Harvard Theatre Collection - Bimboni TCS 1

Alberto Bimboni (1882–1960) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

composer and conductor. He is remembered today, if at all, for his opera ''Winona''; consequently, he is sometimes grouped with other composers of the

Indianist movement The Indianist movement was a movement in American classical music that flourished from the 1880s through the 1920s. It was based on attempts by classical composers to incorporate American Indian musical ideas with some of the basic principles ...

in American music.

Biography

Born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Bimboni came to the United States in 1911, immediately finding employment with

Henry Savage Henry Savage (1604? – 1672) was an English clergyman, academic and controversialist, Master of Balliol College, Oxford, from 1651. Life He was the son of Francis Savage of Dobs Hill in the parish of Eldersfield or Eldsfield, Worcestershire. He ...

, who engaged him to conduct his company's tour of

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for List of compositions by Giacomo Puccini#Operas, his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he ...

's '' La fanciulla del West''. Upon conclusion of the run, he continued to find employment as a conductor in various areas of the country. It was during this period that he became interested in American Indian subjects, and composed ''Winona'' to a

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

by a

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journalist, Perry S. Williams. The story is taken from a legend of the

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

, and tells of a maiden, named Winona, who threw herself into

Lake Pepin Lake Pepin ( ) is a naturally occurring lake on the Mississippi River on the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is located in a valley carved by the outflow of an enormous glacial lake at the end of the last Ice Age. ...

to avoid an arranged marriage. The opera's music is heavily based on the music of various Indian tribes, including songs from the Chippewa and Sioux; moccasin, war, and hunting songs are included in the score as well. Bimboni strove not to violate Indian convention; consequently, the

choral A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

passages are in unison, with no part-singing. Bimboni had some difficulty in finding an audience for his work, and kept the score with him when he traveled to conduct. At one engagement, in

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, his story caught the attention of then-

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

, who used his influence to try to have it performed. ''Winona'' finally saw the stage in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

in 1926; at a performance in Minneapolis two years later, the composer was awarded the

Bispham Memorial Medal Award The Bispham Memorial Medal Award was an award for operas written in English which was named for baritone David Bispham David Scull Bispham (January 5, 1857 – October 2, 1921) was an American operatic baritone. Biography Bispham was born on J ...

for his work in promoting American opera. Bimboni wrote little else besides ''Winona'', although one of his songs was recorded by John McCormack. From 1930 to 1942 he was a teacher at the

Curtis Institute The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on a full scholarshi ...

in Philadelphia, and since 1933 also at the Opera Department at Juilliard School of Music in New York. For eighteen years, he directed the summer season in Chautauqua, New York, and from 1942 was director of the opera company of Canton (Ohio).''The Italian American Experience: An Encyclopedia'', ed. S.J. LaGumina, et al. (New York: Garland, 2000), p.139. He has been listed as one of

Gian-Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian-American composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, ...

's instructors. He died in New York in 1960.

Notes and references

External links

Treaccani.it (article by Raoul Meloncelli)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bimboni, Alberto 1882 births 1960 deaths 20th-century American classical composers American opera composers American male opera composers American male conductors (music) Musicians from Florence Italian emigrants to the United States Curtis Institute of Music faculty Juilliard School faculty 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians