Garibaldi-Meucci Presents Lecture LIVING LEGACIES Tuzzolino and Morena - May 16

On Sunday, May 16 at 1 p.m., the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum will present a Terza Domenica Heritage Series event, "Living Legacies: A Magical Pairing of Poetry and Music." The event will pair the poetry of Letizia Modica Tuzzolino with the music of Alfred Morena, Sr. Family members will recount stories of the lives of these two talented individuals, and will also tell how they have taken works left behind by their forebears and given them new life in the 21st century. Admission of $10 for non-members and $5 for members includes a light reception.  For more information visit http://www.garibaldimeuccimuseum.org.  

Letizia Modica Tuzzolino was born in Roccaplaumba, Sicily in 1899. Her father died when she was seven, and nine years later when her mother died she went to live with her Aunt Rosa. Letizia attended convent school where she learned to do exquisite needlework. She also had a beautiful singing voice, and was an accomplished poet.

In 1923 Letizia married Giovanni Tuzzolino, who was a distant cousin. They moved to New York later that year, and in February 1924 Rosa Margerita was born. Letizia worked at home, sewing and doing embroidery, while Giovanni worked at odd jobs. Little Rosa contracted leukemia, and died at the age of five.

The loss of her first-born daughter was devastating to Letizia, but her faith in God and her poetry helped her through the grief. Letizia and Giovanni had two more daughters, and saved enough to buy a home in Brooklyn. Letizia found work in the garment district, embroidering monograms and sewing linings into fur coats. Many of her poems were published in Italian newspapers, and in 1947 a book of her poems, "Voli D'Anima" was published. She died in 1971.

In 2001 Letizia's eldest grandchild, Victoria, was inspired to resurrect that book, and she convinced her mother and aunt to translate their mother's work into English. The family has re-published the original volume with the English translations and many family photos included.

Alfred Morena was born in Potenza, Italy in 1893 and emigrated with his family to Philadelphia in 1905. There he worked as a music teacher and played violin for the Philadelphia Orchestra-and he wrote lots of music. He married Rose DiCancro in 1916, and Alfred Morena, Jr. was born in 1927. In 1929 Morena Senior's career seemed to be on the upswing, but the week before he was scheduled to perform for the first time on radio he died of peritonitis, leaving a huge void in the life of his two-year-old son's life.

The boy's grandfather, Giuseppe Morena, tried to fill that void. Also a musician, Giuseppe had been born in Italy in 1840 and had studied under another Giuseppe-Giuseppe Verdi. He later served with yet another Giuseppe-Giuseppe Garibaldi-during the unification of Italy, and provided music during Garibaldi's public engagements. Settling in Philadelphia in 1905, Giuseppe remained a musician, composer and teacher well into his 90s, and instilled a love of music in his grandson.

In 1996, when Alfred Jr., found his father's piano and violin scores among his mother's belongings, he also found his father for the first time: "It was very emotional. I never really knew my father and...it was like him talking to me." He wanted to share that legacy, so he copyrighted the music, had it professionally recorded and copied onto CDs. He now makes it available through sheet music and recordings on his website www.musicaltreasures.biz.

During the Living Legacies event, selections from Letizia's book will be read in Italian and English by family members, accompanied by songs from the Morena recordings. In addition to it being a lovely way to spend a spring afternoon, it is hoped that the serendipitous pairing of this "lost" poetry and music will inspire others to revisit the treasures left behind by their ancestors, and to create their own living legacies. The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum is owned and operated by the Order Sons of Italy in America.

The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum was the home of Antonio Meucci, the true inventor of the telephone, and a refuge to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the legendary hero who championed the unification of Italy. For over 50 years the museum has fulfilled its mission to preserve the legacies of these great men, and to promote understanding of the Italian-American heritage through cultural, artistic and educational programs and classes.

Regular museum hours are 1 p.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $5 per person, members and children under 10 are free. Call ahead for groups of 10 or more. The first floor of the museum is wheelchair accessible, but the restroom is on the second floor. At press time, program funding has been provided through the Order Sons of Italy in America; by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; the Office of the Staten Island Borough President, Richmond County Savings Foundation; Northfield Bank Foundation, and by grants allocated by New York State Senator Diane Savino and New York City Council members Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo.