Andante e Polacca

In the second half of the 19th century, in Italy, melodrama was still the most practised musical genre, but space for instrumental production began to grow, especially thanks to the “Quartet societies” which tried to reduce the gap remaining compared to other European countries, offering it to the public with an energy which was certainly praiseworthy. However, they were not the only institutions where instrumental music was cultivated. In this context it must be remembered that music conservatories also played an important role, especially through the music recitals given by the best students. In one of these, which was held at the Milan Conservatory on 9 July 1884, the concert piece Andante e Polacca for bassoon and orchestra by Simplicio Gualco (1861-1942) was performed, a piece which aroused “a great deal of interest” as stated in the ‘Gazzetta Musicale di Milano’ of 20 July of that year. After the recital, the piece ended up in the Conservatory archives and was never played again. It was rediscovered recently, thanks to the research work on the composer by the musicologists Italo Vescovo and Flavio Menardi Noguera, both connected to the composer’s hometown.