Born in 1921, the son of an eminent judge, soundtrack composer Piero Piccioni followed his father's footsteps and practised as a lawyer before abandoning the legal profession to pursue a career in music. A highly skilled pianist and organist, he played regularly for friends in the Italian film world and it was director Michelangelo Antonioni ("Blow Up"; "Zabriskie Point") who first suggested he try to compose for the big screen.

He started to work under the psuedonym of Piero Morgan and specialised in a soft jazz style; especially for comedian/director Alberto Sordi. He also worked with Alberto Lattuada ("I Dolci Inganni", 1965), Vittorio De Sica ("After The Fox, 1966), Luchino Visconti ("The Stranger", 1967), Roberto Rossellini and many more including Francesco Rosi ("Salvatore Giuliano", 1961 "Le Mani Sulla Citta, 1963, "Il Momento Della Verità", 1965 "Il Caso Mattei, 1972 and their final film "Cronaca Di Una Morte Annunciata, 1986).

He died on July 23, 2004 in Rome at age of 82.