Giuseppe Martucci was an Italian composer, conductor, pianist, and teacher, born in Capua on January 6, 1856. He began studying music as a child with his father, Gaetano Martucci, a trumpet player. At age eight, he made his first public appearance as a pianist.
From 1867 to 1871, he studied at the San Pietro Conservatory in Naples with Beniamino Cesi in piano and Paolo Serrao in composition. In 1875, he undertook a solo tour of Germany, France, and England. He began conducting in 1881 and became known for his interpretations of Wagner, Schumann, and Brahms. In 1888, he conducted the Italian premiere of Wagner’s opera Tristan and Isolde in Bologna.
Martucci taught at the San Pietro Conservatory from 1880. In 1886, he succeeded Luigi Mancinelli as head of piano at the Bologna Musical Institute. He returned to the Naples Conservatory in 1902 as its director. His students included Mario Barbieri. Martucci died in Naples on June 1, 1909.