CAMBINI, Giuseppe Maria (1746-1825) - Sinfonie Concertanti

Obra de Julius Caesar Ibbetson (1759-1817), pintor anglès (1)

- Recordatori de Giuseppe Maria Cambini -

En el dia de la commemoració del seu 191è aniversari de decés

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Parlem de Pintura...

Julius Caesar Ibbetson (Farnley, 29 de desembre de 1759 - Masham, 13 d'octubre de 1817) va ser un pintor anglès. Es va formar en la comunitat Moràvia local i amb la Societat Religiosa d'Amics. Posteriorment, va rebre formació en art del pintor John Fletcher entre els anys 1772 i 1777. Després de finalitzar els seus estudis es va traslladar a Londres on va treballar com a restaurador de pintures. Va ser a partir del 1785 quan Ibbetson va començar a exposar a la Royal Academy of Arts amb la seva obra "View of North Fleet". El 1787 va assolir la condició de pintor del coronel Charles Cathcart qui en aquell temps era l'ambaixador anglès a la Xina. Va ser en el transcurs dels nombrosos viatges que va realitzar que va començar a dibuixar els paisatges, la fauna i la flora que anava observant. El 1789 es va instal·lar a Gal·les, territori que va pintar amb recurrència, abans de visitar l'illa de Wight el 1790, on es va especialitzar en vistes marítimes. El 1798 es traslladar a Liverpool, on va treballar per a Thomas Vernon, i a on es va casar amb la seva segona esposa amb qui es va traslladar a Ambleside. Des d'allà va treballar sota demanda de clients adinerats fins que el 1803 va rebre una generosa oferta de William Danby amb qui va treballar la resta de la seva vida a Masham, poble on va morir l'octubre de 1817.

Font: En català: No disponible - En castellano: No disponible - In english: Julius Caesar Ibbetson (1759-1817) - Altres: No disponible

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Parlem de Música...

Giuseppe Maria Cambini (Livorno, ?13 de febrer de 1746 - Paris?, 29 de desembre de 1825) va ser un violinista i compositor italià. Segons Fetis, va néixer a Livorno on va rebre formació d'un tal Polli si bé els primers anys de vida són biogràficament poc precisos i es creu va romandre actiu a Nàpols fins el 1770. De fet, la primera certesa documentada es situa a París a partir del 1770 on va representar una de les seves simfonies concertants al Concert Spirituel el 20 de maig de 1773. A partir d'aleshores, la seva producció va augmentar ràpidament fins a situar-se a l'entorn d'unes 600 obres instrumentals publicades a principis del 1800 circumstància que demostraria el seu descomunal èxit a París. També va ser autor d'un mínim de 14 òperes la majoria d'elles representades a París, ciutat on també va treballar conjuntament amb Gossec. A partir del 1788 va treballar a l'orquestra del Théâtre des Beaujolais i a partir del 1794 a la del Théâtre Louvois. Durant la Revolució Francesa va saber adaptar el seu estil i va compondre diverses odes i himnes de caràcter revolucionari. A partir del 1795 va disminuir el seu interès per la composició centrant-se en la publicació de literatura musical com per exemple el seu Nouvelle méthode théorique et pratique pour le violon (1795) o el Méthode pour la flûte traversière (1799). A partir del 1810 la seva pista es va començar a perdre i va desaparèixer d'escena. Segons Fetis, va morir a l'Hôpital Bicêtre el desembre de 1825 si bé altres fonts situen la seva mort en una data anterior al 1818.

OBRA:

Vocal secular:

Stage:
music lost unless otherwise stated; all known first performances in Paris
Les romans (ballet-héroïque, 3, L.-C.-M. de Bonneval), Opéra (Palais-Royal), 2 Aug 1776, 1st entrée F-Po*
Rose et Carloman (comédie-héroïque, 3, A.D. Dubreuil), Comédie-Italienne (Bourgogne), 24 April 1779; lib as Rose d'amour (Paris, n.d.)
La statue (comédie, 2, M.-R. de Montalembert), Hôtel de Montalembert, ?2 Aug 1784, Pn
La bergère de qualité (comédie, 3, Montalembert), Hôtel de Montalembert, 24 Jan 1786
Le tuteur avare (opéra bouffon, 3, J.-L. Gabiot de Salins), Beaujolais, 1 March 1788 (Paris, c1789) [ov., nos.12–17 and part of no.11 by Cambini, the rest from P. Anfossi: L'avaro]
La croisée (comédie, 2), Beaujolais, 26 April 1788, 14 airs (Paris, c1789)
Colas et Colette (opéra bouffon, 1), Beaujolais, 20 June 1788, 2 airs in Journal hebdomadaire, composé d'airs d'opéra, xxiii (Paris, 1788)
Le bon père (opéra bouffon, 1, J.-F. Le Pitre), Beaujolais, 18 Oct 1788, air arr. Fournier for 2 vn in Douze petits airs pour deux violons (Paris, 1789)
La prêtresse du soleil (drame, 3, Gabiot de Salins), Beaujolais, 26 March 1789; also as Cora, ou La prêtesse du soleil
La revanche, ou Les deux frères (comédie, 3, P.U. Dubuisson), Beaujolais, 12 July 1790; also as Les deux frères
Adèle et Edwin (opéra, 3), Beaujolais, ?1790; rev. (1), Louvois, 19 Aug 1791
Nantilde et Dagobert (opéra, 3, P.-A.-A. de Piis), Louvois, 1 Oct 1791
Les trois Gascons (opéra, 1, Cambini, ?after N. Boindin), Louvois, 1 July 1793
Encore un tuteur dupé (comédie, 1, P.-J.-A. Roussel), Montansier, 22 Feb 1798

Doubtful:
Alcméon (tragédie lyrique, 3, Dubreuil), Opéra (Porte-St-Martin), 13 July 1782 [cited by Goizet; according to Fétis, unperf.; does not appear in the records of the Opéra];
Alcide, 1782 (opéra, 3, Dubreuil), unperf. [cited by Goizet];
L'Amour et la peur, ou L'amant forcé d'être fidèle (oc, 4, Cambini), Jeunes Artistes, 20 Oct 1795 [cited by Goizet];
contribs. [cited by Fétis] to Campra's Les fêtes vénitiennes, 1789, to Armide and to 4 pantomimes

Spurious:
Les fourberies de Mathurin (oc, 1, B. Davesne), Beaujolais, 5 Aug 1786 [actually by F. Bambini]

Other vocal:
Appollon prends pitié, scène lyrique, 1v, orch (Paris, n.d.)
Le compositeur, scène comique, 1v, orch (Paris, c1786)
Les amours d'Heloïse et d'Abelard, duo dialogué (Paris, 1793), lost
Andromaque, scène lyrique, 1v, orch, F-Pn
Various airs in 18th-century anthologies

Revolutionary hymns and odes, partial thematic catalogue in Pierre:
Les rois, les grands, les prêtres;
Hymne à l'égalité;
Hymne à la liberté;
Hymne à l'Etre Suprême (Ame de l'univers!);
Hymne à l'Etre Suprême (Ordre éternel);
Hymne à la vertu;
Hymne à la victoire;
Ode sur les deux jeunes héros Bara et Viala;
Ode sur la victoire;
Ode sur nos victoires;
Le pas de charge républicain;
piece(?s) in Chansonnier des amateurs, dédiés aux amis de la République (Paris, 1794);

Lost works, incl.:
Les coalisés;
Les dangers de l'idolatrie;
Ode au peuple françois sur le nouveau triomphe de la liberté;
Salut et respect à la lois;
Stances sur la translation des jeunes héros Viala et Bara;
La femme républicaine;
Les exploits du Roi Guillaume;
Ronde patriotique sur les crimes des anglais

