Alessandro Liberati | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Liberati taken for a newspaper. | |
| Born | August 24 (July 7), 1847 |
| Died | November 6th, 1927 |
| Occupation | Cornetist |
| Notable work | Felice |
| Height | 6 ft (183 cm)[2] |
Alessandro Liberati was a noted cornet player.
Early Life
editIt is very likely that the first lessons Liberati received were from his parents; father Carlo, and mother, Felicetta, both of whom were considered to be very talented musically; his father being skilled both on the bugle and the keyed trumpet. Liberati began studying cornet at age twelve, and when he was fourteen, Alessandro made his public debut on the cornet, performing an aria from Il trovatore.[3] He enlisted in the Papal Army in 1864, and he played with the First Cacciatori Band of Rome for two years, and in 1866, he performed on the bugle in Garibaldi’s army. He enlisted in the French Foreign Legion in 1871 and was captured as a prisoner of war in the Franco-Prussian War.[3]
Career
editFrom 1866 to 1872, Liberati performed throughout Italy on his cornet whilst conducting bands and teaching the cornet. In 1872, Patrick Gilmore heard of Liberati and asked him to be a special soloist for his Peace Jubilee taking place that year. Soon he became director and cornet soloist of all Canadian Artillery Bands. In 1875, he was asked to be the director of the Michigan national guard band and Detroit’s police bugle band.[3]
One year later in 1876, he became an official American citizen and his bands were asked to perform at the nation’s Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Here he was made able to hear many outstanding musical organizations, like Gilmore’s Band and Jacque Offenbach’s Orchestra. In 1877, he joined J. Thomas Baldwin’s Boston Cadet Band as cornet soloist, playing at the opening of the Brighton Beach Hotel on Coney Island. Carlo A. Cappa persuaded Gilmore to hire Alessandro as an alternate cornet soloist in 1878, and by 1879, he was getting equal billing with such names as Arbuckle, Bent, Emerson, and Levy.[3] Liberati may have been hired by Gilmore as a "hedge" against a possible feud between Levy and Arbuckle.[4]
During the winter seasons of 1879 and 1880, Liberati played first trumpet (on cornet) with the Philharmonic Society of New York. [3]
He was special soloist at the 1878, 79, and 80 Interstate Expositions of Chicago, and in 1881, special soloist at the exposition in Central Park. He was engaged as soloist in various venues, e.g., the 1881 Yorktown Centennial Celebration (likely with Harvey Dodworth’s Thirteenth Regiment Band), the West End Resort in New Orleans (1883), and the Southern Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky (1883). He performed for Grover Cleveland’s visit to the Seventh Regiment Armory in New York, and for Cardinal Tascheru’s visit to Quebec, Canada on June 20th, 1886.[5]
In 1886, Liberati conducted one of the bands at the Twenty-third Triennial Conclave of the Knights Templar in St. Louis, Missouri. The event was organized by Patrick Gilmore to benefit the children at a widows’ and orphans’ home.[6] Also in that same year, he performed solos at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and he was Bandmaster of the Seventy-first Regimental National Guard Band in New York City.[7]
In 1889, Liberati formed his own band and billed it "The World Renowned Liberati Band". One of the many responsibilities of the group was to play between acts of the C. D. Hess Grand Opera Company.[8] The World Renowned Liberati Band traveled extensively and developed a reputation in America and Canada.
In September 1899, his re-organized Grand Military Band of 112 pieces was chosen by the Grand Army of the Republic to lead a parade through the streets of Philadelphia in honor of the Union Army Veterans of the city. He rode on a black stallion, wore his uniform decorated with many medals, and performed on a golden cornet, while he directed the band. He directed the band for many years, until as late as 1922 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[5]
Liberati played cornet solos at Washington Park on the Delaware, near Philadelphia in the summer of 1902, and later that year, went on two concert tours, the first one of major cities between Philadelphia and Dallas, Texas, where he played at the State Fair; the second terminating in New York City, just before Christmas.[9]
Alessandro also made a number of recordings for Edison in the 1890s. They show him at his best, unlike Levy’s recordings mentioned earlier.[10]
One of his more famous students was Albertus L. Meyers, cornetist for Sousa's Band on tour beginning on 4 July 1925, leaving Sousa after the Willow Grove engagement on 13 September 1925.[10] Meyers then became the long-time conductor of the Allentown Band.
It is interesting to note that Alessandro played with false teeth for years, and like Bent, was one of the best soloists that Herbert L. Clarke ever heard.[11]
Personal Life
editOn June 2nd, 1903, while traveling in Kansas City, Liberati was involved in a car collision. The New York Times reported "An automobile containing Signor Liberati, the cornet virtuoso, and several prominent business men, was struck by a street car today while touring in the outskirts of the city. The machine was completely wrecked and all of the occupants were cut and bruised."[12]
He married his wife, Elsie, in 1881. They lived in New York and had one daughter.[13]
External Links
edit"Well-known Soloists from All Walks of Life" Last Names La to Li, by J. Lanthrope
References
edit- ^ a b Schwartz, Richard (1957). The Cornet Compendium. p. 93.
- ^ "Alessandro Liberati Collection". loc.gov. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Noble, Clyde (1964). The Psychology of Cornet and Trumpet Playing. p. 23.
- ^ Schwartz, Richard (1957). The Cornet Compendium. p. 115.
- ^ a b Bridges, Glenn (1972). Pioneers in Brass. pp. 61, 62, respectively.
- ^ Hazen, Margaret, Robert (1987). The Music Men: An Illustrated History of Brass Bands in America, 1800-1920. p. 32.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Rehrig, William (1991). The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music: Composers and Their Music. Volumes 1 and 2. p. 457.
- ^ Schwartz, Richard (1957). The Cornet Compendium. p. 133.
- ^ Conn, C.G. (1902). Conn's Truth. p. 23.
- ^ a b Bierly, Paul. Personal Correspondence to the Author. p. 2003.
- ^ Clarke, Herbert (1935). Setting Up Drills. p. 4.
- ^ "Signor Liberati in Auto Collision". The New York Time. 6.3.1903. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "1910 Federal Census". Heritage Quest. Retrieved 8 October 2012.