orchestre et chœur de la Radio-Télévision Polonaise de Cracovie, conducted by Jürg Wyttenbach (recorded 1988, 1989 and 1990; ref. 201692, 1992, 3 CDs: 1. ref. 200402, 1988 2. ref. 200612, 1989 3. ref. 201112, 1990; re-released by Universal-Musidisc in 2002) *''Scelsi collection, vol. 3: Aion, Hymnos, Four pieces for Orchestra, Ballata''. RAI Symphony Orchestra, (cello), conducted by Tito Ceccherini (recorded 2007). released by Stradivarius 2009 (STR33803) *''Elegia per Ty – Divertimento nº3 pour violon – L’Âme ailée – L’Âme ouverte – Coelocanth – Trio à cordes''. Zimansky, violin; Schiller, viola; Demenga, cello (ref. 200611, 1989) *''Quattro illustrazioni – Xnoybis – Cinque incantesimi – Duo pour violon et violoncelle''. Suzanne Fournier, piano; Carmen Fournier, violin; David Simpson, cello (ref. 200742, 1990) *''Suite No.8 (Bot-Ba) – Suite No.9 (Ttai)''. Werner Bärtschi, piano (ref. 200802, 1990) *''Intégrale des œuvres chorales (Sauh III & IV – TKRDG – 3 Canti populari – 3 Canti sacri – 3 Latin Prayers – Yliam)''. New London Chamber Choir, Percussive Rotterdam, conducted by James Wood (ref. 206812) *''Scelsi collection, vol. 7: Suite N. 6, Divertimento N. 1, L'Âme Ailée / L'Âme Ouverte, Xnoybis''. Marco Fusi (violinist), Anna D'Errico, piano. released by Stradivarius 2017 (STR 33807).

CPO

*''Chamber Works for Flute and Piano'' ( CPO 999340-2) played by

Carin Levine Carin Levine is an American classical flautist. Life Levine studied at the University of Cincinnati with Jack Wellbaum (flute) and Peter Kamnitzer (chamber music), then from 1974 at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg with Aurèle Nicolet (flut ...

, flutes; Kristi Becker, piano; Peter Veale, oboe; Edith Salmen, percussion; and Giacinto Scelsi, piano *''The Complete Works for Clarinet'' (CPO 999266-2) played by the Ensemble Avance conducted by Zsolt Nagy, with David Smeyers, clarinets; and Susanne Mohr, flute

Kairos

*''Yamaon; Anahit; I presagi; Tre Pezzi; Okanagon'' ( Kairos 1203)

Klangforum Wien The Klangforum Wien is an Austrian chamber orchestra, based in Vienna at the Konzerthaus, which specialises in contemporary classical music. Founded by composer and conductor Beat Furrer in 1985, it is run on collective principles, having no ...

conducted by

Hans Zender Johannes Wolfgang Zender (22 November 1936 – 22 October 2019) was a German conductor and composer. He was the chief conductor of several opera houses, and his compositions, many of them vocal music, have been performed at international festival ...

*''Streichquartett Nr. 4; Elohim; Duo; Anagamin; Maknongan; Natura renovatur'' (Kairos 1216) Klangforum Wien conducted by Hans Zender *''Action Music, Suite No 8 "bot-ba"'' (Kairos 1231) played on piano by

Mode

*''The Piano Works 1'' (

Mode Records Mode Records is an American record label in New York City that concentrates on contemporary classical music and other forms of avant-garde music. The label was founded by Brian Brandt in 1984, with a goal of releasing music composed by John Cage. ...

92) played by

Louise Bessette Louise Bessette, (born June 20, 1959) is a Canadian pianist. Born in Montreal, she trained at the Conservatoire de musique du Quebec a Montreal (CMQM). Awards In 2001, she was made a member of the Order of Canada in recognition for "her great ...

*''The Orchestral Works 1'' (Mode Records 95) Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic & Choir conducted by , with Pauline Vaillancourt, soprano, and

Douglas Ahlstedt Douglas Ahlstedt (born 16 March 1945, Jamestown, New York) is an American operatic tenor who had an international performance career with major opera houses from the 1970s through the 1990s. He currently teaches on the voice faculty at Carnegie M ...

