Norman Dello Joio

Norman Dello Joio (born January 24, 1913) is an American composer.

Related Topics:
January 24 - 1913 - Composer

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He was born in New York City and began his musical career as organist and choir director at the Star of the Sea Church on City Island in New York at age 14. His father was an organist, pianist, and vocal coach and coached many opera stars from the Metropolitan Opera. He taught Norman piano starting at the age of four. In his teens, Norman began studying organ with his godfather, Pietro Yon, who was the organist at Saint Patrick's Cathedral. In 1939, he received a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music, where he studied composition with Bernard Wagenaar.

Related Topics:
New York City - Organist - Choir - Pianist - Opera - Metropolitan Opera - 1939 - Juilliard School of Music

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While he was a student, he worked as organist at St. Anne's Church, but he soon decided that he didn't want to make his living as an organist. In 1941, he began studying with Paul Hindemith, who encouraged him to follow his own lyrical bent, rather than sacrificing it to the atonal systems then popular.

Related Topics:
1941 - Paul Hindemith - Atonal

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By the late forties, he was considered one of the foremost American composers. He received numerous awards and much recognition. He is a prolific composer in a variety of genres, but is perhaps best known for his choral music. Perhaps Dello Joio's most famous work in the wind ensemble category is his "Fantasies on a Theme by Haydn", composed for the Michigan State University Wind Ensemble and has since been performed thousands of times across the world.

Related Topics:
American - Music

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He taught at Sarah Lawrence College from 1944-50 and the Mannes College of Music. He was professor and dean at Boston University. In 1978, he retired and moved to Long Island, where he continues to compose.

Related Topics:
Sarah Lawrence College - Boston University - 1978

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