Guglielmo Zuelli

Guglielmo Zuelli (20 October 1859 – 17 October 1941) was an Italian composer, conductor, and music educator. As a composer he achieved fame for his first opera Fata del Nord which premiered in Milan in 1884. Both his first and second opera, Mokanna o Il profeta del Korasan, were published by Casa Ricordi. However, his second opera has never been performed. His other compositions consist of several sacred choral works and a number of symphonic pieces written in a style similar to his contemporaries Giacomo Puccini, Alberto Franchetti, and Pietro Mascagni.

Born into poverty, Zuelli's early childhood was marred by the death of his parents at the age of three. He spent the next five years living with his maternal grandmother, surviving by working as a street performer, beggar, and thief. He spent some time in prison before the age of eight when he was ultimately placed in an orphanage in his native city of Reggio Emilia. There he received his initial musical training, and ultimately was able to train as a professional musician at the Liceo Musicale in Bologna with the aid of a wealthy benefactor.

Upon completing his studies, he embarked on a career as a music teacher; working first at the newly established Institute of the Blind in Bologna from 1882 to 1886. He simultaneously had a busy career as an opera conductor from 1884 through 1889. In 1889 he was appointed director of the Civica Scuola Musicale in Forli and in 1894 he joined the faculty of the Palermo Conservatory. He served as director of the Palermo Conservatory from 1895 until January 1912 when he became director of the Parma Conservatory. He remained in that post until his announced retirement in 1929. However, later that year he accepted an appointment as director of the Alessandria Conservatory and continued in that role until his final retirement in 1933.

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