BENNET, William Sterndale (1816-1875) - Symphony in g (1835)

William Sterndale Bennett (1816-1875) - Symphony (No.5) in g (1835)

Performers: Milton Keynes Chamber Orchestra; Hilary Davan Wetton (conductor)

Painting: James Webb (1825-1895) - St Paul's from the River Thames (1875)

Further info: Piano Concerto In F Minor - Symphony In G Minor

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William Sterndale Bennett [Bennet]

(Sheffield, 13 April 1816 - London, 1 February 1875)

English composer. His father, Robert Bennett (1788-1819), an organist, and his mother, Elizabeth Donn (1791-1818), died when he was a child, and he was then placed in the care of his grandfather, John Bennett (1754-1837), who was also a musician. At the age of eight he was admitted to the choir of King's College Chapel, Cambridge, and at ten he became a pupil at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied theory with Charles Lucas and piano with William Henry Holmes, and played violin in the academy orchestra under Cipriani Potter. He later studied music theory there with William Crotch. Soon he began to compose; he was 16 years old when he was the soloist in the first performance of his Piano Concerto No.1 in Cambridge on 28 November 1832. In 1836 he made an extensive visit to Leipzig, where he became a close friend of Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann; also appeared as a pianist and conductor of his own works with the Gewandhaus Orchestra there. He continued to compose industriously, and played his Piano Concerto No.4 with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig on 17 January 1839. He visited Germany again in 1841-42. From 1843 to 1856 he gave a series of chamber music concerts in London; in 1849 he founded the Bach Society. From 1856 to 1866 he conducted the Philharmonic Society of London; concurrently he held the post of professor of music at the University of Cambridge; in 1866 he assumed the position of principal of the Royal Academy of Music. His reputation as a composer grew. He amassed honors: in 1856 he received the honorary degree of D.Mus. from the University of Cambridge, which also conferred on him the degree of M.A. in 1867; he received the degree of D.C.L. from the University of Oxford in 1870; in a culmination of these honors, he was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1871. The final honor was his burial in Westminster Abbey. He ranks as the most distinguished English composer of the Romantic school. 

DANZI, Franz Ignaz (1763-1826) - Lateinische Vesper-Psalmen

Franz Ignaz Danzi (1763-1826) - Lateinische | Vesper=Psalmen | für | Sopran, Alt, Tenor und Bass

| II Violinen, Viola und Orgel | II Trompetten u. Paucken ad Lib.

Performers: Erika Rüggeberg (1940-2018, soprano); Julia Falk (alto); Albert Gassner (tenor); Carlo Schmid (bass); Chor der Herz-Jesukirche München; Convivium Musicum München; Josef Schmidhuber (1924-1990, conductor)

Painting: Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich (1712-1774) - Verkündigung an die Hirten

Further info: Johann Kaspar Aiblinger: Missa Advocata nostra

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Franz (Ignaz) Danzi

(Schwetzingen, bap. 15 June 1763 - Karlsruhe, 13 April 1826)

German composer and cellist. Son of Mannheim orchestra cellist Innocenz Danzi (c.1730-1798), he received his earliest musical education in Mannheim from members of the Kapelle, as well as Abbé Georg Joseph Vogler. At the age of 15 he was appointed to the orchestra, but a few years later he remained behind in Mannheim when the majority moved to Munich. His earliest successes as a composer of works for the stage occurred there, but in 1784 he was named his father’s successor as principal cellist in Munich. In 1791 he undertook tours throughout Germany as a conductor, including with the Guardasoni troupe. The death of Carl Theodor in 1799 had a greater impact on Danzi’s career: the new elector, Maximilian IV Joseph, was less sympathetic to German opera and imposed financial restrictions on the theatres. Further, Danzi faced opposition from rivals, including the new intendant Joseph Marius Babo and the Kapellmeister Peter Winter. When his serious German opera 'Iphigenie in Aulis' was finally given in 1807, it was poorly prepared and had only two performances; bitter and disappointed, Danzi left Munich for Stuttgart. In October 1807, the King of Württemberg offered Danzi the position of Kapellmeister at Stuttgart, where Zumsteeg had been active. There Danzi met Carl Maria von Weber and encouraged the younger composer as he completed his Singspiel 'Silvana'. Here he formed a fast friendship with Carl Maria von Weber. In 1812 he moved to Karlsruhe, where he spent the remainder of his life. An active composer, he wrote 16 operas; incidental music to 25 plays; eight Masses; 87 chamber works, among which several dozen woodwind quintets were popular throughout Europe; five symphonies; six sinfonia concertantes; concertos for the bassoon, horn, flute, and violoncello; as well as a large number of other sacred works, songs, and smaller instrumental pieces. He was also active as a librettist. His style, though conservative, is characterized by inventive use of orchestral color, particularly with respect to the wind and brass instruments.

CORRETTE, Michel (1707-1795) - Concerto per organo obligati

Michel Corrette (1707-1795) - Concerto des 'VI Concerti a sei strumenti, cimbalo o organo obligati,

tre violini, flauto, alto viola e violoncello ... opera XXVI'

Performers: Francois-Henri Houbart (organ); Orchestre Bernard Thomas; Bernard Thomas (conductor)

Drawing: Edward Francis Burney (1760-1848) - Heavenly Orchestra

Further info: Les Six Concertos Pour Orgue

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Michel Corrette [Corette]

(Rouen, 10 April 1707 - Paris, 21 January 1795)

French organist, teacher, and composer. Son of Gaspard Corrette (1671-1732), he probably received music lessons from his father. Though little is known of his early life. He was married on 8 January 1733 to Marie-Catherine Morize. They had a daughter Marie-Anne Corrette (1734-c.1822) and a son Pierre-Michel Corrette (1744-1801), who became an organist. Michel Corrette first established his reputation by becoming musical director of the Foire St Germain and the Foire St Laurent, where he arranged and composed vaudevilles and divertissements for the opéras comiques (1732-39). From 1737 until its closure in 1790 he was organist at Ste Marie within the temple of the grand prieur of France, thus serving the Chevalier d’Orléans, then the Prince de Conti (1749), and finally the Duke d’Angoulême (1776). About a year after beginning at the temple, he became organist at the Jesuit College in the rue St-Antoine, a position he retained until the Jesuits were expelled in 1762. In 1734 he was styled Grand maître des Chevaliers du Pivois, from 1750 Chevalier de l’Ordre de Christ. He was a prolific composer, producing concertos for harpsichord, organ, flute, and hurdy-gurdy, sonatas, organ works, and a large output of sacred music. He also prepared 17 methods on performing practice, 6 of which are lost.

