POKORNY, František Xaver (1729-1794) - Concerto per due Corni (c.1750)

František Xaver Pokorný (1729-1794) - Concerto (F-Dur). Corno Primo | Corno Secundo Principale | Violino Primo | Violino 2do: | Flauto Primo | Flauto 2do | Viola | Basso d: 30 Juli Di Pokorni (c.1750)

Performers: Hermann Bаumаnn (horn); Christoph Kοhlеr (horn); Concerto Amsterdam;

Jaap Schrödеr (1925-2020, conductor)

Drawing: Unknown artist (18th Century) - Le Régal sur l'herbe

Further info: L. Mozart, Pokorny, Witt, Rosetti - Horn Concertos

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František (Franz) Xaver (Thomas) Pokorný [Pokorny, Pockorny, Bockorni et al.]

(Mies [now Střibro], 20 December 1729 - Regensburg, 2 July 1794)

Bohemian composer and violinist. Son of a bureaucrat, he was sent to Regensburg as a youth to study under Joseph Riepel. In 1750 he obtained a post as violinist at the court of Oettingen-Wallerstein, and in 1753 he was given leave to further his studies in Mannheim, where his teachers included Johann Stamitz, Franz Xaver Richter, and Ignaz Holzbauer. Returning to Wallerstein he was also employed at the Thurn und Taxis court in Regensburg, commuting back and forth for several years before being offered a permanent position in the latter city in 1769. He was appointed as court chamber composer, though his relationship with the Kapellmeister, Baron Theodor von Schacht was not smooth, resulting in much of his music being deliberately misattributed to others after (and possibly before) his death in 1794. As a composer, he was one of the most prolific symphonists of the period, noted for his particular use of the orchestra. His works in this genre are mostly four movement, and in his numerous concertos he was able to exploit the technical capabilities of the instrumental solos. His works include at least 145 symphonies (with as many as another 100 still of possible attribution), 65 concertos (including 45 for keyboard), numerous serenades/divertimentos, three quartets, a piano quintet, three string trios, and five trio sonatas. Much of his music remains to be explored, primarily due to von Schacht’s intervention.

Gessel (18th Century) - Schmecket und sehet wie freundlich der Herr ist

Gessel (18th Century) - Dominica Laetare "Schmecket und sehet wie freundlich der Herr ist"

Performers: Ingrida Gapova (soprano); Jan Medrala (alto); Krzysztof Kozarek (tenor); Jacek Ozimkowski (bass); Goldberg Baroque Ensemble; Andrzej Mikołaj Szadejko (conductor)

Painting: Jacques de La Joue II (c.1687-1761) - Allegory of Winter

Further info: Lent Cantatas Of 18th Century Gdansk

ENGEL, Jan (?-1788) - Sinfonia in Es-Dur (1772)

Jan Engel (?-1788) - SINFONIA (Es-Dur) | A | Violini, Oboe, Corni, | Alto, e Basso. | [by hand with black ink: "Due Clarinetti"] | DEDICATA | A SUA ECCELLENZA | II Sig|r: Conte | PRZEZDZIECKI. ... ANNO 1772

Performers: Capella Claromontana; Jan Tomasz Adamus (conductor)

Painting: Bernardo Bellotto (1722-1780) - Kosciol brygidek i arsenal

Further info: Musica Claromontana 15

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Jan Engel

(? - Warsaw, 30 June 1788)

Polish composer, printer and music publisher. He served as Kapellmeister at the Cathedral of St. John in Warsaw between 1771 and 1772, during which time he established a printing press on Ulica Krzywe Koło that remained operational until 1776. In 1772, he independently published six of his own symphonies, issued separately with uniform title pages and distributed through the Warsaw booksellers M. Gröll and J.A. Poser; while extant copies of the first three symphonies are preserved in the Pauline Monastery in Częstochowa, the remaining works are known exclusively through contemporary Warsaw press announcements and entries in the Breitkopf (Leipzig) catalogs spanning 1772, 1777, and 1785-1787. The following year, he compiled and published a collection titled 'Mélanges de Musique pour le clavecin par Monsieur Engel', which notably featured works by M. Kamieński alongside what were highly probable to be his own compositions and those of other contemporaries, though this publication was regrettably destroyed during World War II. In tandem with advertising this collection, he offered for sale various manuscripts and prints, including Masses, motets, arias, duets, and oratorios, alongside a novel, proprietary "music printing machine of his own invention" before resigning from his cathedral post on September 1, 1773. A subsequent notice in the Gazeta Warszawska, dated February 14, 1776, documented the relocation of his printworks to the Wędrychowska tenement on ul. Kamienne Schodki and publicized the release of "new Polish dances arranged for the harpsichord" as well as twelve forthcoming pieces. Ultimately, given the scarcity of surviving historical data, evidence suggests that Engel’s publishing endeavors were sporadic, representing the pioneering, independent efforts of a single individual.

