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Francesco Maria Scala (1819 – 18 April 1903) also known as Francis M. Scala, was an Italian-born naturalized American military band director and musician. He was the first and one of the most important and influential directors of the
United States Marine Band The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in th ...
. He defined the instrumental organization that the band maintains, he was an extremely prolific musician and composer, and improved and enlarged the repertoire of the ensemble. It is thought that under his direction the USMC Band executed for the first time "The Gendarmes' Duet" from Act II of the revision in 1867 of the
Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ' ...
opera ''
Geneviève de Brabant ''Geneviève de Brabant'' is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach, first performed in Paris in 1859. The plot is based on the medieval legend of Genevieve of Brabant. For the 1867 version two additional characters, men-at-arms, ...
'', which debuted in Paris in 1859. This melody is now known as the
Marines' Hymn The "Marines' Hymn" is the official hymn of the United States Marine Corps, introduced by the first director of the USMC Band, Francesco Maria Scala. Its music originates from an 1867 work by Jacques Offenbach with the lyrics added by an anonymou ...
.


Biography

Scala was born in Naples around 1819. Although his family had no musical traditions, he precociously developed a strong passion for music. He was admitted as a student at the San Pietro a Maiella Conservatory in Naples, where he graduated as a clarinet soloist. In 1841, according to his own words "at the age of about twenty", he embarked as a "third-class musician" on the US frigate , of the Mediterranean Squadron. He soon discovered he suffered from sea sickness, therefore he resigned from the
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
and on August 11, 1842, he joined the USMC Band in Washington. His capabilities were soon appreciated, and he was promoted to "Fife Major" on May 22, 1843. On September 9, 1855, he succeeded Rafael Triay as the 14th band director, or ''Drum Major''. Before Scala, twelve other musicians served as band leaders from the foundation of the US Marine Band in 1799; among these were two other Italians:
Venerando Pulizzi Venerando Pulizzi (ca. 1792 - October 8, 1852) was an Italian-American musician and leader and member of the United States Marine Band. Early life and enlistment In February 1805, at age 12, Pulizzi was enlisted in Catania, Sicily, Italy along wi ...
(served 1816–17; 1818–27) and Joseph Lucchesi (1844–46). Scala was, however, the first musician officially bestowed with the title of Band Director, by a decree issued on July 25, 1861. After him, there was only one other Italian Band Director,
Francesco Fanciulli Francesco Fanciulli (May 29, 1853 — July 17, 1915) was an Italian-born naturalized American band director and composer. Between 1892 and 1897 he led the United States Marine Band. Biography Francesco Luigi Fanciulli was born in Porto Santo Stef ...
(between 1892 and 1897). During his sixteen-year tenure, Scala decided the instrumental configuration that the band maintains. He increased the dimension of the band from the ten elements he found when taking leadership, to about 35 when he retired. He also took the far-sighted decision to maintain an equal relationship between woodwind and brass, in a period when brass were predominate in the bands. As with all the Marine Band directors, Scala maintained a very strict relationship with the various American Presidents, that the Band accompanied during their official visits. Scala became Band Director during President Buchanan's term in office. Scala directed the band during the American Civil War, during which he developed a very strict and strong relationship with President
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
, to which he had already dedicated a special concert in his honor the same night of his election. During the Civil War, President Lincoln directed that the Marine Band continue to regularly offer its concerts in the front lawn of the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
. (When President Lincoln's son died, the concerts were moved to Lafayette Square as a sign of respect.) Scala was with Lincoln in Gettysburg on November 19, 1863, for the inauguration of the National Cemetery, when Lincoln delivered his famous address, and he was with him on the White House lawn on April 9, 1865, when the news about the surrounding of the Confederate Army arrived. At Lincoln's request, the band played the tune "Dixie" (associated with the Confederacy), because – as the President said from his balcony – "now it is of the Nation's". Eleven days later, the band expressed the country's mourning, while accompanying Lincoln's coffin during his funeral. Scala was an extremely prolific musician and arranger, and he improved and enlarged the repertoire of the ensemble. Applying his training and experience in European classical music and Italian opera, he guided the Marine Band toward a more concertistic approach, as opposed to solely military, parade and pomp services. Under the direction of Scala, the young
John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dis ...
started his own apprenticeship in the Band (where his father already played) on June 9, 1868. Scala ended his term as Marine Band director on December 13, 1871. He lived the rest of his life in Washington, D.C., in his house on South Carolina Avenue. When he died on April 18, 1903, the Marine Band played his preferred hymn ''Nearer My God to Thee'' during his funerals from his house and the Catholic church of St. Peter, and while in the church, it played the arrangement written by Scala for the funeral tune from ''
Il Trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...
'' by
Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
. Scala's music collection is conserved at the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
in Washington, D.C., to which it was donated in 1952 by his son, together with a fund that covers expenses for its study and execution.Francis Maria Scala papers, 1816-2013
at the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
The collection includes more than 600 titles: original works (marches, waltz, etc.) and transcriptions and arrangements from the operatic repertoire, particularly from the Italian composers
Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
and
Gioacchino 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 ...
.


Bibliography

* Clark, Allen C. "Francis Maria Scala: A Leader of the Band, U.S. Marine Corps." Unpublished transcript of a paper read before the Columbia Historical Society. 21 March 1933. Washington, D.C. U.S. Marine Band Archives. * "Congressional Cemetery." Pamphlet published by Congressional Cemetery Association (1801 E Street, SE) Washington, D.C. * Della Fonte, Lorenzo "L'infinita musica del vento", ed. Casa Musicale Eco, 2014 (novel) * "Francis Scala, Director of Famous Marine Band for Thirty Years." The Morning Times (Washington), 26 April 1903. * Ingalls, David M. Francis Scala: Leader of the Marine Band from 1855 to 1871. M.A. Dissertation, Catholic University of America, 1957. * Kirk, Elise K. Music at the White House. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1986. * "Scala’s Glorious Past." Undated newspaper clipping. Washington, D.C. U.S. Marine Band Archives. * Washington, D.C. U.S. Marine Band Archives.


References


External links


United States Marine Band Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scala, Francesco Maria 1819 births 1903 deaths American people of Italian descent United States Marine Corps officers United States Navy sailors American classical clarinetists United States Marine Band musicians American bandleaders American male conductors (music) 19th-century American male musicians