Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was an Italian-American composer and pianist, born in Florence on April 3, 1895. He died in Beverly Hills on March 16, 1968, and was buried at Westwood Cemetery.
He studied piano first privately and later at the Florence Conservatory with his maternal relative Edgardo del Valle de Paz, who strongly influenced him. He went on to study composition with Ildebrando Pizzetti. In 1939, he moved to the United States with his wife, and from 1946 he taught composition at a conservatory in Los Angeles.
His music was closely connected to Tuscan musical culture, and his works found success in the 1920s and 1930s. His output included operas, choral and chamber works, instrumental concertos, and music for more than 200 films. Among his works are the opera Mandrake (1926), the ballet The Blue Fish (1937), overtures to 11 Shakespeare plays, and instrumental concertos.
Castelnuovo-Tedesco was one of the leading guitar composers of the 20th century. He wrote more than 100 original works for classical guitar, including several concertos for guitar and symphony orchestra. He also composed works based on Jewish liturgy, including Memorial Liturgical Service (1960), dedicated to his cousin Lina Castelnuovo.