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Palermo Conservatory

{{Short description|Italian music school}}

The Conservatorio di Musica Alessandro Scarlatti (English: Conservatory of Music Alessandro Scarlatti), better known in English as the Palermo Conservatory, is a music conservatory in Palermo, Italy. One of the oldest music schools in Italy, the organization was originally established as an orphanage for boys known as the Orfanotrofio del Buon Pastore in 1618. Music instruction began at the school in the late 17th century, and for a limited period music was the primary emphasis of the school when it was known as the Conservatorio dei giovanetti dispersi ({{langx|en|Conservatory of missing youths}}). It evolved into a liberal arts college, known as the Collegio dei giovanetti dispersi, with an emphasis on literature and writing during the first half of the 18th century. In 1747 an emphasis on music resumed, and not long after the school was renamed the Collegio musicale del Buon Pastore. It operated under that name until 1915 when the school's name was changed to the Conservatorio di Musica Vincenzo Bellini. In 2018, the school's name was changed once again in honor of the composer Alessandro Scarlatti.

History

The Palermo Conservatory was originally founded in 1618 as the Orfanotrofio del Buon Pastore; an orphanage for boys located within the {{ill|Chiesa di Maria Santissima Annunziata (Partinico)|it|lt=Chiesa di Maria Santissima Annunziata}}.{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Paolo Emilio Carapezza and Giuseppe Collisani |date=2001 |entry=Palermo |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.20745}} The idea and the funds for the school were provided by Francisco Ruiz de Castro, the Viceroy of Sicily.Daita, p. 3 At the end of the seventeenth century, musical instruction was introduced at the orphanage that was modeled after the Naples Conservatory, and not long after the school was renamed the Conservatorio dei giovanetti dispersi ({{langx|en|Conservatory of missing youths}}) when administration of the school was given over to the Government of Palermo.Daita, p. 4

In the first half of the 18th century (1721) the school's focus shifted away from music to a broader liberal arts education with studies in literature and writing being emphasized over that of music; with the school being renamed the Collegio dei giovanetti dispersi. However, in 1747 a gradual shift back towards a music emphasis began, and not long after the school became completely devoted to music instruction and was renamed the Collegio musicale del Buon Pastore. Composer Nicola Logroscino was maestro di cappella at the conservatory from 1758 to 1764. Composer Gaetano Donizetti taught on the faculty during his time in Palermo in the mid-1820s.

In 1833, Baron Pietro Pisani raised a large sum of money for the school which significantly improved the school's resources and quality of its instruction; including the building of a theatre on the conservatory's property and the purchasing of new music and instruments. At this time the composer Pietro Raimondi became director of the institution, and the conservatory underwent a period of significant growth under his leadership which lasted until 1852. The school struggled following Raimondi's departure, and by 1863 the conservatory had been taken over by the administration of the Government of Italy in order to prevent the school from closing.Daita, p. 5 The school thrived once again after Pietro Platania was appointed director of the conservatory by a committee led by Giovanni Pacini in 1863. He was succeeded by Gaetano Vanneschi.

Composer and conductor Guglielmo Zuelli served as director of the Palermo Conservatory from 1895 through 1912.{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/guglielmo-zuelli_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/#:~:text=Zuelli%20appartenne%20alla%20generazione%20di,melodramma%20italiano%20di%20stampo%20romantico. |title=ZUELLI, Guglielmo |author=Sauro Rodolfi |encyclopedia=Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani |volume=100 |year=2020 |publisher=Treccani |access-date=2023-11-03 |archive-date=2023-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030153714/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/guglielmo-zuelli_(Dizionario-Biografico)/#:~:text=Zuelli%20appartenne%20alla%20generazione%20di,melodramma%20italiano%20di%20stampo%20romantico. |url-status=live }} In 1915, the conservatory was renamed from Collegio musicale del Buon Pastore to the Conservatorio di Musica Vincenzo Bellini after the opera composer of that name.Maione, p. 4 Composer, pianist and conductor Rito Selvaggi was director of the conservatory from 1938 through 1943.{{cite encyclopedia |volume=2 |title=Rito Selvaggi |encyclopedia=La musica italiana nel Novecento |page=989 |publisher=Bramante |year=1985 |author=Roberto Zanetti}} The conservatory's library was destroyed by bombing during World War II, and the school's music librarian and professor of music history Nino Pirrotta achieved acclaim for his work restoring the library after this incident. In 2018, the school was renamed after the composer Allesandro Scarlatti.{{cite web |title=Il Conservatorio cambia nome: intitolato al compositore palermitano Scarlatti |url=https://www.palermotoday.it/cronaca/conservatorio-bellini-cambia-nome-intitolato-scarlatti.html |website=Palermo Today |date=17 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917190648/https://www.palermotoday.it/cronaca/conservatorio-bellini-cambia-nome-intitolato-scarlatti.html |archive-date=17 September 2018 |lang=it |access-date=2 November 2023}}

Notable alumni

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  • Aura Eternal, drag queen{{Cite web |last=Maffioletti |first=Chiara |date=2023-06-06 |title=Chi è Aura Eternal, la drag queen di Palermo laureata in conservatorio che sta conquistando il mondo |url=https://www.corriere.it/spettacoli/cards/chi-aura-eternal-drag-queen-palermo-laureata-conservatorio-che-sta-conquistando-mondo/da-palermo-talent-ru-paul_principale.shtml |access-date=2023-07-25 |website=Corriere della Sera |archive-date=2023-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725131529/https://www.corriere.it/spettacoli/cards/chi-aura-eternal-drag-queen-palermo-laureata-conservatorio-che-sta-conquistando-mondo/da-palermo-talent-ru-paul_principale.shtml |url-status=live }}
  • Simone Alaimo, bass-baritone{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Elizabeth Forbes |date=2001 |entry=Alaimo, Simone |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.41891}}
  • Nazario Carlo Bellandi, composer, pianist, organist, and harpsichordist{{cite book |url=https://www.organ-biography.info/index.php?id=Bellandi_Carlo_1919 |chapter=Carlo Bellandi |title=Biographical Dictionary of the Organ |author=W. B. Henshaw |publisher=Bardon Music |year=2003 |access-date=2023-11-03 |archive-date=2023-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014090319/https://www.organ-biography.info/index.php?id=Bellandi_Carlo_1919 |url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}
  • Pasquale Bona, composer{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/pasquale-bona_(Dizionario-Biografico)/#:~:text=Stimato%20compositore%20di%20musica%20sacra,diavolo%2C%20su%20libretto%20di%20A. |author=Franco C. Ricci |encyclopedia=Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani |title=BONA, Pasquale |volume=11 |year=1969 |access-date=2023-11-03 |archive-date=2023-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030193618/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/pasquale-bona_(Dizionario-Biografico)/#:~:text=Stimato%20compositore%20di%20musica%20sacra,diavolo%2C%20su%20libretto%20di%20A. |url-status=live }}
  • Salvatore Bonafede, composer and pianist{{cite web |url=http://www.conservatoriobellini.it/it/docenti/elenco-docenti-per-materia-5/77-pianoforte-jazz |title=Bonafede Salvatore |website=Conservatorio Bellini Palermo |access-date=27 February 2019 |archive-date=24 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924002145/http://www.conservatoriobellini.it/it/docenti/elenco-docenti-per-materia-5/77-pianoforte-jazz |url-status=live }}
  • Francesco Buzzurro, guitarist{{cite news |url=https://www.messinatoday.it/eventi/francesco-buzzurro-concerto-sala-laudamo.html |title="Un'orchestra a 6 corde", in arrivo l'atteso concerto del chitarrista Francesco Buzzurro |date=October 18, 2023 |work=Messina Today |access-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103074654/https://www.messinatoday.it/eventi/francesco-buzzurro-concerto-sala-laudamo.html |url-status=live }}
  • Fausto Cannone, singer-songwriter{{cite book |author=Giacomo Romano Davare |title=Il potere e l'anima |year=2014 |page=90 |publisher=Thule}}
  • Ginger Costa-Jackson, mezzo-soprano{{cite web |last=Gazzola |first=Luiz |title=The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview with Ginger Costa-Jackson |url=http://operalively.com/forums/content.php/879-The-Exclusive-Opera-Lively-Interview-with-Ginger-Costa-Jackson |publisher=Opera Lively |access-date=21 September 2013 |date=26 August 2013 |archive-date=28 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828020453/http://operalively.com/forums/content.php/879-The-Exclusive-Opera-Lively-Interview-with-Ginger-Costa-Jackson |url-status=usurped }}
  • Francesco Paolo Frontini, composer and musicologist{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/francesco-paolo-frontini_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/ |title=Frontini, Francesco Paolo |author=Paola Rosa |encyclopedia=Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani |volume=50 |year=1998 |publisher=Treccani |access-date=2023-11-03 |archive-date=2023-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030154443/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/francesco-paolo-frontini_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ |url-status=live }}
