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-

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 Ottorino Respighi ( , , ; 9 July 187918 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. His compositions range over operas, ballets, orchestral suit ...

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's

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 in

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'' (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 (1933) * ''Ritorno alla terra'', directed by

Mario Franchini is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...

(1934) * ''Amore'', directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia (1935) * '' The Happy Road'' (''La route heureuse''), directed by Georges Lacombe (1936) * ''

The Cuckoo Clock ''The Cuckoo Clock'' is a British children's fantasy novel by Mary Louisa Molesworth, published in 1877 by Macmillan. It was originally published under the pen name Ennis Graham and reissued in 1882 as by Mrs. Molesworth, the name by which she ...

'', directed by Camillo Mastrocinque (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