Alberto Randegger

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Randegger circa 1879

Alberto Randegger (13 April 1832 – 18 December 1911) was an Italian-born composer, conductor and singing teacher, best known for promoting opera and new works of British music in England during the Victorian era and for his widely used textbook on singing technique. His compositions included ballets, masses and other church music, operas and numerous other vocal pieces. He also edited several collections of vocal music.

He began his composing and conducting career in Italy, where he knew

St. James's Theatre and was professor of singing at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, retaining both posts for the rest of his life. From 1859 to 1870 he was organist at St Paul's Church, Regent's Park
.

Randegger served as musical director of the

Mozart
operas. His most enduring legacy was a textbook titled Singing, published in 1879.

Life and career

Early years

Randegger was born in Trieste, Italy, the son of a musician mother and schoolteacher father. He studied the piano with Jean Lafont and composition with Luigi Ricci.[1]

Randegger's earliest compositions were masses and other pieces of church music and, with two other young pupils of Ricci, he produced two ballets and an opera, Il Lazzarone, in 1852.

Fiume, Senigallia, Brescia and Venice.[2]

In 1854 Randegger was engaged to conduct a season of Italian opera in New York and was on his way there when news arrived of a

St. James's Theatre.[2] He was simultaneously professor of singing at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, retaining both posts for the rest of his life.[2] From 1859 to 1870 he was organist at St Paul's Church, Regent's Park. His singing pupils included sopranos Evangeline Florence,[4] Alice Barth,[5] Liza Lehmann,[6] Greta Williams[7] and Ellen Beach Yaw;[8] mezzo-soprano Mary Davies;[9] tenors Arthur Byron,[10] William Hayman Cummings,[11] and Ben Davies;[12] baritones David Bispham,[13] Andrew Black,[14] Charles W. Clark,[15] David Ffrangcon-Davies[16] and Frederick Ranalow;[17] and basses Darrell Fancourt,[18] Putnam Griswold[19] and Robert Radford.[20]

As a composer, in addition to his early works, Randegger wrote a

T. J. H. Marzials on the libretto for Arthur Goring Thomas's opera Esmeralda (1883).[2]

Carl Rosa and later years

Randegger c. 1893

Randegger served as musical director of the

Mozart operas.[2] He had known Verdi since 1850, and learned much about his music at first hand.[3] In his Mozart performances he removed the spurious orchestral parts added by his Covent Garden predecessors; a small collection of the composer's manuscripts was among his most treasured possessions.[3]

Randegger's most lasting legacy was a textbook titled Singing, published in 1879 by

Novello & Co, which was still in use in the 21st century.[25] In 1882, Randegger was elected an honorary member of the Royal Philharmonic Society.[1]

Randegger was married first to the actress Adeline de Leuw; they divorced in 1892, and on 11 March 1897 he married the American singer Louise Baldwin (her second marriage).[26]

Randegger died at his home in

Golders Green crematorium.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Davey, Henry, and David J. Golby. "Randegger, Alberto (1832–1911), music teacher and composer", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved 10 September 2020 (subscription or UK public library membership required)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Grove, George, John Warrack and Rosemary Williamson. "Randegger, Alberto", Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, 2001. Retrieved 10 September 2020 (subscription required)
  3. ^ a b c "Alberto Randegger", The Musical Times, October 1899, pp. 653–658
  4. ^ "Evangeline Florence", Grande Musica database. Retrieved 10 September 2020
  5. ^ The Rosa Troupe: Alice Mary Barth, The Carl Rosa Trust Ltd website
  6. ^ Banfield, Stephen. "Lehmann, Liza" Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, 2001. Retrieved 10 September 2020 (subscription required)
  7. ^ Wyndham and L'Epine, p. 226
  8. ^ Griffith, M. Dinorben. "Illustrated Interviews: LXV – Miss Ellen Beach Yaw", The Strand Magazine, June 1899, p. 734
  9. ^ Wyndham and L'Epine, p. 60
  10. ^ Ganzl, p. 93
  11. ^ Wyndham and L'Epine, p. 54
  12. ^ Dolman, Frederick. "An Interview with Mr Ben Davies", The Magazine of Music, January 1896, pp 12–13
  13. ^ Aldrich, Richard, and Dee Baily. "Bispham, David" Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, 2001. Retrieved 10 September 2020 (subscription required)
  14. ^ Allan, Jean Mary, and Ruzena Wood. "Black, Andrew" Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, 2001. Retrieved 10 September 2020 (subscription required)
  15. ^ Wyndham and L'Epine, p. 41
  16. ^ Wyndham and L'Epine, p. 59
  17. ^ "Ranalow, Frederick" Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, 2001. Retrieved 10 September 2020 (subscription required)
  18. ^ "Darrell Fancourt", Naxos Records. Retrieved 10 September 2020
  19. ^ Wyndham and L'Epine, p. 96
  20. ^ Wyndham and L'Epine, p. 171
  21. ^ "Royal Court Theatre", The Morning Post, 15 April 1871, p. 4
  22. ^ Anya, Laurence, entry for Hermine Küchenmeister-Rudersdorf
  23. ^ "Vocal Association", The Standard, 20 March 1862, p. 3
  24. ^ Grove, p. 160
  25. ^ Johnson, Keith. "Alberto Randegger". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 September 2020
  26. ^ "Louise Baldwin Married", The New York Times, 23 March 1897

Sources

  • Anya, Laurence (1978). Women of notes: 1 000 women composers born before 1900. Richards Rosen Press.
    OCLC 1137758426
    .
  • ISBN 9781351593663
    .
  • Grove, George (1899). A Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Volume III. London: Macmillan.
    OCLC 1042968263
    .
  • Wyndham, H. Saxe; Geoffrey L'Epine (1913). Who's Who in Music. London: Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons.
    OCLC 6568647
    .

External links
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