TARTINI, Giuseppe (1692-1770) - Concertino con Flauto solo

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) - Concertino (Fa maggiore) con Flauto solo | Violini Obligati

Performers: Ensemble Baroque Le Rondeau; Jean-Pierre Boullet (flute & conductor)

Painting: Jan Josef Horemans (1682-1752) - Company in the garden

Further info: Un Accademia a Napoli Nell' Anno 1725

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Giuseppe (Giuzeppe) Tartini

(Pirano, [now Piran, Slovenia], 8 April 1692 - Padua, 26 February 1770)

Italian composer, violinist, teacher and theorist. Son of Giovanni Antonio Tartini and Caterina Zangrando, his parents desired that he enter the church, but while a law student at the University of Padua, he married Elisabetta Premazore on 29 July 1710. Compelled to leave Padua, he took refuge for three years in the convent of San Francesco d’Assisi, where he studied the violin without a teacher. By 1714, he was a violinist in the Ancona opera and spent the next years playing at various theaters in northeastern Italy. On 16 April 1721, he was appointed 'primo violino e capo di concerto' at San Antonio of Padua. From 1723 to 1726, he was in Prague, in service to the Kinsky family, where he met Johann Joseph Fux, Antonio Caldara, and Sylvius Weiss, among other luminaries. Then he returned to Padua, started his school, and about 1730, brought out his first published volume of violin works. About 1740, he suffered a stroke that adversely affected his playing, and he devoted more and more time to music theory in his last years. In an age when composing for the church or the theater was the sure path to success, he refused to do either and embarked upon an idiosyncratic career establishing an international reputation as violinist and philosopher of music, writing five treatises contesting the ideas of Giovanni Battista Martini, Jean-Philippe Rameau, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, among others, and leaving an oeuvre concentrated on the violin: about 135 solo violin concertos, about 135 violin sonatas with continuo, 30 unaccompanied sonatas, and about 40 trio sonatas. He also composed 2 flute concertos, 2 concertos for viola da gamba, 4 motets, and 20 Italian sacred songs. Most of his living was made as a freelance violinist. In the late 1720s, he founded his own school of violin playing, the first of its type, known as 'school of the nations' because it attracted students from all over Europe.

DESTOUCHES, André Cardinal (1672-1749) - Suite 'Issé' (1697)

André Cardinal Destouches (1672-1749) - Suite des 'Issé , pastorale heroique,

représentée devant Sa Majesté, à Trianon, le 17. de decembre 1697'

Performers: English Chamber Orchestra; Raymond Leppard (1927-2019, conductor)

Painting: François Boucher (1703-1770) - Arion on the Dolphin (1748)

Further info: Scylla Et Glaucus - Suite / Issé - Suite

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André Cardinal Destouches [Des Touches, Déstouches]

(Paris, bap. 6 April 1672 - Paris, 7 February 1749)

French composer. Son of Etienne Cardinal, Seigneur des Touches et de Guilleville and a wealthy Parisian merchant, did not take the patronym Destouches until his father's death in 1694. From 1681 to 1686 he was schooled by the Jesuits of the rue St-Jacques. He later went as a boy to Siam (now Thailand) with his teacher, the missionary Gui Tachard (1686). He returned to France in 1688. He served in the Royal Musketeers (1692-94), and later took lessons from Andre Campra, contributing 3 airs to André Campra's opera-ballet 'L'Europe galante' (1697). After this initiation, he produced his first independent work, 'Isse, a heroic pastorale' in 3 acts (1697); its popularity was parodied in several productions of a similar pastoral nature ('Les Amours de Vincennes' by P.F. Dominique, 1719; 'Les Oracles' by Jean-Antoine Romagnesi, 1741). Among his other operas, the following were produced in Paris: 'Amadis de Grece' (1699), 'Omphale' (1701), and 'Callirhoé' (1712). With Michel-Richard de Lalande, he wrote the ballet 'Les Elements', which was produced at the Tuileries Palace in Paris on 22 December 1721. In 1713 Louis XIV appointed him 'Inspector general' of the Academic Royale de Musique. In 1728 he became its director, retiring in 1730. For 'maintaining order and discipline' he received a 4000 livre pension. A revival of 'Omphale' in 1752 evoked Baron Grimm's famous 'Lettre sur Omphale', inaugurating the so-called 'Guerre des Bouffons' between the proponents of the French school, as exemplified by Destouches, and Italian opera buffa. André Cardinal Destouches remained active musically even in his last years. At 70, he conducted the orchestra for a masked ball given by the daughters of Louis XV, and he kept control of the queen's concerts until 1745. He died in his elegant home (today, 4 rue Saint-Roch next to the church of Saint Roch), and was buried in the crypt of the Chapel of the Virgin in that church.

SCHEIBE, Johann Adolph (1708-1776) - Passions Cantata (1769)

Johann Adolph Scheibe (1708-1776) - Passions Cantata (1769)

Performers: Bonna Søndberg (soprano); Ole Hedegård (tenor); Ulrik Cold (1939-2010, bass);

The Royal Opera Choir; Collegium Musicum; Lavard Friisholm (1912-1999, conductor)

Painting: Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) - The Lamentation over the Dead Christ

Further info: Passions-Cantata

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Johann Adolph (Adolf) Scheibe detto 'Misogyn' [Scheiben, Scheiber]

(Leipzig, 5 May 1708 - Copenhagen, 22 April 1776)

German composer, theorist, and organist. Son of Johann Scheibe (c.1680-1748), an organ builder, he was forced to teach himself music around 1725 due to economic difficulties, at the same time as he was attending Leipzig University in law and philosophy. By 1736 he had moved to Hamburg when applications for posts in Leipzig proved unsuccessful, coming into contact with Georg Philipp Telemann and Johann Mattheson. During this period he published three volumes of his most important treatise on music, 'Der critische Musicus'. In 1739 he had obtained a post as Kapellmeister to Margrave Friedrich Ernst of Brandenburg-Kulmbach in the town of Itzehoe, and through his connections a year later he was appointed to the same post at the Danish court of Christian VI in Copenhagen. When the king’s successor reopened the Royal Theatre, he came into conflict with Paolo Scalabrini over the viability of Italian opera, moving to the city of Sønderborg to teach music. He later returned to Copenhagen, where he was celebrated as a teacher and theorist. In 1740 he published an autobiography in a work by Mattheson, claiming that he had written over 150 flute concertos, 30 violin concertos, and 60 to 70 symphonies, none of which are verifiable. His extant works include 13 concertos, 15 symphonies, three woodwind quartets, five trio sonatas, 10 violin sonatas, 14 keyboard sonatas, several Masses, two Magnificats, six Lutheran cantatas, five Passions, eight secular cantatas, and numerous songs. His music reflects galant North German styles, while his sonatas and keyboard pieces are firmly rooted in the Baroque. As a theorist, he published no fewer than nine works, ranging from composition to proposed German opera (1742), for which he gained a reputation as a rationalist.

