Michele Esposito
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Michele Esposito (29 September 1855 – 19 November 1929) was an Italian composer, conductor and pianist who spent most of his professional life in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, Ireland.


Training

Esposito was born at
Castellamare di Stabia Castellammare di Stabia (; nap, Castiellammare 'e Stabbia) is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania region, in southern Italy. It is situated on the Bay of Naples about southeast of Naples, on the route to Sorrento. History ...
, near
Sorrento Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana rail ...
. As a boy he entered the conservatory of Naples as a piano pupil of Beniamino Cesi (1845–1907, himself a favourite pupil of
Thalberg Thalberg or Talberg is a surname of German origin, which means "valley hill". It may refer to: *Irving Thalberg (1899–1936), American film producer * Irving Thalberg Jr. (1930–1988), American philosopher * Norma Thalberg (1902–1983), Canadian ...
), and studied composition there for 8 years under Paolo Serrao (1830–1907, teacher of
Francesco Cilea Francesco Cilea (; 23 July 1866 – 20 November 1950) was an Italian composer. Today he is particularly known for his operas ''L'arlesiana'' and ''Adriana Lecouvreur''. Biography Born in Palmi near Reggio di Calabria, Cilea gave early indicatio ...
and others). He was a near-contemporary of
Giuseppe Martucci Giuseppe Martucci (; 6 January 1856, in Capua – 1 June 1909, in Naples) was an Italian composer, conductor, pianist and teacher. Sometimes called "the Italian Brahms", Martucci was notable among Italian composers of the era in that he dedicate ...
, and a few years the senior of
Alessandro Longo Alessandro Longo (31 December 1864 – 3 November 1945) was an Italian composer and musicologist. Early life Longo was born in Amantea. After studying at the Naples Conservatory under Beniamino Cesi (and composition under Paolo Serrao), he b ...
, both taught by these teachers. In 1878, he went to Paris for several years.Obituary, ''The Irish Times'', 25 November 1929, p. 5. In 1879, he married Natalia Klebnikoff (1857–1944), who hailed from
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 ...
. They had four children, including the noted scholar Mario Esposito..


Teacher, pianist and conductor

Esposito became chief pianoforte professor at the
Royal Irish Academy of Music The Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) in Dublin, Ireland, is one of Europe's oldest music conservatoires, specialising in classical music and the Irish harp. It is located in a Georgian building on Westland Row in Dublin. An institution which ...
in 1882, and remained there for more than forty years, devoting himself to the encouragement of classical music in Dublin. He inaugurated the
Royal Dublin Society The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economi ...
chamber-music recitals, with great success, and gave piano recitals for the Society every year. He established the
Dublin Orchestral Society The Dublin Orchestral Society was an orchestra based in Dublin, Ireland, which was mainly active between 1898 and 1914, with a brief revival in 1927. Unique among orchestras in the British Isles, it was organised as a cooperative society. History ...
in 1898 and was its conductor until its disbandment in 1914, and he was also the conductor of the Sunday Orchestral Concerts until they were discontinued in 1914. He conducted concerts of the
London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
at Woodbrook in 1913 and 1914, and also performed his piano concerto with them under the baton of
Hamilton Harty Sir Herbert Hamilton Harty (4 December 1879 – 19 February 1941) was an Irish composer, conductor, pianist and organist. After an early career as a church organist in his native Ireland, Harty moved to London at about age 20, soon becoming a w ...
. Together with Sir Stanley Cochrane, he founded the music publishing company "C. E. Edition". In the year before his death he returned to Italy and died in
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
.


