Giuseppe Martucci
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Giuseppe Martucci (; 6 January 1856, in
Capua Capua ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, located on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etruscan ''Capeva''. The ...
– 1 June 1909, 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 ...
) 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 ...
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 ...
,
conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...
,
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 teacher. Sometimes called "the Italian
Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...
",AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
"> Martucci was notable among Italian composers of the era in that he dedicated his entire career to
absolute music Absolute music (sometimes abstract music) is music that is not explicitly "about" anything; in contrast to program music, it is non- representational.M. C. Horowitz (ed.), ''New Dictionary of the History of Ideas'', , Vol. 1, p. 5 The idea of ab ...
, and wrote no operas. As a composer and teacher he was influential in reviving Italian interest in non-operatic music. Nevertheless, as a conductor, he did help to introduce
Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
's operas to Italy and also gave important early concerts of English music there.


Career

Martucci was born at
Capua Capua ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, located on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etruscan ''Capeva''. The ...
, in
Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...
. He learned the basics of music from his father, Gaetano, who played the trumpet. A child prodigy, he played in public on the piano when only eight years old. From the age of 11, he was a student at the
Naples Conservatory This is a list of music conservatories in Naples, Italy. Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella The Naples Conservatory of Music is a music school located in Naples, Italy. It is situated in the complex of San Pietro a Majella. It was originally ...
, on the recommendation of professor Beniamino Cesi, the latter being a former student of
Sigismond Thalberg Sigismond Thalberg (8 January 1812 – 27 April 1871) was an Austrian composer and one of the most distinguished virtuoso pianists of the 19th century. Family Thalberg was born in Pâquis near Geneva on 8 January 1812. Thalberg asserted that he ...
. From Paolo Serrao, Martucci acquired his initial training in composition; his own composition students later on, when he worked and taught at Bologna, included
Ottorino 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 ...
. He died in Naples in 1909. His son Paolo, born in Naples in 1883, also became a pianist of note, briefly teaching at the
Cincinnati Conservatory The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a Music school, conservatory, part of a girls' finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It merged with the College of Music of Cincinnati in 1955, forming the University of Cincinnati – Col ...
.


Pianist

Martucci's career as an international pianist commenced with a tour through Germany, France and England in 1875, at the age of 19. He was appointed piano professor at the Naples Conservatory in 1880, and moved to Bologna in 1886, replacing
Luigi Mancinelli Luigi Mancinelli (; 5 February 1848 – 2 February 1921) was an Italian Conducting, conductor, cello, cellist and composer. His early career was in Italy, where he established a reputation in Perugia and then Bologna. After 1886 he worked mostl ...
at the
Bologna Conservatory The Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini (previously known as the Liceo Musicale di Bologna, and better known in English as the Bologna Conservatory) is a college of music in Bologna, Italy. The conservatory opened on 3 December 1804, as the L ...
; in 1902 he returned for the last time to Naples, as director of the Royal Conservatory of Music.


Conductor

It was in 1881 that Martucci made his first conducting appearance. One of the earliest Italian musicians to admire Wagner, Martucci introduced some of Wagner's output to Italy. He led, for example, the first Italian performance of ''
Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...
'' in 1888 in Bologna. Nor did his enthusiasm for foreign composers end with Wagner's work. As well as performing
Charles Villiers Stanford Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (30 September 1852 â€“ 29 March 1924) was an Anglo-Irish composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era. Born to a well-off and highly musical family in Dublin, Stanford was ed ...
's 3rd ("Irish") Symphony in Bologna in 1898, he conducted one of the rare concerts of all-British orchestral music on the European continent in the later nineteenth century. What is more, he included music by
Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...
, Lalo, Goldmark and others in his programmes.


Composer

Martucci began as a composer at the age of 16, with short piano works. He wrote no
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
s, which was unusual among Italian composers of his generation, but instead concentrated on instrumental music and songs, producing also an
oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...
, ''Samuel''.


Legacy

Martucci was championed by
Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...
during much of the latter's career. The
NBC Symphony Orchestra The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, the parent corporation of the National Broadcasting Company especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC ...
performed a number of Martucci's orchestral works in 1938, 1940, 1941, 1946, and 1953; although the performances were preserved on
transcription disc Electrical transcriptions are special phonograph recordings made exclusively for radio broadcasting,Browne, Ray B. and Browne, Pat, eds. (2001). ''The Guide to United States Popular Culture''. The University of Wisconsin Press. . P. 263. which wer ...
s, none was approved for commercial release by Toscanini. All of these performances have been given unofficial release in recent years, on LP as well as CD format. NBC musical director Samuel Chotzinoff, in his 1956 book "Toscanini—An Intimate Portrait", said that every time the Maestro proposed scheduling Martucci's works, certain orchestra members and NBC authorities objected, but the conductor was not to be deterred. Some Toscanini biographers (including Mortimer Frank and Harvey Sachs) have questioned the merit of the compositions, speculating that Toscanini may have performed them out of a sense of duty.
Gian Francesco Malipiero Gian Francesco Malipiero (; 18 March 1882 – 1 August 1973) was an Italian composer, musicologist, music teacher and editor. Life Early years Born in Venice into an aristocratic family, the grandson of the opera composer Francesco Malipiero, Gi ...
said of Martucci's second symphony (1904) that it was "the beginning of the renaissance of non-operatic Italian music." Martucci was an instrumentalist ''pur sang,'' taking
absolute music Absolute music (sometimes abstract music) is music that is not explicitly "about" anything; in contrast to program music, it is non- representational.M. C. Horowitz (ed.), ''New Dictionary of the History of Ideas'', , Vol. 1, p. 5 The idea of ab ...
as his highest goal. In 1989
Francesco d'Avalos Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is one of the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation) ...
tried to start a revival of Martucci's music by recording four CDs with major works including the two piano concertos, two symphonies, and ''La canzone dei ricordi''. These discs were distributed by
ASV Records ASV Records was a London-based record label set up by Harley Usill, founder of Argo Records (UK), Argo Records, Decca producer and former Argo general manager, Kevin Daly, and producer Jack Boyce, after Argo's parent company Decca Records, Decc ...
and later by Brilliant Classics. In 2009, to mark the centenary of Martucci's death,
Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...
released a series of CDs devoted to his orchestral music, featuring the Symphony Orchestra of Rome conducted by
Francesco La Vecchia Francesco La Vecchia (born September 10, 1954) is an Italian classical conductor. Biography and career La Vecchia was born in Rome, and began studying music with his grandfather, who taught him theory, harmony and composition. His first instru ...
. In 2011
Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti (; born 28 July 1941) is an Italian conductor. He is current music director of the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini. Muti has previously held posts at the Maggio Musicale in Florence, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the ...
and the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...
featured Martucci's
Nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' "of the night") was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...
, Op. 70, No. 1 during the
orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
's tour of
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. Muti and the Chicago Symphony played the same piece as an encore, with prefatory remarks by Muti, at the conclusion of their
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
concert on January 21, 2025.


Works


Symphonic

*Polka (1871) *''Colore orientale'', Op. 44, No. 3 (1880, 1908) *''Danza'', Op. 44, No. 6 (1880, 1908) *"Novelletta", for orchestra, Op. 6/1 (1907) *Gavotta, Op. 55, No. 2 (1888, 1901) *Gigue (Giga) in F major for orchestra, Op. 61, No. 3 (1883, 1892) *Canzonetta, Op. 65, No. 2 (1884, 1889) *Nocturne, Op. 70, No.1 (1891) * Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75 (1888–95) * Symphony No. 2 in F major, Op. 81 (1899–1904) * ''Novelletta'', Op. 82, No. 2 (1905, 1907)


Concertante

*Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 40 (1878) *Tema con variazioni in E-flat, Op. 58 (1882) (rev. 1900 & 1905) (''orchestral arrangement by Martucci?'') *Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 66 (1885) *Andante for Cello and orchestra, Op. 69, No. 2 (1888) (rev. 1907)


Organ

*Sonata in D minor, Op. 36 (1879)


Chamber music

*Divertimento
Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 â€“ 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...
's '' La forza del destino''] for Flute and Piano (1869) *Piano Trio [after Jacques Offenbach, Offenbach's ''La belle Hélène''] (1869) *Violin Sonata in G minor, Op. 22 (1874) *Piano Quintet in C major, Op. 45 (1878) *Cello Sonata in F sharp minor, Op. 52 (1880) *Minuetto for String Quartet, Op. 55, No. 1 (1880, 1893) *Serenata for String Quartet, Op. 57, No. 2 (1886, 1893) *Piano Trio No. 1 in C major, Op. 59 (1882) *Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 62 (1883) *Momento musicale for String Quartet, Op. 64, No. 1 (1884, 1893) *3 Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 67 (1886) *3 Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 69 (1888) *Melodia for Violin and Piano (1890) *2 Romances for Cello and Piano, Op. 72 (1890)


