Antonio Pasculli

Who was Antonio Pasculli?

Antonio Pasculli was an Italian oboist and composer, known as "the Paganini of the oboe".

Pasculli was born and lived his whole life in Palermo, Sicily, but travelled widely in Italy, Germany and Austria, giving oboe concerts. He directed symphonic and wind orchestra concerts, which were popular in Italy at the time. He also transcribed a large number of opera pieces for oboe and piano/harp, including works by Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, and Rossini. One of his well known works is Etude Caractéristique for oboe and piano "Le Api" written in 1874 which resembles and precedes Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee.

Pasculli's works require extraordinary virtuosity on the instrument. His pieces make constant use of arpeggiations, trills, and scales, and require the oboist to practice circular breathing. His output was essentially forgotten early in the twentieth century, and he remained in oblivion until oboists Heinz Holliger and Omar Zoboli began reviving his music. As a result, some of his works are now available in recordings.