Composer

Esposito received awards from the
Feis Ceoil Feis Ceoil ( ; "Festival of Music") is an Irish music organisation which holds an annual competitive festival of classical music. It was first organised in Dublin in 1897 by Dr. Annie Patterson and Edward Martyn for the purpose of stimulating musi ...
for his cantata ''
Deirdre Deirdre ( , Irish: ; sga, Derdriu ) is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish legend and probably its best-known figure in modern times. She is known by the epithet "Deirdre of the Sorrows" (). Her story is part of the Ulster Cycle, the best-know ...
'', his ''Irish Symphony'' and his String Quartet in D major. His Cello Sonata won a prize from the London
Incorporated Society of Musicians The Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) is the UK and Ireland's professional body for musicians representing over 11,000 individuals across all areas of the music industry. The ISM is also a subject association for music education and is an ind ...
in 1899. His Violin Sonata in E minor gained a prize offered by ''La Société Nouvelle'', Paris, in 1907, and his String Quartet in C minor won another offered by the ''
Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna The Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna ("philharmonic academy of Bologna"; sometimes known in English as the Bologna Academy of Music) is a music education institution in Bologna, Italy. The Accademia de' Filarmonici was founded as an associ ...
''.


Works

Stage * ''The Post Bag'', Op. 52 (Alfred Perceval Graves), 1-act opera (1901; vocal score, London: Boosey & Co., 1902) * ''The Tinker and the Fairy'', Op. 53 (Douglas Hyde), 1-act opera (1904; vocal score, Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1910) * ''Peggy Machree'' ("Patrick Bidwell" = Elizabeth Curtis O'Sullivan), romantic comedy with music (1904; three songs published in New York: Church, 1908) Vocal with orchestra * ''Deirdre'', Op. 38 (Thomas William Rolleston), cantata for soli, chorus and orchestra (1897; vocal score, Dublin: Pigott & Co., 1899) Orchestra (incl. concertos) * Piano Concerto, Op. 18 (perf. 1878 in Naples, unpublished) * Sinfonia, Op. 24 (1874, unpublished) * ''Scherzo fugoso'' (c.1895, unpublished) * ''Poem'' for harp and orchestra, Op. 44 (1898, unpublished) * ''Othello'', overture, Op. 45 (1900, unpublished) * ''Oriental Suite'', Op. 47 (1900, unpublished) * Fantasia for two pianos and orchestra, Op. 48 (c.1901, unpublished) * ''Sinfonia irlandese / Irish Symphony'', Op. 50 (1902, Dublin: An Gúm, 1955) * ''Irish Suite'', Op. 55 (c.1903; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, 1915) * Piano Concerto
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in F minor, Op. 68 (1912, unpublished) * ''Neapolitan Suite'', Op. 69 (c.1923; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, 1927?) Chamber music * Piano Trio, Op. 9 (c.1877, unpublished) * Piano Quartet
o. 1 O is the fifteenth letter of the modern Latin alphabet. O may also refer to: Letters * Օ օ, (Unicode: U+0555, U+0585) a letter in the Armenian alphabet * Ο ο, Omicron, (Greek), a letter in the Greek alphabet * O (Cyrillic), a letter of the ...
Op. 12 (1877, unpublished) * Piano Quartet
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Op. 17 (1878, unpublished) * Movement for String Quartet, Op. 21 (1882, unpublished) * Two Pieces for Viola and Piano, Op. 22 (1881, unpublished) * Violin Sonata
o. 1 O is the fifteenth letter of the modern Latin alphabet. O may also refer to: Letters * Օ օ, (Unicode: U+0555, U+0585) a letter in the Armenian alphabet * Ο ο, Omicron, (Greek), a letter in the Greek alphabet * O (Cyrillic), a letter of the ...
in G major, Op. 32 (1881; London and Leipzig: Stanley Lucas, Weber, Pitt & Hatzfeld, 1892; later reissued by Schott) * String Quartet o.1in D major, Op. 33 (1886; Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1899) * ''Tarantella'' for piano duet, Op. 35 (date?, Dublin: Pigott & Co., c.1900) * Piano Quintet, Op. 42 (1898, unpublished) * Cello Sonata in D major, Op. 43 (1898; Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1899) * Violin Sonata
