Music professor remembered for great talent

Franco Gulli, an IU school of music faculty member and a distinguished violinist, passed away last Tuesday at the age of 75.\n"He was an extraordinary person, very kind and gracious and was just a very kind person," said Mauricio Fuks, a professor of music in violin. "It was wonderful for IU to have a person of that quality, it was wonderful for the students. I also think it was wonderful for the teachers -- for us to have a colleague like that, such a wonderful person and such a wonderful musician. We will miss him a lot."\nGulli, a native of Trieste, Italy, traveled worldwide for performances. Beginning his career as a concertmaster in the Milan Chamber Orchestra and as a soloist in the ensemble I Virtuosi di Roma, Gulli's performances took him all over the United States, across Europe, South America, Japan, the former Soviet Union and Africa.\n"He was the epitome of a gentleman," said senior Michael Evans, who studied under Gulli. "Different professors in the music school -- some of them can range from being friendly to pretty eccentric, but Mr. Gulli, no matter what, was always respectful and polite. When I first met him, he was 72 or 73, and all the women thought he was charming and all the guys thought he was great."\nFuks, who has known Gulli for six years, said his fondest memories of Gulli were of his kindness. \n"Sometimes he would give me a ride home in his car, if I was late," Fuks said. "And we would have such wonderful conversations in the car, about music, about life, about many things. He was such a delightful person, a wonderful man, a wonderful musician and a good friend." \nGulli had been at IU since 1972, having previously taught in Switzerland, France and England. He is survived by his wife, Enrica, his son, Francesco and his daughter, Donatella.\n"He was a real aristocrat, a great gentleman, a noble human being," said Paul Biss, a professor of music in violin. "He was a magnificent violinist and extremely humble. To IU, he was a pillar of artistic excellence, a great, great violinist. He was an example of what made this school of music what it was and what it became because it attracted musicians and instrumentalists of the highest caliber, and he was one of the great examples of that development."\nGulli was the recipient of the Prize of the Critic in 1966 for his recording of Mendelssohn's Concerto for Piano with his wife. Gulli's extensive discography includes his recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, the violin concerti of Mozart as well as his 1959, best-selling recording of the Paganini Concerto No. 5. After recording the Paganini Concerto, Evans said that people constantly wanted to talk to Gulli about it, bringing out Gulli's humorous side. \n"After that, lots of people -- famous people, not so famous people -- would call him up to request to study the piece with him," he said. "Once, he got a phone call during the lecture from one of these people who wanted to learn the piece from him. After he hung up the phone, he said, 'Sometimes, I think that was the best and the worst thing I did in my career.'"\nBiss said that above all he would best remember the times he got to hear Gulli play. \n"There are so many memories," Biss said. "There were so many times we spent together, but perhaps my fondest memory was hearing his magnificent playing right here in the recital halls of the school of music on many occasions. He will be forever remembered as a friend, a colleague, and, a great musician"