Francesco Fanciulli (May 29, 1853 — July 17, 1915) was an Italian-born naturalized American
band director
A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the di ...
and
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 ...
. Between 1892 and 1897 he led the
United States Marine Band.
Biography
Francesco Luigi Fanciulli was born in
Porto Santo Stefano
Porto Santo Stefano () is a seaport town on the west coast of Italy, in the municipality of Monte Argentario, in the Province of Grosseto, Tuscany. It is the municipal seat of Monte Argentario and one of the two major towns that form the township ...
.
[Mauro Bucarelli, "Fanciulli, Francesco Luigi," ''Treccani'' (taken from ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'', volume 44 (1994)), accessed 6 July 2019.]
/ref> He learned cornet
The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...
at a young age and played in a local band. Displaying talent, he was sent to study at the Florence Conservatory
The Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini is located in piazza delle Belle Arti in Florence. The conservatory, among the most important in Italy, is named after the Florentine composer Luigi Cherubini (1760–1842).
History
The conservatory occupies pa ...
, where he obtained his diploma.
At age twenty he became the first cornettist at the Teatro della Pergola
The Teatro della Pergola is an historic opera house in Florence, Italy. It is located in the centre of the city on the Via della Pergola, from which the theatre takes its name. It was built in 1656 under the patronage of Cardinal Gian Carlo de' Med ...
in Florence, and in 1875 he obtained a position in the orchestra of the Politeama Fiorentino. He was also engaged as a conductor at the Teatro Goldoni, at the Politeama, and at the Teatro Nazionale.[ Through touring Italy, he became known as a horn virtuoso, an opera director and composer.][Frank J. Cipolla, "Francesco Fanciulli," ''Marines: The Official Website of the United States Marine Corps'' (accessed 6 June 2019).]
/ref>
In 1876 he emigrated to the United States to teach privately for a wealthy New York family. Arriving in New York on September 24, 1876, he also began working as an organist at St. Peter's Church in Brooklyn and as a teacher of piano and singing. He composed works for Patrick Gilmore's band. Among his compositions was a piece transcribed from his first opera ''The Voyage of Columbus'' that Gilmore described as "the most beautiful piece of descriptive music ever written."[ Gilmore's performances of Fanciulli's works led to their popularization. In 1885—the year he became a naturalized American—Fanciulli became principal conductor of the Mozart Musical Union,][ and in the early 1900s he became director of the Lillian Durell Opera Company of Boston.][John R. Bourgeois]
, "The President's Own: A History of the United States Marine Band," page 4 (website, accessed 7 July 2019)">John R. Bourgeois">John R. Bourgeois
, "The President's Own: A History of the United States Marine Band," page 4 (website, accessed 7 July 2019)/ref>
In 1892, Fanciulli's reputation increased when he succeeded John Philip Sousa as head of the United States Marine Band. He was the fourth Italian-born director of the band, having been preceded by Venerando Pulizzi (1816–17; 1818–27), Joseph Lucchesi (1844–46) and Francis M. Scala (1855–71). Fanciulli led his first concert on January 20, 1893, and presided over the inauguration of Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
on March 4, 1893.[ Under his leadership, the Band won prestigious prizes such as the competition held in 1893 on the occasion of an international gathering of the most important American and European military bands in ]Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...
.[ Fanciulli led the Band at the unveiling of ]Grant's Tomb
Grant's Tomb, officially the General Grant National Memorial, is the final resting place of Ulysses S. Grant, 18th president of the United States, and his wife, Julia Grant. It is a classical domed mausoleum in the Morningside Heights neighborho ...
on April 25, 1897.
Despite the popularity of his compositions and the Marine Band's well-attended concerts, Fanciulli always felt burdened by the shadow of Sousa, his predecessor. Nevertheless, Fanciulli always programmed Sousa's works alongside of his own. During a parade in Washington D.C. on June 1, 1897, Fanciulli, who normally alternated compositions of Sousa with his own, opposed the request of a superior to encore a Sousa march which would have altered the expected order of the pieces. The discussion degenerated into a dispute. Accused of insubordination, Fanciulli was placed under house arrest. President Cleveland intervened so that Fanciulli could be released to accompany him with the Band the next day during an important speech in Philadelphia. However, when Fanciulli returned to Washington, a commission of inquiry from the Navy found him guilty of "failure to obey a lawful order, use of disrespectful language toward an officer, and conduct being prejudice to the conduct of good order and discipline." Only the intervention of Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
, at that time the United States Secretary of the Navy
The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States D ...
, mitigated the effects of the sentence. Fanciulli resumed his post, but on October 27, 1897, the Marine Headquarters announced that his assignment would not be renewed.[
Fanciulli returned to New York assuming leadership of the Band of the 71st Regiment of the National Guard. In 1901 Fanciulli and his Band participated in the ]Pan-American Exposition
The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood A ...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
. In 1904, he left the National Guard and created a band of civil professionals, known as Fanciulli's Concert Band, and embarked on a tour of the United States. The national tour ended the following year as his management costs proved too expensive."Fanciulli's biography," ''Fanciulli, Their Hero'' (website for book, accessed 7 July 2019).
/ref> For five seasons the Fanciulli's Concert Band continued its activity, holding concerts of great appeal in Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
.[
For the remaining years of his life Fanciulli continued to compose and conduct. He died in 1915 at the German Hospital and Dispensary in New York after a serious illness. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. His papers and manuscripts are kept at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
]
Compositions
Fanciiulli remains famous above all for his band songs, including the celebrated Trip to Mars , A Trip to Manhattan Beach , and The National Patriot. He was also a composer of operas and operettas. His first opera, ''The Voyage of Columbus'', was completed in 1876 during his trip to America with the intention of presenting it at the Metropolitan Grand Opera Competition, a competition in which he discovered that foreign musicians were not allowed. After the failure of the opera ''Malinche'', Fanciulli had better luck with ''Priscilla: The Maid of Portsmouth'', based on a story by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
that was performed on several occasions. Fanciulli also wrote two comic operas, ''The Maid of Paradise'' and ''The Interpreter''.[
]
Marches and other works for band
* A Day With Teddy's Terrors
* A Trip to Manhattan Beach
* A Trip to Mars
* Civic Fame March
* Fantasie Allegoric of New York Under Various Governments
* From Italy to America
* Gilmore's Band Tour in Europe
* Grand March Inaugural
* March of Progress
* Marine Band March
* Old Glory March
* Our National Patrol
* Romaine Waltzes
* Salve Regina
* Savoria, grand march
* Starving Innisfail
* The Electric Century
* The Evening Star March
* The Examiner's March
* The Florida Special March
* The Man from Maine
* The March to Creedmoor
* The Old Time Singing School
* The Stricken City
* Troop A (The President's Guard) March
* U.S.S. Massachusetts March
* With Dewey at Manila
Works
*The Voyage of Columbus (1876)
*Malinche
*Priscilla (Norfolk, Virginia, 1901)
*Sultana
*Daisy's Chain
*Gabriel de Montgomery
*A Maid of Paradise
References
See also
*Birardi, Francesca. ''Fanciulli, Their Hero'' (Arcidosso: Edizioni Effigi, 2007)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fanciulli, Francesco
1853 births
1915 deaths
19th-century American composers
20th-century American composers
19th-century conductors (music)
20th-century Italian conductors (music)
20th-century Italian male musicians
American bandleaders
American male classical composers
Italian male conductors (music)
Italian emigrants to the United States
20th-century American male musicians
United States Marine Band musicians
19th-century Italian male musicians
People from Monte Argentario