WITT, Christian Friedrich (1665-1717) - Sonates a piu stromenti (c.1695)

Christian Friedrich Witt (1665-1717) - Sonates a piu stromenti (c.1695)

Performers: Kentucky Baroque Trumpets

Painting: Alessandro Albini (1568-1646) - Putti musicanti

Further info: Music for Trumpets

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Christian Friedrich (Wilhelm) Witt [Witte]

(Altenburg, c.1660 - Gotha, 3 April 1717)

German composer, organist and teacher. Son of the court organist Johann Ernst Witt, he received music lessons from his father. After receiveng a scholarship, he went to Vienna and Salzburg, and then from 1685-1686 he studied composition and counterpoint with Georg Caspar Wecker in Nuremberg. On 1 June 1686 he was appointed chamber organist at the Gotha court. In 1688 he was again sent to study with Wecker. In 1694 he was appointed substitute for the Kapellmeister, Wolfgang Michael Mylius, and he succeeded him after his death, in 1713. He was well thought of as a teacher, not only within the Dukedom of Gotha; the future Duke Friedrich II was among his pupils. He was also admired as an able keyboard player and Kapellmeister. He enjoyed good relations with neighbouring courts, including those of Ansbach-Bayreuth, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Saxe-Weissenfels, and several works by him are listed in inventories from there. He was a versatile composer of both vocal and instrumental music. His vocal music consists largely of church cantatas, among them his 'Psalmodia sacra' praised as one of the most important hymnals of the early 18th Century. His instrumental music includes both ‘ouvertures’ (or suites) in the French style and italianate, concerto-like sonatas, and varied keyboard works, many of them now lost.

CERVERA, Francisco Vicente (c.1690-1749) - Lamentación sola con violines

Francisco Vicente Cervera (c.1690-1749) - Lamentación sola con violines

Performers: Capella de Ministrеrs; Carles Mаgrаner (conductor)

Painting: Giuseppe Vermiglio (1585-1635) - The Entombment of Christ

Further info: Musica barroca Valenciana

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Francisco Vicente Cervera

(Mora de Rubielos, c.1690 - Valencia, 30 May 1749)

Spanish presbyter, organist, and composer. Likely educated at the Collegiate Church of Mora de Rubielos and the Cathedral of Tortosa, he began his professional career as the organist of Huesca Cathedral after winning a competitive examination. In 1712, he secured the position of organist at the Real Colegio del Corpus Christi in Valencia, succeeding Juan Bautista Cabanilles after a formal competition against Francisco Sarrió and Melchor Martínez. He held this post until his death in 1749, also serving as interim maestro de capilla between 1743 and 1744. Cervera was instrumental in the pedagogical training of his successor, Miguel Narro. His compositional output includes polyphonic masses for 8 and 12 voices, psalms, and various sacred works in both Latin and the vernacular. These manuscripts are preserved in several Spanish and South American cathedrals, most notably an oratorio dedicated to Saint Rose of Lima held at Sucre Cathedral (Bolivia), which serves as a significant primary source for the study of Spanish liturgical music dissemination in colonial territories. 

BRIOSCHI, Antonio (c.1690-c.1750) - Sinfonia a 3

Antonio Brioschi (c.1690-c.1750) - Sinfonia (Ouvertura) a 3

Performers: Capella Sаvаria; Avner Itаi (conductor)

Drawing: Unknown artist (18th Century) - Pastoral dance

Further info: Antonio Brioschi (c.1690-c.1750)

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Antonio Brioschi [Briochi, Briuschi, Prioschi et al.]

(Briosco?, c.1690 - c.1750)

Italian composer. Although a popular composer whose works were performed throughout Europe, virtually nothing is known about his life, save that he worked alongside Giovanni Battista Sammartini in Milan around 1734. His name suggests that he may have come from Briosco. He is identified as a Milanese composer on some symphony manuscripts, and should be considered representative of the Milanese symphonic school. Ten symphonies are ascribed to both Brioschi and Sammartini, and Brioschi evidently knew Sammartini’s music. He was a popular and prolific early symphonist. Of the extant symphonies attributed to him, the authorship of at least 51 appears to be certain; 22 of these can be dated to about 1741 or earlier, and three are among the earliest of all known dated symphonies. These three works have connections with Casale Monferrato, south-west of Milan. His music was especially popular in Paris, Prague, Stockholm and Darmstadt. 29 works are listed in the Breitkopf catalogues of 1762, 1763 and 1766.

ROSENGART, Aemilian (1757-1810) - Te Deum laudamus (1798)

Aemilian Rosengart (1757-1810) - Te Deum laudamus | a | C. A. T. B. | Violino 1.|m|o | Violino 2.|d|o |

Alto Viola oblig. | Due Clarino. | Tÿmpano. | Organo | et | Violone oblig. (1798)

Performers: GaIina Dzеba (soprano); Ruth Sаndhοff (alto); Anatolij Lοmunοv (tenor); Kirill Zukοv (bass);

Camerata Vocalis; SWR Sinfonieorchester; Alexander Sumski (conductor)

Drawing: Johann Ludwig Ernst Morgenstern (1738-1819) - Church Interior (1791)

Further info: Aemilian Rosengart (1757-1810) - Missa in B-Dur (1796)

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Aemilian (Joseph) Rosengart

(Kirchheim, 29 March 1757 - Tannheim, 29 May 1810)

German theologian, philosopher and composer. He was educated at the Benedictine seminary in Ulm where he was ordained a priest in 1781. Shortly afterwards he moved to the Benedictine abbey of Ochsenhausen where he devoted himself to teaching theology and philosophy. In 1795 the abbot Romuald Weltin promoted him as a musical director in a position he held until 1803. A versatile scholar and practitioner, in 1802 he contributed as a violinist to the performance of Joseph Haydn's The Creation in Biberach under the conduction of Justin Heinrich Knecht. During the period of secularization, he briefly served as deputy abbot starting in 1803, later concluding his career as a parish priest in Tannheim until his death. As a composer he wrote nearly one hundred works, mainly religious music and most of them for choir with instrumental accompaniment.

