Luciano Sgrizzi facts for kids

Luciano Sgrizzi was a talented Italian musician. He was born in 1910 and passed away in 1994. He could play many instruments, including the harpsichord, organ, and piano. He was also a composer, which means he wrote his own music.

A Young Musician's Journey

Luciano Sgrizzi was born in Bologna, Italy, on October 30, 1910. His father passed away when Luciano was only six years old. When he was 13, Luciano started learning piano at the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna.

Touring South America

From July 1924 to January 1927, Luciano went on a long concert tour. He traveled all over South America for two and a half years. His mother and uncle went with him to make sure he was safe.

Music Studies in Italy

After his tour, Luciano returned to Italy in 1927. He joined the Parma Conservatory. He worked very hard and earned several degrees. In 1929, he got a degree in music composition, which is about writing music. In 1930, he earned a degree in organ performance. Then, in 1931, he got a special post-graduate degree in piano performance. This was like getting a doctorate in music.

Moving to Switzerland

Luciano did not want to be involved with the Fascist government in Italy at that time. So, he left Italy and moved to Paris. There, he studied music history and composition with Albert Bertelin.

He then settled in Switzerland. He stayed there during World War II. He worked as a pianist and organist for Swiss-Italian Radio in Lugano. He worked there until 1974. He also wrote plays and arranged stories for the radio.

Discovering the Harpsichord

In 1946, Luciano became very interested in the harpsichord. This is an old keyboard instrument that looks a bit like a piano. After this, he spent his time studying early music. From 1950 to 1960, he performed with the Società Cameristica di Lugano. He played the harpsichord or piano at many famous music festivals. These included festivals in Salzburg, Rome, Milan, and Paris.

Music Editor and Composer

Luciano started publishing his own music in 1933. But in 1960, he began to focus on something new. He spent all his time transcribing and editing old Italian music from the 1600s and 1700s. This means he took old handwritten music and prepared it for modern musicians to play. For example, he edited harpsichord sonatas by Benedetto Marcello. He also edited nine toccatas for keyboard by Alessandro Scarlatti.

Award-Winning Recordings

Luciano Sgrizzi made many recordings of his music. Seven of his recordings won the Grand Prix du Disque. This is a very important award for music recordings. His recordings included all the concertos for solo harpsichord by Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach. He also recorded many sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti.

Special Honors

In 1980, Luciano was given a special honor by Italy. He was named Commendatore of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. This is a high award for people who have done great things for Italy. In 1985, France also honored him. He was named Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by French Cultural Minister Jack Lang. Luciano Sgrizzi passed away in Monte Carlo, Monaco. He had lived there for the last few years of his life.

Compositions

Luciano Sgrizzi wrote many pieces of music, including:

• Dancing Song: Valzer (1933)
• Concerto for piano and orchestra (1935)
• String trio (1935)
• Concerto per orchestra (1936)
• Impressioni (1936)
• Introduction and Scherzo, for flute and piano (1937)
• Paesaggi (1951)
• Suite Napoletana (1951)
• Englische Suite nach Werken der Virginaliste (English Suite; 1952, for orchestra)
• Suite Belge (1952; for orchestra; based on works by Belgian harpsichord players from the 18th century)
• Viottiana, a divertimento (1954)
• Sinfonietta Rococo (1956)
• Elegy and Scherzo, for flute, bassoon, and piano (1957)
• Suite-Serenata (1958)
• Ostinati, for piano (1958)

Recordings

Here are some of the recordings Luciano Sgrizzi made:

• Eighteenth-century Italian harpsichord music (1966)
• Gioachino Rossini: Péchés de vieillesse (1967; 9 selections, played on piano)
• Rossini: Petite Messe Solennelle (1969; with other musicians and choirs)
• Music for two harpsichords (1970; with Huguette Dreyfus; works by different Bach family members and Johann Ludwig Krebs)
• Muzio Clementi: 3 Sonatas and 10 Waltzes (1970)
• Joseph Haydn: Sonatas for piano; Fantasia in C major (1970; 4 sonatas, played on a hammerklavier, an early piano)
• The Iberian followers of Domenico Scarlatti (1970; harpsichord; works by Padre Antonio Soler, Carlos Seixas, and Manuel Biasco de Nebra)
• Clementi: Clementi interprété au piano par Luciano Sgrizzi (1973)
• Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Concertos in F major and E flat major, for piano, harpsichord, and orchestra (1973; with other musicians)
• C. P. E. Bach: Six sonatas with varied repeats (1980)
• Francesco Cavalli: Ercole amante (1981; 3 discs; with many singers and orchestras)
• Domenico Scarlatti: Complete works for harpsichord (1982; 11 discs with 185 sonatas)