Piero Piccioni

Piero Piccioni

Piero Piccioni (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpjɛro pitˈtʃoni]; 6 December 1921 – 23 July 2004), was an Italian lawyer turned major film score composer. A pianist, organist, conductor, composer, he was also the prolific author of more than 300 film soundtracks. His mother’s maiden name was Marengo, hence his pseudonym Piero Morgan which he adopted until 1957. He played for the first time on radio in 1938 with his historic “013” Big Band, to return on air only after the liberation of Italy in 1944. His unforgettable “013”, was the first Italian jazz band to be broadcast in Italy after the fall of fascism. His father, Attilio Piccioni, (a prominent member of the Christian Democratic party with the post-war Italian government) would frequently take him to hear concerts at the E.I.A.R. Radio Studios in Florence. He listened to jazz throughout his childhood (he dearly loved Art Tatum and Charlie Parker). Without attending studies at the Conservatoire Academy of Music, Piero Piccioni became an extremely talented self-taught musician. He was deeply influenced in his use of jazz by 20th-century classical composers and American cinematography. Amongst his favourite directors were Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, John Ford and Alex North. He began writing songs of his own and was soon able to get some of his works published by Carisch editions. Piero Piccioni came into contact with the movie world in Rome during the fifties, when he was a practicing lawyer and was soon securing movie rights for Italian distributors such as Titanus and De Laurentiis. During that time, Michelangelo Antonioni had called Piero to score a documentary film directed by Luigi Polidoro, one of his apprentices. Piccioni’s first feature film was Gianni Franciolini’s, “Il Mondo le condanna”(1952). He consequently doffed his “Toga”, for “Music “. He developed a close-knit working relationships with directors Francesco Rosi and Alberto Sordi, and established strong personal and professional bonds with them. Many directors sought Piero Piccioni to score the soundtracks for their films: Francesco Rosi, Mario Monicelli, Alberto Lattuada, Luigi Comencini, Luchino Visconti, Antonio Pietrangeli, Bernardo Bertolucci, Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica, Tinto Brass, Dino Risi, and others. Films also bearing his name are “Swept Away”,“Tutto A Posto Niente in Ordine” by Lina Wertmuller, “Il bell’Antonio” by Mauro Bolognini, and the “Tenth Victim” by Elio Petri with Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress. He credits works for more than 300 soundtracks and compositions for films, radio, television, ballets and orchestra. Among the many prestigious prizes won: David di Donatello Award for the movie “Swept Away” (1975), Nastro d’argento Award for the movie“Salvatore Giuliano” by Francesco Rosi (1963), Prix International Lumiere 1991, Anna Magnani Award 1975 and Vittorio De Sica Award 1979.

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