  • Alfonso Gibilaro, pianist, vocal coach, and composer{{Cite book |language=en |url=https://archive.org/details/TheConcertCompanion |title=The Concert Companion |author=Robert Bagar, Louis Biancolli |date=1947 |page=[https://archive.org/details/TheConcertCompanion/page/n820 809] |series=Tomaso Antonio Vitali}}
  • Barbara Giuranna, pianist and composer{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Antonio Trudu |date=2001 |entry=Giuranna, (Elena) Barbara |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.11236}}
  • Anton Guadagno, conductor{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Bernard Jacobson, revised by Richard Wigmore |date=2001 |entry=Guadagno, Anton |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.11887}}
  • Matteo Mancuso, guitarist{{cite news |url=https://www.velvetthunder.co.uk/matteo-mancuso-the-interview/ |title=MATTEO MANCUSO – THE INTERVIEW |work=Velvet Thunder |date=August 13, 2023 |access-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103074655/https://www.velvetthunder.co.uk/matteo-mancuso-the-interview/ |url-status=live }}
  • Gino Marinuzzi, conductor and composer{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Leonardo Pinzauti |date=2001 |entry=Marinuzzi, Gino (i) |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.17814}}
  • Giuseppe Monterosso, flautist, composer, and conductorSinopie Consonanze. Giuseppe Monterosso e il Filarmonico Concerto Municipale di Aci Catena.1908-1912 ¤ 1922-1945. Dal Meriggio al Tramonto (1948-1978). I maestri Fontana, Minissale e Ausino'', Supino, Pagine lepine, 2022, p. 18.
  • Giuseppe Mulè, composer and conductor{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Alfredo Casella, revised by John C.G. Waterhouse |date=2001 |entry=Mulè, Giuseppe |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.19305}}
  • Salvatore Pappalardo, composer{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tdBBDwAAQBAJ&dq=Salvatore+Pappalardo+1817+palermo&pg=PA95 |title=Prima e dopo Cavour: La musica tra Stato Sabaudo e Italia Unita (1848-1870). Atti del Convegno Internazionale Napoli, 11-12 novembre 2011 |page=95 |first1=Enrico |last1=Careri |first2=Enrica |last2=Donisi |year=2015 |publisher=FedOA - Federico II University Press |isbn=9788888904191 |access-date=2023-11-03 |archive-date=2023-11-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103074653/https://books.google.com/books?id=tdBBDwAAQBAJ&dq=Salvatore+Pappalardo+1817+palermo&pg=PA95#v=onepage&q=Salvatore%20Pappalardo%201817%20palermo&f=false |url-status=live }}
  • Domenico Picciché, pianist, composer, and jurist{{cite news |url=https://www.palermotoday.it/eventi/concerto-pianista-virtuoso-feltrinelli-18-marzo-2019.html |title=Lunedì classico in libreria, il concerto sulle note di Chopin e Liszt alla Feltrinelli |work=Palermo Today |date=March 11, 2019 |access-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-date=September 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918201118/https://www.palermotoday.it/eventi/concerto-pianista-virtuoso-feltrinelli-18-marzo-2019.html |url-status=live }}
  • Giovanni Sollima, composer and cellist{{cite web |url=http://cpmusiclibrary.ca/library_composer.php?cKey=SOLGIO |title=Giovanni Sollima- Composer Information |work=Counterpoint Music Library Services |year=2012 |access-date=October 9, 2023 |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103074654/http://cpmusiclibrary.ca/library_composer.php?cKey=SOLGIO |url-status=live }}
  • Ottavio Ziino, composer and conductor{{cite encyclopedia |last=Pagano |first=Roberto |year=2000 |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/ottavio-ziino_%28Enciclopedia-Italiana%29/ |title=Ziino, Ottavio |encyclopedia=Enciclopedia Italiana |volume=VI |publisher=Treccani |access-date=2023-11-03 |archive-date=2023-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404095525/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/ottavio-ziino_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/ |url-status=live }}