STRACH, Leopold (1699-1755) - Missa Solemnis (c.1730)

Leopold Strach (1699-1755) - Missa Solemnis (c.1730)

Performers: Mieke van der Sluis (sopran); Bernhard Landauer (alt); Wilfried Jochens (tenor); Wolf Matthias Friedrich (bass); Kammerchor des Ferdinandeums; Concerto Armonico Budapest; Josef Wetzinger (conductor)

Painting: Michel-François Dandré-Bardon (1700-1785) - Allegorie auf den Frieden von Wien (1735)

Further info: Musik aus Stift Stams XXI

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Leopold Strach [Strach von Treyenfeld, Stroch]

(Kolin, 11 November 1699 - Brixen, 28 June 1755)

Bohemian composer and church musician. His early life and training remain unknown. Born in Kolín, his documented career began in 1727 when he was employed as a bassist and court composer under the Prince-Bishop of Brixen. By 1728, he provisionally assumed the duties of Vice-Kapellmeister for Prince-Bishop Kaspar Ignaz von Künigl, a leadership position over the court and cathedral choir (Hof- und Domkapellmeister) that he officially secured in 1730 and held for the rest of his life. Strach was a prolific creator of sacred music, much of which was performed at the Stams Abbey (Abbatia B. M. V. et Sancti Ioannis Baptistae), but he also composed secular theatrical music for the Brixen Gymnasium, including Conradinus (1737) and Genovefa (1739). Following his death in Brixen in June 1755, he left behind an extensive library of roughly 3,000 sheets of usable musical material, which the cathedral chapter purchased from his widow for 100 florins on the advice of his successor, Simon Judas Thaddäus Mayr. 

MOSSI, Giovanni (c.1680-1742) - Concerto grosso (1727)

Giovanni Mossi (c.1680-1742) - Concerto grosso (XII, g-moll) aus

'[12] Concerti [D, G, B, E, c, A, F, C, b, d, e, g] ... opera quarta, libro primo' (1727)

Performers: Musica Antiqua Köln; Reinhard Goebel (conductor)

Painting: Jan Carel Vierpeyl (c.1675-c.1723) - Portrait of a Man and his Daughter

Further info: Italian Violin Concertos

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Giovanni (Giovannino) Mossi

(Rome?, c.1680 - Rome, 1742)

Italian composer and violinist. Referred himself as Roman, he came from a family of musicians active in Rome. His father, Bartolomeo Mossi, and brother Giuseppe Mossi, and Gaetano Mossi, a tenor at the papal chapel. Introduced into the musical circles of Rome by his father, he was active as a violinist from 1694. His career there can be divided into three periods. An initial phase as an instrumentalist for local courts and churches, a highly productive middle period (1716-1733) during which he published his entire instrumental catalogue in Amsterdam (comprising three sets of sonatas and three of concertos), and a final phase of gradual retirement. Though he briefly served Baldassarre Odescalchi, Duke of Bracciano, his compositions, consisting of solo sonatas and orchestral concertos, remain firmly rooted in the Roman tradition of employing four violin parts, while increasingly favoring the first violin as a soloist. Furthermore, while the long-standing claim that he was a pupil of Arcangello Corelli lacks documentary proof, Corelli's influence on his work is undeniable, even though Mossi maintained a distinct originality and stylistic independence that aligned closely with his contemporary, Giuseppe Valentini.

DREYER, Johann Melchior (1747-1824) - Sonate Concertante (c.1786)

Johann Melchior Dreyer (1747-1824) - Sonate Concertante (III, D-Dur) des

'Six Sonates Concertants pour le Clavecin ou le Forte Piano et violoncelle' (c.1786)

Performers: Roberto Gini (violoncello); Laura Alvini (1946-2005, harpsichord)

Painting: Artist of the 18th century - Children playing music

Further info: Il Violoncello Galante

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Johann (Johannes) Melchior Dreyer [Dreuer, Detriaste, Treÿer et al.]

