Bonaventura Somma (

Chianciano Terme Chianciano Terme is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about southeast of Siena. It is located between the Valdichiana and the Val d'Orcia. Chianciano Te ...

30 July 1893 –

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 ...

23 October 1960) was an Italian Romantic

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, conductor and

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

Life

Bonaventura Somma was born in

- small town located in the

province of Siena The province of Siena ( it, provincia di Siena, link=no, ) is a province in Tuscany, Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena. Geography The province is divided into seven historical areas: * Alta Val d'Elsa * Chianti senese * The urban area o ...

, on

July 30 Events Pre-1600 * 762 – Baghdad is founded. *1419 – First Defenestration of Prague: A crowd of radical Hussites kill seven members of the Prague city council. *1502 – Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands ...

1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...

. As a young man he attended the conservatory in Rome, where he was trained in music, having been a student of various modern composers including Ottorino Respighi. After finishing his studies, he became a professor for many years at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in

and directed the Choirs of the "Augusteo" for several years. Always in Rome, he founded the Polyphonic Choir of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, in which he was permanent director until end of his life. He also worked with the most important conductors and composers of his time ( Karajan,

Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

Perosi Perosi is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Carlo Perosi (1868–1930), Italian cardinal *Lorenzo Perosi Monsignor Lorenzo Perosi (21 December 1872 – 12 October 1956) was an Italian composer of sacred music and ...

, etc.). For many years he was director of the Musical Chapel of

San Luigi dei Francesi The Church of St. Louis of the French ( it, San Luigi dei Francesi, french: Saint Louis des Français, la, S. Ludovici Francorum de Urbe) is a Roman Catholic church in Rome, not far from Piazza Navona. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, ...

Choirs

* Requiem Mass * Pentecost * Hail Mary * Symphony and Variations

Revisions and transcripts

Somma carried out an intense activity of transcription and revision of XVI to XVII century scores for choir, including several Palestrina's Masses and Madrigal works by Banchieri stand out.

Bibliography

* "SOMMA, Bonaventure", in the Italian Encyclopedia - III Appendix, Rome, Institute of the Italian Encyclopedia, 1961. Somma studied at Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in

con R. Renzi, C. Dobici, S. Falchi e

Ottorino Respighi Ottorino Respighi ( , , ; 9 July 187918 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. List of compositions by Ottorino Respighi, His compositions r ...

. He was Mestro at

Shrine of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei The Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei ( it, Pontificio Santuario della Beata Vergine del Santo Rosario di Pompei) is a Roman Catholic cathedral, Marian pontifical shrine and minor basilica commissioned by Bartolo L ...

(1911), organist at the

Waldensian Evangelical Church The Waldensian Evangelical Church (''Chiesa Evangelica Valdese'', CEV) is a Protestant denomination active in Italy and Switzerland that was independent until it united with the Methodist Evangelical Church in Italy in the Union of Methodist and W ...

and for many years Maestro of

Compositions

*Missa in honorem Sanctae Ritae e Cassia binis vocibus paribus organo vel harmonio comitante, 1938 *Missa in honorem Beatae Mariae Virginis sub titulo "Salus infirmorum" ad chorum duarum, trium et quatuor vocum virilium cun organo vel harmonio *Missa pro defunctis tribus vocibus inaequalibus organo comitante concinenda, 1939 *Missa in honorem Sanctae Clarae Assisiensis, ad chorum duarum, trium et quattuor vocum aequalium cum organo vel harmonio, 1954 *Ave Maria, per coro a 4 voci virili con accompagnamento d'organo o d'armonio *Beatus vir, Salmo solenne per coro a tre voci virili con organo od armonio *Canti eucaristici: Adoro te devote. Tantum ergo. O salutaris hostia. Per coro ad una voce Media con organo od armonio, 1937 *Ego sum panis vivus. Motectum unius vocis mediae organo vel harmonio comitante *Flos carmeli. Mottetto Mariano per coro a due voci eguali con organo od armonio *Gaudeamus. Introito-mottetto per coro a due voci eguali con organo od armonio *Nenia. Pastorale. A tre voci miste (C. T. Br. ) con accompagnamento d'organo od armonio *Nenia pastorale a 5 voci dispari senza accompagnamento *Nenia pastorale, a due voci pari, con accompagnamento d'organo o d'armonio *O salutaris hostia, motectum ad chorum quinque vocum inaequalium *Pater noster. Coro accademico a due voci eguali con pianoforte *Storia d'amore (racconto d'inverno), per violino e pianoforte *Stornelli delle Stagioni, per canto e piano *2 canti per bambini : a 4 voci pari *3 canti per bambini : a 4 voci pari *Flores apparuerunt : motectum *Due canti eucaristici : per coro a 2 voci eguali con organo od armonio *Leggenda pastorale *Il codino traditore : Scherzo a tre voci bianche *La neve : Corettino ad una voce Media con accompagnamento di pianoforte. *Burlesca, per orchestrina *Canzone per organo *Leggenda pastorale per organo *Suite francescana per organo *Dirigatur, domine, oratio mea, sicut incensum in conspectu tuo. Momenti spirituali per organo od armonio *Toccata per organo

References

Sources

Biography at Carrara Editions *
SOMMA, Bonaventura
�, in ''Enciclopedia Italiana - III Appendice'', Roma, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 1961.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somma, Bonaventura 1893 births 1960 deaths Italian classical composers Italian male classical composers Italian Romantic composers 20th-century classical composers Italian classical organists Male classical organists Composers for pipe organ Musicians from Siena Cecilian composers 20th-century organists 20th-century Italian composers 20th-century Italian male musicians Burials_at_Campo_Verano