Joseph De Luca (composer)

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Joseph Orlando De Luca (born March 26, 1890 in Rome , † October 22, 1935 in Tucson , Arizona ) was an Italian-American musician who was best known as the euphonium soloist of the Sousa band and as a composer .

Life

Joseph De Luca began his musical education at the age of nine in Ripa Teatina . He later attended the Conservatory of Perugia , where he studied composition and conducting , among other things, and graduated at the age of 17. De Luca then worked as a trombonist in opera orchestras and as conductor of the Ripa Teatina wind orchestra , while his fame as a soloist and guest conductor in Italy rose steadily. In the meantime, numerous Italian musicians who played in the touring orchestras in the United States, which were popular at the time, reported on the good performance opportunities there. De Luca emigrated and initially played in the orchestras of Giuseppe Creatore and Alessandro Liberati . From 1921 to 1928 he was a euphonium soloist in John Philip Sousa's orchestra, the Sousa Band . Since this was not on tour all year round, De Luca also played in other orchestras and worked at the Curtis Institute of Music . In 1928 he was appointed director of the University of Arizona wind band department - a position he held until the end of his life. De Luca also conducted the Tucson Symphony Orchestra for several seasons and, in the summer of 1935, the wind orchestra of the California Pacific International Exposition in San Diego .

plant

De Lucas composed more than 200 works, mainly marches and solo pieces for euphonium. His best-known piece is Beautiful Colorado for euphonium and wind orchestra.

Compositions for wind orchestra (selection)

  • 1924: Beautiful Colorado for euphonium
  • 1926: University of Arizona , March
  • 1926: The American Gentleman , March (dedicated to John Philip Sousa)
  • 1928: The White and Red Rose , March
  • 1930: Thoughts of Gold for euphonium
  • 1932: Exultation Overture

literature

  • Wolfgang Suppan , Armin Suppan : The brass music lexicon . 5th edition. HeBu-Musikverlag, Kraichtal 2010, ISBN 978-3-9806925-9-5 , p. 201 .
  • William H. Rehrig: The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. Composers and Their Music . Ed .: Paul E. Bierley. Volume 1: A – N. Integrity Press, Westerville, Ohio 1991, ISBN 0-918048-08-7 , pp. 187 .
  • Norman E. Smith: March Music Notes . 2nd Edition. Program Note Press, Lake Charles 1991, ISBN 0-9617346-1-2 , pp. 107 f .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ In the literature the spellings Joseph Deluca and Joseph DeLuca can also be found.
  2. ^ A b Paul E. Bierley: The Incredible Band of John Philip Sousa . University of Illinois Press, Illinois 2006, ISBN 978-0-252-03147-2 , pp. 64 .
personal data
SURNAME De Luca, Joseph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES De Luca, Joseph Orlando (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian-American musician and composer
DATE OF BIRTH March 26, 1890
PLACE OF BIRTH Rome
DATE OF DEATH October 22, 1935
Place of death Tucson