Cioffi, Felippe [Philip]

Extract

[Philip]

(b ? between 1800 and 1810; d London, Aug 8, 1860). American trombonist. One of the earliest trombonists working in New York (c1826), Cioffi was a member of the orchestra at the Park Theatre among others. The first well-known trombonist in the United States, he made his reputation as a soloist, performing between the acts of plays and operas and during the summers at Niblo’s Garden. Charles E. Horn wrote a solo for him in The Remission of Sin (1835), the first oratorio composed on American soil.

In 1835, Cioffi moved to New Orleans, which already had two financially successful opera companies. He joined the orchestra of the St. Charles Theatre, which quickly established itself as a third major company. He continued to perform solos, served three years as music director of a summer pleasure garden, and led the band attached to the 2nd Regiment, U.S. Dragoons, which saw action in Texas in ...