The Songs of Luigi Gordigiani (1806-1860), "Lo Schuberto Italiano" Thomas M
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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2007 The Songs of Luigi Gordigiani (1806-1860), "Lo Schuberto Italiano" Thomas M. Cimarusti Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC THE SONGS OF LUIGI GORDIGIANI (1806-1860), “LO SCHUBERTO ITALIANO” By THOMAS M. CIMARUSTI A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2007 Copyright © 2007 Thomas M. Cimarusti All Rights Reserved The members of the Committee approve the dissertation of Thomas M. Cimarusti defended on 28 June 2007. Douglass Seaton Professor Directing Dissertation Valerie Trujillo Outside Committee Member Charles E. Brewer Committee Member Jeffery Kite -Powell Committee Member William Leparulo Committee Member Approved: Seth Beckman, Chair, College of Music Don Gibson, Dean, College of Music The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii To my parents iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this dissertation involved the help of many individuals. I am most grateful to my advisor Dr. Douglass Seaton, whose encouragement, patience, and inspiration have been invaluable. I am profoundly indebted to him. My deepest thanks to my committee members Drs. Charles Brewer, Jeffery Kite-Powell, and William Leparulo for their comments and suggestions regarding initial drafts. My sincere appreciation to Dr. Valerie Trujillo who, due to unforseen circumstances, stepped in to serve on the committee just prior to my defense. I am also thankful for Italian scholar Dr. Fulvia Morabito for her help in obtaining articles only available in Italy and to Dr. Thomas Heck and Carolyn Ugolini who assisted with various issues regarding Gordigiani’s genealogy. My sincerest appreciation to Dr. Ilona Klein and Dr. Madison Sowell at Brigham Young University for their willingness to answer a number of questions regarding Italian translation, handwriting, and almanacs. To David Day and Janet Bradford at the Brigham Young University Library in Provo, Utah go my warmest thanks for their help in obtaining materials in special collections. I would like to thank Ron Saltmarsh at Symphonix Studios, Andy Furnik, Jared Oaks, Tim Workman, and Francesco Lepore for their efforts in producing the first available recordings of Gordigiani’s songs. I express my deepest appreciation to my co-workers Randy Burnham, Cindy Dupaix, Aaron Huntsman, Richard Parkinson, and Rachel Thomas at the Piano Gallery of Orem for allowing me to pursue my research while at work and for the extra time off so that I could write. A special thanks to Jeff “Einstein” Spencer for his assistance with computer issues. To my wife Christy goes my heartfelt thanks for her patience and understanding as she diligently cared for a newborn while I wrote. Lastly, I am thankful to my family, whose love and support made the completion of this project possible. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Plates vi List of Musical Examples vii Abstract viii CHAPTER 1: WHY ITALIAN SONG? 1 CHAPTER 2: FROM FAMINE TO FAME 9 CHAPTER 3: GORDIGIANI’S FLORENCE 39 CHAPTER 4: POEMS, POETS, AND THE RISORGIMENTO 58 CHAPTER 5: GORDIGIANI’S SONGS 76 CHAPTER 6: ITALIAN SCHUBERT . OR ITALIAN SCHUBERT? 103 APPENDICES A: Langlade: “L. Gordigiani: Sa vie et ses oeuvres” 108 B: Gordigiani Biographical Sketch from La gazzetta musicale di Firenze 138 C: Casamorata: “Luigi Gordigiani. Ricordi biografico” 144 D: Gordigiani Family Tree 147 E: List of Dedicatees 148 F: Gordigiani’s Publishers 149 G: Glossary: Sub-genres of Nineteenth-Century Italian Song 151 H: Nineteenth-Century Italian Salons 154 I: Gordigiani in the Salons and Concert Halls of Europe 155 J: Nineteenth-Century Italian Song Composers 159 K: Nineteenth-Century Italian Piano Firms 160 L: List of Poets Set by Gordigiani 162 M: Translations of Select Poems 168 N: List of Songs on CD 183 O: List of Musical Characteristics in Gordigiani’s Songs 184 P: List of Works 190 BIBLIOGRAPHY 225 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 236 v LIST OF PLATES PLATE 1: Antonio and Sofia Gordigiani, parents of Luigi 11 PLATE 2: Luigi Gordigiani (1806-1860), “lo Schuberto italiano” 12 PLATE 3: The Pitti Palace 15 PLATE 4: Nikolai Demidov (1773-1828) 19 PLATE 5: Marriage certificate of Luigi Gordigiani and Anna Giuliani 21 PLATE 6: Giuseppe Poniatowski (1816-1873) 23 PLATE 7: Achille Devéria (1800-1857), Il salotto, ca. 1830, lithograph 48 PLATE 8: Ricordi advertisement for various Risorgimento pieces, August 1859 73 PLATE 9: Title page of Gordigiani’s song “Il vessillo benedetto” 75 PLATE 10: Title page of Gordigiani’s song album L’eco di boboli 80 PLATE 11: Anatole N. Demidov (1812-1870), First Prince of San Donato 83 vi LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES 1a. Original melody of Tuscan dispetto, mm. 1-5. 88 1b. Gordigiani’s “Giovanottin, che passi per la via,” mm. 7-14. 88 2. Cadential melisma, “Marinaresca,” first and second endings. 