Ponchielli, Amilcare

Italian composer.

From the description of [Draft of Suor Teresa]. [ca. 1880s?] (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270989968

From the description of Autograph letter signed, dated : Cremona, 26 August 1869, to [Emanuele] Rovelli, 1869 Aug. 26. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270675101

From the description of [Sketches for Act 3 of La Gioconda]. [1876?] (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270568708

From the description of [Draft of vocal score of I Lituani]. [1874?] (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270568716

From the description of [La Gioconda. Drafts]. 1876. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270568704

From the description of Autograph letter signed on his visiting card, dated : [Milan?], 5 May 1885, to an unidentified friend, 1885 May 5. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270974526

From the description of Autograph letter signed, dated : Milan, 11 February 1881, to [Giulio Cottrau], 1881 Feb. 11. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270675094

From the description of Autograph letters signed (2), dated : Cremona, 31 May 1873, and Milan, 28 September 1874, to [Antonio] Ghislanzoni, 1873 May 31 and 1874 Sept. 28. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270675098

From the description of [Drafts of I Lituani]. [1874?] (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270568712

From the description of Document signed (also signed by his wife, Teresa), dated : [n.p., Milan?], 21 January 1885, 1885 Jan. 21. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270873898

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Milan, 21 February[?] [the year has been erased], to [Antonio] Cagnoni, 1872-1875? (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270900778

Published amongst his Composizioni inedite (Turin, 1889) as Dolor di denti, aria buffa for bass with a text by Ghislanzoni. Cf. New Grove opera.

From the description of Amilcare Ponchielli : Chi provato ha il mal di denti : scherzo : manuscript, [before 1889]. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 656153480

Libretto by A. Zanardini after Scribe, L'enfant prodigue; first performed in Milan at La Scala, 26 December 1880. Cf. New Grove.

From the description of Il figliuol prodigo : atto 2do : A. Ponchielli : manuscript, [ca. 1880?] (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 259948333

Possibly written while Ponchielli was municipal bandmaster at Piacenza between 1861 and 1864.

From the description of Valzer nel Viaggio nella luna : Ponchielli : manuscript, [between 1861 and 1864?] (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 259948340

The ballet was first performed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 4 February 1873. Cf. Grove music.

From the description of Le due gemelle : ballo del coreografo A. Pallerini, musica del mo. [i.e., maestro] A. Ponchielli, foglietto : manuscript, [ca. 1873?] (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 232649176

"Voga sull'onda placida, piccola barcarola" was published in 1889. Cf. New Grove.

From the description of Barcarola : d'Amilcare Ponchielli : manuscript, [1889?] (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 612841749

Ponchielli married soprano Teresa Brambilla on this date.

From the description of Alla mia sposa : Milan 16 maggio 1874 : A.P. : manuscript, 1874 May 16. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 259948330

"The firm of Ricordi was founded in Milan in 1808 by Giovanni Ricordi (1785-1853); it was directed from 1853 to 1888 by his son Tito (1811-1888), from 1888 to 1912 by Tito’s son Giulio (1840-1912) and from 1912 to 1919 by Giulio’s son Tito (1865-1933). The firm was managed from 1919 to 1940 jointly by Renzo Valcarenghi and Carlo Clausetti, from 1940 to 1944 by Valcarenghi and Alfredo Colombo and from 1944 to 1952 by Colombo, Eugenio Clausetti and Camillo Ricordi. In 1952 it became a limited company, under the presidency first of Colombo, then of Guido Valcarenghi (from 1961), Carlo Origoni (from 1976), Gianni Babini (from 1982) and Guido Rignano (from 1988 to 1995). In June 1995 the company merged with BMG Ariola forming a new company BMG Ricordi S.p.a., of which Casa Ricordi is a division managed by Mimma Guastoni."

"During his first decade in business Giovanni Ricordi issued an average of 30 publications a year; in his second the yearly average was about 300. This expansion was largely the result of a succession of contracts starting from December 1814, which he won as prompter and exclusive copyist to La Scala, giving him the right to publish the music performed there; in 1825 he purchased their entire musical archives. In 1816 he had a similar contract as copyist to the Teatro Re, and in the 1830s and 1840s concluded highly favourable agreements with the opera houses of Venice and Naples. By the end of 1837 he had not only purchased the stock and plates of Ferdinando Artaria but was able to boast more than 10,000 publications, the exclusive rights to operas written for Milan and Naples, an archive of 1800 autograph manuscripts and a branch in Florence."

"In the entire history of music publishing there has been no other firm that through its own efforts, astuteness, initiative and flair has achieved a position of dominance such as Ricordi enjoyed in Italy in the 19th century, nor of power such as it has been able to maintain (on account of its rights on Verdi’s and Puccini’s operas) in the 20th." -- Richard Macnutt.

From the guide to the Collection of Ricordi records, 1810-1959, (Music Library)