Founded in 1908, the Lyceum Club Internazionale di Firenze was the first women’s club to be founded in Italy, dedicated to women’s emancipation, internationalism, and peace. In addition, cultural programs have been an objective of the Club since its birth more than 100 years ago. As a young man, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco performed frequently at the Lyceum, and today the Lyceum continues to host concerts to raise awareness of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s music among the Florentine public.
In 2015 the composer’s family donated a collection of scores and books to the Lyceum which Castelnuovo-Tedesco had kept at his home in Florence. The collection includes more than 700 pieces of music, both manuscripts and printed music, which date from 1620 to 1964. More than 100 composers are represented, with texts in five languages and three Italian dialects! Most of the works date from the 19th and 20th centuries, and many also have dedications to the composer from teachers, friends, and colleagues.
A list is available for download on the Fondo Castelnuovo-Tedesco page of Lyceum Club’s website by clicking the button “Entra nel catalogo”. Visitors to the page can also view a gallery of images of the cover pages of these scores, including dedications to the composer.
The scores in the Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Collection have been catalogued thanks to the support of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze. Books from the composer’s Florentine library are currently being catalogued as well by Eleonora Belpassi and Chiara Benvenuti, also with the support of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze.
Diana Castelnuovo-Tedesco recently visited the new home of the Lyceum Club at the historic Palazzo Adami Lami, which boasts an incredible view of Florence that no doubt would have inspired her grandfather!
Pictured in the photo above, from the left: Eleonora Negri, President of the Music Section of the Lyceum Club International of Florence; Diana Castelnuovo-Tedesco; and Eleonora Belpassi, cataloguer of the collection.