Page:Pratt - The history of music (1907).djvu/367



Giovanni Paisiello (d. 1816), born in 1741, studied nine years at Naples under Durante, Cotumacci and Abos, the last four years himself serving as a teacher. In 1765 began the long series of dramatic works that continued for almost 40 years and made him famous throughout Europe. From 1776 he was at St. Petersburg in the employ of the Empress Catherine, returning in 1784 to royal service at Naples. In 1802-3 he was in high favor with Napoleon at Paris, after which he resumed his post at Naples. From 1772 he produced more or less sacred music as well—masses, motets, a Passion (1782, Warsaw); and he was a fertile instrumental composer—many symphonies, quartets, concertos, etc. But he chiefly excelled in opera, especially in buffo forms or those that mingled the comic with the serious. He was strong as a melodist, not so much in the conventional and stilted style, but in spontaneous lyricalness, and his handling of accompaniments was original and ingenious. Occasionally he rose to a degree of dramatic sublimity and force, though his best talent lay in charming and piquant effects. Of his more than 100 operas and operettas many had special success, such as L'idolo cinese (1767, Naples), La serva padrona (1769, Naples), Il matrimonio inaspettato (1778, St. Petersburg), Il barbiere di Siviglia (1782, St. Petersburg), Il re Teodoro (1784, Vienna), Il molinara (1788, Naples), Nina (1789, Naples), I zingari (1789, Naples) and Proserpina (1803, Paris). He was much in competition with Piccinni and Cimarosa, sharing with them the highest popularity of the period.

Several lesser names follow. Gennaro Astarita (d. 1803?) wrote about 35 popular operas, mostly comic (from 1765), given throughout Italy and somewhat elsewhere, including Circe ed Ulisse (1777). Felice Alessandri (d. 1798) began as both clavierist and opera-writer (from 1767), and worked at Turin, Paris, London, St. Petersburg and Berlin, producing about 30 operas of transient value. Nicola Antonio Zingarelli (d. 1837), born in 1752, entered the opera field in 1768, but not strikingly until 1785, whence his activity continued till 1811, with about 30 operas, the most famous being Romeo e Giulietta (1796, Milan). His official posts and his greater renown were in connection with church music (see sec. 163). Pasquale Anfossi (d. 1797), born in 1727 and a pupil of Piccinni, began writing operas in 1758, soon sought to rival his teacher at Rome, visited Paris, London, Berlin, Prague and Florence in a busy search for popularity, and from 1791 was choirmaster at the Lateran in Rome. His operas number over 70, of which L'incognita perseguitata (1773, Rome) was the first to show his clever talent. Giacomo Insanguine [or Monopoli, from his birthplace] (d. 1796), pupil at Naples of Cotumacci, produced 21 operas (1756-82) and also fair church music, as the 71st Psalm (1775). Giuseppe Gazzaniga (d. 1818), pupil of Porpora and Piccinni, wrote about 45 operas (from 1768), among which was Il convitato di pietra (1787, Venice), with a libretto which influenced that of Mozart's Don Giovanni (same year, Prague). Giuseppe Giordani (d. 1798) began opera-writing in 1771 at Pisa, from 1772 taught in London and Dublin, besides giving operas, and in 1782 returned to Italy, in 1791 becoming choirmaster at Fermo. He produced about 35 operas, among them Il bacio (1774, London), and much instrumental and some church music.

Domenico Cimarosa (d. 1801) was born near Naples in 1749 and studied there for eleven years under Manna, Sacchini, Fenaroli and Piccinni. In 1772