Melchiorre Mauro-Cottone was born on December 12, 1885, in Palermo, (Sicily) Italy. He was the son of
Antonio Mauro (1849–1922), who wasthe son of Melchiorre Mauro, an organist and composer, and Giovanna Cottone. When he was 13,
he substituted as organist for his father at the Church of St Dominick in Palermo. After graduating with highest honors from the
Royal Conservatory of Music in Palermo, Melchiorre was appointed assistant professor there at age 19 to work under his father,
the professor of organ since 1896. When he was 20, he was appointed conductor of the Schola Cantorum Pius X. He married Rosa
Varvaro in 1906, by whom he had two daughters, Gina (Mrs Frank Pisant) and Aurora Mauro-Cottone DeCaro (1911–2006), a concert pianist.
Mauro-Cottone emigrated to the United States in 1908. His first American concert appearance was at the Mendelssohn Hall in
New York City on December 8, 1910, on the II/48 Frank Roosevelt organ, Opus 523 (1892). He was organist at Our Lady of Esperanza
(known as the Spanish Church), where he played the II/10 Austin organ, Opus 307 (1912), and St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church
(c 1917–19), where he played the III/80 Hook & Hastings organ, Opus 2326, a 1913 enlargement of their 1896 instrument. In 1919,
he began playing the organ as a substitute at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church while their organist-director, Pietro Yon,
was on tour. His work there included a concert of choral and organ with their Chancel Choir of boys and men at
Aeolian Hall on May 15, 1919. Read the full biographical
sketch on our Biographies Page.
