Pietro Grossi
Encyclopedia
Pietro Grossi was an Italian composer
pioneer of computer music
, visual artist and hacker ahead of his time. He began in Italy, experimenting with electronic techniques in the early sixties.
In the sixties Grossi taught at the Conservatory of Florence and began to research and experiment with electroacoustic music.
From 1936 to 1966 was the first cellist of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino orchestra.
Grossi began to experiment with electroacoustic music in the 1950s. By 1962, he had become the first Italian to carry out successful research in the field of computer music.
In 1963, he turned his interest to electronic music and founded the S 2F M (Studio di Fonologia Musicale di Firenze) which made its headquarters in Florence at the Conservatorio, and he also became a lecturer in this subject.
In 1964 he organized events with the association Contemporary Musical Life that introduced for the first time in Italy the work of John Cage
.
In 1965 he obtained the institution of the first professorship of Electronic Music in Italy.
In 1967 he made the first experiences in computer music.
In 1970 he made his first approaches to musical telematics organizing a performance with a link between Rimini (Pio Manzù Foundation) and Pisa (CNUCE). By invitation of lannis Xenakis, he presented another telematic concert between Pisa and Paris in 1974.
His contributions to the development of new technological musical instruments and to the creation of software packages for music-processing design have been fundamental.
He has not limited his work to the musical world, but also engaged in contemporary art.
In the eighties he was working on new forms of artistic production oriented toward the use of personal computers in the visual arts. Grossi started to develop visual elaborations created on a personal computer with programs provided with "self-decision making" and that works out the concept of HomeArt (1986), by way of the personal computer, raises the artistic aspirations and potential latent in each one of us to the highest level of autonomous decision making conceivable today, and the idea of personal artistic expression: “a piece is not only a work (of art), but also one of the many “works” one can freely transform: everything is temporary, everything can change at any time, ideas are not personal anymore, they are open to every solution, everybody could use them”.
Grossi has always been interested in every form of artistic expression. The last step of his HomeArt, is the creation of a series of unicum books, electronically produced and symbolically called HomeBooks (1991): each work is completely different from the others, thanks to the strong flexibility of the digital means.
He collaborated in order to experiment with electronic sound and composition with the computer music division of "CNUCE" (Institute of the National Research Council of Pisa).
Grossi’s latest multimedia experiments were with interactive sound and graphics. His later works involved automated and generative visual music software, autom@tedVisualMusiC 1.0 which he extended beyond the realms of music into the interactive work for the Internet, conceiving and collaborating with Sergio Maltagliati
in 1997 of the first Italian interactive work for the web netOper@, entertaining in his own house study the first on-line performance.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
pioneer of computer music
Computer music
Computer music is a term that was originally used within academia to describe a field of study relating to the applications of computing technology in music composition; particularly that stemming from the Western art music tradition...
, visual artist and hacker ahead of his time. He began in Italy, experimenting with electronic techniques in the early sixties.
Biography
Pietro Grossi was born in Venice, and he studied in Bologna eventually taking a diploma in composition and violoncello.In the sixties Grossi taught at the Conservatory of Florence and began to research and experiment with electroacoustic music.
From 1936 to 1966 was the first cellist of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino orchestra.
Grossi began to experiment with electroacoustic music in the 1950s. By 1962, he had become the first Italian to carry out successful research in the field of computer music.
In 1963, he turned his interest to electronic music and founded the S 2F M (Studio di Fonologia Musicale di Firenze) which made its headquarters in Florence at the Conservatorio, and he also became a lecturer in this subject.
In 1964 he organized events with the association Contemporary Musical Life that introduced for the first time in Italy the work of John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
.
In 1965 he obtained the institution of the first professorship of Electronic Music in Italy.
In 1967 he made the first experiences in computer music.
In 1970 he made his first approaches to musical telematics organizing a performance with a link between Rimini (Pio Manzù Foundation) and Pisa (CNUCE). By invitation of lannis Xenakis, he presented another telematic concert between Pisa and Paris in 1974.
His contributions to the development of new technological musical instruments and to the creation of software packages for music-processing design have been fundamental.
He has not limited his work to the musical world, but also engaged in contemporary art.
In the eighties he was working on new forms of artistic production oriented toward the use of personal computers in the visual arts. Grossi started to develop visual elaborations created on a personal computer with programs provided with "self-decision making" and that works out the concept of HomeArt (1986), by way of the personal computer, raises the artistic aspirations and potential latent in each one of us to the highest level of autonomous decision making conceivable today, and the idea of personal artistic expression: “a piece is not only a work (of art), but also one of the many “works” one can freely transform: everything is temporary, everything can change at any time, ideas are not personal anymore, they are open to every solution, everybody could use them”.
Grossi has always been interested in every form of artistic expression. The last step of his HomeArt, is the creation of a series of unicum books, electronically produced and symbolically called HomeBooks (1991): each work is completely different from the others, thanks to the strong flexibility of the digital means.
He collaborated in order to experiment with electronic sound and composition with the computer music division of "CNUCE" (Institute of the National Research Council of Pisa).
Grossi’s latest multimedia experiments were with interactive sound and graphics. His later works involved automated and generative visual music software, autom@tedVisualMusiC 1.0 which he extended beyond the realms of music into the interactive work for the Internet, conceiving and collaborating with Sergio Maltagliati
Sergio Maltagliati
Sergio Maltagliati is an Italian Internet-based artist, composer, and visual-digital artist.His first musical experiences with the Gialdino Gialdini Musical Band in in early 70s.-Biography:...
in 1997 of the first Italian interactive work for the web netOper@, entertaining in his own house study the first on-line performance.
Selected works
- 1961 Progretto 2-3 this piece consisting of several different high monotones that follow one another, is extremely minimal and ambient, controlled by a computer algorithm.
- 1965 Battimenti an electronic work composed and realized from “working material” for the electronic Studio di Fonologia Musicale (S 2F M), made by the 94 combinations of near frequencies.
- 1969 Collage where the concepts of music being an open process where no work of music is a finished piece but rather something to be manipulated.
- 1980 Computer Music transcription and elaborations (with Soft TAUMUS synthesizer TAU2, IBM 370/168 Institutes of CNR CNUCE and IEI) from the following authors: Bach, Scarlatti, Paganini, Brahms, Chopin, Strawinskij, Debussy, Joplin, Satie, Webern, Hindemith, Stockhausen.
- 1985-90 Mixed Unicum another ambient drone piece, similar to Progretto 2-3 and yet far more varied and rewarding, as the shifting tones create an alien topography of sound.
- 1986 HomeArt Grossi has developed the concept of HomeArt. It consists of completely automated and generative visual processes, based on simple Qbasic computer programs .
Discography
- GE-115 Computer Concerto (General Electrics, 1968)
- Computer Music (CNUCE/CNR, 1973)
- Computer Music - Bach/Grossi (LP, Ayma, 1980)
- Paganini al computer (LP, Edipan, 1982)
- Computer Music - Satie/Joplin/Grossi (LP, Edipan, 1983)
- Sound Life (LP, Edipan, 1985)
- Battimenti (CD, ants records, 2003) http://www.antsrecords.com/AG03.htm
- Suono Segno Gesto Visione a Firenze 2 -Grossi, Chiari, Cardini, Mayr, Lombardi, Aitiani, Maltagliati (Atopos 2005)
- Musicautomatica (CD, Die Schachtel, 2008) http://www.soundohm.com/pietro-grossi/musicautomatica/die-schachtel/
Dvd video
- CIRCUS_8 DVD video Quantum Bit Limited Edition / (2008) QuBIT 005