March 9, 2015.Mysliveček and Telemann.We’ve never written about Josef Mysliveček, even though this friend of Mozart’s was one of the most famous composers of his time.Mysliveček was born in Prague on March 9th, 1737, and the Czechs consider him their national composer, even though he wrote in the Italianate style and spent most of his adult life in Italy.Mysliveček was born into a wealthy miller’s family.As a youngster he took music lessons in Prague but left for Venice in 1763 to study opera composition technique.Two years later he wrote his first opera, Semiramide, which was staged in Bergamo.In 1767 he wrote another opera, Il Bellerofonte, his most successful composition.It was staged in Naples in Teatro San Carlo, at that time a preeminent opera theater in Italy, to great acclaim.He moved from one Italian city to another, staging operas in major theaters.In 1768 Mysliveček made a brief but triumphant visit to Prague.In 1771 he was admitted to the prestigious Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna.One year later he traveled to Vienna, hoping to establish himself there, but it didn’t work out.He returned to Italy, the country where he was quite famous.Unfortunately, that didn’t last: in 1780 he staged two of his operas, Armida at La Scala in Milan, and Medonte in Rome, and both failed miserably.His reputation never recovered, and he died in poverty in Rome a year later, on February 4th of 1781.He was just 43 years old.
Mysliveček met Leopold Mozart and his fourteen year-old son Wolfgang in Bologna in 1770.He became good friends with both (Mysliveček’s name is often mentioned in the correspondence between the father and the son).It all came to an end when Mysliveček failed to deliver on his promise to arrange a commission for Wolfgang at the Teatro San Carlo for the Carnival season of 1779.Mysliveček, who wrote not just operas but also symphonies and concertos, had a significant influence on Mozart, who admired Mysliveček’s overtures (symphonies), and apparently used some of Mysliveček’s ideas in his own compositions.Mozart’s concert aria Ridente la calma is based on a substitute aria from Mysliveček’s opera Armida.Here’s his Violin concerto in A Major, performed by Shizuka Ishikawa, with the Dvořák Chamber Orchestra.
If Mysliveček was a friend of Mozarts, Georg Philipp Telemann, who also has his anniversary this week, was a good friend of Johann Sebastian Bach.Telemann was born on March 14th of 1681 in Magdeburg.Even though very gifted, he never formally studied music.He learned to play several instruments but did it on his own.In 1701 he went to Leipzig to study law but soon dropped out to pursue music professionally.He eventually established himself in the city’s musical circles; his compositions were regularly performed in the main churches, Thomaskirche and Nikolaikirche.In 1707 he went to Eisenach and entered the service of the Duke.It’s there that he probably met Johann Sebastian Bach for the first time.Seven years later he became the godfather to Bach’s son Carl Philipp Emanuel.
In the 18th century Telemann was considered a very important composer.His fame waned a century later, and it was not till the second half of the 20th that it was somewhat revived.Telemann did write too much, and many of his pieces were not of the highest quality, but some compositions are extremely good.Here’s Telemann’s Christmas Cantata 1761 (he composed several, this one was written for the Hamburg Christmas season of 1761).It’s performed by the Telemann-Kammerorchester Michaelstein, the chorus and soloists; Ludger Rémy conducting.
Mysliveček and Telemann, 2015
March 9, 2015. Mysliveček and Telemann. We’ve never written about Josef Mysliveček, even though this friend of Mozart’s was one of the most famous composers of his time. Mysliveček was born in Prague on March 9th, 1737, and the Czechs consider him their
national composer, even though he wrote in the Italianate style and spent most of his adult life in Italy. Mysliveček was born into a wealthy miller’s family. As a youngster he took music lessons in Prague but left for Venice in 1763 to study opera composition technique. Two years later he wrote his first opera, Semiramide, which was staged in Bergamo. In 1767 he wrote another opera, Il Bellerofonte, his most successful composition. It was staged in Naples in Teatro San Carlo, at that time a preeminent opera theater in Italy, to great acclaim. He moved from one Italian city to another, staging operas in major theaters. In 1768 Mysliveček made a brief but triumphant visit to Prague. In 1771 he was admitted to the prestigious Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna. One year later he traveled to Vienna, hoping to establish himself there, but it didn’t work out. He returned to Italy, the country where he was quite famous. Unfortunately, that didn’t last: in 1780 he staged two of his operas, Armida at La Scala in Milan, and Medonte in Rome, and both failed miserably. His reputation never recovered, and he died in poverty in Rome a year later, on February 4th of 1781. He was just 43 years old.
Mysliveček met Leopold Mozart and his fourteen year-old son Wolfgang in Bologna in 1770. He became good friends with both (Mysliveček’s name is often mentioned in the correspondence between the father and the son). It all came to an end when Mysliveček failed to deliver on his promise to arrange a commission for Wolfgang at the Teatro San Carlo for the Carnival season of 1779. Mysliveček, who wrote not just operas but also symphonies and concertos, had a significant influence on Mozart, who admired Mysliveček’s overtures (symphonies), and apparently used some of Mysliveček’s ideas in his own compositions. Mozart’s concert aria Ridente la calma is based on a substitute aria from Mysliveček’s opera Armida. Here’s his Violin concerto in A Major, performed by Shizuka Ishikawa, with the Dvořák Chamber Orchestra.
In the 18th century Telemann was considered a very important composer. His fame waned a century later, and it was not till the second half of the 20th that it was somewhat revived. Telemann did write too much, and many of his pieces were not of the highest quality, but some compositions are extremely good. Here’s Telemann’s Christmas Cantata 1761 (he composed several, this one was written for the Hamburg Christmas season of 1761). It’s performed by the Telemann-Kammerorchester Michaelstein, the chorus and soloists; Ludger Rémy conducting.