Composer and Choreographer

Giuseppina Corrieri was born in Catania. Her father was an orchestra director who later settled in Malta. She was educated privately and her music tuition was under Emilia Brizzi. She married Joseph Samut-Tagliaferro in 1919.

Samut-Tagliaferro was very active as teacher of piano up to LRSM level and advisor to several leading Maltese piano teachers (1930-1951). She performed leading roles as an actress with the Goldoni company (1930-1939).  She produced and choreographed the operetta La piccola olandese in 1948 at the Gaiety, Sliema and in 1949 at the Radio City Opera House, Ħamrun.

In 1951 Samut-Tagliaferro moved to Rome where she continued teaching piano and teaching singing, eventually concentrating solely on the latter. Her pupils included her own daughter Elena, Elvira Spica, and Giuseppe Gismondi. She also accompanied many other singers as pianist.

Long active as a composer, she first published her works in 1947, namely two tangos, Occhi glauchi  and Voglio te  (ed. Nufa of Milan).  Two marches, Gloria  and  Resurgo,  were published by Zita  of Rome in 1948.

Samut-Tagliaferro became a member of the prestigious SIAE which published her Sweet memory, Campane di pace, Un giardino d’Incanto (written in 1943), and Ave Maria (1972), all for voice and piano. She left many unpublished works including songs, arias, and marches, all scored for piano some of which she orchestrated.

Between 1968 and 1970 Samut-Tagliaferro wrote ‘Il collegio dei grandi musicisti’, an original screenplay left in manuscript form.

She died in Rome.

This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.