Berio, Luciano

(born Oct. 24, 1925, Oneglia, Italy—died May 27, 2003, Rome) Italian composer. He was an important innovator in electronic music, the combining of live and taped music, aleatory music, graphic notation, musical “collage” using borrowed material, and (perhaps most significantly) in musical “performance pieces.” His wife, the singer Cathy Berberian (1925–83), was his principal collaborator. His best-known works include (1958), (1961), (1968), (1970), and his series of (1958–2002).

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