Bossi, (Marco) Enrico

Bossi, (Marco) Enrico, Italian composer, father of (Rinaldo) Renzo Bossi; b. Salo, Brescia, April 25, 1861; d. at sea (en route from America to Europe), Feb. 20, 1925. Son and pupil of the organist Pietro Bossi of Morbegno (1834–96), he studied at the Liceo Rossini in Bologna (1871–73), and at Milan (1873–81) under Sangali (piano), Fumagalli (organ), Campanari (violin), Boniforti (counterpoint), and Ponchielli (composition). He subsequently was maestro di cappella and organist at Como Cathedral (1881–89). He then was prof. of organ and harmony in the Royal Cons. San Pietro at Naples (until 1896), prof. of advanced composition and organ at the Liceo Benedetto Marcello in Venice (1896–1902), and director of the Liceo Musicale at Bologna (1902–12). After a brief period of retirement from teaching, he was director of the Music School of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome (1916–23). He toured Europe, England, and the U.S. as a pianist and organist. He also wrote Metodo di studio per l’organo moderno (in collaboration with G. Tebaldini; Milan, 1893).

Works

DRAMATIC: Opera: Paquita (Milan, 1881); II Veggente (Milan, 1890; rewritten and produced as II Viandante, Mannheim, 1896); L’Angelo della notte. other:Intermezzi Goldoniani for String Orch.; Concertstück for Organ and Orch.; Inno di Gloria for Chorus and Organ; Tota pulchra for Chorus and Organ; Missa pro Sponso et Sponsa (Rome, 1896); II Cieco for Solo, Chorus, and Orch. (1897); Canticum Canticorum, biblical cantata; II Paradiso Perduto for Chorus and Orch. (Augsburg, 1903); Surrexit pastor, motet; Giovanna d’Arco, mystery play (Cologne, 1913); Primavera classica for Chorus; String Trio; Piano Trio; etc.

Bibliography

E. Dagnino, M.E. B., Cenni biografici (Rome, 1925); G.C. Paribeni, L. Orsini, and E. Bontempelli, M.E. B.: Il Compositore, l’organista, l’uomo (Milan, 1934); E Mompellio, M.E. B. (Milan, 1952; contains list of works).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire