Video: To my Teacher. An 8 Minute Documentary by Corey Pesaturo showing Tulio Gasperini playing at 91 years, and photos of his life.
Corey Pesaturo was asked to write about Tulio Gasperini and what he meant to him. Below are some excerpts:
For every international achiever in any craft, there is a teacher infused in their foundation. For me, that teacher was Tulio Gasperini. A man who started accordion at the age of 4, and became National Champion by age 18 at a time when there was a plethora of tremendous accordionists in the United States.
He was the student of the great Frank Gaviani, and was one of the founding members of ATARI (which later became the current ATAM). He also taught advanced students at Rhode Island College, after he began the school’s first Accordion Major. Unthinkable now. He served in World War II with the US Military Intelligence, and was termed a “Living Legend” by our famed Providence Mayor, Buddy Cianci.
The studio he created, Gasperini Music, which would later become Aruda Music headed by the late August Aruda, was the studio I had started at, oddly enough.
Unfortunately for the world’s ears, Tulio never had his sights set on national fame, and, in the same vain as Joe Spano and Illmar Kuljis, Rudy Molinari and Tito Gudotti, was only truly known and respected in his own region.
After about my first year into the accordion, my parents realized I needed to have a highly advanced teacher to give me the opportunity to reach my ceiling. At an ATAM event, Tulio performed a few songs with a trio composed of Lou Ludovico (my teacher after Tulio fully retired in 2002, who died just last year), and Eddie Sachosha, a well known Rhode Island accordionist who just died a few years ago. I have a video of this performance still.
My father had heard much about him, and after seeing him play, ran to Tulio in the hallway. In Classic Italian aggressive style, he grabbed him and said “Tulio! Tulio! You’ve gotta teach my kid. I know you’re retired and I don’t care, Ya Got-Ta teach my kid….”. In even more classic Italian style, after Tulio declined, my father called a few mutual friends, who said something to Tulio, and Bam! He was teaching me soon after!
It was the greatest pleasure and honor to be Tulio’s only, and last student. I was able to grasp everything he ever knew, and had 100% of his attention. I would go every Thursday, walking through the hallway of his basement, admiring the many pictures and trophies scattered around.
Tulio was old school; tough with not much leeway. A compliment, was mighty big. He scared you just enough to make you practice, but not enough to scare you off if you were strong enough. He was not blessed with classic music hands; long and skinny fingers. His fingers were short and stubby, but Incredibly strong.
The motivation to prove Tulio’s teaching and Tulio’s ways were the best propelled me.
His push to always play with the music, and not just go by the page affirmed that what I had secretly been doing to all my songs since 10 years old, was right, not wrong. Luckily, there are many videos from news reports around the time I started going to the White House, of Tulio’s lessons with me, as my parents always told them “Do the interview at Cory’s lesson, then you can see where his playing comes from.”.
Tulio’s energy was captivating, specifically his desire to win. He once bet my dad to a drag race while waiting at a red light on Newport Ave. in Pawtucket. He loved competition, and I fed off it. Today has become a sappy-fest of “It doesn’t matter who wins, as long as you do your best.”. The old guys like Rudy and Tulio would laugh at that. You either Won, or you Lost.
Most importantly, Tulio played with SO much emotion. Always trying to make every note differ from the previous and the next, both in dynamic level and presence in the phrase. This is still evident in the video, along with his improvisatory elements, and his hand position; all there at 91.
My one regret with Tulio, is that I never got to orchestrating his Masterpiece, “Symphony Tune-Up”, for full orchestra. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest works ever composed for the accordion, and a piece so many of his students played. I will get on to that soon, and will think about the best time to have a performance of it, and with what group that will have some significance to Tulio.
The greatest testament that I can give to Tulio, occurred just a few years ago in New Hampshire. I was playing a concert and woman came up to me to say “Your teacher was Tulio Gasperini.”. I immediately said “Oh you knew ha?”, to which she answered something I will never forget – “I didn’t know. I could just tell by your overall playing and technique. It was quintessentially Tulio.”
To think that I began taking lessons with Tulio’s friend, Lou Ludovico at 15 after Tulio fully retired, until I went to college, then college, then my own tweeks and personal theory’s of how to play for years and years; And still, Tulio’s foundation was still infused in my foundation, having a major part in all my National and World Championship successes, and every time I play a note.
Angelo Di Pippo on the phone with me today: “I was of course from Rhode island, and Tulio was The Best that state ever had.”
For more information: Cory.pesaturo@gmail.com
