Soffredini, Alfredo



Italian composer, teacher, editor and critic. Was born in Leghorn, and studied music and literature in his native country first, then at the Royal Conservatory of Milan, with the celebrated teachers, Mazzucato and Sangalli. At Leghorn, Soffredini founded the Institute Cherubini, where from 1877 to 1883 he was the teacher of Pietro Mascagni, the famous Italian operatic composer. Since 1896 Soffredini has been editorin-chief of the Milan Gazette. He is also the musical critic of the periodical, Nature and Art, besides being a constant contributor to many other reviews and magazines. He has composed several operas, among them a two-act children's opera, II piccolo Haydn (both libretto and music): Aurora; Tarcisio, which received the silver medal at the Musical Exhibition at Milan in 1895; II Saggio; La Coppa d'Oro; Graziella, and others, all of which have been heard in Milan, and some of them in Germany, England, Austria and France. Soffredini is the author of the Operas of Verdi, and other musical works. He is highly esteemed as man and musician, and is himself most proud of having been the sole teacher of Mascagni.