Francesco Pollini

Full biography Francesco Pollini

Francesco Giuseppe Pollini was an Italian composer, pianist, and academic born on March 25, 1762, in Laibach (now Ljubljana, Slovenia). He passed away on September 17, 1846, in Milan, Italy, at the age of 84. Pollini studied music in his early years, and in 1779, he moved to Venice, where he worked as a singing teacher and conductor. Later, he went to Vienna, where he studied music theory with Abbe Vogler.

Pollini began performing as a solo pianist around the age of 30 and received positive reviews for his playing. He is also known for his work as a composer, having written various works for piano and other instruments. Some of his pieces include operas, Gli astrologi immaginari (1803) and Adelaide (1818), and a Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D-minor.

In 1811, Pollini was commissioned by the Milan Conservatory to write a piano method book, which was the first of its kind to be published in Italy. He was also a professor of composition at the conservatory, and he trained a generation of young Italian composers, including Lauro Rossi, Teodulo Mabellini, and Antonio Buzzolla.

Pollini was known for his virtuosic piano writing and performances and was among the first to introduce new pianistic techniques in his works. His "Grosse Sonate en la mineur" is considered one of the most challenging pieces for piano.

Today, Francesco Pollini is not as well-known as some of his contemporaries, but he remains an important figure in the development of the piano in Italy. His legacy can be seen through his students and their own contributions to Italian music.