Giuseppe Ferrata: Émigré Pianist and Composer

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Scarecrow Press, 1998 - Biography & Autobiography - 189 pages
The American career of Giuseppe Ferrata (1865-1928) was a part of the legacy of the influential European émigré musicians who came to the United States in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Born in Gradoli, Italy, Ferrata studied piano with Giovanni Sgambati and Franz Liszt at the Royal Academy of St. Cecilia in Rome. He attained some renown as both a pianist and a composer in his native Italy before immigrating to the United States in 1892. He subsequently held teaching posts at various institutions in the eastern United States. In 1909, he became the first Professor of Piano and Composition at Newcomb College (now part of Tulane University) in New Orleans, where he remained until his death in 1928. Ferrata established his reputation in the United States by winning several composition prizes in his lifetime. He published many compositions including numerous piano works in both the virtuoso and salon traditions, over thirty songs, two masses, one string quartet, and three suites for organ. This book presents a historical account of Ferrata's life from his childhood in Italy, through the difficult years as an unknown émigré musician in America to his final years as a leading figure in the cultural life of New Orleans. Moreover, this book offers an overview of Ferrata's compositional style with a brief examination of his major publications, such as the Messe solenelle and the String Quartet in G Major. A catalog of Ferrata's published and unpublished compositions is included.
 

Contents

Italy
1
Mount St Marys College
13
Greenville Female College
23
Brenau College and Conservatory
37
Beaver College and Musical Institute
55
New Orleans 19091914
79
New Orleans 19141918
99
New Orleans The Final Years
111
Epilogue
137
List of FortyNine Composers in Ferratas Planning Notebook 1918
139
Compositions of Giuseppe Ferrata
141
Notes
153
Selected Bibliography
175
About the Author
Copyright

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About the author (1998)

Edward Eanes is a musician and scholar. He has degrees in violin performance and musicology.

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