(Röttingen, bap. 24 June 1747 - Ellwangen (Jagst), 22 March 1824)

German organist and composer. The youngest son of a smith, after study at the Jesuit Gymnasium in Ellwangen, he obtained his only position, the organist and schoolmaster (later choirmaster and Kantor) at the parish church of St Maria, which he retained for over 40 years. After the secularization of the foundation in 1802-03, he remained in his post as organist and Kapellmeister. As a composer, his works include 24 sonatas for organ, chamber sonatas, six Requiems, 24 vesper Psalms, six Tantum ergos, 26 Masses (six published as “simple country Masses” as his Op. 2), six symphonies, three Marian antiphons, and six Misereres. His music, little studied, is characterized by a studied simplicity and nearby to Michael Haydn on style terms. He was one of the most successful composers of sacred music of his time. His music was distributed throughout Europe, Russia and North America. His sons, Heinrich Dreyer and Johann Baptiste Dreyer, were also musicians.

BACH, Johann Christoph Friedrich (1732-1795) - Sinfonia a 10 (c.1794)

Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (1732-1795) - Sinfonia (B-Dur) | a | X par: obl: | Due Violini |

Viola, et Basso | Due Corni | Due Clarinetti | Flauto | et Fagotto (c.1794)

Performers: RIAS Bach Orchestra; Günther Arndt (1907-1976, conductor)

Painting: Unknown - Leipzig (1815)

Further info: Symphonies of the Bach Sons

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Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach

(Leipzig, 21 June 1732 - Bückeburg, 26 January 1795)

German composer. Son of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and Anna Magdalena Bach (1701-1760), he was known as the ‘Bückeburg Bach’. He received his musical education from his father and his cousin Johann Elias Bach (1705-1755) at the Thomasschule. After leaving the Thomasschule, he is thought to have studied law briefly, but there is no record of his matriculation at Leipzig University. In 1750, upon the death of his father, he was offered a position as harpsichordist with Count Wilhelm von Schaumberg-Lippe in Bückeburg. In 1759 he was elevated to concertmaster, a position he retained for the remainder of his life. He did not travel, save for a visit to his youngest brother, Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782), in London in 1778, preferring the calm surroundings of his small town. He was able to create music that was different from his brothers, thanks both to the intellectual stimulus of people such as Johann Gottfried Herder and his patron’s penchant for Italian music. His son, Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach (1759-1845), was trained in this environment, becoming the third direct generation of the family of Johann Sebastian to pursue a career in music. The arrival in Bückeburg about 1793 of the Bohemian musician Franz Neubauer presented Bach with unaccustomed competition in the last years of his life. It inspired him to write new works (including a dozen large-scale symphonies and several double concertos) but it also intensified the latent depression from which he had been suffering since the death of his half-brother Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) and which may have hastened the course of the chest ailment that brought about his death on 26 January 1795. In his obituary his friend Karl Gottlieb Horstig, superintendent at Bückeburg from 1793, described him as an industrious composer, always ready to be of service, and praised his upright character and ‘kindness of heart’. As a composer, his music, cataloged by Hansdieter Wolfarth (and using BR numbers), includes eight oratorios, a Miserere, nine sacred cantatas, 55 secular cantatas, odes, or other similar works, 79 Lieder, 28 symphonies, 16 piano concertos, three sinfonia concertantes (titled “concerto grosso” by Bach himself), a septet, six flute quartets and six string quartets, 13 trio sonatas, six piano trios, 22 sonatas (for flute, violin, or cello), 43 keyboard sonatas, and around 92 miscellaneous pieces for the keyboard. He was known for his ability to imbue drama into his works, particularly the oratorios, as well as his adherence to sonata principles and a progressive sense of harmony and orchestral color. Although much of his music did not survive the Second World War, what is left demonstrates that he was as innovative in his own way as his siblings. Among the better known of his pupils, in addition to his son Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst, were the future Thomaskantor August Eberhard Müller and perhaps Adolf, Baron von Knigge. For teaching purposes he wrote a number of pedagogically valuable keyboard works, including the 'Sechs leichte Clavier-Sonaten', variations, concertos and sonatas for four hands.

DE SAN JUAN, José (1685-c.1747) - Misa à 8 voces

José de San Juan (1685-c.1747) - Misa à 8 voces | Con Violines y Trompas

Performers: Irasema Terrazas (soprano); Gabriela Thierry (mezzosoprano); Flavio Becerra (tenor); Emilio Carsi (bass); Mexico City Chamber Ensemble; Benjamín Juárez Echenique (conductor)

Drawing: Joan Blaeu (1596-1673) - Scenographia Fabricae S Lavrentii In Escvriali (1665)

Further info: Mexico Barroco - Puebla IV

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José de San Juan

(1685 - Madrid?, c.1747)

Spanish composer. Born in Catalonia, he was trained as a choirboy at the Cathedral of Sigüenza before moving to Madrid, where by 1707 he worked as a composer and instructor for the Royal Chapel. After briefly returning to Sigüenza as maestro de capilla following a competitive examination (oposición), he was appointed maestro de capilla at the royal monastery of Las Descalzas Reales in Madrid in 1711, working alongside organist José de Nebra. In the musicological field, he participated in the 'Valls controversy', writing a text that defended Francisco Valls's use of an unprepared dissonance in the Missa Scala Aretina. His surviving works, which include masses, villancicos, and pastorelas, are preserved in Spanish archives such as Montserrat, El Escorial, and the Sanctuary of Arantzazu, with some manuscript copies dating up to 1751.

