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Price: $100.00 |
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MINT CONDITION |
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Third person autographed 3.5” x 4.5” imprinted correspondence card with the composer’s London residence printed at the top right. Denza (1846-1922) was one of the triumvirate of Neapolitan composer’s who settled in London. The other two were Paolo Tosti and Tito Mattei. The composer was born in Castellmare di Stabia on the Bay of Naples. He studied with Saverio Mercadante and Paolo Serrao at the Naples Conservatory. Denza wrote a single opera, “Wallenstein” which was premiered in Naples in 1876 and not particularly successful. That said, he became one of the great composers of Neapolitan canzones, including the single most popular, “Funiculki-Funicula” which was written for the lunch of the new funicular at the top of Mt. Vesuvius near Naples in 1880. Within a year Ricordi sold a million pieces of sheet music, which for the time was unheard of. Like Tosti and Mattei, both his senior, Denza moved to London in 1879. Denza became a prolific song writer with over 600 songs to his credit. Opera singers from Caruso to Pavarotti and from Rosa Ponselle to Renata Tebaldi regularly recorded his songs. Some of the important titles included: “Santa Lucia”, “Occhi di fata”, “Se”, “La Primmavera” and “The Sweetest Song”. “Funiculi-Funicula” was so popular that even Rimsky-Korsakov got in the act and wrote his “Neapolitan Song for Orchestra” op. 69 based upon the theme. Denza taught composition at the Royal Academy of Music from 1898 to the end of his life. The Italian Government made him a Chevalier of the Order of the Crown of Italy. Likely was attached with a score. |
LUIGI DENZA - COMPOSER |
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Phone: 212-860-5541 * Fax: 917-677-8247
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