Luigi Russolo

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Luigi Russolo


Img_capt = Luigi Russolo ca. 1916
Img_size = 130px
Landscape =
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Luigi Russolo
Alias =
Born = birth date|1883|04|30|df=y
Died = death date and age|1947|02|04|1883|04|30
Origin =
Voice_type = Bass
Genre = Experimental music
Occupation = Machine music pioneer and Futurist painter
Years_active = 1901-1947
Label =
Associated_acts =

Luigi Russolo (April 30, 1885 - February 4, 1947) was an Italian Futurist painter and composer, and the author of the manifestoes "The Art of Noises" (1913) and "Musica Futurista".

Biography

Russolo was born at Portogruaro, in the Veneto region, the son of an organist in the local cathedral and director of the Schola Cantorum of Latisana. His brothers were also musicians.

Russolo moved to Milan in 1901, frequenting the Brera Academy, and took part to the restoration of Leonardo's "Last Supper" in Santa Maria delle Grazie. In his first works Russolo applied the divisionist techniques to a fantastic-symbolic view of subject related to the city or the industrial society.

An adherent of the Futurism movement, he worked closely with futurist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti.

On 11 March 1913 he published the treatise "The Art of Noises" ("L'arte dei rumori"). He is consideredweasel-inline the first theorist of electronic music. Russolo invented and built instruments including intonarumori ("intoners" or "noise machines"), to create "noises" for performance. Unfortunately, none of his original intonarumori survived World War II. Luigi's brother Antonio Russolo also composed futurist music.

In 1941-1942 Russolo started again to paint, with a new style that he defined "classic modernist".

He died at Cerro di Laveno (province of Varese) in 1947.

To honor the memory of the futurist composer, The Russolo-Pratella Foundation of Varese, Italy holds an annual international composition competition for electro-acoustic music. The Luigi Russolo Prize in Electro-Acoustic Music is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of electro-acoustic music.

ee also

* Musica Futurista
* custom-made instruments
* list of custom-made instrument builders
* Noise music

Notes and references

Further reading

* [http://www.ubu.com/historical/russolo/russolo.html UbuWeb Historical: Russolo's "Art of Noise"]

Audio

* [http://www.thereminvox.com/filemanager/list/12/ Three audio clips by Luigi Russolo: "Serenata", "Corale" and "Risveglio di una città". (Thereminvox.com)]
*Modern recordings of noise intoners and a fragment of Luigi Russolo's key Futurist composition "The Awakening of a City" can be heard on the audio CD [http://www.ltmpub.freeserve.co.uk/futcat.html "Musica Futurista: The Art of Noises".]
* [http://www.ubu.com/sound/dada.html UbuWeb Dada for Now, 1985, UK] featuring Russolo's "Veglio di una citta".

External links

* [http://www.thereminvox.com/article/articleview/117/1/31/ "The Art of Noises": the manifesto in which Luigi Russolo presented his ideas about the use of noises in music. (Thereminvox.com)]
* [http://www.thereminvox.com/article/articleview/116/1/31/ "Intonarumori": history, working and photographs of the Intonarumori (noise makers). (Thereminvox.com)]
* [http://www.unknown.nu/futurism/noises.html The Art of Noises ] at www.unknown.nu The Art of Noises
* [http://www.obsolete.com/120_years/machines/futurist/art_of_noise.html Russolo:The Art of Noises ] at www.obsolete.com The Art of Noises
* [http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/works/intonarumori/audio/1/ Media Art Net | Russolo, Luigi: Intonarumori ] at www.medienkunstnetz.de Intonarumori
* [http://csunix1.lvc.edu/~snyder/em/russolo.html Luigi Russolo and the Italian Futurists]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20050305093832/http://switch.sjsu.edu/switch/sound/articles/wendt/folder6/ng632.htm Luigi Russolo and "The Art of Noise"] (retrieved from the Internet archive)
* [http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/english/06_artists/russolo.htm Peggy Guggenheim Collection: Luigi Russolo]
* [http://www.zakros.com/mica/soundart/f02/futurist.html Art of Noise ] at www.zakros.com
* [http://www.jahsonic.com/LuigiRussolo.html JahSonic.com: Luigi Russolo]
* [http://www.futurism.org.uk/futurism.htm Bob Osborn's Futurism: Luigi Russolo]
* [http://www.russolo.nl Prof. Russolo & His Noise Intoners]

Persondata
NAME=Russolo, Luigi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Electronic music pioneer and Futurist painter
DATE OF BIRTH=1885-04-30
PLACE OF BIRTH=Portogruaro,
DATE OF DEATH=1947-02-04
PLACE OF DEATH=Cerro di Laveno