On May 14, 1864, a reward was published in a newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, for the capture of Henry, a runaway Black slave. On the same day, Pasquale Falvella posted a reward in a New York tabloid for an eleven-year-old Italian harpist named Antonio Pricolo.

The boy had escaped from Falvella, who was a cruel padrone. Although Antonio’s fate is unknown, his story is not unique.

Between 1860 and 1875, almost 9,000 youngsters were taken from Italy and forced to play music on American streets. Black slaves like Henry were liberated by the Emancipation Proclamation, but the subjugation of Italian children like Antonio continued for decades.

Most of the youngsters were brought to lower Manhattan, where they entertained passersby in exchange for donations. Their masters confiscated the day’s earnings, punishing those whose pickings were deemed inadequate. Many enslaved youths ran away from their captors. Among them were Francesco Nigro, Levi Malona and Bernardo Roselli.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-I5XyYgWC4&t=46s 

Francesco Nigro

Francesco Nigro arrived in New York on August 8, 1867. The nine-year-old boy was in a strange city, bound to a padrone. Half of the immigrant children in his situation did not survive. Yet, Francesco did. He was intelligent and resourceful. But above all, he displayed exceptional skill on the violin.

For two years, Francesco performed for his master. Then, he left. Notified of his disappearance, the boy’s distraught parents came to New York to search for their son. In April 1870 his mother, Raffaela, published an advertisement in the New York Herald requesting information about him. After three months with no news, Raffaela posted a one hundred dollar reward in the National Police Gazette for the return of her son. Meanwhile, a report circulated about a roving band of young musicians that was entertaining patrons of New York City’s beer halls. The leader of the group, a talented violinist who attracted enthusiastic listeners, was none other than Francesco.

Reunited with his parents, Francesco continued to gain recognition as a musician. The young man married Louisa Galvina in 1882. Francesco joined the street department where he eventually became a foreman. Yet, he never abandoned his music, and was still performing in theaters at the age of sixty three. The sweet sound of his violin captivated New York audiences for over fifty years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nplt0lxIoTU

Levi Malona

On April 16, 1886, a young man entered the Castle Garden depot and, addressing the superintendent, said: “I want to know if you can help me to find out who I am.” Surprised by the unusual request, the officer asked his name. “I am called Levi Malona,” he replied. “I know that I was born in Italy and was stolen from there when a child, and I know that the name by which I am called is not my real name. I want to find where I was taken from, and if any of my family are still alive in Italy or in this country.” The young man then told his story.

Eighteen years earlier, Levi and his younger brother were kidnapped from their home in Italy, transported to the United States, and sold to a padrone in Lower Manhattan. The boys were taught to sing, beg, and play the violin. When they didn’t bring home enough money to please the padrone, they were beaten and sent to bed without supper. After two years of this abuse, Levi ran away, leaving his brother behind. Fleeing the city, he wandered through the countryside, eventually coming to a small town in western New York where he found employment as a farmhand.

The years passed and Levi grew to manhood. Yet, he never forgot his brother. So, he returned to Manhattan, hoping to find him. Levi’s search was unsuccessful, but his investigation revealed that his captor was Raffaelo di Grazia, known on both sides of the Atlantic as the “King of the Padrones.”

Levi failed to find his brother. But, determined to secure his future, he filed a certificate of naturalization. In 1890, he married Antonette Rogers, and soon the couple had a son. Once a frightened runaway, the young man was now a husband, a father, and a proud citizen of the United States.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7kv7ogw0G0

Bernardo Roselli

Bernardo Roselli was born on February 13, 1859 in Saponara, in the Region of Basilicata. In the previous year, half of the community’s residents perished when the Great Neapolitan earthquake struck southern Italy. Hardships caused by the disaster may have forced the Roselli family to place Bernardo in the care of a padrone.

Arriving in New York in 1867, Bernardo spent two years working for a padrone named Saverio Gallo. Then, he ran away. Gallo immediately posted a bounty for his return. The boy must have been a very talented musician, because Gallo continued offering rewards for the next year. The young violinist had eluded his master, but he did not go far. Twenty years after he fled, Bernardo was working as a musician just three blocks from Gallo’s old lair. He and other Italian artists performed aboard vessels of the Iron Steamboat Company, which conducted excursions to Coney Island. Some, like Bernardo, had worked for padrones not many years earlier. Now, they eagerly accepted contracts to play for parties and private events.

In 1888, Bernardo married Teresa La Salvia. By 1890, the Rosellis had moved to Los Angeles, where Bernardo continued his musical career, supplementing his income by selling fruit. He continued performing for the next ten years. But, by 1903 he had stopped playing in order to concentrate on his produce business. Bernardo and Teresa eventually had fourteen children, and the household grew even larger when Bernardo’s parents came to America. Almost twenty years after his painful departure from Italy, Bernardo was reunited with his family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ba7juon9MM

Epilogue

The boldest and most desperate Italian musicians made daring escapes from their oppressors. Against all odds, some gained their freedom. Hardened by urban life, these streetwise youngsters overcame tremendous obstacles, enabling them not only to survive but to prosper in America, their adopted homeland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWV7bfcRxMY