Mario Zafred (2 March 1922 Trieste – 22 May 1987 Rome) was an Italian people composer, music critic, and opera director. He also served as the president of various Italian Music school including the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
Biography
Zafred began his music studies in
Venice under Gian Francesco Malipiero before attending the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. After graduating in 1944 with a diploma in music composition he continued to study further under Ildebrando Pizzetti. In 1947 he moved to Paris where he continued to study composition for two years.
After returning to Italy in 1949, Zafred began a successful career as a music critic, working first for L’unità (1949–56) and La Giustizia (1956–63).
Compositions
Zafred enjoyed a considerable amount of success as a composer in Italy, winning numerous prizes for composition including the
Premio Marzotto (1956), the
Sibelius prize (1959) and the City of Treviso prize (1963). His career focused mostly on writing symphonic works, including seven
symphony, three large works for
choir and
orchestra, and numerous
and sinfoniettas. He also composed a moderate amount of
chamber music works including four
, three
, three
, a
wind quintet, and a
serenata, among others. His output for solo instrument is confined to only a few pieces for the
piano. Although, Zafred did not compose much
vocal music he did create two fairly successful
,
Amleto (1961) and
Wallenstein (1965). His other vocal works consist of a handful of art songs for solo voice and piano with the exception of one piece for voice, piano, and
flute.
Zafred’s musical language developed from an early avant-garde manner to something increasingly simple and accessible. His vast, generally uniform output is rooted in counterpoint (sometimes 12-tone), the free use of classical forms, and the avoidance of an excessively intellectual approach in favour of fluid musical argument. A personal style of solid craftsmanship reveals the influences of Pizzetti, especially in the early works and the operas, and of Bartók in the elaboration of Istrian folk music in his mature works.
Selected works
Zafred's compositions are published by
Casa Ricordi, Boccaccini & Spada and
Suvini Zerboni.
-
Concerto for viola and orchestra (1957)
-
Elegia in tre tempi for viola and orchestra (1965)
-
Invenzioni for violin, viola and orchestra (1966)
-
Sonata in tre tempi for viola solo (1970)
Sources
External links
