Name Gilda Ruta | ||
Died 1932, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States | ||
Gilda Ruta (13 October 1853–26 October 1932) was an Italian pianist, music educator and composer.
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Biography
Countess Gilda Ruta Cagnazzi was born in Naples, the daughter of composer Michele Ruta and English singer Emilia Sutton.
She studied music with her father and with the opera composer Saverio Mercadante and became a noted pianist. She played before Queen Margherita of Italy at the Constanzi Theater in Rome (now Teatro dell'Opera di Roma) and won a gold medal at the International Exposition in Florence. After being widowed at age of 27 with two children, she began composing. She moved to New York City, taught private piano lessons in Greenwich Village, and died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Manhattan at age 79.
Works
Ruta produced more than 125 works for piano and orchestra, and also composed for opera.
Selected works include: