Luigi Legnani

Born in Ravenna, Legnani was trained as a string player while very young but dedicated himself to guitar and voice. His debut as an operatic tenor was in Ravenna in 1807; his singing career spanned 17 years.Powroźniak (1986), as above). His career as a guitarist began with a concert in Milan in 1819, and continued with the 1822 concerts in Vienna and return visits in 1833 and 1839. He tried to continue the guitar tradition established there by Mauro Giuliani.Powroźniak (1986), as above).

Legnani is perhaps best known for his 36 Caprices op. 20 for the guitar, which cover all the major and minor keys, and which were probably inspired by Paganini's 24 Caprices for the violin. He and Paganini were friends from the 1830s; while it was once thought that he and Paganini performed together in public (Powroźniak mentions a concert in Northern Italy in 1837),Powroźniak (1986), as above). there is no evidence to support this claim. After the 1850s Legnani retired from active performance and became an instrument maker, concentrating on guitars and violins. The "Legnani model" guitar was popular in Central Europe through the middle of the nineteenth century.

Legnani composed some 250 works, which were published in his lifetime throughout many of the major publishing houses in Europe. He died in Ravenna.

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As a regular visitor to Vienna, Legnani cooperated with Johann Georg Stauffer and his son Anton to make guitars according to Legnani's design, to be followed by a number of other luthiers ("Nach dem Modell des Luigi Legnani" / 'after the model of Luigi Legnani').[http://www.mynetimages.com/bcf32790.jpg Stauffer Label: Nach dem Modell des Luigi Legnani] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714143309/http://www.mynetimages.com/bcf32790.jpg |date=14 July 2011 }} ([http://www.guitarbench.com/2009/05/15/1830-stauffer-terz-guitar-database/ ref])[https://archive.org/stream/guitarmandolinbi00bone#page/n246/mode/1up Nach dem Modell des Luigi Legnani]

Later he began making his own guitars, and some of his instruments still exist:

• Guitar by Legnani{{cite web|url=http://www.legnanifestival.it/Immagini/PhotoGallery/chitarra_legnani_big.jpg |title=Guitar by Legnani |accessdate=2009-03-19 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508132023/http://www.legnanifestival.it/Immagini/PhotoGallery/chitarra_legnani_big.jpg |archivedate=8 May 2006 }}
• Guitar of Legnani (ca.1870){{cite web|url=http://www.legnanifestival.it/Ita/legnani.htm |title=Guitar of Legnani (ca.1870) |accessdate=2009-03-19 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508131619/http://www.legnanifestival.it/Ita/legnani.htm |archivedate=8 May 2006 }}[https://repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/186632/azu_td_9424965_sip1_c.pdf#page=21 Luigi Rinaldo Legnani: His life and position in European music of the early nineteenth century, with an annotated performance edition of selections from 36 Capricci per Tutti I Tuoni Maggiori E Minori, Opus 20.] by Douglas Goff James; see page 18 regarding a guitar supposedly made by Legnani

{{Incomplete list|date=August 2010}}

There is some confusion regarding the luthierie of Legnani, as there seems to have been a second (earlier) Luigi Legnani, an apprentice of Zosimo Bergonzi.other Legnani (?): [https://archive.org/stream/violintoneviolin00moyauoft#page/202/mode/1up/search/legnani 1], [https://archive.org/stream/diegeigenundlaut02lt#page/635/mode/1up/search/486 2], [http://www.cozio.com/DDFiles/DocumentDisplay.aspx?info=64104cd0-d95c-45cb-baa3-5f3ececada0c&q=1#search=%22Luigi%20Legnani%22 3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502031951/http://www.cozio.com/DDFiles/DocumentDisplay.aspx?info=64104cd0-d95c-45cb-baa3-5f3ececada0c&q=1#search=%22Luigi%20Legnani%22 |date=2 May 2014 }}

Sergio Monaldini affirms clearly that there is no reliable evidence that Legnani{{Which|date=May 2021}} ever built a guitar or a violin, and there is no guitar signed by him.Monaldini, bibl.p.109: "non esiste alcuna prova attendibile che Legnani abbia costruito anche una sola chitarra, e tantomeno dei violini. Sino ad ora non è stato trovato un solo strumento che porti la sua firma."

