Policarpo José António da Silva (1745-1803)
- Concerto Per Violoncello obligato con Violini e Basso
Performers: Edoardo Sbаffі (violoncello); Amаzonаs Baroque Ensemble
Further info: Policarpo José António da Silva (1745-1803)
---
Portuguese singer and composer. He became a member of the St. Cecilia
Brotherhood on 19 February 1761 and a signatory to a reform of its
statutes in 1765 (Vieira 1900, pp. 324-325; Ribeiro 1995, p. 17). In
1763, Policarpo da Silva was admitted as a singer of the Patriarcal,
while in 1771 he auditioned to become a member of the Capela Real da
Ajuda at a salary of 30000 réis per month (Fernandes 2009, p. 242). In
addition, he was a royal chamber musician and music teacher. A printed
collection of his Italian canzonette on texts by Metastasio, entitled La
Primavera (1787), describes him as ‘Professore di Musica All'Attuale
Servizio delia Cappella e Camera Reale di Sua Maestá Fedelissima’.
Similarly, on the title-page of a cantata dedicated to D. Carlota
Joaquina, composed on the occasion of her birthday in 1799 (P-La,
48-III-35), he calls himself ‘Musico di Cappella e coi Camara di S. M.
F. [Sua Majestade Fidelíssima]’. While not formerly employed as a
teacher at the Seminário da Patriarcal, he had many private students
(Fernandes 2009, p. 397) and performed in private chamber concerts,
including several times for William Beckford, who regarded him as a
‘famous tenor’ in 1787. A set of Solfejos for soprano (P-Ln, C.I.C. 7)
is a testament to his work as a teacher. The title-page of a Marcha e
Contredança (P-Ln, M.M. 6003) for piano with accompaniment for two
violins and flute implies he was the music master of D. José João Miguel
de Bragança e Ligne, 1st Duke of Miranda do Corvo, in 1800.
Cap comentari:
Publica un comentari a l'entrada