The Dramatic Fantasy on the Africana is dedicated “To the Egregio Dilettante Sig.r Pietro Negri”. I have been unable to find any information on this Casalese figure, but in 1879, three Negri brothers (young law students in Turin) participated in a concert, also performing music by Hugues, and one, Evasio, was a flutist. It is possible that Pietro was a relative of theirs. Given the virtuosic level of the piece, the term “egregious” certainly refers to the abilities of the dedicatee, who, despite...