Simonetti, Achille
Simonetti, Achille
Simonetti, Achille, Italian-English violinist and composer; b. Turin, June 12, 1857; d. London, Nov. 19, 1928. He began violin lessons with Francesco Bianchi. After training with Eugenio Cavallini at the Milan Cons. (1872–73), he returned to Turin to study violin with Giuseppe Gamba and composition with Carlo Pedrotti; then continued his violin training with Sivori in Genoa, and finally studied violin with Danda and composition with Massenet at the Paris Cons. (1881–83). In 1887 he settled in England, where he toured with Maria Roze and Benno Schönberger. He lived in London from 1891; was a member of the London Trio (1901–12) and a prof. of violin at the Irish Royal Academy of Music (1912–19). He was greatly esteemed as both a soloist and chamber music artist. An early champion of the Brahms Violin Concerto, he wrote a cadenza for the work, which he introduced in Dresden (Dec. 11, 1896). He composed numerous pieces for solo violin; his Madrigale became world famous.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire