The italian songwriter Luigi Denza (1846-1922) was a prolific composer of songs, of which about 600 survive. 'Funiculi Funicula,' his most popular song, was composed in 1880 to commemorate the opening of a funicular railway. The success of this song was so great (sales of over half a million copies of the sheet music), that the melody was soon heard everywhere, giving rise to the impression that the tune was of ancient origin. When the German composer Richard Strauss quoted the melody in his symphonic poem 'Aus Italien' (From Italy) under the title "Neapolitanisches Volkslied" (Neapolitan Folksong), the publishers were soon threatened with legal action for the violation of copywright. It is not know when the great cornet virtuoso Herman Bellstedt (1858-1926) first conceived the idea of a set of theme and variations on the well-known tune for cornet and band, but it is perhaps his most popular composition. The parts were bequeather to Bellstedt's student (and successor as soloist with Sousa's Band) Frank Simon (1889-1967), and it is Simon's edition of the solo, know under the title 'Napoli,' which is still heard on concert programs today. |
