Giorgio Miceli (21 October 1836 in

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

– 1895, Italy) was an Italian

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 ...

composer who played

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

and wrote music for the instrument. Philip James Bonebr>''The Guitar and Mandolin – Biographies of Celebrated Players and Composers for these Instruments''
London: Schott, 1914, pp. 207-208. He was the composer for the operetta ''Zoe'' and for the music ''A Grand Serenade for Mandolin Band''. He wrote other works for both the mandolin and the guitar, as well as for other instruments. His son Giuseppe Miceli was also a successful performer and composer for the mandolin, including ''Danza Zingaresca'' for mandolin with piano accompaniment.

Family history

Giorgio Miceli was a son of well-off parents, who participated in the Italian revolution of 1847. His father was sentenced to row in the galleys as punishment, and Giorgio was sent to Naples. He had begun to learn mandolin from his uncle when he was seven-years old, and in Naples, he continued to study music under Gallo and under

Giuseppe Lillo Giuseppe Lillo (26 February 1814 - 4 February 1863) was an Italian composer. He is best known for his operas which followed in the same vein of Gioachino Rossini. He also produced works for solo piano, a small amount of sacred music, and some c ...

at the Naples Conservatory. His operetta ''Zoe'', performed in 1852, was his first; he was only 16. ''Zoe'' was given in 40 performances, and he had a second opera the next year which performed similarly. His plays were banned by the Naples authorities and he became a teacher. He continued to play, entering musical competitions in Naples and Florence. His work ''A Grand Serenade for Mandolin Band'', done for the Maritime Exhibition in Naples did well, and he was knighted as a result in 1875.

Operas

The 1910 book ''Dictionary-Catalogue of Operas and Operettas which Have Been Performed on the Public Stage: Libretti'' listed Miceli and some of his works: * ''Zoe'' * ''Amanti sessagenarli'' * ''Conte di Rossiglione'' * ''Convito di Baldassare'' * ''Fata'' * ''Feodora'' * ''Fidanzata'' * ''Jefte'' * ''(La figlia di) Leggenda di Pisa'' * ''Rapimento'' * ''Serena'' * ''Somnambule''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miceli, Giorgio Italian opera composers Male opera composers 19th-century classical composers Italian mandolinists Italian classical composers Italian male classical composers Musicians from Naples People from Reggio Calabria 1836 births 1895 deaths 19th-century Italian composers 19th-century Italian male musicians