Alfonso Rendano (5 April 1853 – 10 September 1931) was an Italian pianist and composer. He is mostly renowned for inventing the "third pedal", which augmented the interpretative resources of the piano. Rendano was born in

Cosenza Cosenza (; :it:Dialetto cosentino, local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosen ...

. He was particularly precocious and at the age of ten he was admitted to the Naples Conservatory, where he was noticed by

Sigismund Thalberg Sigismond Thalberg (8 January 1812 – 27 April 1871) was an Austrian composer and one of the most distinguished virtuoso pianists of the 19th century. Family He was born in Pâquis near Geneva on 8 January 1812. According to his own account, he ...

who sent him to Paris, recommending him to

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...

. In 1866 he studied under

Georges Mathias Georges Amédée Saint-Clair Mathias (; 14 October 182614 October 1910) was a French composer, pianist and teacher. Alongside his teaching work, Georges Mathias was a very active concert pianist. Biography Mathias was born in Paris. He studied ...

, Chopin's pupil. For about 15 years, he carried out an intense musical activity; he then devoted himself to teaching, first in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

, then in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Rendano wrote the opera ''Consuelo'', successfully staged in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

and in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. He held his last concert at Rome's

Teatro Valle Teatro may refer to: * Theatre * Teatro (band), musical act signed to Sony BMG * ''Teatro'' (Willie Nelson album), 1998 * ''Teatro'' (Draco Rosa album), 2008 {{disambiguation ...

in 1925. He died in Rome in 1931. The main theatre of

is named after him.

References

1853 births 1931 deaths People from Cosenza Italian classical composers Italian male classical composers Italian opera composers Male opera composers Pupils of Georges Mathias Italian classical pianists Male classical pianists Italian male pianists 19th-century classical pianists 19th-century classical composers 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century classical composers 19th-century Italian composers 20th-century Italian composers 20th-century Italian male musicians 19th-century Italian male musicians {{pianist-stub