Vocal religiosa:

Le sacrifice d'Isaac (oratoire françois), Concert Spirituel, April 1774, B-Bc
Joad (oratoire françois), Concert Spirituel, May 1775, Bc
Samson (oratoire, Voltaire), Concert Spirituel, 2 Feb 1779, lost
Le sacrifice d'Abraham (oratoire), Concert Spirituel, 1 April 1780, lost
2 masses, 1 Kyrie, D-Bsb;
3 masses, Bsb;
Domini est terra (Ps xxiii), F-Pc*

Lost:
Miserere, motet à grand choeur, 1775;
sacred ‘hyerodrame’, Concert Spirituel, 4 June 1775;
several solo and small motets perf. at Concert Spirituel, 1773–5

Instrumental:

Most published in Paris (1773–95), many also in London and Germany; Trimpert (1967) lists all known editions; op. nos. in parentheses are those assigned to later editions; thematic catalogue of symphonies and symphonies concertantes in The Symphony 1720–1840, ser. D, v (New York, 1983) and in Parcell (1984)

Syms.:
3 for str, 2 ob, 2 hn, op.5 (1776), 1 ed. in The Symphony 1720–1840, ser. D, v (New York, 1983);
3 symphonies à grand orchestre, 2e livre, for str, fl, 2 ob, bn, 2 hn (1787), no.2 also attrib. J.M. Kraus;
3 for str, 2 ob, 2 hn (?1788), also attrib. P.-D. Deshayes

Symphonies concertantes (82, of which 76 pubd and 51 extant, 3 ed. in The Symphony 1720–1840, ser. D, v, New York, 1983) [only solo insts listed]:
Première suite (1774–c86) [13 for 2 vn, 2 lost;
8 for 2 vn, va;
3 for 2 vn, vc;
1 for vn, vc;
1 for vn, va, vc;
3 lost, insts not stated];
Seconde et nouvelle suite (1782–7) [6 for 2 vn;
2 for 2 vn, va;
1 for vn, vc;
1 for 2 vn, vc;
1 for 2 vn, fl;
1 for fl, vn;
1 for 2 fl;
1 for ob, bn;
1 lost, insts not stated];
Troisième suite (1777–c86) [13 for 2 fl, 9 lost;
4 for 2 ob, 3 lost;
3 for ob, bn;
2 for fl, vn, 1 lost;
2 for ob, vn, both lost;
2 for fl, ob, bn, 1 lost;
2 for ob, vn, va, both lost;
1 for 2 ob, bn, lost;
1 for fl, ob, lost;
1 for fl, vn, va;
1 for ob, vn, vc];
La Patriote, 2 vn (1794);
1 for fl, vn, va, I-Fc;
1 for fl, ob, hn, bn, lost;
1 for 2 vn, lost;
1 for fl, 2 vn, lost;
1 for vn, vc, cl, bn, lost

Concs.:
3 for vn (1782–5), 1 ?CZ-CH, 2 lost;
1 for va, Pnm;
5 for fl, incl. 2 in op.37 (1785), 2 lost;
4 for fl on ‘airs connus’, 2 lost;
1 for ob (1785), lost;
1 for bn (1786), lost;
3 for hpd/pf, op.15 (1780), nos.1 and 3 ed. in Antica musica strumentale italiana (Milan, 1964, 1959)

Qnts:
nos.1–110 (?orig. 114), 2 vn, va, 2 vc, US-Wc*, some inc.;
3 unnumbered for 2 vn, va, 2 vc, Wc, inc.;
11 for fl, 2 vn, va, b, opp.8(9), incl. 5 in CZ-Pnm;
6 for fl, vn, 2 va, b, op.13;
3 for cl, fl, ob, hn, bn (c1802);
1 with 2 vc, 1 with 2 va: both in 4 quatuors, op.23 (1781);
3 for hpd, 2 vn, va, b, D-Dl

