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Music Amuses Did you know that Tosti, the great 19th-century Italian songwriter, also tutored some of the world's most legendary singers? Tosti was born in Ortona, Italy in 1846. In 1875 he went to seek his fortune in London, where he worked at the court of Queen Victoria and King Edward, serving as organist to the sovereigns and music master to the royal family. He was above all a great singing teacher. In fact, from 1880 to 1910, all the famous singers who came to perform at Covent Garden in London often went to study their works with him. Among the singers were Dame Nellie Melba and Enrico Caruso. Nobody could match Tosti’s liveliness at musical evenings: he had a beautiful lyric tenor voice and could sing or play for hours, accompanying the great singers or merely pleasing, with dignity, the aristocratic ladies of the house. Tosti’s career as a composer of salon music came when he was in his forties. He taught at all the most prestigious institutions such as the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, where he was on the board of administration for years. All the greatest Italian composers including Puccini, Mascagni and Leoncavallo were well aware of Tosti’s influence on musical life in England. Thus whenever these composers went there to stage their works, they often turned to Tosti to be introduced at court or in the music circles. After living in London for more than thirty years, Tosti returned to live in Italy. He died in Rome in 1916. On 6 June at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, the CCOHK and guest artists from Italy will re-create the salon setting in which Tosti’s works were first performed in a concert entitled Tostissimo. Don’t miss this unique event! |