Giovanni Ricordi

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Giovanni Ricordi (* 1785 in Milan ; † March 15, 1853 ibid) was an Italian music publisher and the founder of the music publisher Casa Ricordi .

The trained violinist and copyist began a collection of scores and libretti early on, which formed the basis of the later Archivio Storico Ricordi , and through contracts with various Milanese theaters secured sales rights to the copies of the scores he had made. In 1807 he traveled to Leipzig to learn the technique of sheet music printing at Breitkopf & Härtel and returned from there with a printing press.

On January 16, 1808, he founded the Casa Ricordi in Milan with the engraver and music dealer Felice Festa . Festa left the company in June of the same year. Instrumental works by Abate Moros and Antonio Navas and the Giornale di Musica Vocale Italiana were among the first works by Ricordi . Ricordi soon turned to the publication of teaching materials. He published the Piano School Francesco Pillini in 1812 and became the official publisher of the Milan Conservatory . In 1814 the publisher's first catalog appeared, which contained 35 titles from previous years and 142 current works.

Also in 1814 Ricordi became a copyist and printer at the Teatro alla Scala , which resulted in a shift in the publishing program towards opera. He trained engravers to print materials for opera performances, including his later competitor Francesco Lucca . In 1825, La Scala sold all of its music inventory to him on the condition that he reduced the rental costs for them. His Gran Catalogo from that year already comprised 2500 titles.

Ricordi opened offices in Florence and London as well as Litografia Ricordi , which his son Tito joined. At Tito's suggestion he founded the Gazzetta Musicale di Milano in 1842 , which appeared with interruptions until 1902. It initially appeared weekly, edited by the theater journalist Giacinto Battaglia, and after the revolution of 1848 was briefly titled Gazzetta Musicale di Milano ed Eco delle notizie politiche .

In 1844 a catalog of the Casa Ricordi appeared for the first time, which no longer simply listed the publications of the publisher, but was an independent publication. In addition to Giuseppe Verdi , Gioachino Rossini , Vincenzo Bellini , Saverio Mercadante and Gaetano Donizetti were among the composers of the house at that time . After Giovanni's death in 1853, his son Tito took over the management of Casa Ricordi.

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SURNAME Ricordi, Giovanni
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian music publisher and the founder of the music publisher Casa Ricordi
DATE OF BIRTH 1785
PLACE OF BIRTH Milan
DATE OF DEATH March 15, 1853
Place of death Milan