Giuseppe Martucci
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Giuseppe Martucci (; 6 January 1856, in
Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrusc ...
– 1 June 1909, 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 adminis ...
) was an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
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,
pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
and teacher. Sometimes called "the Italian
Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...
",AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
"> Martucci was notable among Italian composers of the era in that he dedicated his entire career to
absolute music Absolute music (sometimes abstract music) is music that is not explicitly 'about' anything; in contrast to program music, it is non- representational.M. C. Horowitz (ed.), ''New Dictionary of the History of Ideas'', , vol.1, p. 5 The idea of abs ...
, and wrote no operas. As a composer and teacher he was influential in reviving Italian interest in non-operatic music. Nevertheless, as a conductor, he did help to introduce
Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
's operas to Italy and also gave important early concerts of English music there.


Career

Martucci was born at
Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrusc ...
, in
Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...
. He learned the basics of music from his father, Gaetano, who played the trumpet. A child prodigy, he played in public on the piano when only eight years old. From the age of 11, he was a student at the Naples Conservatory, on the recommendation of professor Beniamino Cesi, the latter being a former student of
Sigismond 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, h ...
. From Paolo Serrao, Martucci acquired his initial training in composition; his own composition students later on, when he worked and taught at Bologna, included
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 died in Naples in 1909. His son Paolo, born in Naples in 1883, also became a pianist of note, briefly teaching at the Cincinnati Conservatory.


Pianist

Martucci's career as an international pianist commenced with a tour through Germany, France and England in 1875, at the age of 19. He was appointed piano professor at the Naples Conservatory in 1880, and moved to Bologna in 1886, replacing
Luigi Mancinelli Luigi Mancinelli (; 5 February 1848 – 2 February 1921) was an Italian conductor, cellist and composer. His early career was in Italy, where he established a reputation in Perugia and then Bologna. After 1886 he worked mostly in other countr ...
at the
Bologna Conservatory The Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini (previously known as the Liceo Musicale di Bologna, and sometimes referred to in English as the Bologna Conservatory) is a college of music in Bologna, Italy. The conservatory opened on 3 December 1804 ...
; in 1902 he returned for the last time to Naples, as director of the Royal Conservatory of Music.


Conductor

It was in 1881 that Martucci made his first conducting appearance. One of the earliest Italian musicians to admire Wagner, Martucci introduced some of Wagner's output to Italy. He led, for example, the first Italian performance of ''
Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the 12th-century romance Tristan and Iseult by Gottfried von Strassburg. It was compose ...
'' in 1888 in Bologna. Nor did his enthusiasm for foreign composers end with Wagner's work. As well as performing
Charles Villiers Stanford Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (30 September 1852 – 29 March 1924) was an Anglo-Irish composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era. Born to a well-off and highly musical family in Dublin, Stanford was ed ...
's 3rd ("Irish") Symphony in Bologna in 1898, he conducted one of the rare concerts of all-British orchestral music on the European continent in the later nineteenth century. What is more, he included music by
Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...
, Lalo, Goldmark and others in his programmes.


Composer

Martucci began as a composer at the age of 16, with short piano works. He wrote no
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
s, which was unusual among Italian composers of his generation, but instead concentrated on instrumental music and songs, producing also an
oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...
, ''Samuel''.


Legacy

Martucci was championed by
Arturo 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 ...
during much of the latter's career. The
NBC Symphony Orchestra The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC Symphony performed weekly radio concert broadcasts with Tosca ...
performed a number of Martucci's orchestral works in 1938, 1940, 1941, 1946, and 1953; although the performances were preserved on
transcription disc Electrical transcriptions are special phonograph recordings made exclusively for radio broadcasting,Browne, Ray B. and Browne, Pat, Eds. (2001). ''The Guide to United States Popular Culture''. The University of Wisconsin Press. . P. 263. which wer ...
s, none was approved for commercial release by Toscanini. All of these performances have been given unofficial release in recent years, on LP as well as CD format. NBC musical director Samuel Chotzinoff, in his 1956 book "Toscanini—An Intimate Portrait", said that every time the Maestro proposed scheduling Martucci's works, certain orchestra members and NBC authorities objected, but the conductor was not to be deterred. Some Toscanini biographers (including Mortimer Frank and Harvey Sachs) have questioned the merit of the compositions, speculating that Toscanini may have performed them out of a sense of duty.
Gian Francesco Malipiero Gian Francesco Malipiero (; 18 March 1882 – 1 August 1973) was an Italian composer, musicologist, music teacher and editor. Life Early years Born in Venice into an aristocratic family, the grandson of the opera composer Francesco Malipiero, Gia ...
said of Martucci's second symphony (1904) that it was "the beginning of the renaissance of non-operatic Italian music." Martucci was an instrumentalist ''pur sang,'' taking
absolute music Absolute music (sometimes abstract music) is music that is not explicitly 'about' anything; in contrast to program music, it is non- representational.M. C. Horowitz (ed.), ''New Dictionary of the History of Ideas'', , vol.1, p. 5 The idea of abs ...
as his highest goal. In 1989
Francesco d'Avalos Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name " Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sev ...
tried to start a revival of Martucci's music by recording four CDs with major works including the two piano concertos, two symphonies, and ''La canzone dei ricordi''. These discs were distributed by
ASV Records ASV Records was a London-based record label set up by Harley Usill, founder of Argo Records, Decca producer and former Argo general manager, Kevin Daly, and producer Jack Boyce, after Argo's parent company Decca was bought by PolyGram in 1980. ...
and later by Brilliant Classics. In 2009, to mark the centenary of Martucci's death,
Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...
released a series of CDs devoted to his orchestral music, featuring the Symphony Orchestra of Rome conducted by
Francesco La Vecchia Francesco La Vecchia (born September 10, 1954) is an Italian classical conductor. Biography and career La Vecchia was born in Rome, and began studying music with his grandfather, who taught him theory, harmony and composition. His first instru ...
. In 2011
Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti, (; born 28 July 1941) is an Italian conductor. He currently holds two music directorships, at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and at the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini. Muti has previously held posts at the Maggio Musicale ...
and the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...
featured Martucci's
Nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' 'of the night') was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...
, Op. 70, No. 1 during the
orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
's tour of
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
.


Works


Symphonic

*Polka (1871) *''Colore orientale'', Op. 44, No. 3 (1880, 1908) *''Danza'', Op. 44, No. 6 (1880, 1908) *"Novelletta", for orchestra, Op. 6/1 (1907) *Gavotta, Op. 55, No. 2 (1888, 1901) *Gigue (Giga), Op. 61, No. 3 (1883, 1892) *Canzonetta, Op. 65, No. 2 (1884, 1889) *Nocturne, Op. 70, No.1 (1891) * Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75 (1888–95) * Symphony No. 2 in F major, Op. 81 (1899–1904) * ''Novelletta'', Op. 82, No. 2 (1905, 1907)


Concertante

*Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 40 (1878) *Tema con variazioni in E-flat, Op. 58 (1882) (rev. 1900 & 1905) (''orchestral arrangement by Martucci?'') *Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 66 (1885) *Andante for Cello and orchestra, Op. 69, No. 2 (1888) (rev. 1907)


Organ

*Sonata in D minor, Op. 36 (1879)


Chamber music

*Divertimento
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 ...
's ''
La forza del destino ' (; ''The Power of Fate'', often translated ''The Force of Destiny'') is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, ' (1835), by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas, wi ...
''] for Flute and Piano (1869) *Piano Trio [after Jacques Offenbach, Offenbach's ''La belle Hélène''] (1869) *Violin Sonata, Op. 22 (1874) *Piano Quintet in C major, Op. 45 (1878) *Cello Sonata in F sharp minor, Op. 52 (1880) *Minuetto for String Quartet, Op. 55, No. 1 (1880, 1893) *Serenata for String Quartet, Op. 57, No. 2 (1886, 1893) *Piano Trio No. 1 in C major, Op. 59 (1882) *Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 62 (1883) *Momento musicale for String Quartet, Op. 64, No. 1 (1884, 1893) *3 Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 67 (1886) *3 Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 69 (1888) *Melodia for Violin and Piano (1890) *2 Romances for Cello and Piano, Op. 72 (1890)


