Giulio Regondi

Giulio Regondi (* 1823 in Geneva, † May 6, 1872 in London) was a composer, Konzertinaspieler and guitarist of the 19th century.

Life

Giulio Regondi was born in late March or early April 1823, the son of a German mother and an Italian father in Switzerland and spent most of his life, from 1839, in England.

Regondi was initiated as a child by his father to daily hours of practice on the guitar, so he already was able to complete his first appearances as a child prodigy at age five. 1830 concerted Regondi in Paris together with Niccolò Paganini and Franz Liszt in 1831 devoted Fernando Sor the first eight years of " Jules Regondi " his Fantaisie Souvenir d' amitié ( Op. 46). In the same year Regondi came to England, where he worked with Catherina Josepha Pelzer, which later became known as Madame Sidney Pratten, occurred. In order to see the children on the stage better, they played music standing on a table. Played Regondi alone, his chair was sometimes placed on the piano.

Also in 1831 Regondi met in London on the instrument maker Charles Wheatstone and its English concertina, which he learned so fast that he could give concerts in Ireland already in 1834 and 1835.

In 1840 undertook Regondi two concert tours to the mainland, including to Vienna. Josef Zuth cites the general musical newspaper: " R. plays guitar and Melophon in conceivable fullest possible championship, and sings on the latter instrument with a truly enchanting loveliness and indescribable tenderness ... The presented solo movements were on the guitar: Souvenir de Gubellins after Thalberg, and the overture of Semiramide, full grip, as ertönend the whole orchestra. " When the US-led Zuth " Melophon " it was indeed a concertina, and today Regondi is referred to as "the great concertina virtuoso of the 19th century". Regondi virtuosity inspired other composers to write for the concertina, such as Bernhard Moliques " Concerto for Concertina and Orchestra " (London, 1853).

In December 1840 Regondi acquired in Vienna achtsaitige Guitar by Johann Anton Stauffer, which he used henceforth. 1846 was then followed by a concert tour to Germany. By the end of the 1860s Regondi gave concerts and Konzertinaunterricht in London, where he in 1872, just 49 years old, died.

Work

Regondi wrote vocal music, chamber music and composed for guitar and concertina as a solo instrument, with a focus on music for the concertina. For the concertina also he wrote a textbook ( New Method for the Concertina. Dublin, 1857).

The guitar work consists of various solo pieces and ten Etudes ( Dix Etudes ):

• Simon Wynberg (ed.): Giulio Regondi, Complete Works for Guitar. Chanterelle, Monaco 1981, contains Op. 19-23 as a facsimile
• John Holmquist (ed.): Giulio Regondi, 10 etudes for Guitar. Editions Orphée, Columbus Ohio 1990

A modern recording of the guitar work is by Leif Christensen ( Giulio Regondi, Guitar Works. PAULA 10, February 1981) before.