Pietro Floridia (5 May 1860 in Modica – 16 August 1932 in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

) was an Italian composer of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

. According to David Johnson (quoting the notes, by Luigi della Croce, to the Bongiovanni recording of Floridia's Symphony and other works),Johnson's Fanfare review, in Sources Floridia was born in Modica,

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, and studied in Naples, where he created his first opera, ''Carlotta Clepier''. He later destroyed the score of this work and entered further studies. He wrote a symphony (his only one) in 1888, taught at the Palermo Conservatory of Music, and wrote operas ''Maruzza'' (produced in Venice in 1894) and ''La Colonia Libera'' with libretto by Luigi Illica (produced in Rome in 1899). Floridia moved to the United States in 1904. From this point he made a living by teaching at the Cincinnati College of Music for some years, and then moved to New York City. During this period Floridia wrote and produced several more operas - ''Paoletta'', written for the Cincinnati Industrial Exposition (1910), ''The Scarlet Letter'' at some time during the 1900s, and (written but unproduced) his last opera, ''Malia''. He also wrote incidental music, including to

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

's '' A Florentine Tragedy''; his music to this got a hearing in New York in 1917. In 1914 while in New York City, he headed the Italian Symphony Orchestra. Floridia died in Harkness Presbyterian Hospital in New York City in 1932.Pietro Floridia website biography.

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* * * 1860 births 1932 deaths 19th-century Italian classical composers 20th-century Italian classical composers 20th-century male composers Academic staff of the Palermo Conservatory Italian emigrants to the United States Italian opera composers Italian male opera composers Italian Romantic composers People from Modica 20th-century Italian male musicians 19th-century Italian male musicians Musicians from the Province of Ragusa Gennett Records artists {{italy-composer-stub