Tito Eduardo Achille Mattei (24 May 1839–30 March 1914) was an Italian pianist, composer, and conductor. Born at

Campobasso Campobasso (, ; nap, label= Campobassan, Cambuàsce ) is a city and ''comune'' in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Molise and of the province of Campobasso. It is located in the high basin of the Biferno river, surrounded by Sann ...

in Italy, he was educated 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 ...

where he studied with

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 ...

, Carlo Conti, and Michele Ruta.John Franceschina, ''Incidental and Dance Music in the American Theatre from 1786 to 1923: Volume 3'', BearManor Media (2018) - Google Books
/ref> A musical prodigy,'Tito Mattei:'A Musical Prodigy' - ''The Advertiser'' (Adelaide, SA: 1889-1931) - National Library of Australia database - 5 May 1914, Pg 17
/ref> he gave his first concert in 1846 aged 5Obituary: Tito Mattei - ''Evening Post'', Volume LXXXVII, Issue 76, 31 March 1914
/ref> afterwards touring Italy, France and Germany. At just 11 years-old in 1852 he was appointed Professor at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He gave his first performance in London in 1853 aged 12 and also in 1853 played before

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

who gave him a gold medal; he was appointed pianist to

Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II ( it, Vittorio Emanuele II; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia from 1849 until 17 March 1861, when he assumed the title o ...

, the King of Italy. In 1863 he moved to London where he became the conductor at Her Majesty's Theatre. Mattei was a Chevalier of the

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the wo ...

and belonged to various important musical societies including the Societa Filarmonica of Florence. In 1870 he organised and conducted a season of Italian Opera in London.Italian Composer Dead: Tito Mattei Was Also a Noted Pianist and Conductor - ''The New York Times'' 31 March 1914
/ref> In 1871 he married Amalia Colombo (born 1845) at

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

in London. Their daughter Marie Jeanette Mattei was born in London in 1875. Tito Mattei by F

He wrote several hundred piano-pieces and songs which had a moderate success including the ballet ''The Spider and the Fly'', 'For the Sake of the Past', 'Dear Heart', 'Non torno', 'Non è ver', and 'Oh! Oh! Hear the Wild Wind Blow'. His operas included ''Maria di Grand'' and the comic opera ''La Prima Donna''. He contributed ballet music and the song "O Leave Me Not, Dear Heart" to the burlesque melodrama '' Monte Cristo Jr.'' (1886) which played at the Gaiety Theate in London and had a cast including

Nellie Farren Ellen "Nellie" Farren (16 April 1848 – 29 April 1904) was an English actress and singer best known for her roles as the "principal boy" in musical burlesques at the Gaiety Theatre. Born into a theatrical family, Farren began acting as a ch ...

Letty Lind Letitia Elizabeth Rudge (21 December 1861 – 27 August 1923), known professionally as Letty Lind, was an English actress, singer, dancer and acrobat, best known for her work in burlesque at the Gaiety Theatre, and in musical theatre at Daly's ...

and

Marion Hood Marion Hood (1 April 1854 – 14 August 1912) was an English soprano who performed in opera and musical theatre in the last decades of the 19th century. She is perhaps best remembered for creating the role of Mabel in Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Th ...

.Tito Mattei - musopen.org
/ref> A

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, in 1888 he joined the Rothesay Lodge No 1687 in London. Mattei enjoyed driving fast cars — in 1909 the 68 year-old Mattei broke the speed limit while the American lawyer Rufus Applegarth was a passenger. Applegarth defended Mattei at the Police Court and despite the prosecution's objections that Applegarth could not defend his client in an English court, the American lawyer with 40 years experience successfully got his client off the charge. Several of his works have been played during the BBC Proms including 'Non è ver' and 'Bianca'. Although he was a successful musician the last period of his life was not affluent. He was declared bankrupt in 1883, 1890 and 1900 due to repeated Stock Exchange speculations that resulted in the forced sale of the copyright of his compositions; In 1901 he was living alone as a lodger at an address in

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

in London and had apparently separated from his wife and child who were then living at a separate address Tito Mattei died in London in 1914 at the age of 74.Tito Mattei in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915 (1914)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mattei, Tito 1839 births 1914 deaths People from Campobasso Italian conductors (music) Italian male conductors (music) Italian classical composers Italian male classical composers Italian classical pianists male classical pianists Italian male pianists Italian opera composers Male opera composers Italian Freemasons