BERIO, Luciano 1925-2003

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born October 24, 1925, in Imperia, Oneglia, Italy; died May 27, 2003, in Rome, Italy. Music composer and author. Berio was a renowned composer who blended traditional and modern forms and was noted especially for his pieces for solo voices and for his experimentations with electronic music. After World War II he studied at the Milan Conservatory and in 1951 earned a music degree from the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi. He then found work at various music institutions, founding and co-directing the Studio de Fonologia Musicale in Milan from 1955 to 1960, teaching composition at Juilliard school in New York City from 1965 to 1971, and serving as director of the electro-acoustic section of IRCAM in Paris, France, from 1974 to 1980. Later in his career he founded and directed the Tempo Reale in Florence, Italy, as well as directing or conducting a number of orchestras in Italy and Israel. As a composer, Berio created musical pieces influenced by everything from classical music and opera to folk music, pop, jazz, and rock. Among his many compositions are "Pastorale" (1937), "O bone Jesu" (1946), "Variazioni" (1953-54), "Sequenza" (IXI, 1958-88), "Passaggio" (1961-62), "Opera" (1970), "Coro" (1975-76), "La vera storia" (1977-81), and "Notturno" (1990-91). Berio's book publications include Remembering the Future (1994) and Collected Writings (1995).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

BOOKS

Contemporary Musicians, Volume 32, Gale (Detroit, MI), 2001.

Writers Directory, 18th edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 2003.

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, May 30, 2003, section 1, p. 11.

Los Angeles Times, May 28, 2003, p. B10.

New York Times, May 28, 2003, p. A21.

Times (London, England), May 28, 2003.

Washington Post, May 30, 2003, p. B8.