MAXIMILIAN III, Joseph (1727-1777) - Sinfonia Ex D (c.1770)

Joseph Maximilian III, Kurfürst von Bayern (1727-1777) - Sinfonia Ex D (c.1770)

Performers: Lautten Compagney Berlin; Wolfgang Katschner (conductor)

Painting: Circle of Georg Desmarées (1697-1776) - Kurfürst Maximilian III. Joseph von Bayern in Jagdkleidung

Further info: Joseph Maximilian III (1727-1777)

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Joseph Maximilian III, Kurfürst von Bayern

(Munich, 28 March 1727 - Munich, 30 December 1777)

German composer. The eldest son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII (1697-1745) and his wife, Maria Amalia of Austria (1701-1756), he was a pupil of Francesco Peli. He played many instruments, and was a composition pupil of Andrea Bernasconi from 1753. He was a patron of chamber music and opera at the Munich court, and during his reign (begun in 1747) Mozart's 'La finta giardiniera' received its première on 13 January 1775. Besides Andrea Bernasconi, Joseph Willibald Michl, Antonio Sacchini, Pietro Pompeo Sales and Tommaso Traetta wrote carnival operas for his court. His 'Concerti a più istromenti', performed at the Accademia Filarmonica in Verona, and his finest composition, a Stabat mater, were published at Verona at the instigation of Joseph-Marie-Clément dall'Abaco in 1765-66. His works, mostly in manuscript, include several symphonies and 12 trios for two violins and bass. A Litany and three 'Sonate per il gallichona' were destroyed in World War II; single parts only exist of a second Litany. A Missa pastoralis and a Regina coeli are lost. His sister, the Princess Maria Antonia Walpurgis (1724-1780), was also a composer.

HASSE, Johann Adolf (1699-1783) - Concerto a 4 Stromenti

Johann Adolf Hasse (1699-1783) - Concerto (D-Dur) a 4. Stromenti | Flauto Traversieri.

| Violino Primo | Violino Secondo | con | Cembalo o Violoncello

Performers: Ensemble Baroque Le Rondeau; Jean-Pierre Boullet (conductor)

Painting: Giovanni Antonio Canal 'Canaletto' (1697-1768) - Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day

Further info: Un Accademia A Napoli Nell' Anno 1725

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Johann (Giovanni) Adolf (Adolph, Adolfo) (Peter) Hasse 'Il Sasone' [Asse, Gessone, Kass]

(Bergedorf, nr Hamburg, bap. 25 March 1699 - Venice, 16 December 1783)

German composer. He was the second of five children of the organist Peter Hasse (c.1668-1737) and Christina Klessing, daughter of a mayor of Bergedorf. He studied in Hamburg before joining the opera company there. He quickly established himself as a tenor of reputation, but his career changed when his opera 'Antioco' opened at Brunswick on 1 August 1721. Soon, he left Germany for a long tour of Venice, Bologna, Florence, and Rome, finally settling in the major opera center of Naples for six years, until 1730. There he studied with Alessandro Scarlatti and possibly Nicolo Porpora, worked with the superstar castrato Carlo Broschi (Farinelli), and his rise in Neapolitan opera was spectacular. Hasse appeared in Venice for the 1730 Carnival season, a milestone of his career. In his opera 'Artaserse', he set a libretto of Metastasio, later to become his most important collaborator, for the first time. He also met in Venice another famous singer, the mezzo-soprano Faustina Bordoni (1697-1781), whom he married in June 1730 and who created many of the female protagonists in his later operas. Sometime after Carnival but before Ascension in 1730, he was granted the title of Kapellmeister to the court of the Elector August I of Saxony at Dresden, but he and Faustina Bordoni did not arrive there until 6 or 7 July 1731. Although this appointment lasted until 1763, the couple took frequent and substantial leaves of absence to various cities of Italy and Vienna to produce operas that had been commissioned by the nobility of Europe. In 1745, King Frederick the Great of Prussia visited and heard Hasse’s Te Deum and opera seria 'Arminio'. 

The king, a fine musician, thereafter often invited the composer and his wife to Potsdam. The Prussian bombardment of Hasse’s Dresden house in 1760, causing the loss of many manuscripts, may have soured this relationship. Porpora, possibly Hasse’s teacher in Naples, was brought to Dresden in 1748 to teach the Princess Maria Antonia of Saxony and was given the title Kapellmeister, but Hasse was promoted to Oberkapellmeister in 1750. In 1763, Hasse joined the imperial court in Vienna where he worked closely with Metastasio. In 1775, he and Faustina Bordoni retired to Venice. Although most of his work was quickly forgotten after he died, while active, he was the most renowned composer of Italian opera seria in Italy and German-speaking lands. He composed at least 58 operas, mostly seria, but also a few comedies, which were produced in many European opera centers. He was the favorite composer of the age’s most eminent opera librettist, Metastasio. Hasse composed fluently, with a particular gift for vocal melody, which he generally displayed to full advantage without distraction from contrapuntal textures. Besides the operas, he composed about 11 intermezzi, 11 Italian oratorios, 60 Italian chamber cantatas, and 33 more cantatas for voice and orchestra. His instrumental music includes 54 concertos, mostly for transverse flute and strings, and 24 trio sonatas. He also composed sacred music, most of it for four-voiced choir and orchestra: 15 masses, 2 requiems, 36 single mass ordinary settings, 10 mass offertories, 21 psalms, 18 antiphons, six hymns, and 38 motets for solo voice and orchestra.

QUENTIN, Jean-Baptiste (c.1700-c.1750) - Sonata à quatre parties (c.1737)

Jean-Baptiste Quentin (c.1700-c.1750) - Sonata à quatre parties des 'Sonates en trio et à quatre parties pour violons, flûtes traversières, viol et basse continue ... œuvre VIII' (c.1737)

Performers: Ensemble Quentin le Jeune

Painting: North Italian School (17-18th Century) - Musical gathering (c.1700)

Further info: Trio Sonatas From L'Œuvre IV & L'Œuvre VIII

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Jean-Baptiste Quentin [Cantin, Quentin le jeune]

(Paris?, c.1700 - c.1750)

French violinist and composer. Almosth nothing is known about him. He pursued his career in Paris, where he was a violinist at the Paris Opéra in 1718, and in 1738 he played the viola in the ‘grand choeur’. References to him indicate that he was a violinist of high reputation. As a composer, he was prolific with numerous collections of solo and trio sonatas, and few concertos (1724-1740). His brother, Bertin Quentin (?-1767), was a violinist, cellist and composer.

ISTVANFFY, Benedek (1733-1778) - Messa dedicata al patriarcha Santo Benedetto

Benedek Istvánffy (1733-1778) - Messa (C-Dur) dedicata al patriarcha Santo Benedetto a 4tro vocal

2 vl., 2 ob., trombe, tympani, vlne. con organo conc[er]to.

