Michele Esposito
Encyclopedia
Michele Esposito was an Italian
-born musical composer
and pianist
who lived most of his professional life in Dublin, Ireland
.
. As a boy he entered a Music Conservatory at Naples as a pianoforte pupil of Beniamino Cesi
(1845-1907, himself a favourite pupil of Thalberg
), and studied composition there for 8 years under Paolo Serrao
(1830-1907, teacher of Francesco Cilea
and others). He was a near-contemporary of Giuseppe Martucci
, and a few years the senior of Alessandro Longo
, both taught by these teachers. In 1878 he went to Paris for several years.
In 1879 he married Natalia Klebnikoff (1857-1944), who hailed from St Petersburg. They had four children, including the noted scholar Mario Esposito
.
in 1882, and remained there for more than forty years, devoting himself to the encouragement of classical music in Dublin. He took control of the Royal Dublin Society
chamber-music recitals from their inception, with great success, and gave piano recitals for the Society every year. He established the Dublin Orchestral Society in 1899 and was its conductor until its disbandment in 1914, and he was also the conductor of the Sunday Orchestral Concerts until they were discontinued in 1914. He conducted concerts of the London Symphony Orchestra
at Woodbrook
in 1913 and 1914, and also performed his piano concerto with them under the baton of Hamilton Harty
. He founded the 'C. and E. Edition' of music publishing with Sir Stanley Cochrane. He died in Florence, Italy.
Esposito conducted the Moscow
premiere of Mussorgsky
's opera Khovanshchina
with the Russian Private Opera at the Solodovnikov Theatre on 12 November 1897. He also conducted the world premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera-bylina Sadko
on 7 January 1898 (O.S. 26 December 1897), presented by the Russian Private Opera at the same venue.
for his cantata Deirdre, his Irish Symphony and his string quartet in D. His cello sonata won a prize from the London Incorporated Society of Musicians
in 1899. His violin sonata in E minor gained a prize offered by La Société Nouvelle, Paris, in 1907, and his string quartet in C minor won another offered by the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-born musical composer
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...
and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
who lived most of his professional life in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Training
Esposito was born at Castellamare di Stabia, near SorrentoSorrento
Sorrento is the name of many cities and towns:*Sorrento, Italy*Sorrento, Florida, United States*Sorrento, Louisiana, United States*Sorrento, Maine, United States*Sorrento, Victoria, a township on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia...
. As a boy he entered a Music Conservatory at Naples as a pianoforte pupil of Beniamino Cesi
Beniamino Cesi
Beniamino Cesi was a celebrated Italian concert pianist and teaching professor of piano, who taught many of the most distinguished early 20th century pianists of the Neapolitan school, so that his influence spread very widely.- Training :Born in Naples, Cesi began his studies with his father, and...
(1845-1907, himself a favourite pupil of Thalberg
Thalberg
Thalberg is a surname of Germanic origin; it can be literally translated as "valley hill":* Edith Norma Thalberg* Sigismond Thalberg , composer** List of compositions by Sigismond Thalberg* Irving Grant Thalberg , film producer...
), and studied composition there for 8 years under Paolo Serrao
Paolo Serrao
Paolo Serrao was a distinguished and influential Italian teacher of musical theory and composition at Naples....
(1830-1907, teacher of Francesco Cilea
Francesco Cilea
Francesco Cilea was an Italian composer. Today he is particularly known for his operas L'arlesiana and Adriana Lecouvreur.-Biography:...
and others). He was a near-contemporary of Giuseppe Martucci
Giuseppe Martucci
Giuseppe Martucci was an Italian composer, conductor, pianist and teacher. As a composer and teacher he was influential in reviving Italian interest in non-operatic music. As a conductor he helped to introduce Richard Wagner's operas to Italy and also gave important early concerts of English music...
, and a few years the senior of Alessandro Longo
Alessandro Longo
Alessandro Longo was an Italian composer and musicologist.After studying at the Naples Conservatory under Beniamino Cesi , he began teaching piano at his alma mater in 1887, deputizing for Cesi as pianoforte professor, and succeeded him in 1897...
, both taught by these teachers. In 1878 he went to Paris for several years.
In 1879 he married Natalia Klebnikoff (1857-1944), who hailed from St Petersburg. They had four children, including the noted scholar Mario Esposito
Mario Esposito
Mario Esposito was an Irish-born scholar who specialised in Hiberno-Latin studies.He was born in Dublin, the third of four children of Michele Esposito, an Italian, and Natalia Klebnikoff who hailed from St Petersburg. Michele was an influential music professor at the Royal Irish Academy of Music...
.
