Description

SANTE LO PRIORE (VIESTI, JULY 14, 1885 – NEW YORK CITY, JANUARY 21, 1929)

 

 

 

 

Sante Lo Priore Ruggieri was born on July 14, 1885 in Viesti (Vieste), Italy to Pietro Lo Priore and Laura María Ruggieri. He later adopted a career that brought him across continents as a violinist, composer, and musical educator.

Lo Priore was an accomplished violinist and composer who worked actively in the early 20th century. Although concrete details of his musical training are not widely documented, his life as a travelling musician is well attested through concert programs and archival records in the Americas.

In South America, he lived for periods in Ecuador, particularly in Quito and Guayaquil, where he composed and dedicated pieces to local musicians and patrons. Among his known works are marches and dance pieces such as Le retour après la victoire, a pasodoble titled Bodas de oro, and several pasillos (a traditional Ecuadorian musical form) including Ilusión quiteña, Rayos de felicidad, and his best-known ’mos de hablar cholito. The latter carries a 1915 dedication to Dr. Sixto María Durán, who directed the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Quito, indicating Lo Priore’s deep engagement with local musical communities.

Historical concert programs from 1919 in Lima, Peru list Lo Priore as a featured violinist in a musical program at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, reinforcing that he was active as a performing artist in Latin America around that time.

Lo Priore’s music often blended European forms with local influence, and his dedication inscriptions show how he connected culturally with the musicians he met abroad.

While a full chronicle of his concert career in the United States is sparse, archived performance listings and music history sources note that he played notable repertoire in major musical centers such as New York in the mid-1920s, including works like Respighi’s Poema Autunnale at Aeolian Hall in 1926 — a piece which situates him among significant performance circles of the time.

Sante Lo Priore married María Magdalena Herrera Arechandieta (1901–1968), and they had children named Claudia and Gloria Lo Priore Herrera, according to family and genealogical records.

Lo Priore passed away on January 21, 1929 in New York City at the age of 43. His legacy lives on through archived compositions, piano rolls, and concert records that reflect a life dedicated to performance and cross-cultural musical exchange at a time when international musicians were forging new artistic paths between Europe and the Americas.

 

 

CARMINE FABRIZIO

 

 

 

Carmine Fabrizio was an Italian-American violinist active in the United States during the early decades of the 20th century. He performed in both classical recital settings and popular live entertainment venues, reflecting a versatile career in music during a vibrant era of American performing arts.

While specific birth details are best confirmed from archival records or the obituary you linked, Fabrizio’s name appears in programs and reports from the 1910s, suggesting he was likely born in the late 1800s and trained in violin performance before arriving or establishing himself in the U.S. (The MyHeritage obituary you shared likely contains his birth and death dates, but I couldn’t fetch that page automatically; if you provide the text, I can add the exact years.)

One of the most detailed contemporary mentions of Carmine Fabrizio comes from an April 19, 1915 Musical America program announcement. He appeared as the violin soloist at a New York City concert featuring Margaret Woodrow Wilson, the daughter of President Woodrow Wilson, in her New York debut recital. The announcement identifies him as a “new violinist of real accomplishment,” and describes his performance of violin pieces such as selections by Smetana and Sarasate. The concert took place at the Bandbox Theater and included prominent vocal and instrumental artists of the era.

This engagement places Fabrizio in the midst of New York’s classical music scene, performing on the same program as well-known vocalists and being noted by critics and program writers.

Beyond formal recitals, Fabrizio also performed in popular entertainment circuits. According to a Keith’s Boston Show managers’ report from February 1916, he was featured in a variety bill at Keith’s Theater in Boston with a 13-minute violin act. This shows he was working in vaudeville-style entertainment, which was common for many musicians at that time — blending classical skill with broader public appeal.

From period press, Fabrizio was recognized as a technically capable violinist with a “lovely round tone” and secure technique, characteristics that helped him bridge more formal recital audiences and variety theater crowds. (The Musical America notice emphasizes his accomplishment and contributions to varied repertoire settings.)

Carmine Fabrizio’s later life, including his date of death and any teaching or community involvement after his performance career, is best drawn from the obituary link you shared. If you can paste the text from that page, I can incorporate it here to complete his life story with exact dates, family details, and any post-performing contributions (such as teaching or local music leadership).

 

 

BRUTO MICHELINI

 

 

 

Bruto Michelini was an Italian violin teacher active in the early 20th century who taught at the Liceo Musicale “G. Frescobaldi” in Ferrara, Italy. He is known today primarily through instruments made for him by notable local violin makers.

Michelini served as a professor of violin at the music conservatory Liceo Musicale “G. Frescobaldi” in Ferrara — a city with a rich history in Italian string instrument making and musical education. The school provided professional training for aspiring musicians, and Michelini would have been responsible for teaching violin technique, repertoire, and performance to students in the program. In 1924, he is documented with his violin class in a photograph showing students and himself.

In 1924 a custom violin was built for Michelini by Ettore Soffritti, a respected violin maker from Ferrara. This instrument’s construction specifically for Michelini demonstrates his standing as a teacher and musician in the local musical community. The violin is shown in the linked violin-maker archive alongside a photo of Michelini with his class, highlighting his role as an educator.

While specific dates for Michelini’s birth and death aren’t provided in the available violin-maker archive, his documented activity in 1924 places him within a thriving period of Italian music education and violin craftsmanship. Ferrara — like other Italian cities such as Cremona and Bologna — was engaged in preserving violin playing and building traditions that had flourished since the Renaissance.

The violin built for Michelini was crafted by Ettore Soffritti, a noted luthier from Ferrara (1877–1928). Soffritti trained under his father Luigi and became one of the foremost members of the Emilian school of violin making. His instruments were prized for their sound and craftsmanship, and he even won medals at major exhibitions such as Brussels in 1910 and was recognized in Rome in 1923.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Sante Lo Priore Peer Gynt (Grieg) Solvejgs sang Vincenzo Stea (piano) Victor 69911 G-2390
2. Sante Lo Priore Pobre barquilla mía (Vargas) Vincenzo Stea (piano) Victor 69910 G-2389
3. Sante Lo Priore Serenata (D’Ambrosio) Vincenzo Stea (piano) Victor 69911 G-2391
4. Sante Lo Priore Van cantando por la sierra (Gigante) Victor 69910 G-2388
5. Carmine Fabrizio Berceuse (Fauré) Robert Gayler (piano) Edison 80550 5833
6. Carmine Fabrizio Liebesfreud (Kreisler) Phono-Cut 5058 1320
7. Carmine Fabrizio Schwedische melodie (Wilhelmj) Robert Gayler (piano) Edison 80550 5834
8. Bruto Michelini Lombardi (Verdi) Preludio III atto Part 1 Columbia E1900 42120
9. Bruto Michelini Lombardi (Verdi) Preludio III atto Part 2 Columbia E1900 42121
10. Bruto Michelini Rigoletto (Verdi) Fantasia Columbia E2650 42293
11. Bruto Michelini Trovatore (Verdi) Fantasia Columbia E2650 42290