Luna Alcalay  (*1928, Zagreb, †2012 Vienna) studied piano and composition at the Conservatoire in Vienna. Luna Alcalay ranks among the leading Austrian composers of the second half of the 20th century. Her compositional beginnings lie in serialism, and this, following stimuli from the Darmstadt Summer Courses in the 60s and Bruno Maderna, led to her finding a system of her own. In the 70s she started working with multi-media forms of expression. This critical approach was expressed in her openness to various styles such as jazz but, above all, in her commitment to humanity and deep emotionalism. In 1968, commissioned by the Austrian Music Council, she composed UNO-Cantata, setting the text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to music.