Attilio Brugnoli (1880-1937)

[Amphissa]

Italian pianist, composer,  educator, musicologist (1880-1937). Wrote at least 2 piano concertos, the 2nd dated 1905 (although maybe not published until 1934).

I'm not finding much about this fellow. There is a Wiki page in Italian here -- https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attilio_Brugnoli. He was apparently more highly praised than Bartok at the Anton Rubinstein Competition in Paris in 1905, which irritated Bartok quite a lot. Bartok wrote that Brugnoli's music was "absolutely worthless conglomerations."

I doubt that Brugnoli is a forgotten master, but I am not exactly deterred by the judgment of Bela Bartok. I'm curious about his piano concertos and other piano music, since he wrote some influential publications on piano technique.

[eschiss1]

Here's another biography in Italian, several pages, and perhaps more interesting... also from the Treccani encyclopedia- Attilio Brugnoli (1972 biography by Silvana Simonetti).

[Mark Thomas]

not exactly deterred by the judgment of Bela Bartok

Priceless! 

[eschiss1]

Actually, I regarded that comment as more an example of the increasing hermeticism (not quite sure that's the word I want) of this group, the last few years. "Schoenberg wrote music we don't like" --> "Schoenberg was a bad musician" --> "Schoenberg's musical judgments are not worth attention & he was a bad person besides, and his students too, nyah!", etc., repeat, rinse(? needs rinsing, but hasn't been getting it), cycle, repeat (ah, lots and _lots_ of repeats.) (Bartók didn't, as I recall, care for Schoenberg or his music either, but no matter, hrm?)

[thalbergmad]

I have played through the Op.2 piano concerto some years ago and have regretfully forgotten it. This usually means it left no great impression.

Hinson's guide advises it is in one movement with 19th century idioms and techniques.

Thal

[Gareth Vaughan]

It was on Mike Spring's list of possibles for the RPC series. Quite a long way down, I think.

[Amphissa]

Actually, I regarded that comment as more an example of the increasing hermeticism (not quite sure that's the word I want) of this group, the last few years. "Schoenberg wrote music we don't like" --> "Schoenberg was a bad musician" --> "Schoenberg's musical judgments are not worth attention & he was a bad person besides, and his students too, nyah!"

Here is the complete discussion of Bartok's petulant behavior after the Rubinstein Competition, squawking about not being selected for a prize in either the piano competition or the composing competition -- and stating basically, Once I become famous, I'm going to throw this right back in the faces of the judges. In other words, this was not a measured, considered, astute analysis, but an angry, jealous, vindictive condemnation by a (IMO, marginally talented) youngster writing a letter to his mother.

https://books.google.com/books?id=hPHOBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=Attilio+Brugnoli+Bartok&source=bl&ots=rwoNgM7q50&sig=FBOY8aXulpzIbc8csWQGH8KGov8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAWoVChMImdWyhMvlxwIVi1weCh1SFQIb#v=onepage&q=Attilio%20Brugnoli%20Bartok&f=false

As a sample of his critique -- "the fact that these dunderheads declared my works unworthy of the prize shows how extraordinarily stupid they were." 



As to "hermeticism" -- Yes, we are all about mystical paganism rooted in the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus. Or were you thinking of the jars left on the doorstep of Funk & Wagnall, containing "hermetically sealed" envelopes with questions that Carnac The Magnifiocent would divine answers to?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76wzA2A2T1Q



hahaha -- thanks for bringing up old memories, Eric. I know what you were referring to, but sometimes we can have fun, even in a jar.

[eschiss1]

I am -so- glad you deign to grant Bartók a "margin" (?!) of talent! For a moment I was worried.

[Amphissa]

Well, we all have different tastes. Bartok is not mine. I also don't care for Mozart, among others.

[eschiss1]

Ah, ok. ...
Apologies; I'm one of those (benighted) people who does not believe that everything in music is subjective, you see (which obviously is not the same as saying that every judgment call is objective, either, or that every work or composer is either better or worse than another, but that sort of leap of logic is silly) and so the connection between "marginally talented" on the one hand and "I just don't like" was one I did not easily make, since there are quite a few composers who I realize are less talented (generally, or in particular areas; Sibelius for instance, and Chopin, seemed to have very "marginal" talent for fugal writing*, though their _overall_ talent generally speaking was of course very high as can be seen from their output)  than other composers and yet who I simply subjectively like more...

*And so I chuckle when I hear Melartin described as Sibelian...

[Double-A]

I can't help adding to this discussion.

Suspecting Bartok of bad judgement is not synonymous with accusing him of only marginal talent.  Not all great artists have reliable judgement of their competition.  Every German speaking composer of the time rejected and often belittled Rossini's work (some people do to this day) with the exception of Schubert (the only exception I know of).  And the fight between Brahmsians and Wagnerians didn't have much to do with artistic quality on either side.

So as a rule negative judgements by one composer (even, or maybe especially one we consider talented) about another should never exactly deter us.

[Alan Howe]

And so back to Brugnoli, please...

[Phillip21]

I was interested to read the discussion on him.  Coincidentally, his Mazurka Italienne for piano recently appeared on IMSLP.  It is a really attractive salon piece, which I have recorded on my YouTube channel https://youtu.be/154V1cBOlng - although I doubt if it is representative of the sort of work he would have triumphed over Bartok with in the 1905 Rubinstein competition!