Qts, complete thematic catalogue in Trimpert:
149 str qts (1773–1809);
Quatuors d'airs … variés, str qt, 5 bks;
Suite d'airs de [Lemoyne's] Phèdre, with Ouverture en quatuor, str qt;
6 qts, vn, 2 va, vc, op.21 (?1782–4);
18 qts, fl, vn, va, vc, opp.9(10), 23–4;
6 quatuors d'airs … variés, fl, vn, va, vc;
6 qts, hpd/pf, 2 vn obbl, [?vc];
5 qts, ob, vn, [?vc,] kbd, F-Pn

Trios:
at least 12 for 2 vn, va, incl. opp.3 (1, 5, 30), 34;
6 ‘d'air choisis’, 2 vn, va/vc (c1785), lost;
at least 24 for 2 vn, b, incl. opp.6, 8, 15, 18;
18 for vn, va, vc, opp.33 (2, 6, 10, 17), 36, 40;
6 for fl, vn, va, op.26 (1782);
at least 18 for fl, vn, b, incl. opp.3, 8;
at least 6 for 2 fl, va;
6 for 2 fl, b, op.3 (c1790), no.6 (Zürich, 1976);
6 for fl, ob, bn, op.45 (c1785)

Duos/sonatas:
at least 30 for 2 vn, incl. opp.4(2), 16, 21, 28;
12 ‘d'une difficulté progressive’, 2 vn, opp.47, 52;
12 ‘d'aires … variés’, 2 vn;
6 airs patriotiques variés, 2 vn;
6 for (2 vn)/(vn, vc);
at least 18 for vn, va, incl. op.12(14), 46;
12 airs … variés, vn, va;
12 for 2 va, incl. op.13;
12 for vn, vc, incl. op.35;
18 for fl, vn, incl. op.16(20);
6 for fl, va, op.4 (1781);
at least 32 for 2 fl, incl. opp.2, 11(5), 50;
at least 12 airs … variés, 2 fl;
6 for 2 vc, op.49;
30 airs variés, 2 fl, in 5 bks, 3 bks lost

Solo inst:
6 sonates, vn, b, ‘d'une difficulté graduelle’ (1786);
Petits airs variés, vn;
A Favourite Capriccio, vn, et boutade et potpourri;
Preludes et points d'orgue dans tous les tons, mélés d'airs variés, vn;
at least 12 sonatas, fl, b;
6 sonatas, hpd/pf, vn acc., op.21 (1781);
Air de Marlborough avec variations, pf/hpd, vn obbl;
6 sonates, hpd/pf, fl acc.;
Marche des Marseillois et la Carmagnole variées, fl, b, also arr. cl;
Petits airs connus variés, fl, b, also arr. cl;
Air variés, fl, op.6;
Différens solfèges d'une difficulté graduelle, 1v, bc (1788)

Arrangements:
6 qts [trios], hpd, acc. vn, va, arr. from str qts op.7
Arrs. of many works by Boccherini and some by Pleyel, see Gribenski (MGG1)
Other arrs. pubd singly, in duos on ‘airs connus’, and in 18th-century anthologies

Literatura:

Nouvelle méthode théorique et pratique pour le violon (Paris, c1795/R)
Méthode pour la flûte traversière suivie de vingt petits airs connus et six duo à l'usage des commençans (Paris, 1799/R)
‘Ausführung der Instrumentalquartetten’, AMZ, vi (1803–4), 781–3
2 articles in Correspondance des professeurs et amateurs de musique (Paris, 1804), 283, 457
‘Über den Charakter, den die italienischen und deutschen Musik haben, und die französische haben sollte’, AMZ, vii (1804–5), 149–55 [doubtful]
6 articles in Les tablettes de Polymnie (Paris, 1810–11) [doubtful]

Font: En català: Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825) - En castellano: Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825) - In english: Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825) - Altres: Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825)

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Parlem en veu pròpia o en veu d'altri...

