Alessandro Longo (31 December 1864 – 3 November 1945) was an Italian composer and

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...

Early life

Longo was born in

Amantea Amantea ( Calabrian: ; ) is a town, former bishopric, ''comune'' (municipality) and Latin Catholic titular see in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is the twentieth municipality in the region by population, while f ...

. After studying at the Naples Conservatory under Beniamino Cesi (and composition under Paolo Serrao), he began teaching

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

at his alma mater in 1887, deputizing for Cesi as pianoforte professor, and succeeded him in 1897.

Career

As a pianist, Longo often played in chamber ensemble with the Ferni Quartet, and with the Quartetto Napoletano (with Cantani, Parmiciano, Scarano and Viterbini). He founded various musical institutions in Naples, and gained a high reputation as a concert pianist. In 1914 he began editing the review ''L'Arte Pianistica''. He became Director of the Naples Conservatory in 1944, and died 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 ...

the following year, aged 80.

Legacy

Today, Longo is mainly remembered for compiling an almost comprehensive catalogue of the keyboard works of Domenico Scarlatti. For many years, Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas were conventionally identified by their Longo numbers, but these were later superseded by those found in

Ralph Kirkpatrick Ralph Leonard Kirkpatrick (; June 10, 1911April 13, 1984) was an American harpsichordist and musicologist, widely known for his chronological catalog of Domenico Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas as well as for his performances and recordings. Lif ...

's catalogue. Longo's Catalogue originated in his landmark full publication of the works of Scarlatti in 11 volumes and implied particular groupings of the sonatas, the chronology of which was later completely revised and differently grouped in Kirkpatrick's 1953 study of the composer. Longo also edited works by Domenico Gallo. His compositions include, among others, two works for piano four-hands, a serenade and a suite; suites for piano with bassoon with oboe, with flute and with clarinet.

Family life

His son,

Achille Longo Achille Longo (March 28, 1900 – May 28, 1954) was an Italian composer and music teacher. Biography Achille (junior), son of Alessandro and Luisa Todisco, was born in Naples on 28 March 1900. He was a pupil first of his father, and then of A. ...

(1900–1954), was also a composer.

References

External links

* Italian Romantic composers Italian musicologists 1864 births 1945 deaths Italian male classical composers Classical music catalogues Pupils of Paolo Serrao People from the Province of Cosenza 19th-century classical composers 20th-century classical composers 20th-century Italian composers 20th-century Italian male musicians 19th-century Italian male musicians {{Italy-composer-stub