Fernando Germani (5 April 1906 – 10 June 1998) was an Italian

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

of the Basilica of St. Peter in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

during the reign of

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

Early life

Germani was born in 1906 and played the

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

and

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

in public at four years of age. At the age of eight, he started taking lessons in

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

from

Respighi Ottorino Respighi ( , , ; 9 July 187918 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. List of compositions by Ottorino Respighi, His compositions ra ...

, who headed Germani toward the organ. Then at the age of 15, Germani was the organist of the Augusteo Symphony Orchestra in Rome. His career spanned almost 75 years. He died in 1998. One of his notable pupils was organist

Gérard Caron Gérard Caron (30 August 1938 – 31 October 2020) was a French designer. He was the co-founder of Carré Noir, the very first French design marketing agency, making him one of the inventors of the concept of brand design in France. He also co ...

. Others included the organist of Zagreb Cathedral, Hvalimira Bledšnajder, former organist of

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. The shrine is dedicated to the Blood of Jesus Ch ...

, Nicolas Kynaston, former organist of

Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Liverpool, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Liverpool and is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, diocese of Liverpool. The church may be formally re ...

Noel Rawsthorne Christopher Noel Rawsthorne (24 December 1929 – 28 January 2019) was a British liturgical and concert organist and composer of music for his own instrument, as well as choral music. Biography Rawsthorne was born in Birkenhead. At the age of ...

and former organist of York Minster,

John Scott Whiteley John Scott Whiteley (born 1950) is an English organist and composer. He has performed extensively around the world and since 1985 has undertaken an annual tour of the US. He has performed in most major UK cathedrals and concert halls, and was ...

Career

In 1951, Edizioni de Santis della ditta Alberto de Santis in Rome published Germani's edition of the toccatas of

Girolamo Frescobaldi Girolamo Alessandro Frescobaldi (; also Gerolamo, Girolimo, and Geronimo Alissandro; September 15831 March 1643) was an Italian composer and virtuoso keyboard player. Born in the Duchy of Ferrara, he was one of the most important composers of ke ...

(1583–1644). His edition has increased in importance. He published one major organ work, the

Toccata Toccata (from Italian ''toccare'', literally, "to touch", with "toccata" being the action of touching) is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virt ...

, which has now established a position in the repertory. An organ concerto was lost after Germani presented the manuscript to "an English gentleman" who never returned it. During the 1960s, Germani visited

Selby Abbey Selby is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town w ...

, North Yorkshire, England, and made three LP recordings: "He had the most formidable technique of his generation and will be forever remembered as the fount of enormous musical and technical inspiration."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Germani, Fernando Italian male organists 1998 deaths 1906 births 20th-century Italian musicians 20th-century Italian organists 20th-century Italian male musicians Pupils of Ottorino Respighi