Giuseppe Martucci Facts for Kids

Giuseppe Martucci.

Giuseppe Martucci (born in Capua, Italy, on January 6, 1856 – died in Naples, Italy, on June 1, 1909) was a very important Italian composer, conductor, pianist, and teacher. He helped bring back interest in non-opera music in Italy. As a conductor, he was one of the first to introduce Wagner's operas to Italian audiences. He also held important early concerts of English music in Italy.

Martucci's Musical Journey
Martucci's Lasting Impact
Musical Works
See also

Martucci's Musical Journey

Giuseppe Martucci was born in Capua, a town in Campania. His father, Gaetano, who played the trumpet, taught him the basics of music. Giuseppe was a child prodigy, meaning he was very talented from a young age. He performed on the piano in public when he was only eight years old!

When he was 11, he became a student at the Naples Conservatory. This happened thanks to a recommendation from Professor Beniamino Cesi. Martucci learned how to compose music from Paolo Serrao. Later, when Martucci taught in Bologna, one of his own students was the famous composer Ottorino Respighi.

Martucci passed away in Naples in 1909. His son, Paolo, also became a well-known pianist.

A Talented Pianist

Martucci's career as an international pianist began when he was 19. In 1875, he toured through Germany, France, and England.

In 1880, he became a piano professor at the Naples Conservatory. He then moved to Bologna in 1886 to teach at the Bologna Conservatory. Finally, in 1902, he returned to Naples to become the director of the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Leading as a Conductor

Martucci first started conducting in 1881. He was one of the first Italian musicians to truly admire the German composer Wagner. Martucci helped introduce Wagner's music to Italy. For example, he led the first Italian performance of Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde in Bologna in 1888.

His love for foreign composers didn't stop with Wagner. He also performed Charles Villiers Stanford's 3rd Symphony in Bologna in 1898. He even conducted one of the few concerts of all-British orchestral music in Europe during the late 1800s. His programs also included music by Brahms, Lalo, Goldmark, and others.

A Unique Composer

Martucci started composing when he was 16, writing short piano pieces. What was unusual for an Italian composer of his time was that he wrote no operas. Instead, he focused on instrumental music and songs. He also created an oratorio called Samuel.

Martucci's Lasting Impact

The famous conductor Arturo Toscanini was a big supporter of Martucci's music throughout his career. Toscanini's NBC Symphony Orchestra performed many of Martucci's orchestral works in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Even though some people in the orchestra and at NBC didn't want to play Martucci's music, Toscanini insisted.

Composer Gian Francesco Malipiero said that Martucci's second symphony (from 1904) was "the beginning of the rebirth of non-operatic Italian music." This means Martucci helped Italian music move beyond just operas. He focused on absolute music, which is music for its own sake, without a story or words.

In 1989, Francesco d'Avalos tried to bring Martucci's music back into the spotlight. He recorded four CDs with major works, including Martucci's two piano concertos, two symphonies, and La canzone dei ricordi.

More recently, in 2009, Naxos Records released a series of CDs featuring Martucci's orchestral music. In 2011, Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed Martucci's Nocturne, Op. 70, No. 1, during their tour of Europe.

Musical Works

Symphonic Pieces

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), 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)

Concertos and Other Works for Solo Instrument and Orchestra

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

Organ Music

Sonata in D minor, Op. 36 (1879)

Chamber Music (for small groups of instruments)

Divertimento [after Verdi's La forza del destino] for Flute and Piano (1869)
Piano Trio [after Offenbach's La belle Hélène] (1869)
Violin Sonata, 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 Music

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, Op. 11 (1873)
Capriccio No. 3, Op. 12 (1874)
Allegro appassionato, Op. 13 (1874)
Fuga, Op. 14 (1874)
Capriccio No. 4, Op. 15 (1874)
Melodia No. 1, Op. 16 (1874)
Improvviso, Op. 17 (1874)
Fuga a due parti, Op. 18 (1874)
Polacca No. 1, Op. 19 (1874)
Barcarola No. 1, Op. 20 (1874)
Melodia No. 2, Op. 21 (1874)
Scherzo, 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, 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, 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, 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)
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 Music

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)

Giuseppe Martucci facts for kids

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