Performers: Szilvia Hamvasi & Noémi Kiss (sopranos); Judit Németh (mezzo-soprano); Péter Drucker (tenor); István Kovács & Pál Benkõ (basses); Purcell Choir; Orfeo Orchestra; György Vashegyi (conductor)

Painting: Francesco de Mura (1696-1782) - Latinus welcomes Aeneas and offers his daughter Lavinia in marriage

Further info: Istvánffy - St. Benedict Mass / Kraus: Requiem

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Benedek (Benedetto) Istvánffy

(Szentmárton [now Pannonhalma], 1733 - Győr, 25 October 1778)

Hungarian composer. Son of József Istvánffy (1703-1771), organist and teacher of figural music at the Benedictine monastery of Szentmárton, he received the first instruction in music from his father. He soon obtaining the post of organist in the castle of Count Antal Széchényi, in a post he held at least until 1761. It was during that period when he got married to Katalin Kőmíves and later born his only daugther Franziska Istvánffy (1756-1816). In 1766 he became succentor at the cathedral in Győr and from 1773 to 1775 he was also responsible for leading the choir of the Jesuit church there, in a posts he held until his death. As a composer, he mainly wrote sacred works, among them, the 'Missa sanctificabis annum quinquagesimum vel Sanctae Dorotheae' (1774) and the 'Messa dedicata al patriarcha Santo Benedetto'. His music style was close to the composers which he was in touch during his lifespan, among them, Gregor Joseph Werner, Franz Josef Aumann, Joseph Krottendorfer and Christoph Sonnleithner.

DUSSEK, Jan Ladislav (1760-1812) - Concerto pour deux Pianofortes

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812) - Concerto pour deux Pianofortes, Op.63 (c.1805)

Performers: Igor Ardаšev (piano); Renаtа Ardаševová (piano); Pаrdubice Orchestra; Leos Svárovský (conductor)

Drawing: François Dequevauviller (1745-1807) - The Concert (1784)

Further info: Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812) - Piano Concerto in E flat major (1810)

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Jan Ladislav (Johann Ladislaus) (Ludwig) Dussek [Dusík, Duschek, Dusek, Dusseck et al.]

(Čáslav, 12 February 1760 - Saint Germain-en-Laye, 20 March 1812)

Bohemian keyboardist and composer. He studied piano at age five and organ at age nine, and then became a chorister at the Iglau Minorite church and a pupil at the Jesuit Gymnasium. After further studies at the Kuttenberg Jesuit Gymnasium, he continued his studies at Prague's New City Gymnasium (1776-77) and at the University of Prague (1778). He found a patron in Count Manner, with whose assistance he was able to go to Malines in 1779, where he became active as a piano teacher. He made his public debut there as a pianist on 16 December 1779, and then set out on a highly successful tour, visiting Bergen op Zoom, Amsterdam, and The Hague. He then went to Hamburg, where he gave a concert on 12 July 1782, and also met C.P.E. Bach, with whom he may have studied. In 1783 he played at the St. Petersburg court. After spending about a year in the service of Prince Karl Radziwill as Kapellmeister in Lithuania, he made a major tour of Germany in 1784, winning notable acclaim in Berlin, Mainz, Kassel, and Frankfurt am Main as a piano and glass harmonica virtuoso. In 1786 he went to Paris, where he performed at the court for Marie Antoinette; except for a brief trip to Milan and Bohemia, he remained in Paris until the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 compelled him to flee to London. On 1 June 1789, he made his London debut at the Hanover Square Rooms. He soon became successful as a pianist and teacher in the British capital, appearing regularly at Salomon's concerts and being an active participant in these concerts during Joseph Haydn's two visits. In 1792 he married the singer, pianist, and harpist Sophia Corri (1775-1847). 

With his father-in-law, Domenico Corri, he became active as a music publisher. Both men were ill suited for such a venture, however, and Dussek's love for the good life further contributed to the failure of the business. Dussek fled to Hamburg in 1799, leaving his father-in-law to serve a jail sentence for debt. He apparently never saw his wife or daughter again. He seems to have spent about two years in Hamburg, where he was active as a performer and teacher. In 1802 he played in his birthplace, and then in Prague. From 1804 to 1806 he served as Kapellmeister to Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia. After the latter's death at the battle of Saalfeld (10 October 1806), he composed a piano sonata in his memory, the 'Elegie harmonique sur la mort du Prince Louis Ferdinand de Prusse', Op.61. He then was briefly in the service of Prince Isenburg. In 1807 he settled in Paris, where he served Prince Talleyrand, gave concerts, and taught. His health began to fail due to excessive drinking, and he was compelled to abandon his career. Jan Ladislav Dussek was a remarkable composer for the piano, proving himself a master craftsman capable of producing the most brilliant works for the instrument. In his later works he presaged the development of the Romantic school, anticipating such composers as Chopin, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and even Brahms. As a celebrated virtuoso of the keyboard, he shares with Muzio Clementi the honor of having introduced the 'singing touch'. As a composer, his works include, among others, 15 concertos, 34 sonatas for the fortepiano, 68 violin sonatas, six harp sonatas (possibly a legacy of an alleged affair with Anne-Marie Krumpholtz), six canzonetts, three string quartets, a Mass (1807), and three harp concertos.

CLARKE, Jeremiah (c.1674-1707) - Suite in D Major

Jeremiah Clarke (c.1674-1707) - Suite in D Major

Performers: David Tasa (trumpet); Frankfurter Solisten; Vladislav Brunner (conductor)

Painting: Unknown artist (17th Century) - Windsor Castle from the South (c.1681)

Further info: Jeremiah Clarke (c.1674-1707)

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Jeremiah (Jeremy, Jérémie) Clarke [Clark, Clerk]

(c.1674 - London, 1 December 1707)

English composer and organist. Nothing is known of his origins. The earliest evidence was as a chorister at the Chapel Royal when James II was crowned in 1685. By 1692, he had been appointed organist at Winchester College, and on 6 June 1699, he was appointed vicar-choral at St. Paul’s Cathedral. He moved up to organist in January 1704. On 15 May 1704, Francis Pigott, organist at the Chapel Royal, died, and together with William Croft were sworn in as joint organists to replace him. It appears that he ended his own life, perhaps owing to an unhappy love affair, by shooting himself on 1 December 1707. As a composer, he wrote 22 anthems, 10 odes, 2 settings of the Te Deum, 2 suites for wind band, 2 suites for harpsichord, over 40 other short works for harpsichord, and the incidental music for 8 plays. He was a leading composer of the generation immediately junior to Purcell. He wrote the so-called Trumpet Voluntary, his best-known piece.

