Scipione Guidi (Venice, July 17, 1884 - Los Angeles, July 7, 1966) was an Italian violinist and concertmaster of the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

and the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

under the direction of

Willem Mengelberg Joseph Wilhelm Mengelberg (28 March 1871 – 21 March 1951) was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

and

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 the 1920s.

Biography

Guidi studied at the

Milan Conservatory The Milan Conservatory, also known as the Conservatorio di Milano and the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, is a Music school, college of music in Milan, Italy. History The conservatory was established by a royal decree of 1807 in Milan, capital ...

, where he later became a teacher. He moved to London where he formed the Trio Guidi and later moved to New York. His career was predominantly as a first violin. From 1919 to 1921 he was the first violin of the

of New York, which was absorbed by the

in 1921. Unlike many National Symphony musicians, who were not retained, Guidi was named the first violin of the New York Philharmonic. In 1919 he formed the New York Trio, with pianist Clarence Adler (father of Richard Adler) and Cornelius van Vliet at the cello, but left this group in 1923 due to the growing commitment with the orchestra. As a member of the Longo Trio in 1920, he collaborated with Nicholas Laucella in a recording of several popular songs including: ''The Meeting of the Waters'' and ''Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms'' by

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852), was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist who was widely regarded as Ireland's "National poet, national bard" during the late Georgian era. The acclaim rested primarily on the popularity of his ''I ...

(Pathe, 22353). He remained in the first violin of the New York Philharmonic for a decade, from 1921 to 1931, under the direction, among others, of

and

. During this period, the Philharmonic merged with the

New York Symphony The New York Symphony Orchestra was founded as the New York Symphony Society in New York City by Leopold Damrosch in 1878. For many years it was a rival to the older Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York. It was supported by Andrew Carnegie, w ...

and the name of the orchestra passed from the Philharmonic Society of New York to the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York. During all these changes Scipione Guidi continued to lead the orchestra as the first violin. He appeared as a soloist for at least 12 times playing great solo repertoire (Bruch: Scottish Fantasy, Beethoven: Triple Concert and Concerto for Violin, Saint-Saens: 3rd Concerto for violin, Bach: Concerto for 2 violins, Mendelssohn: Concerto for violin, Brahms: Double concert (with Cornelius van Vliet)). He also gave solo recitals accompanied by pianist Alice Marion Shaw. As a member of the Philharmonic String Quartet, Scipione also collaborated with Arthur Lichstein, Louis Barzin and Osvaldo Mazzuchi in recordings of

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

's Quintette in E Flat Major and

Antonin Dvorak Antonin may refer to: People * Antonin (name) Places ;Poland * Antonin, Jarocin County, Greater Poland Voivodeship * Antonin, Kalisz County, Greater Poland Voivodeship * Antonin, Oborniki County, Greater Poland Voivodeship * Antonin, Ostr� ...

's Quartet in F Major (American) on the Edison label in 1927 and 1928. One of his famous performances was between December 11 and 13, 1928, in the recording of Richard Strauss's

Ein Heldenleben ''Ein Heldenleben'' (''A Hero's Life''), Op. 40, is a tone poem by Richard Strauss. The work was completed in 1898. It was his eighth work in the genre, and exceeded any of its predecessors in its orchestral demands. Generally agreed to be aut ...

, with the great French hornist Bruno Jaenicke under the direction of Willem Mengelberg which was released on the Victor label (Victor, 6909, 6982). In 1931, Guidi left the New York Philharmonic to move to St. Louis, where he was named first violin by Saint Louis Symphony by

Vladimir Golschmann Vladimir Golschmann (16 December 18931 March 1972) was a French and American conductor. Biography Vladimir Golschmann was born in Paris to a Jewish family. He studied violin at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. He was a notable advocate of the m ...

. Guidi later moved to Los Angeles, where he became a successful musician in the orchestras of Hollywood studios. He recorded with, among others, singer

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

. He was also director and soloist of Glendale Symphony. He died in Los Angeles, California, July 7, 1966. Several of Scipione Guidi's recordings have been archived at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

.Scipione Guidi on Discography of American Historical Recordings
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External links

Digitized programs
featuring Guidi in the New York Philharmonic Archives
Recordings by Scipione Guidi on Discography of American Historical RecordingsRecordings by Scipione Guidi on Archive.org

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guidi, Scipione 1884 births 1966 deaths Concertmasters of the New York Philharmonic Italian violinists Musicians from Venice 20th-century violinists Italian emigrants to the United States Milan Conservatory alumni