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Billone, Pierluigi (1960–) By Cassidy, Aaron
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Pierluigi Billone is an Italian composer. Following early studies in guitar and composition in Sienna and Milan, he studied with Salvatore Sciarrino before moving to Germany, where he was awarded a number of grants and residencies (Schloss Solitude Stuttgart, Heinrich-Strobel Foundation, Akademie der Künst Berlin) and studied with Helmut Lachenmann at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart before moving to Vienna.
Billone’s work is principally characterized by a raw, earthy, primeval soundworld and by a ritualistic, pre-linguistic approach to musical material and form. His compositions tend toward limited, focused, elemental sounds, and despite a certain sense of physicality and violence are often quite spare and sparse in texture. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Billone’s work has focused almost exclusively on acoustic instruments (with the exception of a handful of works which include electric guitar and some early works requiring amplification) and is comprised predominately of solo and chamber music.