GEBAUER, François-René (1773-1845) - Quintette concertante

François-René Gebauer (1773-1845) - Quintette concertante des

'Trois Quintettes concertans pour flûte, clarinette, hautbois, cor et basson'

Performers: The Danzi Quintet

Drawing: Michael Angelo Hayes (1811-1880) - The Band of the 23rd Fusiliers (1838)

Further info: Works by Gebauer, Rossini and Reicha

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François René Gebauer [Guébauer, Guebauer]

(Versailles, 15 March 1773 - Paris, 28 July 1845)

French bassoonist and composer. He was a pupil of his brother Michel Joseph Gebauer (1763-1812) and of François Devienne. In 1788 he became a member of the band of the Swiss Guard in his native city. In 1790 he settled in Paris as a musician in the National Guard. After playing in theater orchestras, he joined the orchestra of the Opera about 1799, remaining in it until 1826. He also played in the Imperial chapel orchestra until 1830, and was a professor at the Conservatoire (1795-1802; 1824-1838). According to some sources, he was made an honorary professor in 1816. As a composer, his output include 13 bassoon concertos, eight symphonies concertantes and several chamber music. He also published a bassoon method (c.1820). His younger brothers, Pierre Paul Gebauer (1775-?) and Etienne Jean François Gebauer (1776-1823) were also musicians.

BENAYAS, Matías García (fl. 1690-1737) - Missa Defensor Alme Hispaniae

Matías García Benayas (fl. 1690-1737) - Missa Defensor Alme Hispaniae

Performers: Joaquín Barrеira (organ); Vox Stеllae; Luís Martínez (conductor)

Painting: Miguel Jacinto Meléndez (1679-1734) - San Agustín conjurando una plaga de langosta

Further info: Defensor Alme Hispaniae

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Matías García Benayas

(Palencia, ¿? - Tuy, 14 March 1737)

Spanish composer. Although his early biography remains obscure, archival evidence from 1690 suggests he held a musical post in Lugo before being appointed maestro de capilla at Mondoñedo Cathedral later that year. In February 1694, following a competitive examination process (oposiciones), he relocated to Tuy Cathedral to succeed Tomás Portillo, a position he held until his death. His tenure in Tuy was marked by his dual role as a priest and educator of the 'infantes del coro', though his health began to decline significantly after 1730. Academically, he is noted for his conservative liturgical style; his surviving output, primarily preserved in Tuy and Mondoñedo, consists of approximately 50 works characterized by traditional 'facistol' (choirbook) polyphony and the occasional use of cantus firmus. While his stylistic identity is occasionally obscured by issues of attribution within the cathedral archives, he remains a representative figure of the ecclesiastical musical tradition in Spain during the early 18th century. 

STEPAN, Josef Antonín (1726-1797) - Concerto per il Cembalo Concertato

Josef Antonín Štěpán (1726-1797) - CONCERTO (in Dis). | per il | Cembalo Concertato.

| due Violini. | due Corni in D. | e Basso.

Performers: Rudolf Zelenka (cembalo); Benduv Komorni orchester; Jiří Havlík (conductor)

Painting: Bernardo Bellotto (1721-1780) - University Square in Vienna

Further info: Czech Harpsichord Concertos

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Josef (Joseph, Giuseppe) Antonín (Anton, Antonio) Štěpán [Steffan, Steffani, Stepan, Stephan et al.]

(Kopidlno, bap. 14 March 1726 - Vienna, 12 April 1797)

Bohemian composer and keyboardist. Following early instruction from his father, a local cantor, he fled to Vienna to escape Prussian troops during the War of the Austrian Succession, eventually acquiring Count Schlick as his patron. He became a favorite pupil of Georg Christoph Wagenseil, under whose tutelage he achieved a reputation as one of the best keyboardists in Vienna. He was appointed as instructor to princesses Maria Carolina and Maria Antonia (later Marie Antoinette). In 1775 he was forced to retire due to failing eyesight, though he retained his salary. The remainder of his life was spent as a guest in the various salons of the city, where his Lieder (most of which were published) were popular. As a composer, his music conforms to the conventions of the style prevalent in Vienna of the period. These include two Masses (and a Requiem), seven hymns, numerous other smaller sacred works, one oratorio, 79 Lieder, 47 keyboard sonatas/divertimentos, 224 other individual works for the keyboard (including cadenzas), 12 symphonies, 45 concertos for the keyboard, seven piano trios, a violin sonata, and two piano quartets. His music remains largely unexplored.

WOHLMUTH, Johann (1643-1724) - Vesperae breves

Johann Wohlmuth (1643-1724) - Vesperae breves

Performers: Elocuеncia Barroca

Painting: Melchior Michael Steidl (1657-1727) - Musica

Further info: Johann Wohlmuth (1643-1724)

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Johann (Johannes, János) Wohlmuth

(Ruszt, 1643 - Ödenburg, 9 January 1724)

Austrian composer, organist, and pedagogue. After attending the Lutheran Gymnasium in Oedenburg (Sopron), he continued his studies in Breslau (Wrocław) in 1663 and subsequently spent three years at the University of Wittenberg. He served as rector and cantor in Rust by 1667 but fled to Regensburg in 1674 due to religious persecution, where he remained as a music teacher until 1685. Upon returning to Oedenburg, he was appointed music director at the Gymnasium and served as organist and Kapellmeister until 1720. His pedagogical career included teaching at primary schools from 1704 and providing private instruction to over 50 pupils, including the sons of Prince Paul Esterházy, until 1721. In 1689, he compiled a virginal book containing 56 pieces for his student Johann Jacob Starck. While Wohlmuth was a central figure in the musical life of Oedenburg, only a small portion of his compositions, primarily sacred works, is extant.

BACH, Carl Philipp Emanuel (1714-1788) - Concerto per il Cembalo

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) - Concerto (E-Dur) | per | Jl Cembalo Concertato

| accompagnato | da | II Violini | Violetta | e Basso (1744), HelB 417

Performers: Orfeus Barock; Francesco Corti (harpsichord & conductor)

Painting: Jan Joseph Horemans (1714-1790) - Concerto

Further info: Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) - Sinfonia in C-Dur (1755)

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Carl (Karl, Carlo) Philipp (Filippo) Emanuel (Emanuele) (Carolus Philippus Immanuel) Bach

(Weimar, 8 March 1714 - Hamburg, 14 December 1788)

