Oreste Ravanello

Oreste Ravanello ( born August 25, 1871 in Venice, † July 2, 1938 in Padua ) was an Italian organist, composer, music teacher, music writer and magazine publisher.

Life

Ravanello 's parents were both music lovers: the mother an amateur pianist, her father a lover of singing in the baritone tuning situation; both have earned him the musical passion of the family and resulted in him as a child and as an adolescent the training of exceptional musical abilities. First, he had lessons with Paolo Agostini and A. Girardi on native Liceo Benedetto Marcello was there he was soon dismissed " for lack of musical talent ." The student age, but he was by no means discouraged, this professorial myopia belied, worked on alone, chose his teacher himself and replaced the school by a hard private study.

His career developed steep themselves. Even as an adolescent, he taught singing and he was the head of the Scholae cantorum at various Venetian parishes, while small concerts organized at home within the family. At age 17, he became organist at the Chapel of Marciana in Venice. At age 19, he fought on the side of Giovanni Tebaldini in the course of activity of the Cecilian movement passionate about the reform of Sacred Music, where he was one of the staunchest pioneers and prominent spokesman. In this climate of polemical discussions, severe study, research of the past and the description and summary of old classical music he matured over time to an artistic personality approach, reached very young a considerable level and crowded very early to the front of the reform on the side of Perosi, Bossi and Tebaldini as well as other esteemed masters ( Maurizio Machella ). From 1893 he was director of the Schola Lorenzo Perosi as the successor of Tebaldini and 1895, the first organist at the Basilica San Marco. As part of his artistic career as an organist were improvised duels at the two organs of S. Marco ( Epistelorgel by Gaetano Callido 1766 Gospel Organ by William George Trice 1893), at times in the presence of Cardinal Giuseppe Sarto ( later Pope Pius X ), outside of Venice very well known.

In 1898 he left Venice and became director of the Cappella Musicale della Basilica del Santo in Padua; this office he held for 38 years. In 1902 he was appointed as successor to Marco Enrico Bossi organ teacher at this school; this, he performed beyond out from the same year at the Conservatory of Venice. From 1912 until his death he was also the successor of Cesare Pollini director of the Liceo Musicale of Padua, and thanks to the support of the composer Ottorino Respighi got this school soon the rank of a conservatory.

Oreste Ravanello died at the age of almost 67 years on 2 July 1938 in Padua.

Importance

His focus was on the reform of church music along with Giovanni Tebaldini, Lorenzo Perosi, Giuseppe Terrabugio, Filippo Capocci and Luigi Bottazzo. In the composition of sacred music, he was one of the creators of the liturgical- musical style that was inspired by the music of the 16th and 17th centuries, based on his thorough studies of ancient polyphony; also his analysis of the complete works of Palestrina is emphasized. This style was developed by him in Italy the trend for a period of 70 years up to the 1960s, where then the Second Vatican Council ( 1963-1969 ) with a renewed radical liturgical reform brought about a fraction of the preceding movement.

Throughout the history of liturgical music in Italy this time the name of Oreste Ravanello remains as a strong and ingenious shape of the restorer and renovator exist. His sacred works are an example of the level measurement, the harmonic and contrapuntal art, the noble and memorable melodic vein, the power and expressive elegance and meditative interpretation of sacred texts he with the singing and the organ at any time of the liturgical action brought about. ( Maurizio Machella )

The greater part of his compositions consists of pieces of vocal and instrumental version for liturgical use, which in them is required by Pope Pius X. formal rigor. A certain number of Ravanello 's organ pieces are intended for concert performance - compositions, which can be regarded as the cornerstone of the then contemporary Italian organ music with full rights. He also published two collections of educational textbooks for the systematic study of this instrument, as well as theoretical works for the accompaniment of Gregorian chant and, in collaboration with Luigi Bottazzo, a treatise entitled L' organista di chiesa ( The church organist ). In addition, he was editor of the magazine Il repertorio pratico dell'Organista liturgico.

Ravanello was highly valued as an improviser, organist and a project manager of organs and was Marco Enrico Bossi, along with one of the largest Italian organist this time.

Works (selection)

• Vocal music Cantata Fletus et Spes (1905 )
• Cantata Omaggio alla regina (1905 )
• Cantica Sion (1908 )
• Hymn Inno al Pontefice ( Pius X dedicated, 1935)
• 27 masses, motets, psalms and 2 Requiem

• 7 corali for Organ, Op 29 (1898 )
• 6 Concert Pieces for Organ, Op 50 (1900)
• Tema e variazioni for Organ ( 1901)
• 100 studi e esercizi for Organ, Op 94 ( 1908)
• Adoration for Organ ( 1937)
• Mystica, Suite 3 Concert Pieces for Organ, Op 113
• Piano Trio, Overture, sonatas, string quartets ( for organ, piano, harmonium and bass)

Ravanello 's works are mainly published by the publishers Bertarelli, Carisch, Ricordi ( Milan) and Zanibon (Padua).