o. 2 O is the fifteenth letter of the modern Latin alphabet. O may also refer to: Letters * Օ օ, (Unicode: U+0555, U+0585) a letter in the Armenian alphabet * Ο ο, Omicron, (Greek), a letter in the Greek alphabet * O (Cyrillic), a letter of the ...
in E minor, Op. 46 (1899; Paris: G. Astruc, 1907) * ''Irish Rhapsody No. 1'' for violin and piano, Op. 51 (1901; Milan: Ricordi, 1909) * ''Irish Rhapsody No. 2'' for violin and piano, Op. 54 (1902; Milan: Ricordi, 1909) * ''Five Irish Melodies'' for violin and piano, Op. 56 (Dublin: Pigott, 1903). Contains: ''Rich and Rare'', ''The Coulin'', ''Silent, O Moyle'', ''Fly not yet'', ''When through Life''. * ''Two Irish Airs'' for violin and piano, Op. 57 (London: Schott, c.1903). Contains: ''Farewell but whenever'', Cradle Song; ''The Silver Tip'', Irish reel. * String Quartet
o. 2 O is the fifteenth letter of the modern Latin alphabet. O may also refer to: Letters * Օ օ, (Unicode: U+0555, U+0585) a letter in the Armenian alphabet * Ο ο, Omicron, (Greek), a letter in the Greek alphabet * O (Cyrillic), a letter of the ...
in C minor, Op. 60 (1906; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, 1914) * Violin Sonata o. 3in A major, Op. 67 (1913; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, n.d.) * String Quartet o. 3in B flat major, Op. 70 (1923, unpublished) Piano solo * ''Pensiero malincolico'', Op. 2 (date?; Milan: Ricordi, 1877) * Scherzo
o. 1 O is the fifteenth letter of the modern Latin alphabet. O may also refer to: Letters * Օ օ, (Unicode: U+0555, U+0585) a letter in the Armenian alphabet * Ο ο, Omicron, (Greek), a letter in the Greek alphabet * O (Cyrillic), a letter of the ...
Op. 3 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1879) * Allegro, Op. 4 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1879) * Allegretto, Op. 5 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1877) * ''Romanza'', Op. 6 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1879) * ''Album'', Op. 7 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1879). Contains: ''Augurio'', ''Malinconico'', ''Duetto'', ''Visione'', ''Allegro appassionato''. * Fantasia, Op. 8 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1879) * ''Momento di fantasia'', Op. 10 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1879) * Capriccio, Op. 11 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1879) * ''Quattro notturni'', Op. 13 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1879). Contains: ''Moderato'', ''Andante'', ''Sorrento'' (lento), ''Lento''. * ''Valzer'' op. 14 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1879) * Lento, Op. 16 (date?; contribution to album ''Alla memoria di Vincenzo Bellini'', Milan: Ricordi, 1884) * ''Due pezzi'', Op. 19 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1879). Contains: ''Andante tranquillo'', ''Lento''. * ''Sei canzoni'', Op. 23 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1880). Contains: ''Moderato'', ''Lento'', ''Allegro moderato'', ''Andante'', ''Moderato'', ''Semplice''. * ''Valzer della polenta'' (1881; Milan: Ricordi, 1881) * ''Tre pezzi caratteristici'', Op. 26 (date?; Milan: Ricordi, 1882) * Scherzo
o. 2 O is the fifteenth letter of the modern Latin alphabet. O may also refer to: Letters * Օ օ, (Unicode: U+0555, U+0585) a letter in the Armenian alphabet * Ο ο, Omicron, (Greek), a letter in the Greek alphabet * O (Cyrillic), a letter of the ...
Op. 28 (date?; Dublin: Pohlmann & Co., c.1882) * ''Two Pieces'', Op. 29 (c.1883; Dublin: Pohlmann & Co., 1883). Contains: ''Serenata'', ''Improvviso''. * ''Four Sketches'', Op. 30 (c.1883; Dublin: Pohlmann & Co., 1883). Contains: ''Andantino'', ''Animato'', ''Moderato'', ''Vivace''. * ''Progressive Studies'', Op. 31 (c.1883; Dublin: Pohlmann & Co., 1883). Contains 2 books of 10 studies each. * ''Notturno'' (date?, London: Ascherberg, 1885) * Suite, Op. 34 (date?; Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1902). Contains: Vol. 1: ''Prélude'', ''Agitato-Tranquillo'', ''Badinage''; Vol. 2: ''Nocturne'', ''Valse'', ''Petite sérénade'', ''Rêverie''. * ''Deux nocturnes'', Op. 36 (date?; London: Forsyth, 1898). Contains: ''Lento'', ''Andante''. * ''Deux valses'', Op. 37 (date?; London: Forsyth, 1898). Contains: ''Tempo di valse'', ''Tempo lento di valse''. * ''Two Irish Melodies'', Op. 39 (date?; Dublin: Pigott & Co., 1896). Contains: ''Avenging and Bright'', ''Though the Last Glimpse of Erin''. * ''Ballades'', Op. 59 (date?; Milan: Ricordi, 1907). Contains: ''Appassionato'', ''Lento ed espressivo'', ''Con moto ed energico''. * ''Three Pieces'', Op. 61 (c.1912; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, 1930). Contains: ''Alba'', ''Zenith'', ''Tramonto''. * ''Impromptu'', Op. 62 (1912; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, 1930) * ''Remembrance'', Op. 63 (1912; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, c.1930) * ''A Village Fête'', Op. 64 (1912; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, c.1930) * ''Three Pieces'', Op. 65 (1912; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, c.1930). Contains: ''Vain Regrets'', ''In the Garden'', ''At the Spinning Wheel'' * ''Preludi'', Op. 66 (1910-2; Milan: Ricordi, 1936, as part of op. 72 os. 2, 5, 9 * ''My Irish Sketch Book'', Op. 71 (date?; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, 1932). 12 pieces in 4 sets. Set 1: ''The Bard and the Fairy'', ''The Rose-Tree'', ''Dance and Song''. Set 2: ''The Exile's Vision'', ''A Song'', ''Night Patrol''. Set 3: '' The Little Stack of Barley'', ''Lullaby'', ''Jig''. Set 4: ''King James'', ''A Lament'', ''Bagpipes''. * ''Nove preludi'', Op. 72 (1910–29, incorporating op. 66; Milan: Ricordi, 1936). Contains: ''Allegro vivo e appassionato'', ''Tempo di mazurka'', ''Sostenuto'', ''Allegro moderato'', ''Languido'', ''Andante moderato'', ''Con moto e leggero'', ''Con moto e grazioso'', ''Lento'' (''Pensiero elegiaco alle memoria di Giuseppe Martucci''). Songs * ''Canti di Lorenzo Stecchetti'', Op. 15 (date?; Milan: Lucca, 1879). Contains: ''Spes, ultima dea'', ''Scritto supra un sasso'', ''Fior di siepe''. * ''Trois mélodies'' (
Théophile Gautier Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rem ...
,
Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
) (1880–1, unpublished). Details unknown. * ''Tre Canti di Lorenzo Stecchetti'', Op. 25 (1881, unpublished). Details unknown. * ''Trois chansons'', Op. 27 (Émile Blémont) (1881, unpublished). Details unknown. * ''Three Irish Melodies'', Op. 40 (
George Sigerson George Sigerson (11 January 1836 – 17 February 1925) was an Irish physician, scientist, writer, politician and poet. He was a leading light in the Irish Literary Revival of the late 19th century in Ireland. Doctor and scientist Sigerson was b ...
) (date?; Dublin: Pigott & Co., 1897). Contains: ''O Hush O'', ''The Heather Glen'', ''Mavourneen Mine''. * ''Irish Melodies'', Op. 41 (poets unclear) (date?). One song published: ''The Lark in the Clear Air'' (Samuel Ferguson), Op. 41.2 (Dublin: Pigott & Co., c.1898). * ''Roseen Dhu'', Irish Vocal Suite, Op. 49 (
Alfred Perceval Graves Alfred Perceval Graves (22 July 184627 December 1931), was an Anglo-Irish poet, songwriter and folklorist. He was the father of British poet and critic Robert Graves. Early life Graves was born in Dublin and was the son of The Rt Rev. Cha ...
) (1901; London: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1901). Contains: ''The Shadow of a Dream'', ''My Rose of Hope'', ''In Reasons Despite'', ''Is it true?'', ''Her Answer'', ''The Clarion's Call'', ''She Stood at my Side''. * ''The West's Awake'' ( Thomas Davis) (date?; London: Boosey & Co., 1901) * ''Siubal na mona'' (
Douglas Hyde Douglas Ross Hyde ( ga, Dubhghlas de hÍde; 17 January 1860 – 12 July 1949), known as (), was an Irish academic, linguist, scholar of the Irish language, politician and diplomat who served as the first President of Ireland from June 1938 t ...
) (date?; London: Ricordi, 1911) * ''Dear Land'' ( John O'Hagan) (date?; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, c.1920) * ''Rest, though Gentle Sea'' (anon.) (date?; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, 1920) * ''Two Shelley Songs'' (
Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...
) (1905; Dublin: C.E. Music Publishers, 1921). Contains: ''Time Long Past'', ''To Night''. Choral, unaccompanied * ''Seán Glas'' (anon.) (date?; London: Vincent, 1913)