German composer. The second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and his first wife, Maria Barbara Bach (1684-1720), he was baptized on 10 March 1714, with Georg Philipp Telemann as one of his godfathers. In 1717 he moved with the family to Cöthen, where his father had been appointed Kapellmeister. His mother died in 1720, and in spring 1723 the family moved to Leipzig, where he began attending the Thomasschule as a day-boy on 14 June 1723. J.S. Bach said later that one of his reasons for accepting the post of Kantor at the Thomasschule was that his sons’ intellectual development suggested that they would benefit from a university education. He received his musical training from his father, who gave him keyboard and organ lessons. From the age of about 15 he took part in his father’s musical performances in church and in the collegium musicum. He appears relatively seldom as a copyist, no doubt because, as an able musician himself, he was usually excused such duties. The one large-scale work of sacred music in Leipzig mainly copied by him is the anonymous St Luke Passion (BWV 246), obviously arranged by J.S. Bach to an urgent deadline for Good Friday 1730. On 1 October 1731 he matriculated at Leipzig University. Following his godfather’s example, he studied law, although he was obviously destined for a musical career. His first compositions were probably written about 1730. They consisted mainly of keyboard pieces and chamber music. Deciding to become a musician, he was recommended to Crown Prince Frederick in Rheinsburg, and upon the crown prince’s crowning as Frederick II of Prussia, he moved to Berlin as a chamber musician, a formal title granted in 1746. As an active member of the Berlin School, he participated in the intimate inner circle of musicians and writers of the period, producing a seminal treatise on keyboard playing, 'Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen' (1752). The death of his godfather Telemann in 1767 offered him the opportunity to seek the appointment as city Kapellmeister in Hamburg (a post that was temporarily occupied by Georg Michael Telemann).  

From 1768 to his death, he was the leading musician in the city, whose friendship with major literary figures such as Friedrich Gottlob Klopstock and Johann Heinrich Voss, his pedagogical efforts at the Johanneum, and the maintaining of his close ties to colleagues in Berlin made him one of the most prominent figures in music of the period. Over the course of his long career, he composed almost 900 works in all genres save opera (and there is an indication that he may have made an abortive attempt at one). One of the main figures in the emerging empfindsamer Stil (Empfindsamkeit) with its emphasis upon emotion and drama in music, he created compositions that were far ahead of his time in terms of harmony and form. For example, the introduction to the oratorio 'Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu' is both monophonic and atonal, while his free fantasies move rapidly from tonal center to tonal center using sometimes harsh dissonance, extreme changes in tempo and dynamics, and effective musical moods, all without metrical regularity. Ludwig van Beethoven lauded him as his spiritual father, and almost all other composers of the period imitated his style. He published works, such as the Klopstock’s Morgengesang, by subscription, having control over much of his own creative output. His compositions include 370 miscellaneous works for keyboard, 69 keyboard concertos), 11 flute concertos, 19 symphonies, two keyboard quartets, six pieces for Harmoniemusik, 37 sonatas for various instruments, 48 trio sonatas, 30 pieces for musical clockwork, 277 songs and secular cantatas, a Magnificat, two Psalms, 22 Passions/Passion cantatas, an oratorio, 13 large-scale choruses, an ode, 14 chorales, four Easter cantatas, 26 pieces for Hamburg celebrations, and nine cantatas. He was the most important composer in Protestant Germany during the second half of the 18th century, and enjoyed unqualified admiration and recognition particularly as a teacher and keyboard composer.

MANFREDI, Filippo (1731-1777) - Vexilla regis

Filippo Manfredi (1731-1777) - Vexilla regis

Performers: Chiara Tаigi (soprano); Coro e Orchestra del Duomo di Castelnuovo Gаrfаgnаna; Luca Bаcci (conductor)

Painting: Johann Wolfgang Baumgartner (1702-1761) - Die Zurückweisung der Kaiserin Eudoxia

durch den heiligen Johannes Chrysostomus

Further info: Domine Ad Adjuvandum

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(Giovanni) Filippo (Tommaso) Manfredi [Filippino]

(Lucca, 8 March 1731 - Lucca, 12 July 1777)

Italian violinist and composer. Son of the horn player Giovanni Carlo Manfredi, he received his early education at the seminary school of San Michele in Foro in Lucca before studying with Domenico Ferrari in Genoa and Pietro Nardini in Livorno. He was a supernumerary violinist in the Cappella Palatina and was appointed first violinist in 1758. He also played in theatres, served as chief instrumentalist for religious functions and taught. After playing in a quartet with Nardini and Giuseppe Cambini in 1765, he formed a duo with Luigi Boccherini and began a concert tour which took him first to Paris in 1768 then Madrid, to the court of the Prince of the Asturias, where he was appointed first violin of the chamber music. He returned to Italy in 1772 and was re-admitted to the Cappella Palatina only in 1773. However, he fell ill in 1775, and his concert appearances became much less frequent. He died two years later. As a composer, he only left a few works, including a set of six sonatas for violin and bass (1769), a chamber trio, and some religious works. He was regarded as a violinist of technical and expressive brilliance, and he retained his reputation until the middle of the 19th century. His brothers, Pietro Luigi Manfredi (1744-?) and Vincenzo Ferrerio Manfredi (1732-?), were a horn player and a flautist, respectively.

KÜFFNER, Wilhelm (1727-1797) - Trio concertante

Wilhelm Küffner (1727-1797) - Trio concertante aus 'Trio ex C | Cembalo Solo | con | Violino e Basso'

Performers: Pro Musica da Cambra ensemble

Engraving: Johann Baptist Homann (1664-1724) - Accurate Vorstellung der hoch fürstl. bischöffl.

Residenz und Haupt-Stadt Würtzburg des Herzogthums Francken

Further info: Würzburger Hofmusik

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Wilhelm (Guilielmo) (Joseph) Küffner [Kiefner]

(Regenstauf, 7 March 1727 - Würzburg, 24 June 1797)

German violinist and composer. Almost nothing is known about him. Born into a musical family, he studied in Venice before joining the Würzburg court chapel under Prince-Bishop Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim, a position he held for the rest of his life. As a composer, his extant output includes two symphonies, two concertos, various quartets and trios, as well as songs and keyboard sonatas. The family’s musical legacy was furthered by his sons, Joseph Küffner (1776-1856) and Johann Joseph Baptist Küffner (1770-1833), and his cousin Georg Joseph Küffner (1747-1779), who was also a violinist.

MALZAT, Ignaz (1757-1804) - Concert für Hautbois (c.1795)

Ignaz Malzat (1757-1804) previously attributed to Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) - Concert (C-Dur) | für | Hautbois | Mit Begleitung | von | 2 Violinen | 2 Oboen | 2 Hörnern | 2 Trompeten und | Paucken | Viola und Bass (c.1795)

Performers: Kurt Kalmus (1920-2012, oboe); Munchener Kammerorchester; Hans Stadlmair (1929-2019, conductor)

Drawing: Alexandre Lacauchie (1814-1886) - Bal d'enfants

Further info: Flötenkonzert D-dur, Oboenkonzert C-dur

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Ignaz (Adamus Ignatius Franciscus de Paula Josephus) Malzat [Maltzath, Maltzbaach, Maltzbach]

(Vienna, 4 March 1757 - Passau, 20 March 1804)

Austrian composer and oboist. Son of Josef Malzat (1723-1760), he studied with his father. In 1774 he obtained a position as oboist in the court orchestra in Salzburg, becoming a student of Johann Michael Haydn. In 1778 he toured central Europe before settling in Bolzano, but in 1788 he obtained the post of principal oboe at the court of the Prince-Archbishop of Passau. As a composer, his extant works include concertos for cello, oboe, two oboes, and oboe and bassoon. He also left a sextet, a quintet, a cassation and three wind partitas. His music reflects the style of his teacher, but it has been little studied. His brother Johann Michael Malzat (1749-1787) was a cellist and composer.

