Vera Franceschi (May 5, 1926 – July 12, 1966) was an Italian American pianist who had a prolific career during the 1950s.

Life and career

The daughter of Italian parents (both of Tuscan origin), she was born in San Francisco, California. She began her studies in the United States; but in 1936 moved with her family to

Rome, Italy , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...

. In 1939, at a very young age, she graduated from the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Santa Cecilia Conservatory), where she was able to study with Alfredo Casella and Germano Arnaldi. She debuted at eighteen as a soloist at the

Teatro alla Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

in Milan. During the same time, she began recording for

Parlophon Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

. Later she moved to

Cetra Records Cetra was an Italian record company, active between 1933 and 1957, the year in which, by merging with Fonit (Fonodisco Italiano Trevisan), it gave birth to Fonit Cetra. Its roster of artists included Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Lina Pagliughi, E ...

. After World War II, she perfected her training at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

in New York, studying with Harold Bauer and

Carl Friedberg Carl Rudolf Hermann Friedberg (September 18, 1872 in Bingen am Rhein, Bingen, German Empire, Germany – September 9, 1955 in Meran, Italy) was a German pianist and teacher of Jewish origin. Biography He was son of Eduard Friedberg (?–1937) a ...

, and in 1948 she made her debut with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under the direction of

Pierre Monteux Pierre Benjamin Monteux (; 4 April 18751 July 1964) was a French (later American) conductor. After violin and viola studies, and a decade as an orchestral player and occasional conductor, he began to receive regular conducting engagements in ...

. She became one of the most acclaimed interpreters of Chopin during those years. In the early 1950s, she signed with RCA and then Victrola, and recorded many albums performing the compositions of the Polish composer. During the same time, she met the tenor Daniele Barioni, whom she married on October 28, 1957 in New York and with whom she had a son in 1958. He was named Giulio Barioni. After a long hospitalization for leukemia at

Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is a nonprofit academic medical center in New York City affiliated with two Ivy League medical schools, Cornell University and Columbia University. The hospital comprises seven distinct campuses located in the New Y ...

in New York, she died in July 1966.

Partial discography

78 rpm

*1949: Sonata in sol minore n° 5/Sonata in do minore n° 1/Sonata in mi bemolle maggiore n° 2 (Cetra, CB 20273) *1949: Sonata/Toccata (Cetra, CB 20274)

33 rpm

*1955: Muzio Clementi - 4 Sonatas for Piano (Westminster, WN 18091) *1956:

Luigi Cherubini Luigi Cherubini ( ; ; 8 or 14 SeptemberWillis, in Sadie (Ed.), p. 833 1760 – 15 March 1842) was an Italian Classical and Romantic composer. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the gre ...

- 6 Sonatas for Clavier (Westminster, XWN 18276) *1959: Domenico Cimarosa - 32 sonate per pianoforte vol. 1 (Victrola, KV 104) *1966: Chopin - VALZER - Raccolta completa (RCA Victrola, KV 159)

Bibliography

*Pianista Vera Franceschi, published on ''Musica e dischi n° 31'' of January 1949, pag. 1 {{DEFAULTSORT:Franceschi, Vera 1926 births People of Tuscan descent Musicians from San Francisco 1966 deaths Deaths from leukemia in California 20th-century American pianists American classical pianists American women classical pianists 20th-century American women pianists Classical musicians from California Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia alumni