Luigi Nono was born in Venice on 29 January 1924. From 1941 he took composition lessons with Gian Francesco Malipiero, which focussed on works of the 16th and 17th centuries and on the music of the Second Viennese School which was prohibited in Fascist Italy. In 1942, at the request of his family, Nono began to study law in Padua and graduated in 1946. That same year he met Bruno Maderna who gave him free composition lessons. Studying the Franco-Flemish School of composers awakened a fascination with polyphonic canon techniques. In 1948 he met the conductor Hermann Scherchen whom Nono accompanied on tour. His connection with Scherchen led to his exploration of the German music tradition; joint analyses of the works by Webern and Schoenberg increased his admiration for both composers.