Antonio Pasculli

Antonio Pasculli (1842–1924) was born in Palermo, Sicily and lived there his whole life but travelled widely in Italy, Germany and Austria, giving oboe concerts. He transcribed a large number of opera pieces for oboe and piano, including works by Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, and Rossini. One of his well-known works is Etude Caractéristique for oboe and piano "Le Api" (The Bees) written in 1874 which resembles and precedes Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee". Pasculli's works require extraordinary virtuosity on the instrument. 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.