Arturo Buzzi-Peccia

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Arturo Buzzi-Peccia (October 13, 1854 - August 29, 1943) was an Italian singing instructor and song composer whose existence is very poorly documented.

He was born in Italy and died in the USA. His year of birth is sometimes given as 1856. Most of his songs were written in that language. His most famous novelty song "La Cigarette du Paradis" (Song of the Cigarette) was written in French. However he must have been quite a linguist, since he wrote tunes for some English songs. One of his most famous works is Lolita (Serenata Espagnol for voice and orchestra). In the 1933 film "My Song Goes round the World", Joseph Schmidt sang "Mal d'amore". The title of this film often appears as "A Song Goes Round the World" His opera "Forza d'amore" was conducted by Toscanini in 1897.

By 1906 he was living in New York. He came across a singer called Reba Feirsohn. Bezzi-Peccia was so impressed by Reba's singing that he offered to give her free lessons. She eventually became famous under the name Alma Gluck (1882 - 1938). Another of his pupils was the poet Dorothy Caruso, wife of Enrico Caruso. He set some of her verses to music, and Enrico sang them.

For someone as obscure as Bezzi-Peccia, his songs are widely recorded: Errico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Carlo Bergonzi, Mario Lanza, Luciano Pavarotti, Giuseppe Di Stefano and Roberto Alagna and many others have recorded his songs.

[edit] A selection of his songs and piano works

  • Fair Dreams. Song. (Les beaux reÌves. Axel, English version by P. C. Warren.)
  • Ave Maria. Sacred Song
  • Baciami. Song
  • Black Magic. Song, poem by C. D. Isaacson
  • Brezza marina. Barcarolla per pianoforte
  • Capriccioso in re per pianoforte
  • Mariolina: a love call (c 1934)
  • Torna amore
  • Mal d'amore
  • Colombetta: Serenata veneziana
  • La Cigarette du Paradis. Song of the Cigarette, English version by R. Lorfin.
  • Colombetta. Columbine. Serenade Veneziana
  • Come buy. (Words from Shakespeare's "Winter's Tale.")
  • The Conscientious Deacon. (Words by V. Lindsay)
  • The Conscientious Deacon. For Three-part Chorus of Men's Voices, etc
  • Two Encore Songs [No. 1.] My mother bids me spend my smiles. (T. Hood.)
    [No. 2.] Venus' runaway. (B. Jonson.)
  • Eternal Light! Lux eterna. Song
  • Lolita. Arranged for Male Voices by M. Andrews, etc
  • A Fly Song. Tragicomical encore ditty, etc. (Words by J. D. Wells.)
  • Four French Songs (1915)
  • Galanteries. Causeries pour piano
  • Gloria. Duet for soprano and alto. (Words by M. C. Schuyler.)
  • Glory to Love. - Inno all' amore. - (Song.) (1904)
  • Going to War. (Song.)
  • Good Night my Love. (Song.) Words and music by A. Buzzi-Peccia