Domenico Brescia
Encyclopedia
Domenico Brescia was an Italian composer
who taught in Chile
and Ecuador
, then became known in the United States
for writing chamber music as well as musical accompaniment for dramatic performances. Brescia led the Music Theory
department at Mills College
.
Brescia was born in Pirano, near Trieste
in 1866, at a time when the area was part of the Austrian Empire
. After studying at the University of Bologna
he became a member of the Royal Academy of Bologna
as well the Royal Academy of Florence
.
Brescia went to Santiago, Chile
to teach harmony at the national conservatory, and eventually became the assistant director of the school. There, he met Ulderico Marcelli
who was studying violin, brass and composition. In 1903, Brescia followed Marcelli to Quito
, Ecuador to become the director of the conservatory there, picking up some of sour-tempered Marcelli's unhappy students. Brescia was the first Western composer to utilize native Ecuadorean elements in his works, including the successful Sinfonia Ecuatoriana. Brescia influenced two students who would later make names for themselves in Ecuadorian contemporary music: Segundo Luis Moreno and Luis H. Salgado. Marcelli left for San Francisco in 1910 and, due to Ecuador's increasing political unrest, Brescia left the country in 1911. By 1914, he had settled in San Francisco teaching voice and composing music.
In 1919, Brescia wrote the musical accompaniment to Life, a Grove Play performed at the Bohemian Grove
. Ecuadorian Indian moods were used in two musical numbers. Brescia wrote in the notes to the score that he thought it was the first time that a chromatic
set of cowbells, spanning an octave and a half, had been used as a symphony instrument. Brescia brought Marcelli into the Bohemian Club
where Marcelli wrote the music for the next year's Grove Play. In 1926, Brescia worked with writer George Sterling
to compose the music for Sterling's Grove Play entitled Truth.
In 1921, Brescia's Dithyrambic Suite for woodwind quintet premiered at Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
's Berkshire Chamber Music Festival, with the performance featuring flautist Georges Barrère
. Reviewer Carl H. Tollefsen commented on the name Dithyrambic, writing "After hearing the music and in order to link my recollections of it with the title, I decided that the words 'Did he ramble' would bring back both. I'll say he did."
In 1925, Brescia moved to Oakland
as professor of music composition at Mills College. He headed the music theory department as well. In 1928, Mills completed a new music building which was dedicated with a premier performance of Breschia's suite for piano and woodwinds. Breschia brought with him the favor of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, patron to modern chamber music, who subsequently subsidized various music department activities at Mills. Brescia held his professorship until his death in 1939.
Brescia had one daughter, Emma (1902–1968), who was married to American poet Robert Penn Warren
during the period 1930–1951, then earned a Ph.D. from Columbia University
in 1957 and began teaching foreign language at Mitchell College
in New London, Connecticut
, in 1963.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who taught in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, then became known in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for writing chamber music as well as musical accompaniment for dramatic performances. Brescia led the Music Theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
department at Mills College
Mills College
Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...
.
Brescia was born in Pirano, near Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
in 1866, at a time when the area was part of the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. After studying at the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
he became a member of the Royal Academy of Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
as well the Royal Academy of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
Brescia went to Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
to teach harmony at the national conservatory, and eventually became the assistant director of the school. There, he met Ulderico Marcelli
Ulderico Marcelli
Ulderico Marcelli, also known as Rico Marcelli , was a 20th century Italian composer who became known in the United States for writing operas and musical accompaniment for dramatic performances, and for his skill as an orchestra conductor...
who was studying violin, brass and composition. In 1903, Brescia followed Marcelli to Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
, Ecuador to become the director of the conservatory there, picking up some of sour-tempered Marcelli's unhappy students. Brescia was the first Western composer to utilize native Ecuadorean elements in his works, including the successful Sinfonia Ecuatoriana. Brescia influenced two students who would later make names for themselves in Ecuadorian contemporary music: Segundo Luis Moreno and Luis H. Salgado. Marcelli left for San Francisco in 1910 and, due to Ecuador's increasing political unrest, Brescia left the country in 1911. By 1914, he had settled in San Francisco teaching voice and composing music.
In 1919, Brescia wrote the musical accompaniment to Life, a Grove Play performed at the Bohemian Grove
Bohemian Grove
Bohemian Grove is a campground located at 20601 Bohemian Avenue, in Monte Rio, California, belonging to a private San Francisco-based men's art club known as the Bohemian Club...
. Ecuadorian Indian moods were used in two musical numbers. Brescia wrote in the notes to the score that he thought it was the first time that a chromatic
Chromatic scale
The chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone apart. On a modern piano or other equal-tempered instrument, all the half steps are the same size...
set of cowbells, spanning an octave and a half, had been used as a symphony instrument. Brescia brought Marcelli into the Bohemian Club
Bohemian Club
The Bohemian Club is a private men's club in San Francisco, California, United States.Its clubhouse is located at 624 Taylor Street in San Francisco...
where Marcelli wrote the music for the next year's Grove Play. In 1926, Brescia worked with writer George Sterling
George Sterling
George Sterling was an American poet based in California who, during his time, was celebrated in Northern California as one of the greatest American poets, although he never gained much fame in the rest of the United States.-Biography:Sterling was born in Sag Harbor, Long Island, New York, the...
to compose the music for Sterling's Grove Play entitled Truth.
In 1921, Brescia's Dithyrambic Suite for woodwind quintet premiered at Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge aka Liz Coolidge , born Elizabeth Penn Sprague, was an American pianist and patron of music, especially of chamber music....
's Berkshire Chamber Music Festival, with the performance featuring flautist Georges Barrère
Georges Barrère
Georges Barrère was a French flautist.-Early life:Georges Barrère was the son of a cabinetmaker, Gabriel Barrère, and Marie Périne Courtet, an illiterate farmer's daughter from Guilligomarc'h. They married in 1874. They had previously had a son Étienne, out of wedlock, in 1872...
. Reviewer Carl H. Tollefsen commented on the name Dithyrambic, writing "After hearing the music and in order to link my recollections of it with the title, I decided that the words 'Did he ramble' would bring back both. I'll say he did."
In 1925, Brescia moved to Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
as professor of music composition at Mills College. He headed the music theory department as well. In 1928, Mills completed a new music building which was dedicated with a premier performance of Breschia's suite for piano and woodwinds. Breschia brought with him the favor of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, patron to modern chamber music, who subsequently subsidized various music department activities at Mills. Brescia held his professorship until his death in 1939.
Brescia had one daughter, Emma (1902–1968), who was married to American poet Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the influential literary journal The Southern Review with Cleanth Brooks in 1935...
during the period 1930–1951, then earned a Ph.D. from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1957 and began teaching foreign language at Mitchell College
Mitchell College
For the North Carolina college formerly known as Mitchell College, see Mitchell Community College.Mitchell College is a liberal arts college located on the banks of the Thames River, in New London, Connecticut, USA...
in New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, in 1963.
Works
- 1900s - Sinfonia Ecuatoriana
- 1919 - Life, a Grove Play
- 1921 - Dithyrambic Suite for woodwind quintet
- 1922 - Second Suite for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, and Bassoon
- 1926 - Truth, a Grove Play
- 1928 - Suite for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon and Piano
- 1931 - Ricercare (quasi Fantasia) e Fuga per Organo
- 1937 - String quartet no. 6 (copyright June 15, 1937)
- Twelve Two Part Inventions for the Pianoforte in Retrograde Inverse Canon