Cambini may have been active in Naples in the mid-1760s. Fétis related the story, based on an ironic anecdote in Grimm's Correspondance littéraire, that Cambini, having produced an unsuccessful opera in Naples in 1766, started home with his fiancée and was captured by Barbary pirates. After lurid hardships on the voyage, his freedom was finally bought by a wealthy Venetian. But the authenticity of this romantic adventure is also open to serious doubt. Cambini's name is best known today through a brief encounter with Mozart, who blamed him, with only circumstantial evidence, for Legros' cancellation of the performance of his Symphonie concertante (the lost k297b) at the Concert Spirituel. The envy and intrigue that Mozart suspected is not reported elsewhere, and Gluck knew Cambini's personal reputation well enough to recommend him as an honest man. Cambini's achievements as an opera composer are difficult to assess because only two of his 14 stage works are preserved complete, with three others surviving in fragmentary form. It is obvious, however, that his success was limited. His importance in that area rests more on the role he played in the theatrical life of Paris before and during the early years of Revolution than on his creations. Nor did he stand in the front rank of Parisian violinists; references to his playing are rare. His instrumental compositions, however, particularly the quartets and symphonies concertantes, were valued by his contemporaries, as is clearly shown by their number and widespread multiple editions. Even Mozart admitted that Cambini's quartets were ‘quite pretty’. During the 1770s and 1780s, reviews were brief and conventional but favourable. Not until the 1790s did harsh criticism begin to appear, particularly in German periodicals. Gerber was the first to accuse him of writing too much, and this criticism has been frequently repeated ever since. There is little evidence of carelessness in Cambini's works, however, and there is no reason to suppose that time would have supplied the missing elements of seriousness and originality. Cambini's works show facility far above the average and a degree of craftsmanship adequate to his purpose and imagination. 

He never tried to do more than please his audience, and in this he was justly successful. He was the galant Parisian composer par excellence – facile, charming, brilliant and very occasionally novel. During the time that he was active in Paris, the most popular type of orchestral music was the symphonie concertante, and Cambini's orchestral output reflects this preference. While he composed only nine symphonies and 17 concertos, he wrote 82 symphonies concertantes, far more than any of his French contemporaries. Most of these were published during his lifetime by several Parisian firms, including Berault, Durieu, Sieber, Le Menu et Boyer and Imbault; Berault issued 20 of them on a monthly subscription basis, starting in March 1776. Cambini's symphonies concertantes, like those of his Parisian contemporaries, are typically structured in two fast movements, both in a major key; only 12 are in three movements, none in four or more. The key relationships between the movements are conventional, though the inner movements are most often in minor rather than major keys. The tempo indications of the inner movements are also unusual in that the majority are marked either Adagio, Largo or Larghetto – tempos that are rarely found in the symphonies concertantes of his contemporaries. The melodic material is pleasant and appealing and the harmonic vocabulary simple and predictable. Cambini's use of frequent diatonic and chromatic dissonances, however, adds a richness to his music which would otherwise be lacking. While the tutti instrumentation is fairly uniform, consisting most often of parts for two violins, viola, bass, two oboes, and two horns, the solo instrumentation is much more varied; Cambini was apparently the earliest composer in France to devote a considerable portion of his symphonies concertantes to wind soloists. Efforts have been made to portray Cambini as a pioneer in the development of the string quartet. Actually, he was only one (although one of the most prolific) of many composers contributing to a development in France that was for some time denied the consideration it deserves.

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Gaudiu i compartiu! 

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Informació addicional... 

INTERPRETS: Massimo Mercelli (flute); Paolo Pollastri (oboe); Symphonia Perusina; Marco Zuccarini
AMAZON: CAMBINI, G.M. - Symphony Concertantes Nos. 1, 3, 4 & SPONTINI, G. - Notturno

IMSLP: Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825)

CPDL: No disponible

SPOTIFY: CAMBINI, G.M. - Symphony Concertantes Nos. 1, 3, 4 & SPONTINI, G. - Notturno



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