Giovanni Sgambati 1841-1914

[giles.enders]

Giovanni Sgambati  Born 28.5.1841 Rome  Died 14.12.1914 Rome

English mother, Italian father.  Studied with Natalucci at The Naples Conservatory and later in Rome with Lizst.  He was a composer, conductor, and pianist.  For some years he was a professor in The Saint Cecilia Academy, Rome.

Orchestral

'Cola di Renzo' Overture  1866  lost ?
Symphony No.1 in D major  Op.11  1880
Symphony No.2 in E flat  1883
Festival Overture  1878
Piano Concerto in G minor Op.10  1878   pub. by Les fils de B. Schott
Epitalmio Sinfonico in form of a suite  1883

Chamber

Piano Quintet in F minor Op.4  1876  pub. by Schott & Co.
Piano Quintet in B flat Op.5  1877   pub. by Schott & Co.
String Nonet  1866 lost
String Quartet 1864
String Quartet in C sharp minor  Op.17  1882   pub. by Schott & Co.
Two pieces for violin and piano Op.24  1890  Sacramata Mapoletana/2
'Gondoliera' for violin and piano Op.28 (one of 4 melodies Op.28)   pub. by Schott & Co

Piano

Allegro con moto in B minor  1886
Ballata in B minor
Notturno for piano  Op.3   pub. by Schott & Co.
Prelude and fugue in B flat minor Op.6   pub. by Schott & Co.
Two etudes for piano, 1. in D flat, 2 in F sharp minor  Op.7
Fogli Volanti eight pieces for piano  Op.8
Etudes de concert  Op.10
Gavotte for piano Op.14   pub. by Schott & Co.
Quattro pezzi for piano - Preludio, vecchio, minuetto, nenia, toccata.  Op.18   pub. by Schott & Co.
Tres notturni Op.20   pub. by Schott & Co
Suite for piano in B minor - Prelude, valse, air, intermezzo, etude malodique. Op.21   pub. by Schott & Co.
Six pieces lyriques  Op.23   pub. by Schott & Co.
Douze melodies poetiques  Op.29
Fifth notturni Op.31
Sixth notturno  Op.33
Twelve melodies for piano  Op.36 (Melodies poetiques)   pub. by C F Peters
Romanza senza parole
Serenade valsee
Tres pezzi Op.42  Preludio, Berceuse Reverie, Melodia Campestrs.   pub. by Schott & Co
Toccata   lost ?
Valse Brillante in E major

Song

Album of five songs  Op.1   pub. by Schott & Co.
Album of 10 songs  Op.2   pub. by Schott & Co.
Cor di fiamma  for voice & piano
'Passiflora'  Op.17
Four Italian songs
L'Emir deBengador  for voice & piano
Melodie liriche, four songs  Op.32
Ninna nanna for voice & piano  1895
Quattro melodie for voice and piano  Op.35  Serafina, Oblio, La Sirena, Canto d'aprile.   pub. by Schott & Co.
'Tout bas' Op.30  pub. by G Schirmer
'Flor di slepe'
Fuori di porta'
Impromptu on a theme by Berlioz  for voice & piano 
'La Mia Stella'
Rose  Op.41   pub. by Schott & Co.
Serenata, per canto e piano
Ballata per tenore
Stornello toscano, for voice and piano
Melodie liriche - five songs and a duet

Organ

Benedizione Muzicale  Op.23
Melodie poet, gives  Op.29


Te Deum laudmas  for organ and strings, also version for full orchestra   pub. by Schott & Co
Versa est in Luctum cythara mea - motet for baritone, organ and strings
Andia filia for voice  and orchestra  1870
Messa da Requeim for chorus baritone and orchestra  Op.38  1896  pub. by Schott & Co

There is considerable confusion where opus numbers are concerned as many of the original numbers were reassigned. For example, the piano concerto has both Op.10 and 15

[febnyc]

Thank you for that accounting. 

But, ahem - should not such a reference have the composer's surname spelled correctly?   

Thanks - duly corrected!
Alan Howe

[JimL]

Whatever the opus number of the Piano Concerto, its key was not reassigned.  It was, and still is, G minor, not C-sharp minor. 

See here: http://imslp.org/wiki/Piano_Concerto,_Op.15_%28Sgambati,_Giovanni%29

P.S. BTW there does seem to be an error in the instrumentation list.  I most definitely hear an English Horn in the second movement which seems to be overlooked on the list (although it is in the score). 

[Gareth Vaughan]

I believe there is also a third symphony. Am I right?

[Mark Thomas]

Grove says there's an orchestral Epitalamio sinfonico of 1887 (an epithalamium being a poem written for a wedding procession apparently - who knew?) Is that what you were thinking of Gareth?

[Alan Howe]

Yes, Gareth - the Epitalamio sinfonico or Sinfonia Epitalamio of 1887-8. It is mentioned in the Wikipedia article about him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Sgambati

[Gareth Vaughan]

It could be. I just had a feeling that Roz Trubger, who, you may recall, produced an edition of the 2nd Symphony from the MS, had made mention of a 3rd Symphony on a thread on the old forum. Unfortunately, I can't recall the details.

[Alan Howe]

I'm pretty sure this was the piece she was talking about.

[eschiss1]

The double-opus-number thing - which applies to more works than the piano concerto- seems to have to do with Italian publishers applying one opus number to some Sgambati works, and German publishers another. Or something.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Same thing happened, Eric, with Dreyschock's piano music when published in England.  A lot of double opus numbers - quite confusing sometimes.

I'm pretty sure this was the piece she was talking about.

Yes - I think you must be right, Alan.

[kyjo]

I never knew he wrote a third symphony! Wow, we now have 3 recordings of the PC but only a two-piano version of one of his symphonies (the 1st) ! Hopefully Naxos (or Chandos) will record them in their rapidly growing Italian series (which will also hopefully include Pizzetti's symphony).

[alberto]

The "Sinfonia epitalamia" or "Epitalamio sinfonico" was composed for a wedding in the Italian royal family.
A Sgambati enthusiast (a piano teacher) spoke to me about as a substantial work lasting around half an hour.On the occasion the same pianist held a private concert performing various Sgambati works.
In "public" concerts, I have attended to, I never heard a Sgambati work, except when Yuja Wang recently performed (as an encore) the so called "Melodie de Gluck" (which is a free transcription from Orpheus and Euridice).
Wang also recorded the piece (like, for instance,  Wilhelm Kempff).

[giles.enders]

Thank you all, I have made the corrections.  I never could spell or read my own writing!

[Alan Howe]

we now have 3 recordings of the PC but only a two-piano version of one of his symphonies (the 1st)

Actually, there is a full orchestral recording of Symphony No.1, now deleted:
http://www.amazon.fr/Sgambati-Symphonie-Concerto-piano-mineur/dp/B00007J4XA/ref=sr_1_20?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1344506316&sr=1-20

[kyjo]

I wasn't aware of this, Alan. A shame it's deleted !