Cipollone, Pietro A. (1889-1955) | University of Illinois Archives

Pietro A. Cipollone - musician, band leader, and composer - was born in Tocco Casauria, Italy in 1889 and studied music composition and theory with Ettore Martini, who studied with Puccini and Massenet for over four years. He received wide acclaim in the United States and Italy for his excellence in directing of symphony orchestras and bands, and his music interpretations of traditional western-European orchestral composition. His musicianship won him praise from such renowned Italian music teachers as Cav. Omero Carraro, artistic director of the G. Campi Music House, in Foligno, Italy and Ivo Baffigi.

Pietro Cipollone emigrated to the United States in 1913. While living in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania in 1933 he and local merchant Anthony Ferrari formed the Ferrari Sons Musical Club and the Ferrari Band with Cipollone as its music director. He also conducted the Royal Italian Band in Mount Carmel, PA and the Royal Order of the moose Band in Hammonton NJ. World War II brought about frequent changes of band personnel making it very difficult to sustain the band and its programming. Many of the band's concerts were radio broadcast on WAZL from Hazelton, Pennsylvania. In addition to his work as a band director Cipollone taught private music lessons at his home and at the Philadelphia Music Center until his death in January of 1955.

Further information on Cipollone can be found in Emma S. Rocco's Italian Wind Bands: A Surviving Tradition in the Milltowns of Lawrence and Beaver Counties of Pennsylvania, G. K. Hall's Three Centuries of American Music , and Raoul Camus' Anthology of American Composers.

Telephone conversation with Anthony Cipollone, Pietro Cipollone's son on October 22, 2007.