Piano

*3 polkas and a mazurka (1867) *Fantasia sull'opera '' La forza del destino'', Op. 1 (1871) *Polka improvvisata (1872) *Capriccio No. 1, Op. 2 (1872) *Capriccio No. 2, Op. 3 (1872) *Mazurka di concerto, Op. 4 (1872) *Andante e polka, Op. 5 (1873) *Tarantella, Op. 6 (1873) *Agitato, Op. 7 (1873) *Pensieri sull'opera '' Un ballo in maschera'' for piano duet, Op. 8, (1873) *Studio di concerto, Op. 9 (1873) *Pensiero musicale, Op. 10 (1873) *Tempo di mazurka in G-flat major, Op. 11 (1873) *Capriccio No. 3, Op. 12 (1874) *Allegro appassionato, Op. 13 (1874) *Fugue in F minor, Op. 14 (1874) *Capriccio No. 4, Op. 15 (1874) *Melodia No. 1, Op. 16 (1874) *Improvviso in F minor, Op. 17 (1874) *Fuga a due parti, Op. 18 (1874) *Polacca No. 1 in A major, Op. 19 (1874) *Barcarola No. 1, Op. 20 (1874) *Melodia No. 2, Op. 21 (1874) *Scherzo in G major, Op. 23 (1875) *Capriccio di concerto, Op. 24 (1875) *Nocturne: Souvenir de Milan, Op. 25 (1875) *Caprice en forme d'étude, Op. 26 (1875) *3 romances, Op. 27 (1875) *Fughetta and Fugue, Op. 28 (1875) *La caccia, Op. 29 (1876) *Barcarola No. 2, Op. 30 (1876) *4 pieces, Op. 31 (1876) *Fantasia in D minor, Op. 32 (1876) *3 pieces, Op. 33 (1876) *Piano Sonata in E major, Op. 34 (1876) *Mazurka in A-flat major, Op. 35 (1876) *Racconto in memory of Bellini, Op. 37 (1877) *12 preludi facili (1877) *6 pieces, Op. 38 (1878) *Souvenir de Paris, Op. 39 (1878) *Sonata facile in B-flat major, Op. 41 (1878) *3 Notturninos, Op. 42 (1880) *7 pieces, Op. 43 (1878–82) *6 pieces, Op. 44 (1879–80) *3 Walzes, Op. 46( 1879) *Studio, Op. 47 (1879) *Polacca No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 48 (1879) *3 romances, Op. 49 (1880–82) *Novella, Op. 50 (1880) *Fantasia in G minor, Op. 51 (1880) *3 Scherzi, Op. 53 (1881) *Studio caratteristico, Op. 54 (1880) *2 pieces, Op. 55 (1880–8) *Improvviso-fantasia, Op. 56 (1880) *2 pieces, Op. 57 (1886) *Tema con variazioni, Op. 58 (1882), also for orchestra and 2 pianos (1900, 1905) (''arrangement by Martucci?'') *Foglie sparse: album di 6 pezzi, Op. 60 (1883) *3 pieces, Op. 61 (1883) *Moto perpetuo, Op. 63 (1884) *3 pieces, Op. 64 (1884) *3 pieces, Op. 65 (1884) *Romanza in E-major (1889) *2 Nocturnes, Op. 70 (1891) *Deux pièces, Op. 73 (1893) *Trèfles à 4 feuilles, Op. 74 (1895) *Trois morceaux, Op. 76 (1896) *2 pieces, Op. 77 (1896) *3 small pieces, Op. 78 (1900) *3 small pieces, Op. 79 (1901) *2 caprices, Op. 80 (1902) *Melodia No. 3 (1902) *3 pieces, Op. 82 (1905) *Novelletta, for piano, Op. 82/2 (1905) *3 pieces, Op. 83 (1905)


Vocal

*Messa a grande orchestra for solo voices, chorus and orchestra (1870–71) *''Alma gentil'' (S. Pellico) for Soprano or Tenor and Piano (1872) *''Samuel'' (F. Persico), oratorio for solo voices, chorus and orchestra (1881, 1906) *''La canzone dei ricordi'' (R. Pagliara), (Op. 68) song cycle, Mezzo Soprano or Baritone and piano (1887) *''La canzone dei ricordi'' (R. Pagliara), (Op. 68) song cycle, Mezzo Soprano or Baritone and orchestra (1898) *''Sogni'' (C. Ricci), (Op. 68) voice and piano (1888) *''Pagine sparse'' (Ricci), Op. 68 for voice and piano (1888) *''Ballando!'' (Ricci) for voice and piano (1889) *Due canti (Pagliara), (Op. 68) for boys' voices and organ (1889) *Tre pezzi (G. Carducci), Op. 84 for voice and piano (1906)


References


Further reading

* *Aldo Ferraris, "Giuseppe Martucci sinfonista europeo", 2010, Casa Musicale Eco, Monza, * The Complete Orchestral Works of Martucci is available a
Brilliant Classics
4 CD box, recording
Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...
, 1989, conductor Francesco D'Avalos. * Piano concertos Opp. 40 and 66 are available from a CD by Orchestre Philharmonique de Montpelier, with conductor Massimo De Benart and pianist Jeffrey Swann: Agora Musica B000LH5VIS.


External links

*
Consonarte - Vox in Musica
First Publisher of Italian Lirica da Camera / Italian Art Songs, New Edition of

op. 68, 1888
Piano Concerto No 1
performed by Pietro Massa with the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic conducted by Stefan Malzew. {{DEFAULTSORT:Martucci, Giuseppe 1856 births 1909 deaths People from Capua 19th-century Italian classical composers 19th-century Italian classical pianists 19th-century Italian conductors (music) 20th-century Italian composers 20th-century Italian male musicians 20th-century Italian classical composers 20th-century male composers 20th-century Italian classical pianists 20th-century Italian conductors (music) Academic staff of the Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini Italian male classical composers Italian male conductors (music) Italian male pianists Italian Romantic composers Italian male classical pianists People from the Province of Caserta Pupils of Paolo Serrao Oratorio composers Composers for piano