Mario Sicca
Biography
Mario Sicca was born on 12 September 1930 in Naples. His first formative encounter with classical music came in 1935 through the Neapolitan surgeon Eriberto Aievoli. He began piano lessons in 1936 and later pursued parallel careers in engineering and music.
In 1957 he graduated with distinction in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic of the University Federico Secondo of Naples. From 1958 to 1959 he worked as an engineer at Ansaldo in Sampierdarena (Genoa), and from 1959 to 1962 at Pirelli Milano – Bicocca. During this period he studied guitar with Aldo Minella and took courses in harmony and music history at the Milan Conservatory.
Between 1961 and 1962 he served as a lecturer in mechanical engineering at the Istituto Ettore Conti in Milan. In 1962 he passed the entrance examination for the State University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, joining the class of Karl Scheit. From 1962 to 1965 he taught guitar at the Teacher Training College in Vienna.
His first meeting with Robert Bouchet took place in 1964. In 1965 he completed his concert diploma for classical guitar with distinction and was appointed to the Music Academy of the City of Basel. That same year he founded the Duo Italiano Sicca–Fleres with pianist Rita Maria Fleres, performing works for guitar with fortepiano or harpsichord. In 1966 he met Daniel Friederich for the first time.
From 1968 to 1971 he was a lecturer at the Music Academy of the City of Karlsruhe. He then served as Professor at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Karlsruhe from 1971 to 1981, followed by a teaching assignment at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart from 1979 to 1981. He held a professorship there from 1981 to 1995 and continued teaching from 1995 to 2002.
He made numerous recordings for international broadcasters, including O.R.T.F., Radio Hilversum, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Hessischer Rundfunk, Süddeutscher Rundfunk, R.I.A.S. Berlin, Sender Freies Berlin, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Radio de la Suisse Romande, Radio della Svizzera Italiana, Radio der Deutschen und der Rätoromanischen Schweiz, Norsk Rikskringkasting, Sveriges Radio, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and Radio Lebanon.
His discography includes the albums Hits of the Rococo and Hits of the Baroque, released by Da Camera Magna.
Articles
Riflessioni di un chitarrista su alcuni problemi di articolazione nelle opere per liuto di J.S. Bach — Fronimo 13/52 (1985)
Articulation in the Lute Music of J.S. Bach — Guitar Review 63 (1985)
Gendai Guitar
Note critiche sul problema delle trascrizioni per chitarra — Fronimo 3/11 (April 1975)
The long way to freedom — Gitarre & Laute 8/1986 Heft 5
Gitarre und Tasteninstrumente — Gitarre & Laute 1980 Heft 1
The Guitar and the Keyboard Instrument — Guitar Review 39
