Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Giovanni Sgambati – an Italian Liszt

Wagner pushed for publication of Sgambati’s two piano quintets.

At age six Sgambati gave well-received public performances in Rome.
At age six Sgambati gave well-received public performances in Rome.

Giovanni Sgambati conducted the Italian premiere of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in 1867. He conducted the Italian premiere of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in 1870.

Let that sink in for a moment. Beethoven composed his Third Symphony in 1803 and the Seventh in 1812. He died in 1827. Two of his greatest symphonies weren’t heard in Italy until forty years after his death.

Video:

Sgambati, Piano Quintets and String Quartets

Robert Plano, piano, Quartetto Noferini

Robert Plano, piano, Quartetto Noferini

Italy was all about opera in the 19th Century. Can anyone name an Italian symphony from the 19th Century? Who was this Sgambati character who brought Beethoven’s symphonies to Italian audiences that weren’t clamoring for symphonies?

Sponsored
Sponsored

Sgambati was born in Rome. His father was an Italian lawyer who spent his leisure time with expatriate artists living in Rome. Sgambati’s mother was the daughter of the English sculptor Joseph Gott.

From the beginning, Sgambati had a cosmopolitan experience of the world. He was a gifted pianist and began playing in the salons of Roman high culture at the age of five. At age six he gave well-received public performances in Rome.

Sgambati’s father died around this time and the family moved to the small town of Trevi in central Italy. In Trevi, Sgambati perfected his technique as a pianist and moved back to Rome in 1860.

In 1862 he met Franz Liszt. Liszt saw an opportunity to pry a young Italian pianist away from the clutches of opera and arranged for Sgambati to move to Germany. While in Germany Sgambati’s experienced the rigors of German compositions and marveled at the sonic ability of the German orchestras.

Sgambati met Anton Rubenstein, the founder of the St. Petersburg and Moscow Conservatories. Rubenstein was considered the greatest pianist in Russia and offered Sgambati a position in Moscow. Sgambati refused the position and founded his own music school in Rome.

Sgambati is something of an Italian Liszt or Rubenstein. All three men composed music but they were best known for their piano performances and as educators.

Sgambati wrote some good music. I’ve been listening to his first two symphonies, his piano concerto, his piano quintets, and his requiem.

I find the symphonies to be quite satisfying and I think the audiences of today would respond well to them. The piano concerto is resurrected every now and then by a big name pianist such as Jorge Bolet. The music itself isn’t that compelling but the piano part is solid, much like the piano concertos of Liszt and Rubenstein.

I tried to listen to Sgambati’s Requiem but I found it be tedious. It was written in 1895 and at that point, Verdi’s Requiem was established as the preeminent Italian requiem.

The piano quintets are fantastic. I would love to get a chance to hear them live. In 1876 Sgambati met Richard Wagner. Wagner was so impressed with Sgmabati that he pushed for the publication of Sgambati’s two piano quintets.

Was Sgambati a genius? Not by 19th Century standards. However, his music is worthy of consideration. Listen to those piano quintets and I’m sure you will agree.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Kaylee Daugherty, Pinback, Chorduroy, Moondaddy, and Mr. Tube & the Flying Objects

Solos, duos, and full bands in Mira Mesa, Del Mar, City Heights, Little Italy, East Village
Next Article

Roll-over crashes crop up in San Diego and Baja

Nails, beer, Coca-Cola, Mexican pop singer Luis Miguel's stage equipment
At age six Sgambati gave well-received public performances in Rome.
At age six Sgambati gave well-received public performances in Rome.

Giovanni Sgambati conducted the Italian premiere of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in 1867. He conducted the Italian premiere of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in 1870.

Let that sink in for a moment. Beethoven composed his Third Symphony in 1803 and the Seventh in 1812. He died in 1827. Two of his greatest symphonies weren’t heard in Italy until forty years after his death.

Video:

Sgambati, Piano Quintets and String Quartets

Robert Plano, piano, Quartetto Noferini

Robert Plano, piano, Quartetto Noferini

Italy was all about opera in the 19th Century. Can anyone name an Italian symphony from the 19th Century? Who was this Sgambati character who brought Beethoven’s symphonies to Italian audiences that weren’t clamoring for symphonies?

Sponsored
Sponsored

Sgambati was born in Rome. His father was an Italian lawyer who spent his leisure time with expatriate artists living in Rome. Sgambati’s mother was the daughter of the English sculptor Joseph Gott.

From the beginning, Sgambati had a cosmopolitan experience of the world. He was a gifted pianist and began playing in the salons of Roman high culture at the age of five. At age six he gave well-received public performances in Rome.

Sgambati’s father died around this time and the family moved to the small town of Trevi in central Italy. In Trevi, Sgambati perfected his technique as a pianist and moved back to Rome in 1860.

In 1862 he met Franz Liszt. Liszt saw an opportunity to pry a young Italian pianist away from the clutches of opera and arranged for Sgambati to move to Germany. While in Germany Sgambati’s experienced the rigors of German compositions and marveled at the sonic ability of the German orchestras.

Sgambati met Anton Rubenstein, the founder of the St. Petersburg and Moscow Conservatories. Rubenstein was considered the greatest pianist in Russia and offered Sgambati a position in Moscow. Sgambati refused the position and founded his own music school in Rome.

Sgambati is something of an Italian Liszt or Rubenstein. All three men composed music but they were best known for their piano performances and as educators.

Sgambati wrote some good music. I’ve been listening to his first two symphonies, his piano concerto, his piano quintets, and his requiem.

I find the symphonies to be quite satisfying and I think the audiences of today would respond well to them. The piano concerto is resurrected every now and then by a big name pianist such as Jorge Bolet. The music itself isn’t that compelling but the piano part is solid, much like the piano concertos of Liszt and Rubenstein.

I tried to listen to Sgambati’s Requiem but I found it be tedious. It was written in 1895 and at that point, Verdi’s Requiem was established as the preeminent Italian requiem.

The piano quintets are fantastic. I would love to get a chance to hear them live. In 1876 Sgambati met Richard Wagner. Wagner was so impressed with Sgmabati that he pushed for the publication of Sgambati’s two piano quintets.

Was Sgambati a genius? Not by 19th Century standards. However, his music is worthy of consideration. Listen to those piano quintets and I’m sure you will agree.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Kaylee Daugherty, Pinback, Chorduroy, Moondaddy, and Mr. Tube & the Flying Objects

Solos, duos, and full bands in Mira Mesa, Del Mar, City Heights, Little Italy, East Village
Next Article

Prime Wheel in Tijuana cracks down on employees after worker disappears

Maquila co-workers turn on man's wife
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader