S.O.D. "The Pickup" by Nino Rota

10/22/2014     Born Giovanni Rota Rinaldi in 1911, Milan Italy, a tireless and amazing musical career awaited.  He was considered a prodigy and by age 11 had written his first oratorio, which is a large composition of music for an orchestra, choir or soloists.  He studied music in Italy and in the U.S. from 1930-1932 until moving back to Italy.  

     It was during the late 40s to mid 50s when he was most productive, writing sometimes 10 film scores in one year and averaged 3 per year within a 46 year period.  This song is from "The Godfather" soundtrack.  For "The Godfather Part II" he won an Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1974.  He has also completed other works including chamber music, operas and ballets.

     Considered to be one of the most brilliant composers to ever tickle the ivories, music scholar, Nicholas Slonimsky comments that "Rota is brilliant and demonstrates a great facility and even felicity, with occasional daring excursions into dodecaphony".  Basically it's when you have 12  different notes of the chromatic scale with no emphasis on any single note, avoiding any particular key.  Yes, you are a master by then.  

     Rota also held a position of teaching and eventually director over the course of nearly 30 years at the Lice Musicale in Bari, Italy.