Scelsi Quays for Solo Alto Flute

Giacinto Scelsi (1905-1988) was an Italian composer who rejected the title of composer himself. He developed ‘spherical sound’ through intuitive improvisation using microtonal elements, influenced by Eastern philosophies. In the 1980s, his recognition grew, particularly in France and Germany, when L’Itinéraire declared him the progenitor of a new avant-garde during the Darmstadt Summer Courses.

Born in La Spezia to a noble family, Scelsi showed exceptional musical gifts as a child, improvising freely on the piano. He studied composition in Rome with Giacinto Sallustio while maintaining independence from the contemporary music community. Between the two World Wars and into the 1950s, he extensively travelled in Africa and the East, living mainly in France and Switzerland.

In Geneva, he studied Scriabin’s composition system with Egon Koehler, and in Vienna, he explored the twelve-tone technique with Walter Klein, a student of Schoenberg. The 1940s brought a profound personal and spiritual crisis for Scelsi, but he emerged in the early 1950s with a renewed perspective on life and music, focusing on the concept of “sound” as a medium for messages from a transcendental reality.

Scelsi’s musical works remained largely undiscovered during his lifetime. However, admiration from young French composers and exposure at the “Ferienkurse für Neue Musik” of Darmstadt in the 1970s brought his music to light. Renowned for compositions like “Quattro Pezzi su una nota sola” (1959), he collaborated with American composers and mentored Alvin Curran, solidifying his legacy in postmodern composition circles. His unique musical style was introduced to millions in Martin Scorsese’s film “Shutter Island,” featuring excerpts from his works alongside those of contemporaries like György Ligeti, Krzysztof Penderecki, John Cage, and Morton Feldman.