, tenor *''Music For High Winds'' (Mode Records 102) played by Carol Robinson, clarinets, Clara Novakova, flute and piccolo, Cathy Milliken, oboe *''The Piano Works 2'' (Mode Records 143) played by Stephen Clarke *''The Piano Works 3'' (Mode Records 159) played by

Aki Takahashi is a Japanese pianist specializing in contemporary classical music. Biography Born in Kamakura, she began studying piano at the age of five and received her M.A. degree from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Her teachers inc ...

*''The Orchestral Works 2'' (Mode Records 176)

Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra The Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (German: ''ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien'', or RSO Wien) is the orchestra of the Austrian national broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF). Unlike most other Austrian orchestras, the RSO Wien has a sub ...

*''The Works For Double Bass'' (Mode Records 188) played by Robert Black *''The Piano Works 4'' (Mode Records 227) played by Stephen Clarke *''The Works for Viola'' (Mode Records 231) played by

Vincent Royer Vincent Royer (born 22 January 1961) is a French violist and composer. He gives concerts worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician. He gives master classes, is a member of various ensembles and teaches as professor for chamber music at the ...

with Séverine Ballon, cello *''The Works for Violin'' (Mode Records 256) played by Weiping Lin

Other labels

*''5 string quartets, String trio, Khoom''.

; Michiko Hirayama, voice; ''et al.'' (recorded 1988; Salabert Actuels, ref. 2SCD 8904-5; re-released by Montaigne / Naïve, ref. MO 782156, 2002; 2 CDs) *''Trilogia (Triphon, Dithome, Igghur) – Ko-Tha''.

, cello (Fore 80, No.6 P Etcetera, KTC 1136 D *''Intégrale de la musique de chambre pour orchestre a cordes'' (''Natura renovatur'', ''Anagamin'', ''Ohoi'', ''Elohim'').

Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie The Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie ( en, Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia) is a Belgian chamber orchestra based in Mons. History The Orchestra was founded in 1958 by the violinist Lola Bobesco and its leadership was entrusted successivel ...

, conducted by (recorded May 1998; Forlane, ref. UCD16800, 2000) *''Canti del Capricorno''. Michiko Hirayama, voice; ''et al.'' (recorded 1969 & 1981/1982;

WERGO WERGO is a German record label focusing on contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1962 by German art historian and music publisher (1903–1975) and the musicologist Helmut Kirchmeyer. Their first release, filed under "WER 60001", was ...

, ref. WER 60127-50, 1988) *''Complete Works For Flute And Clarinet'' (Col Legno 200350) played by the Ebony Duo *''Trilogia'' (CTH 2480, together with Aşk Havasi by Frangis Ali-Sade) played by Jessica Kuhn, cello *''Natura renovatur'' (ECM 1963)

Münchener Kammerorchester The Munich Chamber Orchestra (german: Münchener Kammerorchester, links=no, italic=no, or MKO) is a German chamber orchestra based in Munich. Its primary concert venue is the Prinzregententheater, Munich. The MKO also gives concerts in Munich at ...

conducted by Christoph Poppen,

on violoncello *''Trilogy: Triphon, Dithome, Ygghur'' (for cello solo) – 1957–1961/65. Arne Deforce, cello on AEON, AECD 0748, 2007.

Notes

References

External links

CompositionToday – Giacinto Scelsi Article Scelsi discography at Discogs.comListen to Scelsi's ''Four Pieces for Orchestra''
at Acousmata music blog {{DEFAULTSORT:Scelsi, Giacinto 1905 births 1988 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century Italian composers 20th-century Italian poets 20th-century Italian male musicians 20th-century Italian male writers Italian classical composers Italian male classical composers Italian male poets Microtonal composers People from La Spezia Sub Rosa Records artists

Life

Music

Works

Bibliography

Selected discography

Accord/Universal-Musidisc

CPO

Kairos

Mode

Other labels

Notes

References

Further reading

External links