Alfredo D'Ambrosio
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Alfredo d'Ambrosio (13 June 1871 – 28 December 1914) was an Italian composer and violinist. He studied under
Enrico Bossi Marco Enrico Bossi (25 April 1861 – 20 February 1925) was an Italian organist, composer, improviser and teacher. Life Bossi was born in Salò, a town in the province of Brescia, Lombardy, into a family of musicians. His father, Pietro, wa ...
at the Conservatory San Pietro a Majella in Naples, and later with
Pablo de Sarasate Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués (; 10 March 1844 – 20 September 1908), commonly known as Pablo de Sarasate, was a Spanish violinist, composer and Conducting, conductor of the Romantic music, Romantic period. His best known work ...
in Madrid and
August Wilhelmj __NOTOC__ August Emil Daniel Ferdinand Wilhelmj ( ; 21 September 184522 January 1908) was a German violinist and teacher. Wilhelmj was born in Usingen and was considered a child prodigy; when Henriette Sontag heard him in 1852 at seven years ol ...
in London. He then settled in Nice, rue de Russie 2, and afterwards in Paris, Boulevard de Courcelle 71, and devoted himself to his compositions and his work as a teacher. His cousin Luigi d'Ambrosio was also a violinist and later teacher of
Salvatore Accardo Salvatore Accardo (; Knight Grand Cross born 26 September 1941 in Turin, northern Italy) is an Italian violinist and conductor, who is known for his interpretations of the works of Niccolò Paganini. Accardo owns one Stradivarius violin, the "Ha ...
. Alfredo D'Ambrosio died in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, aged 43. His wife was Blanche Aida Malvano; he had three sons, one of them, Violette d’Ambrosio was a concert violinist and played until mid ‘900, often performing her father's Violin Concertos.


Works

Born in
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
, Alfredo d'Ambrosio is the author of the opera ''Pia de' Tolomei'', based on
Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...
's
Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poetry, narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of ...
, the ballet ''Hersilia'', two violin concertos, a string quartet in c minor, Op. 42 (1908) and a quintet, as well as various concert pieces for violin and piano, which had a certain popularity in the early 20th century. His first violin concerto (in B minor, Op. 29, dedicated to Arrigo Serato) was written from April to October 1903 and premiered in Berlin, at the presence of the Emperor, on 29 October 1904, with Berlin Philharmonic conducted by August Scharrer. The second violin concerto (in G minor, Op. 51, dedicated to
Jacques Thibaud Jacques Thibaud (; 27 September 18801 September 1953) was a French violinist. Biography Thibaud was born in Bordeaux and studied the violin with his father before entering the Paris Conservatoire at the age of thirteen. In 1896 he jointly won th ...
) was premiered by Georges Enesco on 6 April 1913 in Paris, Salle Gaveau, conducted by the composer.Frederic B. Emery: ''The Violin Concerto'' (1928), vol. 2, p. 369. His best-known work is his ''Canzonetta'', Op. 6, which he recorded in 1907. More recordings of this piece were made in 1914 by Alexander Petschnikoff (1873–1948), in 1921 by
Mischa Elman Mischa (Mikhail Saulovich) Elman (; January 20, 1891April 5, 1967) was a Russian-American violinist famed for his passionate style, beautiful tone, and impeccable artistry and musicality. Early life Moses or Moishe Elman was born to a Jewish fa ...
, and in 1924 by
Toscha Seidel Toscha Seidel (November 17, 1899 – November 15, 1962) was a Russian violinist Biography Seidel was born in Odessa on November 17, 1899, to a Jewish family. A student of Leopold Auer in St. Petersburg, Seidel became known for a lush, romantic to ...
and
Georg Kulenkampff Alwin Georg Kulenkampff-Post (23 January 1898 – 4 October 1948) was a German virtuoso violinist. One of the most popular German concert violinists of the 1930s and 1940s, he was considered one of the finest violinists of the 20th century. Kule ...
. In addition, there is also his ''Serenade'', Op. 4 recorded in 1919 by
Jascha Heifetz Jascha Heifetz (; December 10, 1987) was a Russian-American violinist, widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time. Born in Vilnius, he was soon recognized as a child prodigy and was trained in the Russian classical violin styl ...
and by
George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanians, Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, teacher and statesman. He is regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history. Biography En ...
in 1924, ''Madrigale'' op.26 by Karl Grigorowicz in 1909, ''Serenata'' op.40 by
Efrem Zimbalist Efrem Zimbalist (April 21 .S. April 9 1889 – February 22, 1985) was a Russian and American concert violinist, composer, conducting, conductor and director of the Curtis Institute of Music. Early life Efrem Zimbalist was born on April 9, 1 ...
in 1917 and by Wolfgang Schneiderhan in 1990, ''Aubade'' op.17 and ''Nocturne'' op.35 by Christeta Goñi in 1912, ''Romance'' Op.9 by Renée Chemet, Bronislaw Mittman,
Jan Kubelik Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Num ...
; ''Novelletta'' op.20 by Leon Zighera, ''Introduction et Humoresque'' Op.25 by Sasha Jacobsen in 1914, ''A ton reveil'' by Alfred Dubois. Alfredo d'Ambrosio himself recorded on '78 rpm records APGA these pieces: ''Chanson napolitaine'' Op. 37, ''Sonnet allègre'' Op.35, ''Humoresque'' op.25, ''Ariette'' Op.23,''Romance'' Op.9, '' Mélancolie'' Op.37, ''Aria'' Op.22 (dedicated to Jan Kubelik), ''Canzonetta'' Op.6, ''Seconda Canzonetta-Little Song'' Op.28. Both his Violin Concertos were performed and recorded on a DVD Achord Pictures in Lucca, on October 7, 2018 (soloists Laura Bortolotto and Christian Sebastianutto, conductor Alan Freiles). Both Violin Concertos are on NAXOS Videolibrary.
Jean-Jacques Kantorow Jean-Jacques Kantorow (born 3 October 1945) is a French violinist and conductor. His son is the pianist Alexandre Kantorow. Biography Kantorow was born in Cannes, France, into a family of Russian-Jewish origin. From the age of 13 he studied ...
and Orchestre de Douai conducted by Arie van Beck recorded both “Violin Concertos” by d’Ambrosio in 2021 and 2022-cd “Soupir éditions” S256, together with “First and Second Canzonetta”,”Romance”,”Introduction et Humoresque”,”Sérénade”, for Violin and Piano (pianist Haruko Ueda). 13 pieces for Violins and Piano, dedicated by their Author to famous musicians or friends, were recorded in December 2021 in Hungary (Gödollö) by Lucilla Rose Mariotti-violin- and Zsuzsanna Homor-piano, on a DVD Achord Pictures. The complete list of Alfredo d'Ambrosio compositions for Violin and Piano has been recorded on 3 cds by Gran Duo Italiano (Mauro Tortorelli violin and Angela Meluso piano) for Brilliant Classics in 2022.


References

Marco BIZZARINI,"Alfredo d'Ambrosio" (magazine LIVE performing & arts, May–June 2021, pages 34–39) The precise date of D'Ambrosio death results having been on December 28, 1914, at noon ("midi"), by the death certificate kept in Paris Conservatoire de Musique Archives.


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:DAmbrosio, Alfredo 1871 births 1914 deaths 19th-century Italian classical composers 19th-century Italian male musicians 20th-century Italian classical composers 20th-century male composers 20th-century Italian male musicians Composers for violin Italian classical musicians Italian classical violinists Italian male classical composers Italian Romantic composers Italian male classical violinists Musicians from Naples