14 Facts About Alfredo Casella

Alfredo Casella was an Italian composer, pianist and conductor.

Alfredo Casella's family included many musicians: his grandfather, a friend of Paganini, was first cello in the San Carlo Theatre in Lisbon and eventually became soloist in the Royal Chapel in Turin.

Alfredo Casella's father, Carlo, was a professional cellist, as were Carlo's brothers Cesare and Gioacchino; his mother was a pianist, who gave the boy his first music lessons.

Alfredo Casella entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1896 to study piano under Louis Diemer and composition under Gabriel Faure; in these classes, Lazare Levy, George Enescu and Maurice Ravel were among his fellow students.

Alfredo Casella developed a deep admiration for Debussy's output after hearing Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune in 1898, but pursued a more romantic vein in his own writing of this period, rather than turning to impressionism.

From 1927 to 1929 Alfredo Casella was the principal conductor of the Boston Pops, where he was succeeded by Arthur Fiedler.

Alfredo Casella was one of the best-known Italian piano virtuosos of his generation and together with Arturo Bonucci and Alberto Poltronieri he formed the Trio Italiano in 1930.

Alfredo Casella had his biggest success with the ballet La Giara, set to a scenario by Luigi Pirandello; other notable works include Italia, the Concerto Romano, Partita and Scarlattiana for piano and orchestra, the Violin and Cello Concerti, Paganiniana, and the Concerto for Piano, Strings, Timpani and Percussion.

Alfredo Casella made live-recording player piano music rolls for the Aeolian Duo-Art system, all of which survive today and can be heard.

Alfredo Casella, who was especially passionate about painting, accumulated an important collection of art and sculptures.

Alfredo Casella was perhaps the most "international" in outlook and stylistic influences of the generazione dell'ottanta, owing at least in part to his early musical training in Paris and the circle in which he lived and worked while there.

Alfredo Casella's students included Clotilde Coulombe, Stefan Bardas, Maria Curcio, Francesco Mander, Branka Musulin, Maurice Ohana, Robin Orr, Primoz Ramovs, Nino Rota, Maria Tipo, Gaetano Giuffre, Camillo Togni, and Bruna Monestiroli.

Alfredo Casella was married in Paris in 1921 to Yvonne Muller.

Alfredo Casella, who identified for many years with the Fascist regime in Italy, found himself in conflict with it after the legislation of the Italian racial laws of 1938, his wife being Jewish of French origin.