HAEFFNER, Johann Christian Friedrich (1759-1833) - Ouverture in Es-Dur

Johann Christian Friedrich Haeffner (1759-1833) - Ouverture in Es-Dur (1822)

Performers: Orchestra of the Royal Swedish Opera; Philip Brunelle (conductor)

Painting: Johan Way (1792-1873) - Karl XIV Johan vid Uppsala högar

Further info: Royal Swedish Court: Music from the 18th Century

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Johann Christian Friedrich Haeffner [Hæffner, Häffner]

(Oberschönau, 2 March 1759 - Uppsala, 28 May 1833)

German organist and composer, active in Sweden. The son of a schoolmaster and church organist in Klein-Schmalkalden, he received his first musical education with the Schmalkalden organist Johann Gottfried Vierling. He studied in Leipzig from 1776, and then worked as a music conductor in theatres in Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg (1778-80). In 1781, he moved to Stockholm at the invitation of the German congregation there (Tyska kyrkan) to assume the position of organist, which he held until 1793. The same year, he was employed at the Royal Theatre in Stockholm as well as conductor of the orchestra for the Stenborg theatres. In 1786 he was appointed assistant conductor of the Royal Orchestra (hovkapellet) and from 1795 to 1807 he held the post of hovkapellmästare. He was also an instructor at Dramatens elevskola. He was married twice, first to the Swedish actress and singer Elisabeth Forsselius. Since king Gustaf IV Adolf closed the Royal Opera and its orchestra in 1807, he moved to Uppsala, where he 1808 was appointed Director musices of the university and simultaneously was employed as organist of the cathedral. In Uppsala he organized the studentsång (four-voice male choir singing). This practice rapidly spread to the other Nordic universities and is still today a coveted tradition, not only among university students, but for the last century also in many male choirs all over Sweden. Hæffner's passion and work for this has rendered him the name Studentsångens fader. As a composer, he wrote three operas, among them the well-known 'Electra', theatre music, a mass, one symphony (1795), three Overtures (c.1798-1823), keyboard and chamber works, songs with piano accompaniment, and was responsible for the new Swedish chorale book in 1819. Noteworthy is his oratorio 'Försonaren på Golgatha'. His music is heavily influenced by the German Sturm und Drang.

CAZZATI, Maurizio (1616-1678) - Messa per li defonti (1663)

Maurizio Cazzati (1616-1678) - Messa per li defonti A Cinque Voci ... Op.31 (1663)

Performers: Maria Cristina Kiеhr (soprano); Dominique Vissе (countertenor); Bruno Botеrf (tenor);

François Fauchе (bass); Marc Busnеl (bass); Ensemble La Fenice; Jean Tսbéry (conductor)

Painting: Unknown artist after Hieronymus Francken (1578-1623) - Le roi David jouant de la harpe

Further info: Maurizio Cazzati - Sonates, Antiennes & Requiem

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Maurizio (Mauritio) Cazzati [Cacciati, Casati, Cassati, Cazzatti]

(Luzzara (now Lucera), 1 March 1616 - Mantua, 1678)

Italian composer and organist. Nothing is known about his early years. He may have been appointed to his first musical position at the age of 17, at San Pietro, Guastalla, serving Ferrante III, Duke of Guastalla. After his ordination to the priesthood he became maestro di cappella and organist of San Andrea, Mantua, in 1641. In 1648 he was appointed the same post at the Accademia della Morte in Ferrara and at the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo in 1653. He returned to his old job in Ferrara in April 1657 and then was elected to the post where he would make his reputation, maestro di cappella at San Petronio, Bologna, in late 1657. He instituted a regular choir of 35 singers and a group of well-paid instrumentalists for the liturgy at San Petronio, but despite the audible improvements he made and the reputation he built, his tenure there was marked by politically motivated controversies over the syntax in his sacred compositions. The vestry supported him, but he was finally forced out in June 1671. He went to Mantua to serve the Gonzaga family as maestro di cappella di camera and the cathedral as maestro di cappella in a post he held the rest of his life. As a composer, he reformed the 'cappella musicale' at the church of San Petronio in Bologna and established its reputation as a center of excellent music in general and as the origin of the sonata for trumpet and strings in particular with his Opus 35 (1665). He published 10 volumes of instrumental music, including the first violin sonatas published by a San Petronio composer, his Opus 55 (1670). There are also 10 volumes of secular vocal music, 4 lost operas, 11 lost oratorios, and 46 volumes of sacred music. 

CIMADOR, Giovanni Battista (1761-1805) - Concerto Per Contrabasso

Giovanni Battista Cimador (1761-1805) - Concerto (Sol maggiore) Per Contrabasso A tre Corde

Performers: Gerd Rеinkе (doublebass); Symphonieorchester Cairo; Ahmеd El-Saеdi (conductor)

Drawing: Anonymous - Les marionnettes du jour (1815)

Further info: Kompositionen Für Kontrabass & Orchester

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Giovanni Battista (Giambattista) Cimador [Cimadoro, Cimator, Cimidoro]

(Venice, 1761 - Bath, 27 February 1805)

Italian composer, singer, violinist and music publisher. Of noble birth, he had his debut as a composer in Venice in 1789 with 'Aci e Cibele'. While still in Venice he wrote a double bass concerto for the young virtuoso Domenico Dragonetti; the manuscript survives, together with Dragonetti's additional variations on the final Rondo, which he evidently considered too short. In 1791 he moved to London, where he became well known as a singer. In 1794 he had a position in Bath as a violinist and editor of the journal The Open Music Warehouse. In about 1800 he entered into partnership with the Italian music publisher Tebaldo Monzani. Together they issued periodical collections of Italian and English vocal music, and, as The Opera Music Warehouse, they published Mozart's great operas, advertising that ‘any of the songs, Duetts, Trios, Overtures … may be had Single & the whole of Mozart's Pianoforte Compositions, published in Numbers’. Many of these were arranged or provided with piano accompaniments by Cimador. As a composer, his music reflects late 18th-century styles. This includes three operas, two canzonetts, a contrabass concerto, a hornpipe for keyboard, and numerous arrangements of the works of others.