Fughetta on "Happy Birthday" by Henry Doktorski for Accordion Trio. Composed in 2003 and dedicated to Maestro Anthony Galla-Rini on the occasion of his 99th Birthday. Includes seven-page Conductor's Score and individual parts for First Accordion, Second Accordion, and Bass Accordion. Attractive Engraving.
A delightful and entertaining contrapuntal three-voice fughetta on the famous theme from "Happy Birthday" similar to the style of the Baroque and Classical Masters such as Bach and Mozart.
Collector's item. Truly a welcome addition to any library for the accordion.
To listen to an MP3 file of an excerpt from this piece, Click Here.
Galla-Rini, Anthony (1904-2006): was born in Manchester, Connecticut, USA on 18th January 1904 of an Italian family of musicians. His father started to teach Anthony the comet at the age of four, and the accordion at the age of seven. When he was seven years old, he began touring the United States and Canada with his father and two older sisters on the chautauqua, and Vaudeville circuits as a child prodigy. As time went on, he was also taught all the basic instruments of woodwind and brass families, and received instruction in harmony and counterpoint; as well operatic and symphonic conducting. Eventually, Anthony abandoned all other instruments except the accordion, his first love. His purpose was to teach the accordion, to give it the full potential of it's ability, to write music for it so that others might receive the full benefit, and to promote the accordion as a concert instrument.
For many years, Galla-Rini has given concerts and solo recitals on the accordion in all the major cities in the USA, including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit and New York where he appeared at the Carnegie Hall on a number of occasions. Also touring Britain and Europe where he gave concerts in London, Manchester, Sheffield and Glasgow, as well as Italy. Galla-Rini has also been engaged in soundtrack recordings for a number of Hollywood films, including "High Noon", "Hans Christian Anderson" and "Rhapsody in Blue". He composed his first Concerto for accordion and orchestra in 1941, and it has the distinction of being the first accordion concerto to be performed with major symphony orchestras with Galla-Rini as soloist. He wrote his second concerto in 1976.
As a performer, teacher and arranger of accordion music, Galla-Rini is a musician of the highest caliber. He has done literally hundreds of arrangements, both classical and modem. In the course of his concert career, he has been referred to as the Paderewski of the accordion, Toscanini, Horowitz of the accordion.
In 1975, the President of Italy conferred on him the title of "Cavaliere dell Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta" in recognition of his efforts towards strengthening the cultural bonds between the Italian and American people and for his interest in the development of the Italian accordion in America.
He organized and supervised four workshops for the Kimberley (B.C.) Accordion Festival and eight workshops for his Accordion Camp in Silver Falls, Oregon, all of which were highly successful. He was regarded as a living legend, and with all his many accomplishments, Galla-Rini was known as "Mister Accordion". He passed away on July 30, 2006.
Galla-Rini inspired many accordionists, including Henry Doktorski, who was very happy when Anthony Galla-Rini and his wife Dolly attended his San Diego recital in 1996.
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