Ciro Pinsuti
Ciro Pinsuti, born in Sinalunga on May 9, 1828 and died in Florence on March 10, 1888, was an Italian composer.
Although little known in Italy, he was very successful in England, in London.
Son of M. Maddalena Formichi and G. Battista Pinsuti, music master of the village band, he already showed great talent for music as a child. After studying music with a friend of his father's, at the age of twelve he made his first public appearance in the Civic Theater of Perugia on the evening of March 7, 1840, as first violin of the orchestra which was celebrating the Carnival season of that year. At the end of the season, his father took him to Rome, and, taking advantage of his friendship with Count Savorelli made him hold an innumerable series of concerts on the piano with the most important Roman families, and the fame that surrounded him helped him access at the Academy of Santa Cecilia.
At one of the dinners at which Ciro Pinsuti always performed accompanied by his father, the English nobleman Henry Drummond was also present, who enraptured by this talent proposed to Ciro's father to have him enrolled in the Naples conservatory, but his father could not afford such expense. The English nobleman proposed himself as a financier of Ciro's studies, on condition that the little one be assigned to him in foster care, and that he could then follow him to London. Ciro Pinsuti remained in London for five years, after which he was asked which master he wanted to go to improve, choosing between Meyerbeer in Germany and Gioachino Rossini in Bologna. Ciro Pinsuti had no doubts and chose the immortal genius of Rossini, who was his teacher and friend, such that he rightly advised Ciro to return to London once he finished his studies, to get a position and establish himself.
In London Ciro began to give music lessons during the day, while at night he dedicated himself to his original compositions. The Royal Academy of Music in London appointed him singing teacher and, in 1871, he was entrusted with the task of writing a hymn of only voices as the Italian representative, while Charles Gounod did the same thing for France, Ferdinand Hiller for Germany and Arthur Sullivan for England.
After a few years, Ciro Pinsuti was nominated commendatore for artistic merits, as well as named an honorary member of the Accademia di S. Cecilia in Rome. He officially found himself in Sinalunga on 7 September 1876, the date from which he was part of the municipal council, a position he held until his death, even if the commitment he lavished on this position was necessarily subject to the numerous movements required of him by his musical activity of him. In 1879 he took part as director for the representation of Giuseppe Verdi's Trovatore at the Sinalunga theater, attending the rehearsals of the local band directed by his brother, Domenico Pinsuti. In 1885 he staged in Venice and then in Sinalunga one of his most important operas, La Margherita.
Ciro Pinsuti died in Florence on March 10, 1888, the official funeral was celebrated on the morning of April 10, 1888 in the Collegiate Church of San Martino in Sinalunga, as decided by the city council on March 21, 1888, while civil commemorations were celebrated in the theater in the evening, which was attended by high personalities of the young Italian state.
Ciro Pinsuti gave the opera house only three operas:
- Margherita, performed for the first time at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice in 1882 and three years later in the Teatro Comunale di Sinalunga (now dedicated to the master Ciro Pinsuti), just restored by the local architect Corbi. This work is a lyric drama in four acts, with a libretto written by A. Zanardini. The representation that was held in Sinalunga in 1885 also included among the many nationally renowned artists the soprano Ilda Castellani and the mezzo-soprano Matilde Mercuri.
- The Merchant of Venice, performed for the first time at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna on November 8 1873. This work is a melodrama in four acts based on the comedy of the same name by William Shakespeare, with words by G.T. Cimino
- Mattia Corvino, performed for the first time at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on March 24th 1877, a lyrical drama composed of a prologue and three acts. The author of the texts was Carlo D'Ormeville, a Roman librettist who was the stage manager for the triumphal premiere of Aida in Cairo. Ciro Pinsuti's representation was acclaimed by the music critics of Corriere della Sera.
From 1884 Ciro Pinsuti consecrated his popularity in the United States by recording at the U.S. Copyright Office a long series of songs and ballads published for some years in America. One of these ballads entitled Beatrice - Kind and so modest was published with only the name of the musician, the then very famous Ciro Pinsuti, while no mention was made of the lyricist, a certain Dante Alighieri. In fact, Ciro Pinsuti had set the sonnet XXVI of the Vita Nuova of 1283 to music.
Although little known in Italy, he was very successful in England, in London.
Son of M. Maddalena Formichi and G. Battista Pinsuti, music master of the village band, he already showed great talent for music as a child. After studying music with a friend of his father's, at the age of twelve he made his first public appearance in the Civic Theater of Perugia on the evening of March 7, 1840, as first violin of the orchestra which was celebrating the Carnival season of that year. At the end of the season, his father took him to Rome, and, taking advantage of his friendship with Count Savorelli made him hold an innumerable series of concerts on the piano with the most important Roman families, and the fame that surrounded him helped him access at the Academy of Santa Cecilia.
At one of the dinners at which Ciro Pinsuti always performed accompanied by his father, the English nobleman Henry Drummond was also present, who enraptured by this talent proposed to Ciro's father to have him enrolled in the Naples conservatory, but his father could not afford such expense. The English nobleman proposed himself as a financier of Ciro's studies, on condition that the little one be assigned to him in foster care, and that he could then follow him to London. Ciro Pinsuti remained in London for five years, after which he was asked which master he wanted to go to improve, choosing between Meyerbeer in Germany and Gioachino Rossini in Bologna. Ciro Pinsuti had no doubts and chose the immortal genius of Rossini, who was his teacher and friend, such that he rightly advised Ciro to return to London once he finished his studies, to get a position and establish himself.
In London Ciro began to give music lessons during the day, while at night he dedicated himself to his original compositions. The Royal Academy of Music in London appointed him singing teacher and, in 1871, he was entrusted with the task of writing a hymn of only voices as the Italian representative, while Charles Gounod did the same thing for France, Ferdinand Hiller for Germany and Arthur Sullivan for England.
After a few years, Ciro Pinsuti was nominated commendatore for artistic merits, as well as named an honorary member of the Accademia di S. Cecilia in Rome. He officially found himself in Sinalunga on 7 September 1876, the date from which he was part of the municipal council, a position he held until his death, even if the commitment he lavished on this position was necessarily subject to the numerous movements required of him by his musical activity of him. In 1879 he took part as director for the representation of Giuseppe Verdi's Trovatore at the Sinalunga theater, attending the rehearsals of the local band directed by his brother, Domenico Pinsuti. In 1885 he staged in Venice and then in Sinalunga one of his most important operas, La Margherita.
Ciro Pinsuti died in Florence on March 10, 1888, the official funeral was celebrated on the morning of April 10, 1888 in the Collegiate Church of San Martino in Sinalunga, as decided by the city council on March 21, 1888, while civil commemorations were celebrated in the theater in the evening, which was attended by high personalities of the young Italian state.
Ciro Pinsuti gave the opera house only three operas:
- Margherita, performed for the first time at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice in 1882 and three years later in the Teatro Comunale di Sinalunga (now dedicated to the master Ciro Pinsuti), just restored by the local architect Corbi. This work is a lyric drama in four acts, with a libretto written by A. Zanardini. The representation that was held in Sinalunga in 1885 also included among the many nationally renowned artists the soprano Ilda Castellani and the mezzo-soprano Matilde Mercuri.
- The Merchant of Venice, performed for the first time at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna on November 8 1873. This work is a melodrama in four acts based on the comedy of the same name by William Shakespeare, with words by G.T. Cimino
- Mattia Corvino, performed for the first time at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on March 24th 1877, a lyrical drama composed of a prologue and three acts. The author of the texts was Carlo D'Ormeville, a Roman librettist who was the stage manager for the triumphal premiere of Aida in Cairo. Ciro Pinsuti's representation was acclaimed by the music critics of Corriere della Sera.
From 1884 Ciro Pinsuti consecrated his popularity in the United States by recording at the U.S. Copyright Office a long series of songs and ballads published for some years in America. One of these ballads entitled Beatrice - Kind and so modest was published with only the name of the musician, the then very famous Ciro Pinsuti, while no mention was made of the lyricist, a certain Dante Alighieri. In fact, Ciro Pinsuti had set the sonnet XXVI of the Vita Nuova of 1283 to music.
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