Luigi Arditi (16 July 1822 – 1 May 1903) was an Italian

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

ist,

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 Def ...

and conductor.

Life

Arditi was born in Crescentino,

Piemonte it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

(Italy). He began his musical career as a violinist, and studied music at the

Milan Conservatory The Milan Conservatory (''Conservatorio di Milano'') is a college of music in Milan, Italy. History The conservatory was established by a royal decree of 1807 in Milan, capital of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. It opened the following year ...

under Bernardo Ferrara (violin) and

Nicola Vaccai Nicola Vaccai (15 March 1790 – 5 or 6 August 1848) was an Italian composer, particularly of operas, and a singing teacher. Life and career as a composer Born at Tolentino, he grew up in Pesaro, and studied music there until his parents sent him ...

(composition). He made his debut in 1843 as a director at

Vercelli Vercelli (; pms, Vërsèj ), is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, ...

, and it was there that he was made an honorary member of the Philharmonic Academy. Arditi conducted

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 libr ...

throughout Italy and in 1846 found himself conducting as far afield as

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. (This was where he first met Giovanni Bottesini.) He visited

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, where he remained for a while, conducting operas in New York, Philadelphia and other cities with the Max Maretzek Italian Opera Company until 1856. Then, following a visit to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, he decided to settle in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, but made several trips again to America with the Royal Italian Opera Company. He also conducted in

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, and in other major European cities such as

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

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and

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. After 1885, he was in England, conducting at

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and in various prestigious theatres and promenade concerts in London's parks. He died at

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, near

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(

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); he is buried in Hove Cemetery.

Works

Arditi's best-known operas are: ''I Briganti'', ''II Corsaro'', and ''La Spia'', ("The Spy"). In addition he wrote numerous songs and vocal waltzes, the most popular of which are "Il Bacio" ("The Kiss", dedicated to

Marietta Piccolomini Marietta Piccolomini (; 5 March 1834 – 11 December 1899)The birthdate given in this article is stated by the Register of baptisms — year 1834 — number 215 — of the former Parish of Saints Quiricus and Julitta in Sienna, while the death dat ...

, to a text specially written by baritone

Gottardo Aldighieri Gottardo Aldighieri (6 January 1824 – 11 May 1906) was an Italian operatic baritone who had a major opera career in Italy from 1858 to 1885. He possessed a powerful and beautiful voice and appeared on the stages of most of Italy's great ope ...

),Arditi, ''My Reminiscences'', pp.68-70
an
325
''Il bacio'' was to become famous as it was usually interpolated by

Adelina Patti Adelina Patti (19 February 184327 September 1919) was an Italian 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851, and gave her l ...

into the singing lesson in Act 2 of

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 ...

's ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an '' opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was ba ...

'' (Luana D'Aguì, ''Bologna - Teatro Comunale: Il Barbiere di Siviglia'',
OperaClick
) "Le Tortorelle" ("The Dove", dedicated to

Etelka Gerster Etelka Gerster (25 June 1855, Košice20 August 1920, Pontecchio) was a Hungarian soprano. She debuted in Italy in 1876 and sang in London the following year. In 1878, she was performing in the Academy of Music where she was considered one of t ...

), "Se Saran Rose" ("Rosebuds", also titled in English "Love in Springtime", dedicated to

), and "Parla" ("Speak!"). His ''Inno Turco'' (1856) for Sultan

Abdülmecid I Abdulmejid I ( ota, عبد المجيد اول, ʿAbdü'l-Mecîd-i evvel, tr, I. Abdülmecid; 25 April 182325 June 1861) was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on 2 July 1839. His reign was notable for the r ...

set to a Turkish text was later sung in London during the state visit of Sultan

Abdülaziz Abdulaziz ( ota, عبد العزيز, ʿAbdü'l-ʿAzîz; tr, Abdülaziz; 8 February 18304 June 1876) was the 32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and reigned from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was overthrown in a government coup. He was a ...

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

by a British choir of 1600 in July 1867. The world premiere recording of ''Inno Turco'', by Turkish music historian Dr

Emre Araci Emre * Emre Altuğ (born 1970), Turkish musician * * Emre Aracı (born 1968), Turkish music historian, conductor, composer * Emre Aydın (born 1981), Turkish rock singer * Emre Aşık (born 1973), Turkish footballer * Emre Zafer Barnes (born ...

with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonic Choir, was released in 2005 by the Brilliant Classics label.

References

;Notes ;Sources * * Luigi Arditi, ''My reminiscences'', second edition, London, Skeffington, 1896 (accessible for free online a
Internet Archive

External links

*

at arditi.homestead.com
World premiere recording of ''Inno Turco'' (1856) is featured on Emre Araci's ''Euro-Ottomania'' album released by Brilliant Classics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arditi, Luigi 1822 births 1903 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century conductors (music) Italian classical composers Italian classical violinists Italian conductors (music) 19th-century Italian Jews Italian male classical composers Italian male conductors (music) Italian Romantic composers Jewish classical composers Jewish classical violinists Male classical violinists People from Crescentino 20th-century Italian male musicians