Recordings

* ''Ballades'', Op. 59; ''Alla memoria di Vincenzo Bellini'', Op. 16; 5 excerpts from ''My Irish Sketch Book'', Op. 71; Preludes 1, 5, 2, 4, 9 from ''Nove preludi'', Op. 72; ''Impromptu'', Op. 62; ''Three Pieces'', Op. 61; ''A Village Fête'', Op. 64; ''Nocturne'', ''Valse'', ''Rêverie'' (from Suite, Op. 34, vol. 2); ''Remembrance'', Op. 63; ''Visione'' (from ''Album'', Op. 7). Recorded by Míċeál O'Rourke (piano), on: ''Esposito: Works for Piano'', Chandos CHAN 9675 (CD, 1998). * ''Though the Last Glimpse of Erin'' from ''Two Irish Melodies'', Op. 39; and ''Appassionato'' from ''Ballades'', Op. 59 (no. 1). Recorded b
Una Hunt
(piano), on: ''Fallen Leaves from an Irish Album'', RTÉ lyric fm CD 109 (CD, 2006). * Violin Sonatas, Opp. 32, 46, and 67, and Cello Sonata, Op. 43. Recorded by Mia Cooper (violin), William Butt (cello) and Lance Coburn (piano), on: Champs Hill Records CHRCD 066 (CD, 2013). * Violin Sonatas, Opp. 32, 46, and 67; ''Irish Rhapsody No. 1'', Op. 51; ''Irish Rhapsody No. 2'', Op. 54; nos. 2, 3, 5 from ''Five Irish Melodies'', Op. 56; no. 2 from ''Two Irish Airs'', Op. 57. Performed by Carmelo Andreani (violin) & Vincenzo Maltempo (piano), on Brilliant Classics 95102 (double CD, 2015).


Bibliography

* * Kees van Hoek: "Michele Esposito. Maestro of Dublin", in: ''The Irish Monthly'' 71 (June 1943), pp. 223–30. * G. L. Aiello Mario Esposito ''Al musicista Michele Esposito nel primo centenario della nascita'' (Comune di Castellamare di Stabia, 1955). * Carla Di Lena: "Michele Esposito", in: ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' (Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana), vol. 43 (1993) (http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/michele-esposito_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/). * John Bowyer Bell: "Waiting for Mario. The Espositos, Joyce and Beckett", in: ''Éire-Ireland'' 30 (1995), pp. 7–26. * Jeremy Dibble: ''Michele Esposito'' (Dublin: Field Day, 2010), .


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Esposito, Michele 1855 births 1929 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century Italian composers 19th-century Italian male musicians 19th-century pianists 20th-century classical composers 20th-century Italian composers 20th-century Italian conductors (music) 20th-century Italian male musicians Composers for piano Irish classical composers Irish male classical composers Irish opera composers Italian classical composers Italian emigrants to Ireland Italian male classical composers Italian male conductors (music) Italian male pianists Italian opera composers Male opera composers People of Campanian descent