Pinelli, Ettore

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Pinelli, Ettore

Pinelli, Ettore, Italian violinist, conductor, teacher, and composer; b. Rome, Oct. 18,1843; d. there, Sept. 17, 1915. He studied violin with his uncle, Tullio Ramac-ciotti. He was only 13 when he launched a promising concert career. After further training with Joachim in Hannover, he joined his uncle’s Quartetto Romano. When his uncle left it in 1866, the pianist Sgambati joined its ranks and it became a quintet. Pinelli and Sgambati founded a school to teach violin and piano to poor children without tuition in 1869. Their venture proved so successful that it developed into the Liceo Musicale of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome in 1876, where Pinelli remained on the faculty for the rest of his life. Throughout the years, he continued to appear as both a soloist and chamber music player. In 1874 he founded the Orchestral Soc. in Rome, which he conducted until 1899. Among his works were a Sym., a String Quartet, and songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire