October 16, 2017.Galuppi.Franz Liszt was born this week and so was Charles Ives, but we’ve written about both extensively in the past.Luca Marenzio, a wonderful Italian madrigalist of the late Renaissance was also born this week, we celebrated him a year ago (here is his Là dove sono i pargoletti Amori, performed by Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini conducting).We’ve never written about Baldassare Galuppi, though, and while he’s not one of the greats, he composed some very interesting music. Galuppi was born on October 18th of 1706 in Burano, an island in the Venetian lagoon almost as famous for its lace-making as Murano, an island nearby, is for its glass.Galuppi took music lessons with Antonio Lotti, the organist at San Marco.As a teenager he wrote an unsuccessful opera and at the age of 20 left Venice for Florence to work as a cembalist at the Teatro della Pergola.He returned to Venice in 1728 and continued composing and performing, although still without much success.In Venice of the time, Antonio Vivaldi ruled over the musical scene, and as for operas, Neapolitan productions were in vogue.In 1740 Galuppi was appointed the music director at the Ospedale dei Mendicanti, run by the Mendicanti friars.Mendicanti was an important institution, not just a hospital but also a school (especially for abandoned girls) and a shelter for lepers.Antonio Vivaldi’s father taught music there some years earlier.Galuppi’s responsibilities included teaching and composing.Less than a year into the contract with Mendicanti, Galuppi asked for permission to go to London.He stayed there for a year and a half and produced 11 operas, three of them his own.Apparently, Handel visited some of Galuppi’s productions.He returned to Venice in 1743; he continued composing operas, but his style was changing: in addition to opera seria (serious opera), in which he often cooperated with the famous librettist Metastasio, he tried himself in the new Dramma giocoso, (“drama with jokes”), the “new and improved” comic opera buffa. His new operas were more successful; Galuppi was also advancing professionally – in 1748 he was made the vice-maestro at San Marco.An even more consequential event took place a year later, when Galuppi started his collaboration with Carlo Goldoni, the famous playwright and librettist.In May of 1749, Galuppi wrote Arcadia in Brenta on Goldoni’ libretto.It was a big success, and by the end of the same year, they produced four more operas.Altogether, Galuppi and Goldoni created 18 more.Galuppi was so busy that he had to resign from Mendicanti.By the middle of the 1750s he was the most popular opera composer in all of Europe (Rameau and Gluck were probably very envious).In 1762, Galuppi was made maestro di capella of San Marco, the most important musical position in Venice.
In 1764 Catherine the Great, the Empress of Russia, requested that Galuppi come to St.-Petersburg to be her court composer and conductor. Many Italians were working for Catherine, but Galuppi was reluctant; he agreed to go to Russia only on the condition that he retain his position at San Marco, of which he was assured by the Venetian authorities.After visiting C.P.E. Bach in Berlin, Galuppi arrived in St.-Petersburg in September of 1765.He stayed there for three years, composing two operas and two cantatas.He also gave weekly harpsichord concerts and conducted the court orchestra, which needed much work.As agreed, he stayed in St-Petersburg for three years and in 1768 returned to Venice.In his last years he wrote more secular music, but continued with the operas (in all, he wrote almost 100).Charles Burney, the British music historian of the time, who was acquainted with Galuppi, thought that “like Titian’s,” Galuppi’s work got better as he got older.He wrote his last opera, La serva per amore, in 1773.He died on January 3rd of 1785.
Opera was not the only genre in which Galuppi worked.He composed many masses and other sacred music.He also wrote a large number of keyboard pieces.Here’s his Sonata in C Major, performed by another great Italian, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli.(A note: Emil Gilels was born on October 19th of 1916, we’ll write about him next week.)
Galuppi, 2017
October 16, 2017. Galuppi. Franz Liszt was born this week and so was Charles Ives, but we’ve written about both extensively in the past. Luca Marenzio, a wonderful Italian madrigalist of the late Renaissance was also born this week, we celebrated him a year ago (here is his Là dove sono i pargoletti Amori, performed by Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini conducting). We’ve never
written about Baldassare Galuppi, though, and while he’s not one of the greats, he composed some very interesting music. Galuppi was born on October 18th of 1706 in Burano, an island in the Venetian lagoon almost as famous for its lace-making as Murano, an island nearby, is for its glass. Galuppi took music lessons with Antonio Lotti, the organist at San Marco. As a teenager he wrote an unsuccessful opera and at the age of 20 left Venice for Florence to work as a cembalist at the Teatro della Pergola. He returned to Venice in 1728 and continued composing and performing, although still without much success. In Venice of the time, Antonio Vivaldi ruled over the musical scene, and as for operas, Neapolitan productions were in vogue. In 1740 Galuppi was appointed the music director at the Ospedale dei Mendicanti, run by the Mendicanti friars. Mendicanti was an important institution, not just a hospital but also a school (especially for abandoned girls) and a shelter for lepers. Antonio Vivaldi’s father taught music there some years earlier. Galuppi’s responsibilities included teaching and composing. Less than a year into the contract with Mendicanti, Galuppi asked for permission to go to London. He stayed there for a year and a half and produced 11 operas, three of them his own. Apparently, Handel visited some of Galuppi’s productions. He returned to Venice in 1743; he continued composing operas, but his style was changing: in addition to opera seria (serious opera), in which he often cooperated with the famous librettist Metastasio, he tried himself in the new Dramma giocoso, (“drama with jokes”), the “new and improved” comic opera buffa. His new operas were more successful; Galuppi was also advancing professionally – in 1748 he was made the vice-maestro at San Marco. An even more consequential event took place a year later, when Galuppi started his collaboration with Carlo Goldoni, the famous playwright and librettist. In May of 1749, Galuppi wrote Arcadia in Brenta on Goldoni’ libretto. It was a big success, and by the end of the same year, they produced four more operas. Altogether, Galuppi and Goldoni created 18 more. Galuppi was so busy that he had to resign from Mendicanti. By the middle of the 1750s he was the most popular opera composer in all of Europe (Rameau and Gluck were probably very envious). In 1762, Galuppi was made maestro di capella of San Marco, the most important musical position in Venice.
In 1764 Catherine the Great, the Empress of Russia, requested that Galuppi come to St.-Petersburg to be her court composer and conductor. Many Italians were working for Catherine, but Galuppi was reluctant; he agreed to go to Russia only on the condition that he retain his position at San Marco, of which he was assured by the Venetian authorities. After visiting C.P.E. Bach in Berlin, Galuppi arrived in St.-Petersburg in September of 1765. He stayed there for three years, composing two operas and two cantatas. He also gave weekly harpsichord concerts and conducted the court orchestra, which needed much work. As agreed, he stayed in St-Petersburg for three years and in 1768 returned to Venice. In his last years he wrote more secular music, but continued with the operas (in all, he wrote almost 100). Charles Burney, the British music historian of the time, who was acquainted with Galuppi, thought that “like Titian’s,” Galuppi’s work got better as he got older. He wrote his last opera, La serva per amore, in 1773. He died on January 3rd of 1785.
Opera was not the only genre in which Galuppi worked. He composed many masses and other sacred music. He also wrote a large number of keyboard pieces. Here’s his Sonata in C Major, performed by another great Italian, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. (A note: Emil Gilels was born on October 19th of 1916, we’ll write about him next week.)