Giovanni Sgambati
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Giovanni Sgambati (28 May 1841 – 14 December 1914) was an Italian pianist and composer.


Biography

Born in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
, to an Italian father and an English mother, Sgambati, who lost his father early, received his early education at
Trevi The area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) is a collection of justice as well as migration & home affairs policies designed to ensure security, rights and free movement within the European Union (EU). Fields covered include the harmonisati ...
, in
Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...
, where he wrote some church music and obtained experience as a singer and conductor. In 1860 he settled in Rome, and took up the work of winning acceptance for the best German music, then little known in Italy. The influence and support of Franz Liszt, who was in Rome from 1861, was naturally of great advantage to him, and concerts were given in which Sgambati conducted as well as played the piano. His compositions at this period (1864–1865) included a quartet, two piano quintets, an octet, and an overture. He conducted Liszt's ''
Dante Symphony ''A Symphony to Dante's Divine Comedy'', S.109, or simply the "''Dante Symphony''", is a choral symphony composed by Franz Liszt. Written in the high romantic style, it is based on Dante Alighieri's journey through Hell and Purgatory, as depicted ...
'' on 26 February 1866 at the opening of the Sala di Dante at the Palazzo Poli, with 27 of Filippo Bigioli's paintings exhibited nearby. He made the acquaintance of Richard Wagner's music for the first time in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, whither he travelled in Liszt's company. His first album of songs appeared in 1870 ( Schott Music), and his first symphony was played at the
Palazzo del Quirinale The Quirinal Palace ( it, Palazzo del Quirinale ) is a historic building in Rome, Italy, one of the three current official residences of the president of the Italian Republic, together with Villa Rosebery in Naples and the Tenuta di Castelporzia ...
in 1881; this, as well as a piano concerto, was performed in the course of his first visit to England in 1882; and at his second visit, in 1891, his ''Sinfonia epitalamio'' was given at the Philharmonic. His most extensive work, a ''
Requiem Mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
'', was performed in Rome 1901. His many pianoforte works have won permanent success. Sgambati was also active in the contemporary musical scene as a promoter of the music of others and, among these, Dante Alderighi. He conducted the Italian premieres of
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
's third and of
seventh Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season e ...
symphonies (in 1867 and 1870 respectively). He also conducted the Italian premieres of more recent works such as Liszt's ''Dante Symphony'' and ''Christus'' oratorio.Notes to Naxos CD 8.572922, Sgambati's Symphony No. 1 and Overture - Cola di Rienzo He died in Rome, aged 73. Notable students include pianist and composer
Lucia Contini Anselmi Lucia Contini Anselmi (15 October 1876 – after 1913) was an Italian pianist and composer. She was born in Vercelli and studied piano with Giovanni Sgambati and composition with Alessandro Parisotti at the Conservatory in Rome. After complet ...
and contralto
Mary Augusta Wakefield Mary Augusta Wakefield (19 August 1853 – 16 September 1910) was a British composer, contralto, festival organiser, and writer. Biography Early life Wakefield was born in Kendal, where her paternal ancestors had been members of the Quaker ...
.


See also

* List of compositions by Giovanni Sgambati


Selected works


Orchestral

* ''
Cola di Rienzo Nicola Gabrini (1313 8 October 1354), commonly known as Cola di Rienzo () or Rienzi, was an Italian politician and leader, who styled himself as the "tribune of the Roman people". Having advocated for the abolition of temporal papal power a ...
'' Overture (1866) * Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 15 (1878–1880) * Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 16 (1880–1881) * Symphony No. 2 in E-flat major (1883–1885)


Chamber music

* String Quartet in D minor (1864) * Piano Quintet No. 1 in F minor, Op. 4 (1866) * Piano Quintet No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 5 * String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 17 (1882) * Two Pieces for violin and piano, Op. 24 (1890) * ''Gondoliera'' for violin and piano, Op. 29 (1894)


Piano

* Prélude et Fugue, Op. 6 * Deux Études de concert, Op. 10 * Fogli Volanti, Op. 12 * Gavotte in A-flat minor, Op.14 (1880) * Quattro pezzi di seguito, Op. 18 * 3 Notturni, Op.20 (B minor, G, C minor) (1873–87) * Suite in B minor, Op. 21 (1888) * Pièces Lyriques, Op. 23 * ''Mélodies poétiques'', Op. 36 * Trois morceaux, Op. 42 (1909–10): No. 1. Prelude in c-sharp minor; No. 2. Berceuse-Rêverie in G-flat; No. 3. Melodia campestre (Impromptu) in F * Étude triomphale in A, Op. posth. * Sérénade valsée in A-flat, Op. posth. * ''Melody from " Orfeo ed Euridice"'' (transcription for solo piano of "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" from
Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he g ...
's opera)


Sacred music

* ''Messa da Requiem'', Op. 38 (1895–1901)


References


General references

*


Sources

*


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sgambati, Giovanni 1841 births 1914 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century classical pianists 19th-century conductors (music) 20th-century classical composers 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century Italian conductors (music) 20th-century Italian composers 20th-century Italian male musicians Italian classical composers Italian classical pianists Italian male classical composers Italian male conductors (music) Italian male pianists Italian people of English descent Italian Romantic composers Male classical pianists Musicians from Rome Pupils of Franz Liszt