• Sergio Monaldini: Chitarra romantica. Luigi (Rinaldo) Legnani e il virtuosismo strumentale nell'Ottocento, Ravenna (Longo, 2015)
• [http://www.sbn.it/opacsbn/opaclib?db=solr_iccu&select_db=solr_iccu&nentries=10&from=1&searchForm=opac/iccu/error.jsp&resultForward=opac/iccu/brief.jsp&do_cmd=show_cmd&rpnlabel=+BID+%3D+IT\ICCU\CUB\0679064+%28words+in+AND%29+&rpnquery=%40attrset+bib-1++%40attr+1%3D1032+%40attr+4%3D6+%22IT\\ICCU\\CUB\\0679064%22&totalResult=1&language=en In morte di Luigi Legnani] by Antonio Zanca (1861–1958); (Milano : Tip. Lit. Degli Ingegneri, 1887) ([https://archive.org/stream/bibliografiaita01pubbgoog#page/n325/mode/1up/search/legnani Information about publication is found in Bibliografia italiana])
• [http://www.sbn.it/opacsbn/opaclib?db=solr_iccu&select_db=solr_iccu&nentries=10&from=1&searchForm=opac/iccu/error.jsp&resultForward=opac/iccu/brief.jsp&do_cmd=show_cmd&rpnlabel=+Title+%3D+Luigi+Legnani++AND+Author+%3D+Romolo+Ferrari+&rpnquery=%40attrset+bib-1+%40and++%40attr+1%3D4+%40attr+4%3D6+%22Luigi+Legnani%22++%40attr+1%3D1003+%40attr+4%3D6+%22Romolo+Ferrari%22&totalResult=1&ricerca=base&language=en Luigi Legnani] by Romolo Ferrari [http://www.simonaboni.it/Ferrari_en.htm 1], [http://www.mucchieditore.it/index.php/Musicologia/Romolo-Ferrari-e-la-chitarra-in-Italia-nella-prima-meta-del-Novecento/Detailed-product-flyer.html 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306084946/http://www.mucchieditore.it/index.php/Musicologia/Romolo-Ferrari-e-la-chitarra-in-Italia-nella-prima-meta-del-Novecento/Detailed-product-flyer.html |date=6 March 2012 }} (E. Bassi e nipoti, 1932)
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=kpgsAAAAYAAJ&dq=TEATRO&pg=PA285 Teatro Carignano] 28 Inglio 1855
• Appunti su una chitarra di Luigi Legnani by [http://www.justclassicalguitar.com/en/guitar-history/20th-century-guitar/other-guitarists-900/fausto-ciurlo Ciurlo, Ernesto Fausto (1895 - 1978)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025237/http://www.justclassicalguitar.com/en/guitar-history/20th-century-guitar/other-guitarists-900/fausto-ciurlo |date=4 March 2016 }}; [http://www.justclassicalguitar.com/en/historical-publishing/le-riviste-chitarristiche#20 Strumenti e Musica] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130102057/http://www.justclassicalguitar.com/en/historical-publishing/le-riviste-chitarristiche#20 |date=30 January 2011 }}, XXIV, 1971, No. 2, page 70
• Introduction to "36 Caprices", by Simon Wynberg (Heidelberg: Chanterelle, 1986)
• Gazzelloni, Giuseppe, "Legnani, Luigi", in:The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (London: Macmillan, 2001)

