Noted composer Dello Joio dead at 95

NEW YORK, July 27 (UPI) -- Norman Dello Joio, whose tonal compositions earned him many fans, has died in the town of East Hampton, N.Y., at the age of 95, a publisher says.

Publisher Carl Fischer Music said Dello Joio gained fame from his unique lyrical creations, which he created based on his viewpoint that accepted patterns in music should be challenged, The New York Times reported Sunday.

"If it's valid, and it's good, put it down in your mind. Don't say, 'I have to do this because the system tells me to.' No, that's a mistake," Dello Joio once said on his Web site.

Among Dello Joio's operatic works was "The Triumph of St. Joan," which revisited one of the composer's favorite subjects: the French military figure Joan of Arc.

"Daily, for ages, she has challenged men to have her courage," Dello Joio wrote in a 1956 Times article regarding the historical figure.

The Times said Dello Joio, who died Thursday of unspecified causes, is survived by his wife, Barbara Bolton; three children, two stepchildren and three grandchildren.