Page:Pratt - The history of music (1907).djvu/291

 1717), Lotti (d. 1740, no operas after about 1720), C. F. Polaroli (d. 1722), Ariosti (d. c. 1740) and Caldara (d. 1736).

Besides these the following should be mentioned:—

Giovanni Battista Bononcini (d. c. 1750), the ablest of the three composers of the family, lived a long and checkered life, of which the details are in part obscure. Born about 1660 at Modena, trained at Bologna, where in 1688 he was choirmaster, and connected with the court music at Vienna in 1691-1711, he was also at Rome, Berlin and other cities before 1716, when he was called to London first as Handel's operatic colleague, later as his bitter rival. In 1731, being convicted of plagiarizing from Lotti, he left London, moved from place to place, and was last heard of at Vienna and Venice. He was a clever writer along conventional lines, with some gifts as a melodist. His works include over 30 operas, of which the series in London are the best, from Astarto (1720) to Astianatte (1727), several oratorios (as Ezechia, 1737), some church music, cantatas and many instrumental pieces.

Francesco Gasparini (d. 1727), pupil of Corelli and Pasquini at Rome, from about 1700 chorusmaster at one of the Venetian conservatories, wrote about 50 operas (from 1694). Luc'Antonio Predieri (d. 1769), a leader in the Accademia filarmonica at Bologna and probably choirmaster at the cathedral, from 1739 assistant choirmaster at Vienna and from 1747 chief, and from 1751 at Naples on a pension, produced 14 operas (from 1711), largely for Italian theatres. Among the Venetians were Giovanni Porta (d. 1755), at first a teacher at Venice, from 1720 in London, and from 1738 choirmaster at Munich, with about 30 operas (as Numitore, 1720, London); Giovanni Battista Pescetti (d. 1766), pupil of Lotti, active in London in 1737-40, but principally associated with Venice, finally as organist at St. Mark's, with about 10 (from 1726); and Fortunato Chelleri (d. 1757), brought up at Piacenza, where his first opera was produced (1707), followed by about 15 more (till 1722) at various Italian cities and in Spain, and from 1725 court-choirmaster at Cassel.

At Vienna were also notable the contrapuntist Fux (d. 1741), with nearly 30 dramatic works (from 1702), the strongest being oratorios; Francesco Conti (d. 1732), from 1713 court-composer, with even more (from 1706); Josef Bonno (d. 1788), court-composer from 1739, with about 20 (from 1732); and G. C. Wagenseil (d. 1777), the clavier-virtuoso, in the imperial service from 1739, with perhaps 10 (from 1740). (See secs. 121, 140.)

At Munich were Pietro Torri (d. 1737), from 1689 court-organist and the successor of Bernabei as choirmaster, with about 25 operas (from 1690); and Andrea Bernasconi (d. 1784), born at Marseilles and educated at Parma, but first known as an opera-writer at Vienna (1738) and Venice (1741), from 1753 at Munich and in 1755 Porta's successor, with about 20 operas, chiefly for Munich, besides considerable church music.

With Breslau are associated Antonio Bioni (d. after 1739), pupil of Porta, opera-director from 1726, with about 25 operas (from 1721); and Daniel Gottlieb Treu (d. 1749), born at Stuttgart, pupil of Vivaldi at Venice, choirmaster at Breslau from 1725, at Prague from 1727, and at Hirschberg from 1740, with about 15 operas, besides other works.