{{Reflist}}

;Biographical

• [http://digitalguitararchive.com/archive/index.php?result=0&page=1&name=archive&table=etude&search=Luigi%20Legnani,%20Guitar%20Virtuoso%20and%20Composer&field=title&sort=author&rows=25&filter=all Luigi Legnani, Guitar Virtuoso and Composer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105747/http://digitalguitararchive.com/archive/index.php?result=0&page=1&name=archive&table=etude&search=Luigi%2520Legnani,%2520Guitar%2520Virtuoso%2520and%2520Composer&field=title&sort=author&rows=25&filter=all |date=4 March 2016 }} by George C. Krick; ETUDE, May 1941, volume LIX, number 5, page 351-352 ([http://www.icoldwell.com/robert/music/etude/LIX_05.html alternative] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109040058/http://www.icoldwell.com/robert/music/etude/LIX_05.html |date=9 November 2013 }})
• [https://archive.org/stream/guitarmandolinbi00bone#page/177/mode/1up Luigi Legnani] by Philip James Bone (The guitar and mandolin : biographies of celebrated players and composers for these instruments (1914))

;Articles

• {{in lang|de}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716184223/http://mitglied.multimania.de/orlandosyrg/ng7.html#Legnani Luigi Rinaldo Legnani] by Daniela Rossato (nova giulianiad 7/85, p. 154)

;Sheetmusic

• [http://rex.kb.dk/primo_library/libweb/action/preferences.do?fn=change_lang&vid=KGL&prefLang=en_US&prefBackUrl=http:%2F%2Frex.kb.dk%2Fprimo_library%2Flibweb%2Faction%2Fsearch.do?dscnt=0%26fctN=facet_tlevel%26vl(1UI0)=contains%26vl(61142532UI2)=sub%26scp.scps=scope%3A%28KGL%29%26fctV=online_resource%26vl(1UI2)=contains%26tab=default_tab%26dstmp=1291361660942%26srt=rank%26mode=Advanced%26vl(45742256UI3)=all_items%26vl(48924786UI4)=all_items%26tb=t%26indx=1%26backFromPreferences=true%26vl(freeText0)=%26fn=search%26vid=KGL%26vl(freeText2)=%26vl(45742261UI5)=all_items%26title1=1%26vl(1UI1)=contains%26frbg=%26ct=facet%26dum=true%26Submit=Search%26vl(48924784UI1)=creator%26vl(freeText1)=Legnani%26vl(48924785UI0)=title%26vid=KGL Rischel & Birket-Smith's Collection of guitar music] [https://rex.kb.dk/F?func=find-c&ccl_term=(WRD=Legnani%20AND%20WWW=http%20NOT%20WWW=sheetmusicnow%20NOT%20WWW=freehandmusic%20NOT%20WWW=hebeonline)&local_base=mus01&con_lng=ENG 1] Det Kongelige Bibliotek, Denmark
• [http://biblioteket.statensmusikverk.se/ebibliotek/boije/Boije_l.htm Boije Collection] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130418123831/http://biblioteket.statensmusikverk.se/ebibliotek/boije/Boije_l.htm |date=18 April 2013 }} The Music Library of Sweden ([http://statensmusikverk.se/musikochteaterbiblioteket/ladda-ner-noter/boijes-samling/boijes-samling-l/ alternative])
• [http://catalog.wustl.edu/search/X?(George%20C.%20Krick%20Collection%20of%20Guitar%20Music)+and+(Legnani)&SORT=D George C. Krick Collection of Guitar Music] Washington University
• {{IMSLP|id=Legnani, Luigi}}

;Images

• Legnani's guitar: [https://web.archive.org/web/20060508132023/http://www.legnanifestival.it/Immagini/PhotoGallery/chitarra_legnani_big.jpg 1] [https://web.archive.org/web/20060508131619/http://www.legnanifestival.it/Ita/legnani.htm 2]

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Category:1790 births

Category:1877 deaths

Category:19th-century Italian classical composers

Category:Musicians from the Papal States

Category:Composers for the classical guitar

Category:Italian classical guitarists

Category:Italian male classical composers

Category:Italian male guitarists

Category:Italian Romantic composers

Category:19th-century Italian male musicians

Category:19th-century guitarists