Giuseppe Monterosso

Giuseppe Monterosso in Acireale, 1903
Giuseppe Monterosso in Acireale, 1903

Giuseppe Monterosso (Canicattì, 15 October 1866 – Aci Catena, 21 December 1947) was an Italian flautist, composer, conductor and music teacher.

Amateur recording of "Le Premier Amour" (1889), grand waltz by Giuseppe Monterosso (1866–1947). Philharmonic concert "Gaetano Miraglia", directed by Maestro Salvo Miraglia – Acireale, 19 August 2020

Author of music for wind orchestra of the profane and sacred genre, Monterosso dedicated himself to evolving the taste and style of the Cantata da Chiesa (or sacred), between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, in central-southern Italy where it is still practiced, that is, he brought compositional solutions decidedly closer to the genre of opera into the Cantata,[1] as did the Italian-Slovene musician, Aurelio Doncich (1867–1944), his contemporary and friend.[2] Together with the latter, in Malta, Giuseppe Monterosso also promoted the reform of the instrumental staff of musical bands, according to the canons of Alessandro Vessella, the master of the Banda dei Vigili Urbani, Rome's policemen band.

The artistic importance of these actions contributed, in Italy, to recovering the use of the Cantata instead of the Dialogue and the Oratorio (now no longer represented), thus allowing the genre to survive up to the present day, and in Malta, to foster "an innovative spirit [...] that began to hover over all the bands". For this reason, "The Philharmonic Societies competed continuously to change teachers and instrumental systems" no longer being satisfied with what "the square could offer"[3] and seeking the best among Italian masters such as Angelo Melilli (1856–1913)[4] from Licata and Giovanni Giumarra (1861–1936) from Comiso,[5] at the same time as Monterosso and Doncich.

  1. ^ Cf. Dante Cerilli, Ad Acireale (CT) apre l’anno il concerto del complesso bandistico di Aci Sant’Antonio “Regina d’Italia", at “Risveglio musicale” [= In Acireale (CT) the concert of the band of Aci Sant'Antonio "Regina d'Italia" opens the year], at "Risveglio musicale" (Official magazine of the National Association of Autonomous Italian Bands, Rome), 2023, 41, new series, Mar.-Apr., “Doncich – Monterosso”, pp. 24, 25, 26, 27nì; and Idem, Drammi In Musica. Abigaille di Vincenzo Tobia Bellini (The article deals explicitly with the lyricism of Monterosso and Doncich, authors of Cantate)
  2. ^ Cf. Mario Vecchio, Giuseppe Monterosso dalle "Sinopie Consonanze", in *Lapis ipse loquax. Giuseppe Monterosso e Aci Catena protesi nella Musica. Atti del Convegno tenutosi allo Svelamento della Targa Marmorea del 6.1.2023, edited by Fabrizio Càssaro, Supino (FR), Pagine lepine, 2023, pp. 30–33; and Fabrizio Cassaro in Ibidem, p. 4
  3. ^ Cf. Il Corpo Musicale Civico King’s Own nel 1.mo Annuale del Concorso di Como (…) [= The King's Own Civic Musical Body in the 1° Annual of the Como Competition (…)], is in "Programmi di Sala e libretti" [= Concert hall program and theater booklet], at the Civic Archive-Library of the "Carlo Schmidl" Theater Museum, Trieste, f. 3.
  4. ^ John Gafà, Tislima lill-Mro Angelo Melilli f’għeluq il-100 sena minn mewtu (1856–1913), is in "Festa 2013 – Għaqda Każin Banda San Filep AD 1851", Zebbug (Gozo), 2013, pp. 225–226.
  5. ^ Giovanni Giumarra, M3P