Born in Milan, Dec 3, 1911
Died in Rome, April 10, 1979
- Rota was a prodigy whose work was first performed in 1923 when he was 12.
- His mother was a pianist and his grandfather was a composer.
- Rota studied at the Conservatorio di S Cecilia in Rome and at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. While living in the USA he became friends with Aaron Copland.
- In addition to composing film scores for Fellini (La Strada, 8 ½, La dolce vita), Franco Zeffirelli(Romeo and Juliet) and many other directors, he produced a large body of concert music (orchestral, chamber, opera, sacred, ballets). Rota’s music is notable for cross-pollination between his cinematic and concert styles.1
Sources
- Giordano Montecchi, “Rota, Nino,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed January 9, 2020, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000023924.