Nicola d'Arienzo

Background

Nicola D'Arienzo was born in Naples, Italy on December 24, 1842; the son of Maddalena (née Santelia) and Gaetano D'Arienzo. His father, a notary, was strongly opposed to him pursuing a career in music, and he initially studied piano secretly with Pietro Labriola and Michelangelo Russo. His uncle Marco D'Arienzo, a lawyer by profession and a prolific librettist by avocation, paid for the lessons and helped the young Nicola to overcome his father's opposition. He went on to study harmony and counterpoint with Vincenzo Fioravanti and orchestration with Giovanni Moretti, both of whom were opera composers.

Education

Nicola was a pupil of Labriola.

Career

In 1875 Nicola worked at the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella.

Works

• manual

  • ''L'invenzione del sistema tetracordo e la moderna musica"

    (favoring pure intonation instead of equal temperament, an...)

    1879

• opera

  • Monzu Gnazio o La Fidanzata del Parrucchiere

    (Naples)

    1860

  • I due Mariti

    (Naples)

    1866

• oratorio

  • Il Cristo sulla croce