A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Ricordi, Giovanni
RICORDI, Giovanni, founder of the well-known music-publishing house in Milan, where he was born in 1785, and died March 15, 1853. He made his first hit with the score of Mosca's 'Pretendenti delusi.' Since that time Ricordi has published for all the great Italian maestri, down to Verdi and Boïto, and has far outstripped all rivals. His 'Gazetta musicale,' edited with great success by Mazzucati, has had much influence on his prosperity. The firm possesses the whole of the original scores of the operas they have published—a most interesting collection. Giovanni's son and successor Tito [App. p.772 "born in 1811, and died Sept. 7, 1888"] further enlarged the business, and at this moment the stock consists of over 40,000,000 pages, or nearly 50,000 items, of music. The catalogue issued in 1875 contains 738 pages large 8vo. For some years past Tito has been disabled by illness, and the present head of the firm is his son Giulio di Tito, born in 1835, who is a practised writer, a skilled draughtsman, a composer of drawing-room music, and in all respects a thoroughly cultivated man.
This notice must not end without a mention of Paloschi's 'Annuario musicale,' a useful and accurate calendar of musical dates, published by this excellent firm, the second edition of which was issued in 1878.