Enrico Toselli, Count of Montignoso (March 13, 1883 – January 15, 1926), was an Italian

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. Born in Florence, he studied piano with Giovanni Sgambati and composition with

Giuseppe Martucci Giuseppe Martucci (; 6 January 1856, in Capua – 1 June 1909, in Naples) was an Italians, Italian composer, conductor (music), conductor, pianist and teacher. Sometimes called "the Italian Brahms", Martucci was notable among Italian composers of ...

and Reginaldo Grazzini. He embarked on a career as a concert pianist, playing in Italy, European capital cities, Alexandria and North America.Francesco Bussi, ''

New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

'', edited by Stanley Sadie (1992). and His most popular composition is ''Serenata 'Rimpianto' Op.6 No.1''. His other works include two operettas, ''La cattiva Francesca'' (1912) and ''La principessa bizzarra'' (1913). Toselli's fame largely derives not from his musical ability but from his scandalous elopement with Archduchess Louise of Austria, the former Crown Princess of Saxony, in 1907. She had previously deserted her husband, Frederick Augustus of Saxony, and they had divorced in 1903. Her ex-husband became

king of Saxony This article lists dukes, electors, and kings ruling over different territories named Saxony from the beginning of the Saxon Duchy in the 6th century to the end of the German monarchies in 1918. The electors of Saxony from John the Steadfast ...

in 1904. Toselli's marriage ended in divorce in 1912.Jirí Louda and Michael Maclagan, ''Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe'', 2nd edition (London: Little, Brown and Company, 1999), p. 203, They had one son, Carlo Emanuele (7 May 1908 – 1969). Toselli's memoirs of his marriage to royalty, ''Mari d’altesse: 4 ans de mariage avec Louise de Toscane, ex-princesse de Saxe'', were published in French after his divorce. He died of

consumption Consumption may refer to: * Eating *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically known as consumption * Consumer (food chain), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of n ...

in 1926 at the relatively young age of 43.

References

*Luisa di Toscana. ''La mia storia'', Societa' Editrice Italiana, Milano (1911). *Enrico Toselli
''Mari d’altesse: 4 ans de mariage avec Louise de Toscane, ex-princesse de Saxe''
Albin Michel Éditeur, Paris (1912). *Enrico Toselli. ''Il mio matrimonio con Luisa di Sassonia'', Italian translation by Paolo Reni, Societa' Editrice Italiana, Milano (1912). *Leonardo Previero. ''Enrico Toselli, Il musicista della Serenata'', Edizioni Polistampa, Firenze (1997).

External links

* 1883 births 1926 deaths Italian classical composers Italian opera composers Italian male opera composers Composers from Florence 19th-century Italian musicians 19th-century Italian male musicians 20th-century Italian male musicians {{Italy-composer-stub