Lorenzo Camilieri
Lorenzo Camilieri ( Greek Λαυρέντιος Καμηλιέρης Lavrendios Kamilieris , * 1874/1878 in Corfu ; † April 20, 1956 in New York ) was a Greek-American composer and choirmaster.
Life
Like many of the composers who grew up in Corfu, Camilieri, who came from a Maltese family, completed the studies he had begun on his home island at the San Pietro a Majella Conservatory in Naples . He then went to Athens in 1896, where he helped shape the musical life of the Greek capital for almost ten years as a conductor (of the Omilos Filomouson orchestra , for example "Association of Music Friends") and choirmaster (of Mousiki Eteria Athinon , "Athens Musical Society"). In 1902 he received a teaching post for choral singing, 1903-1904 also for harmony at the Athens Conservatory Odeion . The director of the Odeion , Georgios Nazos , who was oriented towards German musical traditions, dismissed Camilieri in July 1905, whereupon he accused Nazos of musical and human ignorance in a pamphlet ( Pros tous filous mou "For my friends") and left Greece a few months later. After several years of touring as a conductor with various singers in Western Europe, he settled in New York, where he first gave singing lessons and in 1916 founded the People's Chorus of New York , an amateur choir with up to 1000 singers, and up to 1954 headed. In 1921, Camilieri took American citizenship. His compositional work in the USA was limited to a few songs and marches as well as arrangements for his choir.
According to Giorgos Leotsakos, the few surviving works from Camilieri's time in Greece show a considerable loss for the musical history of Greece due to his emigration. These include three short symphonic pieces, five choral works, some songs and piano compositions. A setting of Our Father , The Lord's Prayer , for solo voice or choir in unison with piano from 1939 has survived from the American period .
literature
- Giorgos Leotsakos : Lorenzo Camilieri . In: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians . London 2001, ISBN 0-333-60800-3
- Giorgos Leotsakos : Light under a bushel, Piano works by Greek composers 1847–1908 . Crete University Press, Heraklion 1999, ISBN 960-524-069-6
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Lord's Prayer , excerpt from sheetmusicplus.com
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Camilieri, Lorenzo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Καμηλιέρης, Λαυρέντιος (elS) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Greek-American composer and choir director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | between 1874 and 1878 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | in Corfu |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 20, 1956 |
| Place of death | new York |