Franco Margola and Casa Ricordi: A Convoluted Relationship

Abstract

This essay studies Franco Margola’s (1908-1992) correspondence in the Archivio Storico Ricordi digital collection, Milan. It dates back to the 1940s and 1950s and clarifies the relationship between a major figure in 20^th-century Italian musical life and a historic publishing house, starting from the hard post-war years. Margola’s attempts to have his works published are documented, as Ricordi was one of his publishers. One of the pieces that are dealt with is the Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, Op. 30, dedicated to Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, who premièred it in 1944 at the Teatro Comunale, Florence. The rediscovery of such so-far unissued papers highlights an un-researched aspect of Margola’s life and career.