Gaetano Braga

Gaetano Braga

Gaetano Braga (June 9, 1829 – November 21, 1907) was an Italian composer and cellist. He was born in Giulianova in Abruzzi and died in Milan. Braga's works include compositions for the cello (two concertos, a quintet, a quartet, works for cello and piano) and the operas: Alina or La spregiata (1853, Naples) Estella di San Germano (1857, Vienna) Il ritratto (1858, Naples) Margherita la mendicante (1859, Paris) Mormile (1862, Milan) Ruy Blas (1868) Reginella (1871, Lecco) Caligola (1873, Lisbon) A "Serenata" (serenade) by Braga, sometimes called "Angel's Serenade" or "Légende valaque" (Wallachian Legend), is a dialogue (comparable to that in "Erlkönig") between a worried mother and a girl who hears an angel's voice calling her; in the end the girl follows the voice ("O mamma buona notte, io seguo il suon, io seguo il suon!"). It is mentioned in Anton Chekhov's short story "The Black Monk," as well as in other Russian works of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As composed, the narrator sings the voice of the mother and girl, while the angel's voice is portrayed through the violin or cello. In the original print, the string player was instructed to play from an adjoining room from the pianist and singer, in order to create the effect of a distant angelic voice. Braga's "Angel's Serenade" has been recorded notably by tenor John McCormack and violinist Fritz Kreisler (in English), Jan Peerce and Mischa Elman (in English), Christian Ketter and Cara Schlecker (in Italian), Richard Tauber and Dajos Bela (in German).

Birth and Death Data: Born June 9, 1829 (Giulianova), Died November 21, 1907 (Milan)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1900 - 1933

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 51-75 of 78 records)

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Columbia	W98605	12-in.	11/8/1928	Angel's serenade	Anna Case	Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra	composer
Columbia	6066	12-in.	approximately 1910	Angel's serenade	Jean Schwiller	Cello solo, with piano	composer
Columbia	10160	10-in.	approximately 1903 to 1908	La serenata	Francesco Daddi	Tenor vocal solo	composer
Columbia	10873	10-in.	approximately 1908 to 1914	Legenda Valacca	Ines Vannini	Mezzo-soprano vocal solo	composer
Columbia	40573	10-in.	between 1903 and 1906	Der Engel Lied	Adolf Sens ; Hedwig Zimmer	Female vocal solo, with violin	composer
Columbia	75224	12-in.	11/12/1922	Angel's serenade	Hubert Eisdell ; Frederick B. Kiddle ; Albert Sammons	Male vocal solo, with violin and piano	composer
Columbia	76065	12-in.	approximately 1917	Angel's serenade	Hubert Eisdell ; Frederick B. Kiddle ; Albert Sammons	Male vocal solo, with violin and piano	composer
OKeh	202	10-in.	ca. June 1918	Angel's serenade	Grace Kerns	Female vocal solo, with orchestra	composer
Brunswick	4023	10-in.	approximately Aug. 1920	Angel's serenade	Marie Tiffany	Female vocal solo, with violin obbligato	composer
Brunswick	15310	10-in.	3/26/1925	Angel’s serenade	Elisabeth Rethberg	Soprano vocal solo, with piano, harp, and violin	composer
Brunswick	11732-11734	10-in.	10/25/1923	Angel's serenade	Marie Tiffany	Female vocal solo, with orchestra and violin obbligato	composer
Brunswick	15305-15306	10-in.	3/26/1925	Angel’s serenade	Elisabeth Rethberg	Soprano vocal solo, with string ensemble, harp, and violin obbligato	composer
Brunswick	E28507	10-in.	10/1/1928	La serenata degli angeli	Raoul Romito	Male vocal solo, with violin and piano	composer
Brunswick	E28809	10-in.	11/16/1928	Der Engel Lied	Lia Karina ; Erna Pielke	Female vocal duet, with orchestra	composer
Brunswick	E19433-E19434	10-in.	6/2/1926	Angel’s serenade	Frederic Persson ; Elisabeth Rethberg ; Max Rosen	Soprano vocal solo, with violin obbligato and piano	composer
Edison	425	12-in.	approximately Nov. 1910	Serenata di Braga	Maria Farneti	Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra	composer
Edison	698	Not documented	approximately July 1911	Angel's serenade	Venetian Instrumental Trio	Instrumental trio	composer
Edison	3063	10-in.	either May or June 1914	Angel's serenade	Merle Alcock ; Clementine de Vere	Vocal duet (soprano and contralto), with orchestra	composer
Edison	3634	10-in.	3/9/1915	Angel's serenade	Venetian Instrumental Quartet	Instrumental quartet	composer
Edison	3941	10-in.	7/6/1915	Angel's serenade	Venetian Instrumental Quartet	Instrumental quartet	composer
Edison	4757	10-in.	6/1/1916	The angel's serenade	Walter Van Brunt	Male vocal solo, with orchestra	composer
Edison	4892	10-in.	7/19/1916	Angel's serenade	Ida Gardner	Female vocal solo, with orchestra	composer
Edison	6771	10-in.	5/7/1919	Angel's serenade	Robert Gayler ; Igor Sokoloff ; Madeleine MacGuigan Sokoloff	Violin and cello duet, with piano	composer
Edison	7240	10-in.	3/24/1920	Angel's serenade	Cherniavsky Trio	Instrumental trio	composer
Edison	7891	10-in.	4/6/1921	The angel's serenade	Vera Barstow ; Amy Ellerman ; Robert Gayler	Contralto vocal solo and violin obliggato, with piano	composer

(Results 51-75 of 78 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Braga, Gaetano," accessed November 24, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/106041.

Braga, Gaetano. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/106041.

"Braga, Gaetano." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 November 2024.