90 3. Cadential melisma, “Il mazzetto,” mm. 104-6. 90 4. Descending chromatic passage, “Dormite,” mm. 54-58. 91 5. Descending figures for the Count, Duke, and King, “Chi ami?,” mm. 60-64. 92 6. Modulation to =III, “Son sempre a tempo,” mm. 46-54. 93 7. Chromatic third below, “La corona messagera,” mm. 31-38. 94 8. Canonic passage, “Chi ami?,” mm. 45-50. 94 9. Piano introduction, “Morire d’amore,” mm. 1-3. 95 10. “Non più mesta” quote in Gordigian’s “Il sogno di Cenerentola,” mm. 93-96. 97 11. The King in “Chi ami?,” mm. 29 -36. 99 12a. Schubert’s “Erlkönig,” mm. 1-3. 100 12b. Gordigiani’s “L’araba,” mm. 1-3. 100 13. Fermata over final rest, “Morire d’amore,” mm. 51-56. 101 14. The two kisses and final measure fermata, “Ti darò due baci,” mm. 38-42. 102 vii ABSTRACT Music historians have long acknowledged the importance of opera in nineteenth-century Italy. Few musicologists, however, have explored the more intimate genre that also played an important role in Italy’s artistic, political, and social sphere – the Italian art song. This study begins with a discussion as to why few scholars have unjustifiably dismissed Italian song in favor of Italian opera – a genre that evidently eclipsed the recognition of Italian song. Although the operas of Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and Verdi highlight the century’s musical achievements, an examination of primary sources reveals that Italy possessed a rich and active concert life outside the opera house. Yet although most significant opera composers experimented with song, only one would claim international attention in this genre, the Tuscan-born composer Luigi Gordigiani (1806-1860). Beginning with the composer’s childhood, a brief biographical sketch of the composer reveals a figure determined to compose for the stage – attempts that mostly met with disappointment. His failed attempts at securing a career as an opera composer, along with financial difficulties, led Gordigiani to compose more intimate works, most importantly his eight collections of Canti popolari toscani for voice and piano. These pieces would lead Gordigiani to the intimate salons and concert halls of Europe, places where he would establish himself among the most elite figures of his day. An examination of primary sources from the period reveals a composer whose circle of friends belonged to the elite of London and Florence, including Queen Victoria, Giuseppe Poniatowski, and Nikolai and Anatole Demidov. His reputation as a song composer among these figures and the public brought him the attention from over fifty publishers across Europe, including firms in France, Germany, Russia, Poland, England, and Belgium. This study also examines the historical context in which Gordigiani composed his songs. Arguably, Italy’s political turmoil, excessive tax, and French and Austrian domination, may have spoiled the country’s piano industry, resulting in a large number of piano imports from France, Germany, and Austria. Nevertheless, the public’s interest for song, whether operatic arias or romanze, brought about an increase in the number of song publications, an aspect that may have stimulated the growth of the piano industry later in the century. viii The poems and poets of the risorgimento also investigated. From examination of the poets of the period, it becomes evident that Gordigiani was less interested in the works of major Italian figures like Foscolo, Manzoni, and Leopardi; rather, the composer generally looked to local poets who more likely had an affinity toward folk idioms. Gordigiani’s choice of poetry also reveals that he not only used song as a form of entertainment, but also as an expression of nationalistic and political sentiments. Finally, this study shows that Gordigiani, unlike many of his Italian contemporaries, assimilated the German Lied tradition. His gift for melody, rich harmonic vocabulary, and clever musico-poetic techniques set him apart from his contemporaries, earning him the nickname “lo Schuberto italiano” – an appellation which begs the question: was Luigi Gordigiani an Italian Schubert or an Italian Schubert? ix CHAPTER 1 WHY ITALIAN SONG? In the history of nineteenth-century Italian chamber music a chapter regarding vocal forms should be preserved.1 In her introduction to a 1941 article on Italian song, scholar Bettina Lupo justifiably deplores the lack of research regarding the history of Italian vocal forms in the nineteenth century. Although the article was published over sixty years ago, scholars still have given little attention to Italian song. The purpose of this study is to help fill that void, to provide a glimpse into a world apart from Italian opera, and a window into the salons outside of German Lieder and French romances. This study will focus on one of Italy’s contributions to the salon, namely the songs of a composer who established a reputation as the best Italian song composer in the first decades of the nineteenth century.