1781–1829 · Classical
Mauro Giuliani (1781–1829) was an Italian guitarist and composer of the early nineteenth century, one of the leading figures of the Italian guitar school alongside Ferdinando Carulli and Matteo Carcassi. He wrote around 150 works for guitar — concertos, sonatas, variations and arrangements of opera themes — many of which still belong to the repertoire and teaching practice of guitarists today.
The composer's full name was Mauro Giuseppe Sergio Pantaleo Giuliani. He was born on 27 July 1781 in Bisceglie, near Bari, but grew up in the nearby town of Barletta, where he had been taken as a small child together with his brother Nicola. He learned to play the cello — an instrument he never gave up — and possibly the violin as well. Over time he turned more and more to the guitar, becoming a capable player within a short span; who his teachers were is not known.
In 1801 a son, Michele, was born in Barletta to Giuliani and his wife Maria Giuseppe del Monaco. After that, he possibly paid a brief visit to Bologna and Trieste. By the summer of 1806, having already mastered counterpoint, the cello and the guitar, Giuliani moved to Vienna alone, without his family. Building a career as a touring guitarist was not easy in Italy, where the public showed little interest in the instrument and the stages were firmly held by first-rate guitarists such as Ferdinando Carulli.
In Vienna, Giuliani fairly quickly came to be seen as one of the finest guitarists in Europe and a capable composer as well. Audiences valued his virtuosity and musical taste, and he earned a name for himself among the crowd of instrumentalists and composers then active in the Austrian capital. In 1808 the public showed great interest in a performance of his Concerto in A major with orchestra. In Vienna his compositions began to appear in print, and he kept up an active concert life — playing solo, in ensembles, and even within an orchestra. On 8 December 1813, Giuliani played in the orchestra at the premiere of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony — probably on the cello; among the other musicians in the orchestra that evening were Louis Spohr, Johann Hummel and Joseph Mayseder.
In 1814 Marie Louise of Austria granted Giuliani the title of chamber virtuoso of her court. The following year, 1815, he joined Johann Nepomuk Hummel (later succeeded by Ignaz Moscheles), together with violinist Joseph Mayseder and cellist Joseph Merk, for a series of chamber concerts held in the botanical garden of Schönbrunn Palace — concerts nicknamed the Dukaten Concerte, since admission cost one ducat; these appearances made Giuliani a prominent figure in Vienna's musical life. That same year, 1815, he also served as the official performer at the celebrations marking the Congress of Vienna.
In Vienna Giuliani became acquainted with the classical instrumental style of the music of his time. He was acquainted with some of the most prominent figures in Austrian society and with composers such as Rossini and Beethoven, and he worked alongside the best concert musicians active in Vienna.
In Vienna Giuliani worked mainly with the publisher Artaria, who brought out a good many of his guitar works, though he also dealt with other local publishers who helped spread his music across Europe. He built a teaching practice there too; his pupils included Jan Nepomucen Bobrowicz and Felix Horetzky. Beyond music, he also belonged to the Viennese circle known as Ludlamshöhle.
During his Vienna years Giuliani had a relationship with Anna Wiesenberger, a Viennese woman, and they had four daughters together, among them Emilia Giuliani-Guglielmi.
Because of financial difficulties, Giuliani left Vienna in 1819, setting out on a concert tour across Bohemia and Bavaria in the hope of making a profit. He made his way back to Italy, stayed for a stretch in Trieste, moved on to Venice, and eventually put down roots in Rome, remaining there until 1823.
In 1822 Giuliani brought his illegitimate daughter Emilia, born in Vienna in 1813, to Italy; she was raised at the convent of L'adorazione del Gesù together with Giuliani's older illegitimate daughter, Maria Willmuth. Things went less well in Rome: only a few of his works appeared there in print, and he gave just a single concert.
Starting in July 1823 Giuliani made a series of visits to Naples, where his father lay seriously ill. In Bourbon-ruled Naples his guitar playing found a warmer welcome than it had in Rome, and local publishers began bringing out his new works. There he played at the court of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and in 1826 he performed at Portici before King Francesco I.
During his years in Naples Giuliani often performed alongside his daughter Emilia in joint concerts; by then she had herself become a skilled guitarist. His health began to decline late in 1827, and Giuliani passed away in Naples on 8 May 1829.
Alongside Ferdinando Carulli and Matteo Carcassi, Giuliani ranks among the leading figures of the Italian guitar school, and his output is counted as a notable contribution to the guitar's repertoire. In total he wrote around a hundred and fifty pieces for guitar — from demanding solo works to pieces with orchestra and duos pairing guitar with violin or flute — and this music is still played in concert and used in teaching today. Among his most significant works are three concertos for guitar and orchestra (Op. 30, 36 and 70), a quintet for strings and guitar, Op. 65, collections of pieces for voice and guitar, and the Grand Overture in the Italian style, one of his best-known pieces, which has become part of the standard repertoire for early Romantic guitarists. His concertos and solo pieces are still frequently performed by professional guitarists today.
Giuliani was especially drawn to the theme-and-variations form, which enjoyed great popularity with Viennese audiences. Examples include his Variations on a Theme by Handel, Op. 107, built on the tune known as 'The Harmonious Blacksmith', and the 'Rossiniana' cycle — six fantasias for solo guitar, Op. 119–124, drawing on melodies from Rossini's operas. His arrangements also include a two-guitar version of the overture from Rossini's The Barber of Seville. Beyond his concert works, he left behind numerous instructional works, including a guitar method still used by teachers today.
The site currently holds 94 Giuliani editions, almost all of them from this teaching line: studies drawn from Op. 1, Op. 50, Op. 51, Op. 59, Op. 78 and Op. 100, ranging from elementary+ to intermediate+ level. A good place to start is the third étude of Op. 1, the eighth of the 24 studies in Op. 100, and the first of the 18 progressive lessons in Op. 51.