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Notable faculty

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  • Marco Betta (also alumnus), composer{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marco-betta/ |title=Betta, Marco |encyclopedia=Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondata |year=2015 |publisher=Giovanni Treccani |access-date=2023-11-03 |archive-date=2022-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028012750/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/marco-betta/ |url-status=live }}
  • Beniamino Cesi, pianist{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/beniamino-cesi_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/ |title=CESI, Beniamino |encyclopedia=Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani |author=Raoul Meloncelli |year=1980 |volume=24 |publisher=Treccani |access-date=2023-11-03 |archive-date=2022-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106131439/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/beniamino-cesi_(Dizionario-Biografico) |url-status=live }}
  • Francesco Cilea, composer{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Julian Budden |date=2001 |entry=Cilea, Francesco |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.05780}}
  • Gaetano Donizetti, composerWeinstock, p. 43-44
  • Guido Alberto Fano, pianist and composer{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Fabio Fano, revised by Roberta Costa |date=2001 |entry=Fano, (Aronne) Guido Alberto |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.09288}}
  • Alberto Favara (also alumnus), musicologist{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/alberto-favara_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/ |title=Favara, Alberto |author=Nicola Balata |encyclopedia=Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani |volume=45 |year=1995 |publisher=Treccani |access-date=2023-11-03 |archive-date=2022-11-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116094222/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/alberto-favara_(Dizionario-Biografico) |url-status=live }}
  • Pietro Floridia, composer{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/pietro-floridia_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/ |title=Floridia, Pietro |author=Fabio Antonini |encyclopedia=Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani |volume=48 |year=1997 |publisher=Treccani |access-date=2023-11-03 |archive-date=2022-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614130823/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/pietro-floridia_(Dizionario-Biografico) |url-status=live }}
  • Riccardo Minasi, violinist and conductor{{cite web |url=https://www.festivalbach.ch/wp-content/uploads/Riccardo-Minasi.pdf |title=Riccardo Minasi |work=Festival Bach de Lausanne |access-date=October 20, 2023 |archive-date=October 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011030702/https://www.festivalbach.ch/wp-content/uploads/Riccardo-Minasi.pdf |url-status=live }}
  • Federico Mompellio, musicologist, music editor, music librarian, and music critic{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/federico-mompellio_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ |title=MOMPELLIO, Federico |author=Emiliano Giannetti |encyclopedia=Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani |volume=75 |year=2011 |publisher=Treccani |access-date=2023-10-11 |archive-date=2023-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030153400/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/federico-mompellio_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ |url-status=live }}
  • Enrico Onofri, violinist and conductor{{cite news |url=https://kaonlinemagazine.com/enrico-onofri-arion-baroque-orchestra/ |title=ENRICO ONOFRI ARION BAROQUE ORCHESTRA |work=KA Magazine |date=November 27, 2014 |access-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-date=June 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601031221/https://kaonlinemagazine.com/enrico-onofri-arion-baroque-orchestra/ |url-status=live }}
  • Gianfranco Pappalardo Fiumara, pianist{{cite news |title=Premiato il pianista catanese Gianfranco Pappalardo Fiumara |url=https://livesicilia-it.translate.goog/premiato-pianista-gianfranco-pappalardo-fiumara/?_x_tr_sl=it&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc&_x_tr_hist=true |work=LiveSicilia |date=July 4, 2023 |access-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103074656/https://livesicilia-it.translate.goog/premiato-pianista-gianfranco-pappalardo-fiumara/?_x_tr_sl=it&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc&_x_tr_hist=true |url-status=live }}
  • Mario Pilati, composer{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Antonio Trudu |date=2001 |entry=Pilati, Mario |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.21758}}
  • Nino Pirrotta (also alumnus), musicologist, pianist, and music critic{{cite encyclopedia |title=PIRROTTA, Antonino |author=Anthony M. Cummings |encyclopedia=Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani |volume=84 |year=2015 |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/antonino-pirrotta_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/ |access-date=2023-10-11 |archive-date=2023-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030153250/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/antonino-pirrotta_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ |url-status=live }}
  • Pietro Raimondi, composer{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Jesse Rosenberg |title=Raimondi, Pietro |date=2001 |entry=Raimondi, Pietro |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.50122}}
  • Antonio Scontrino (also alumnus), composer{{Cite encyclopedia |author=J.A. Fuller Maitland |date=2001 |entry=Scontrino, Antonio |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.25239}}
  • Rito Selvaggi, composer, pianist, conductor, and poet
  • Guglielmo Zuelli, composer and conductor

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References

=Citations=

{{reflist}}

=Bibliography=

  • {{cite book |title=R. Collegio musicale del Buon Pastore in Palermo |author=Gaetano Daita |year=1873 |publisher=Stablimento Tipigrafico LAO; held in The British Library |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVfMIROqcVAC}}
  • {{cite book |title=I conservatori di musica durante il fascismo: la riforma del 1930, storia e documenti |author=Orazio Maione |publisher=EDT Srl |year=2005 |isbn=978-88-6040-019-2}}
  • {{cite book |last=Weinstock |first=Herbert |author-link=Herbert Weinstock |year=1963 |title=Donizetti and the World of Opera in Italy, Paris and Vienna in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century |location=New York |publisher=Random House}}

External links

  • [https://conservatoriopalermo.it Official Website of the Palermo Conservatory]

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Category:Music schools in Italy

Category:Music in Palermo

Category:Schools in Palermo

Category:1618 establishments in Italy