Piano

*3 polkas and a mazurka (1867) *Fantasia sull'opera ''
La forza del destino ' (; ''The Power of Fate'', often translated ''The Force of Destiny'') is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, ' (1835), by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas, wi ...
'', Op. 1 (1871) *Polka improvvisata (1872) *Capriccio No. 1, Op. 2 (1872) *Capriccio No. 2, Op. 3 (1872) *Mazurka di concerto, Op. 4 (1872) *Andante e polka, Op. 5 (1873) *Tarantella, Op. 6 (1873) *Agitato, Op. 7 (1873) *Pensieri sull'opera ''
Un ballo in maschera ''Un ballo in maschera'' ''(A Masked Ball)'' is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, '' Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué''. The ...
'' for piano duet, Op. 8, (1873) *Studio di concerto, Op. 9 (1873) *Pensiero musicale, Op. 10 (1873) *Tempo di mazurka, Op. 11 (1873) *Capriccio No. 3, Op. 12 (1874) *Allegro appassionato, Op. 13 (1874) *Fuga, Op. 14 (1874) *Capriccio No. 4, Op. 15 (1874) *Melodia No. 1, Op. 16 (1874) *Improvviso, Op. 17 (1874) *Fuga a due parti, Op. 18 (1874) *Polacca No. 1, Op. 19 (1874) *Barcarola No. 1, Op. 20 (1874) *Melodia No. 2, Op. 21 (1874) *Scherzo, Op. 23 (1875) *Capriccio di concerto, Op. 24 (1875) *Nocturne: Souvenir de Milan, Op. 25 (1875) *Caprice en forme d'étude, Op. 26 (1875) *3 romances, Op. 27 (1875) *Fughetta and Fugue, Op. 28 (1875) *La caccia, Op. 29 (1876) *Barcarola No. 2, Op. 30 (1876) *4 pieces, Op. 31 (1876) *Fantasia in D minor, Op. 32 (1876) *3 pieces, Op. 33 (1876) *Piano Sonata in E-major, Op. 34 (1876) *Mazurka, Op. 35 (1876) *Racconto in memory of Bellini, Op. 37 (1877) *12 preludi facili (1877) *6 pieces, Op. 38 (1878) *Souvenir de Paris, Op. 39 (1878) *Sonata facile, Op. 41 (1878) *3 Notturninos, Op. 42 (1880) *7 pieces, Op. 43 (1878–82) *6 pieces, Op. 44 (1879–80) *3 Walzes, Op. 46( 1879) *Studio, Op. 47 (1879) *Polacca No. 2, Op. 48 (1879) *3 romances, Op. 49 (1880–82) *Novella, Op. 50 (1880) *Fantasia in G minor, Op. 51 (1880) *3 Scherzi, Op. 53 (1881) *Studio caratteristico, Op. 54 (1880) *2 pieces, Op. 55 (1880–8) *Improvviso-fantasia, Op. 56 (1880) *2 pieces, Op. 57 (1886) *Tema con variazioni, Op. 58 (1882), also for orchestra and 2 pianos (1900, 1905) (''arrangement by Martucci?'') *Foglie sparse: album di 6 pezzi, Op. 60 (1883) *3 pieces, Op. 61 (1883) *Moto perpetuo, Op. 63 (1884) *3 pieces, Op. 64 (1884) *3 pieces, Op. 65 (1884) *Romanza in E-major (1889) *2 Nocturnes, Op. 70 (1891) *Deux pièces, Op. 73 (1893) *Trèfles à 4 feuilles, Op. 74 (1895) *Trois morceaux, Op. 76 (1896) *2 pieces, Op. 77 (1896) *3 small pieces, Op. 78 (1900) *3 small pieces, Op. 79 (1901) *2 caprices, Op. 80 (1902) *Melodia No. 3 (1902) *3 pieces, Op. 82 (1905) *Novelletta, for piano, Op. 82/2 (1905) *3 pieces, Op. 83 (1905)


Vocal

*Messa a grande orchestra for solo voices, chorus and orchestra (1870–71) *''Alma gentil'' (S. Pellico) for Soprano or Tenor and Piano (1872) *''Samuel'' (F. Persico), oratorio for solo voices, chorus and orchestra (1881, 1906) *''La canzone dei ricordi'' (R. Pagliara), (Op. 68) song cycle, Mezzo Soprano or Baritone and piano (1887) *''La canzone dei ricordi'' (R. Pagliara), (Op. 68) song cycle, Mezzo Soprano or Baritone and orchestra (1898) *''Sogni'' (C. Ricci), (Op. 68) voice and piano (1888) *''Pagine sparse'' (Ricci), Op. 68 for voice and piano (1888) *''Ballando!'' (Ricci) for voice and piano (1889) *Due canti (Pagliara), (Op. 68) for boys' voices and organ (1889) *Tre pezzi (G. Carducci), Op. 84 for voice and piano (1906)


References


Further reading

* *Aldo Ferraris, "Giuseppe Martucci sinfonista europeo", 2010, Casa Musicale Eco, Monza, * The Complete Orchestral Works of Martucci is available a
Brilliant Classics
4 CD box, recording
Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, W ...
, 1989, conductor Francesco D'Avalos. * Piano concertos Opp. 40 and 66 are available from a CD by Orchestre Philharmonique de Montpelier, with conductor Massimo De Benart and pianist Jeffrey Swann: Agora Musica B000LH5VIS.


External links

*
Consonarte - Vox in Musica
First Publisher of Italian Lirica da Camera / Italian Art Songs, New Edition of

op. 68, 1888 {{DEFAULTSORT:Martucci, Giuseppe 1856 births 1909 deaths People from Capua 19th-century classical composers 19th-century classical pianists 19th-century conductors (music) 20th-century Italian composers 20th-century Italian male musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century Italian conductors (music) Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini faculty Italian classical pianists Italian male classical composers Italian male conductors (music) Italian male pianists Italian Romantic composers Male classical pianists People from the Province of Caserta Pupils of Paolo Serrao