"His music is a testimony to his genuine attachment to the expression of his inner life." - Pierre Boulez

 "What remains is his music, which is a precious gift." - Claudio Abbado

 "I would do everything to make good performances of his music possible everywhere in the world." - György Ligeti

Those who knew Niccolò Castiglioni often remarked on his purity, simplicity, sensitivity and serenity. He was a grown man with the heart of a young boy - a (possibly slightly naive) interpreter of dreams. His music also reflected his charming disposition which, when combined with a highly developed and refined technique, formed his unmistakable style.

Born in Milan on July 17, 1932, Castiglioni studied at the Conservatorio “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan with Giorgio Federico Ghedini, then with Franco Margola. He received a diploma in piano and composition in 1953. While in school, his broad range of interests included not only music, but also art, nature (he spent a lot of time in the mountains), and philosophy. He had a particular affection for the books of Eugenio Garin and his studies of medieval Platonism.

During his student years in Milan, Castiglioni was passionate about Stravinsky’s neo-classical music. After graduation, however, his interest shifted to twelve-tone composition, which in turn led to post-Webernian styles. During this time, he studied with Gulda, Zecchi and Blacher at the Mozarteum of Salzburg and also attended the Ferienkurse für neue Musik of Darmstadt, where he also taught between 1958 and 1965.

After the experiences of expressionism and structuralism, Castiglioni eventually developed his own personal idiom. He returned to a more tonal structure, and utilised his exceptional knowledge of early counterpoint and his deep study of timbre, all of which he crystallized into free, short forms. One of the most representative works of his musical development is Inverno In-ver (1973, revised 1978), a collection of eleven poems for small orchestra. The title of the last movement of the piece - Il rumore non fa bene. Il bene non fa rumore (Noise does no good. Good makes no noise) - perfectly sums up his poetic ideal of purity and luminosity. His most significant works include the Morceaux lyriques for oboe and orchestra (1982), the Geistliches Lied for soprano and orchestra (1983), the Hymne for 12 voices (1988-89) and the Momenti musicali for seven instruments (1991). 

Apart from a short period in the 1950’s when he performed as a concert pianist, Castiglioni devoted himself exclusively to composition and teaching. From 1966 to 1970 he lived in the United States, teaching counterpoint at the Rockefeller Foundation, composition as a visiting professor at the State University of New York (Buffalo) and the Universities of Michigan (Ann Arbor),  California (San Diego), and the history of Renaissance music at the University of Washington (Seattle). After his return to Italy up until his death, he taught at the Conservatories of Trent, Como and Milan, and split his time between his home city and Bressanone in the Dolomites. He died in Milan on September 7, 1996.