Nicolo Paganini Conservatory

The Conservatorio Niccolò Paganini (English: Conservatory of Music Niccolò Paganini), better known in English as the Genoa Conservatory, is a music conservatory in Genoa, Italy. The school was founded in 1829 as the Scuola Gratuita di Canto, and was originally intended as a private institution to train singers performing at the Teatro Carlo Felice. When instrumental music instruction was added in 1830 the school's name was changed to the Istituto di Musica - Scuola gratuita di Canto e Strumentale. After evolving into a public music conservatory operated by the Government of Genoa in 1849, the school was renamed the Civico Istituto Musicale. In 1904 its name was changed again in honor of the composer Niccolò Paganini. Since 1933 the institution has operated as a national conservatory managed by the Ministry of Public Education of the Government of Italy.

The Genoa Conservatory has been housed in several different locations during its history; often in buildings formerly used as religious spaces. Originally located in a building near the Chiesa di Nostra Signora delle Grazie in the Molo neighborhood of Genoa, the conservatory moved into the facilities of the former monastery attached to that church in 1834. It remained at that location until 1866 when the conservatory relocated to the premises of the San Filippo Neri, Genoa; inhabiting the former church until it was reclaimed by the Holy See in 1928. The conservatory was then located at another former church, the Sant'Agostino, Genoa, from 1928 to 1936. The school relocated to the Villa Raggio in the Albaro neighborhood until it was forced to evacuate temporarily to the Villa Saluzzo Serra art museum in the Genoese neighborhood of Nervi during World War II for safety reasons. It returned to the Villa Raggio during the war only to be forced to cohabitate with military forces when the Villa Raggio was requisitioned by the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany and later by the military forces of the Allied Powers. After the war the conservatory continued to operate in the Villa Raggio, but left there to reside temporarily in the Palazzo Gerolamo Grimaldi during the 1960s. Since 1970 the conservatory has been located at the Villa Sauli Bombrini Doria in Albaro, Genoa.

Early history as a private school: 1829-1849

The Genoa Conservatory was founded as the Scuola Gratuita di Canto in 1829 by Antonio Costa. Originally the school was created as a private institution with the intent of training singers who were performing in operas at the Teatro Carlo Felice. Instrumental music instruction was added in the school's second year of operation, and in 1830 the school's name was changed to the Istituto di Musica - Scuola gratuita di Canto e Strumentale. One of the school's initial pupils was Michele Novaro who later gained fame for composing " Il Canto degli Italiani", the national anthem of Italy. The school's first public concert was a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's ''Requiem'' led by conductor Nicolò Uccelli on June 17, 1830. It was a memorial concert following the death of one of the school's benefactors, the Italian general and former Genoese governor Ettore Veuillet d'Yenne.

The Genoa Conservatory was first located in a now demolished building near the Chiesa di Nostra Signora delle Grazie in the Molo neighborhood of Genoa, and in November 1834 the school moved into the premises of the former monastery attached to that church.Pintacuda, p. 52 In January 1849 Antonio Costa died and he bequeathed his significant music library, collection of musical instruments, and other items, such as furniture, to the city of Genoa. Costa's musical manuscripts are still part of the collection at the Genoa Conservatory's music library. After Costa's death, the impresario Francesco Sanguineti became interim director of the school while a decision was made over the future direction of the institution. The disastrous defeat at the Battle of Novara in March 1849 during the First Italian War of Independence further imperiled the future of the school as the economic and political situation in Genoa worsened. However, a group of Genoese citizens led by the president of the school's trustees, Nicolò Sauli, stabilized the finances of the institution through raising charitable funds.

Early years as a public institution: 1849-1865

In his role as deputy mayor of Genoa, the civil servant and composer Francesco Viani (1809-1877) spearheaded the transformation of the school into a larger public music conservatory operated by the government of Genoa at which point the conservatory was renamed the Civico Istituto Musicale. The school was officially made into a public institution on Christmas Eve of 1849.Pintacuda, p. 55 Viani also established a professional civic orchestra operated by the government of Genoa which also took over the management of the Teatro Carlo Felice; creating a trio of publicly operated music institutions in Genoa that contributed greatly to the culture of the city beginning in the middle of the 19th century.

In 1850 the composer, conductor, and violinist Giovanni Serra (1787-1876) was appointed director of the Genoa Conservatory; a position offered to him only after it was refused first by composer Carlo Andrea Gambini (1819-1865) and then by composer Placido Mandanici. Mandanici, who had been teaching on the faculty of the conservatory, had been appointed director of the conservatory at a Genoa city council meeting without being consulted, and promptly resigned from the faculty upon learning that he had been made the director without his consent. Under Serra's leadership the school expanded its class offerings to include courses in music theory, solfège, piano performance, and chamber music; and Serra established a chair position in counterpoint at the conservatory in addition to maintaining the schools reputation as one of Italy's best schools for vocalists.

Years at the San Filippo Neri and Sant'Agostino: 1866-1936

In 1866 the Genoa Conservatory relocated to the premises of the San Filippo Neri, Genoa, a former church established by the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, and in 1872 Serra retired from his position as director.Pintacuda, p. 59 Giuseppe Verdi declined the offer of succeeding Serra as director of the Genoa Conservatory, but recommended that Serafino Amedeo De Ferrari be appointed to the position in his place. De Ferrari was appointed director in 1873 in conjunction with several changes made by the Government of Genoa to the conservatory's governing structure.

In 1882 the school was put under the administration of Genoa's public education office; having previously been managed by the Genoa government's bursar's office.Pintacuda, p. 61 This move proved fortuitous as the bursar's office had opposed many education reforms petitioned by De Ferrari in previous years, and had made controversial cuts to programming to save money in the 1870s; including cutting many of the courses offered to female students as well as removing piano instruction. When the public education department took over the management of the school, the classes for women and for piano were immediately restored, and ultimately many of Ferrari's reforms were approved in 1884 just months before his death in March 1885; including establishment of an academic chair for music composition.

Verdi was once again consulted in the selection process of a new director for the Genoa Conservatory, and upon his recommendation the composer, conductor, and pianist Vincenzo Maria Noberasco succeeded De Ferrari as director in 1885. In 1896 Carlo Del Signore succeeded Noberasco as director following Noberasco's death. Del Signore died eight months into his tenure as director, and he was succeeded by composer Giovanni Battista Polleri (1855-1923) who was appointed to the position in January 1898 by a search committee that included composer Giacomo Puccini. Polleri remained the director for the next twenty-five years, over-seeing a period of substantial growth in which the conservatory underwent an academic transformation and earned a reputation as one of Italy's leading music conservatories. On April 6, 1904, the conservatory was renamed the "Conservatorio Niccolò Paganini" after the famous Genoese composer.

After Polleri's death in 1923, pianist Pasquale Montani became director of the Genoa Conservatory. During his tenure he acquired several instruments made by the Italian luthier Cesare Candi

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