Giulio Briccialdi (1818 - 1881)
2nd Quintet op.132 for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon
Giulio Briccialdi was born in Terni, Italy, on March 2nd, 1818. From his father Giovanni Battista Briccialdi he received his first lessons on the flute, however, essentially he was autodidact.
After the death of his father he should become a priest on request of the family. Not wanting this, Briccialdi escaped to Rome and became a flautist in a theatre. Here he had composition lessons with a singer of the Vatican chapel named Ravagli.
With about 17 years Bricciladi was already a teacher at Accademia di Santa Cecilia. He came to Naples and 1836 became a flute teacher of the Grafen von Syrakus, the brother of the king. He went 1839 to Milan, 1841 to Vienna. He travelled through Europe as a virtuoso and stayed also in America. He lived also some time in London and according to instruction of the company Rudall & rose he let build a flute with B valve and perfect so the Böhm system . Further technical improvements in its construction were carried out by Emilio Piana in Florence. He gave flute lessons in this town at the conservatory since 1870 and trained many pupils. He also set up a workshop here in which flutes were produced with his patent. After his death 1881, his widow Rosa continued with the flute production.
His 1st wind quintet op.124 appeared at 1875 by the publishing house Schott in Mainz, the 2nd Quintetto op.132 on hand appears hereby in the first edition.
Briccialdis wind quintets are excellent music with ideal treatment of all wind instruments. They convey the song art of the Italian opera world and let show again and again influences of an Bellini or Rossini without being a copy of these works.