Teacher, pianist and conductor
Esposito became chief pianoforte professor at the Royal Irish Academy of MusicRoyal Irish Academy of Music
The Royal Irish Academy of Music is a linked college of Dublin City University located in Dublin, Ireland.It was founded in 1848 by a group of music enthusiasts and moved to its present address in Westland Row in 1871. The following year it was granted the right to use the title "Royal"...
in 1882, and remained there for more than forty years, devoting himself to the encouragement of classical music in Dublin. He took control of the Royal Dublin Society
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
chamber-music recitals from their inception, with great success, and gave piano recitals for the Society every year. He established the Dublin Orchestral Society in 1899 and was its conductor until its disbandment in 1914, and he was also the conductor of the Sunday Orchestral Concerts until they were discontinued in 1914. He conducted concerts of the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
at Woodbrook
Woodbrook
Woodbrook may refer to :* Woodbrook School, an elementary school in Edison, New Jersey, United States* Woodbrook, a neighbourhood of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago* Woodbrook Golf Club, a golf club in Bray, Countly Wiclow, Republic of Ireland...
in 1913 and 1914, and also performed his piano concerto with them under the baton of Hamilton Harty
Hamilton Harty
Sir Hamilton Harty was an Irish and British composer, conductor, pianist and organist. In his capacity as a conductor, he was particularly noted as an interpreter of the music of Berlioz and he was much respected as a piano accompanist of exceptional prowess...
. He founded the 'C. and E. Edition' of music publishing with Sir Stanley Cochrane. He died in Florence, Italy.
Esposito conducted the Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
premiere of Mussorgsky
Mussorgsky
Mussorgsky can refer to:*The Mussorgsky family of Russian nobility;*Modest Mussorgsky, a Russian composer belonging to that family.*Mussorgsky , a 1950 Soviet film about the composer...
's opera Khovanshchina
Khovanshchina
Khovanshchina is an opera in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. The work was written between 1872 and 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The composer wrote the libretto based on historical sources...
with the Russian Private Opera at the Solodovnikov Theatre on 12 November 1897. He also conducted the world premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera-bylina Sadko
Sadko (opera)
Sadko is an opera in seven scenes by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto was written by the composer, with assistance from Vladimir Belsky, Vladimir Stasov, and others. Rimsky-Korsakov was first inspired by the bylina of Sadko in 1867, when he completed a tone poem on the subject, his Op. 5...
on 7 January 1898 (O.S. 26 December 1897), presented by the Russian Private Opera at the same venue.
Composer
Esposito received awards from the Feis CeoilFeis Ceoil
Feis Ceoil is an annual Irish cultural festival of music and dance. It was first organized in 1897 by Dr. Annie Patterson and Edward Martyn. It consisted of competitions for performance and composition and was supported by all musicians of the day, both national and classical...
for his cantata Deirdre, his Irish Symphony and his string quartet in D. His cello sonata won a prize from the London Incorporated Society of Musicians
Incorporated Society of Musicians
Incorporated Society of Musicians is the UK's professional body for musicians. It champions the importance of music and protects the rights of those working within music through a range of services, campaigns, support and practical advice...
in 1899. His violin sonata in E minor gained a prize offered by La Société Nouvelle, Paris, in 1907, and his string quartet in C minor won another offered by the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna.
Works
- Deirdre (text by T. Rolleston), cantata for soli, chorus and orch. (Breitkopf)
- The Tinker and the Fairy (text by Douglas Hyde), 1-act opera. (C & E)
- The Post Bag (text by A. P. Graves), 1-act opera. (Boosey)
- Irish Symphony, op. 50 (1902).
- Poem for orchestra, op 44 (1899).
- Irish suite for orchestra, op 55. (C & E)
- Neapolitan suite for orchestra. (C & E)
- String quartet in D op 33. (Breitkopf)
- String quartet in C minor op 60. (C & E)
- Sonata in G (violin and piano), op 32. (Schott)
- Sonata in E minor (violin and piano), op 46. (Astruc, Paris 1907)
- Sonata for violin and piano op 67. (Astruc, Paris)
- Sonata in D (cell and piano), op 43. (Breitkopf)
- Numerous pianoforte solo works.
Sources
- A. Eaglefield-Hull, Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians (Dent, London 1924).
- Jeremy Dibble, Michele Esposito (Dublin, Field Day Publications 2010).
Recordings
- Three ballades (piano), recorded by Una HuntUna HuntUna Hunt , daughter of prominent geologist Frank Wigglesworth Clarke , was an American authoress famed in her time for publishing Una Mary, an autobiographical reconstruction of the inner and outer world of her childhood. G...
in Fallen Leaves from an Irish Album, RTÉ (Radio Éirann) lyric fm CD 109. - 'Anema e core', song, by Ferruccio TagliaviniFerruccio TagliaviniFerruccio Tagliavini was an Italian operatic tenor mainly active in the 1940s and 1950s...
(tenor) (1951), in NAXOS CD Italian Popular Song 1, Naxos 8.110768. - Works for piano, recorded by Míċeál O'RourkeMícéal O'RourkeMíċeál O'Rourke is an Irish pianist who is best known for his recordings of works by John Field.Born and raised in Dublin, O'Rourke obtained a degree in music from University College, Dublin. Shortly after graduation, he moved to Paris where he has lived ever since. On December 12, 1976 he gave his...
. Chandos CHAN 9675 (1998)