Nino Rota

Italian composer. Born into a musical family in Milan, Rota studied at the conservatory there under Ildebrando Pizzetti. His first oratorio, L'infanzia di San Giovanni Battista, was performed in Milan and Paris as early as 1923 and his lyrical comedy, "Il Principe Porcaro", was composed in 1926. Encouraged by Arturo Toscanini, Rota moved to the United States where he lived from 1930 to 1932.