- Luigi Legnani
Luigi Rinaldo Legnani (
November 7, 1790 –5 August 1877 ) was an Italian guitarist and composer.Born in
Ferrara , Legnani was trained as a string player while very young but dedicated himself to guitar and voice. His debut was inRavenna in 1807; in the 1820s he performed as atenor in operas byRossini ,Pacini , andDonizetti . His career as a guitarist began with a concert inMilan in 1819; his 1822 concerts inVienna were a great success, and he was hailed as a star when he returned there in 1833 and 1839.He is perhaps best known for his "36 Caprices" for the guitar, which cover all the major and minor keys, and which were probably inspired by Paganini's "24 Caprices" for the violin. He and Paganini were friends from the 1830s; while it was once thought that he and Paganini performed together in public, this is no longer accepted. After the 1850s Legnani retired from active performance and became an instrument maker, concentrating on guitars and violins. The "Legnani model" guitar was popular in Central Europe through the middle of the nineteenth century.
Legnani composed some 250 works, which were published in his lifetime throughout many of the major publishing houses in Europe. He died in
Ravenna .References
*Wynberg, Simon. 1986. Introduction to "36 Caprices". Heidelberg: Chanterelle.
*Giuseppe Gazzelloni. "Luigi Legnani". "The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ". London: Macmillan, 2001.External links
heetmusic
* [https://rex.kb.dk/F?func=find-c&ccl_term=(WRD=Legnani%20AND%20WWW=http%20NOT%20WWW=sheetmusicnow%20NOT%20WWW=freehandmusic%20NOT%20WWW=hebeonline)&local_base=mus01&con_lng=ENG Rischel & Birket-Smith's Collection of guitar music] Det Kongelige Bibliotek, Denmark
* [http://www.muslib.se/ebibliotek/boije/Boije_l.htm Boije Collection] The Music Library of Sweden
* [http://catalog.wustl.edu/search/X?(George%20C.%20Krick%20Collection%20of%20Guitar%20Music)+and+(Legnani)&SORT=D George C. Krick Collection of Guitar Music] Washington University
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