STAMIC, Jan Václav Antonín (1717-1757) - Sinfonia in D-Dur

Jan Václav Antonín Stamic (1717-1757) - Sinfonia in D-Dur

Performers: Die Prager Virtuosen; Oldrich Vlcek (conductor)

Drawing: Jan Punt (1711-1779) - Lijkstatie van Willem IV (1752)

Further info: Die Prager Virtuosen

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Jan (Johann) Václav Antonin (Wenzel Anton) Stamic [Stamitz]

(Německý Brod [now Havlíčkův Brod], 17 June 1717 - Mannheim, ?27 March, bur. 30 March 1757)

Bohemian composer, violinist and teacher. He received his early schooling in Německý Brod, though his first musical instruction doubtless came from his father. From 1728 to 1734 he attended the Jesuit Gymnasium in Jihlava; the Jesuits of Bohemia, whose pupils included the foremost musicians in Europe, maintained high standards of musical education during this period. Stamitz is known to have spent the following academic year, 1734-35, at Prague University. His activities during the next six years, however, remain a mystery. It seems logical to assume that his decision to leave the university was prompted by a desire to establish himself as a violin virtuoso, a goal that could be pursued in Prague, Vienna or countless other centres. The precise circumstances surrounding Stamitz’s engagement by the Mannheim court are unclear. The date of his appointment was probably 1741, for he remarked in a letter of 29 February 1748 to Baron von Wallbrunn in Stuttgart that he was in his eighth year of service to the elector. The most likely hypothesis is perhaps that Stamitz’s engagement resulted from contacts made late in 1741 during the Bohemian campaign and coronation in Prague of the Bavarian Elector Carl Albert (later Carl VII), one of whose closest allies was the Elector Palatine. In January 1742 Stamitz no doubt performed at Mannheim as part of the festivities surrounding the marriage of Carl Theodor. At Mannheim Stamitz advanced rapidly: in 1743, when he was first violinist at the court, he was granted an increase in salary of 200 gulden; in payment lists from 1744 and 1745 his salary is given as 900 gulden, the highest of any instrumentalist at Mannheim; in 1745 or early 1746 he was awarded the title of Konzertmeister; and in 1750 he was appointed to the newly created post of director of instrumental music. 

The latter promotion came almost two years after the offer of a position at the court of Duke Carl Eugen in Stuttgart with an annual salary of 1500 gulden, an offer that the Elector Palatine probably saw fit to match, as Stamitz remained in Mannheim. In court almanacs for 1751 and 1752 Stamitz is also listed as one of the two Kapellmeisters, but after the arrival of Ignaz Holzbauer in 1753 he appears as director of instrumental music alone. Stamitz’s principal responsibilities at court were the composition and performance of orchestral and chamber music, although he seems also to have composed some sacred music for the court chapel. As leader of the band and conductor Stamitz developed the Mannheim orchestra into the most renowned ensemble of the time, famous for its precision and its ability to render novel dynamic effects. Stamitz was also influential as a teacher; in addition to his sons Carl and Anton, he taught such outstanding violinists and composers as Christian Cannabich, the Toeschi brothers, Ignaz Fränzl and Wilhelm Cramer. In 1744 Stamitz married Maria Antonia Lüneborn. They had five children: the composers Carl and Anton, a daughter Maria Francisca (1746-1799) and two children who died in infancy. In 1749 Stamitz and his wife journeyed to Německý Brod to attend the installation of Stamitz’s younger brother Antonín Tadeáš as dean of the Dean’s church. In February 1750, while the family was still in Bohemia, Stamitz’s brother Václav Jan or Wenzel Johann (1724-after 1771), also a musician, was in Mannheim. Johann Stamitz returned to Mannheim in March 1750, but his wife remained temporarily in Německý Brod, where Anton Stamitz was born on 27 November 1750. Probably in late summer 1754 Stamitz undertook a year-long journey to Paris, appearing there for the first time at the Concert Spirituel on 8 September 1754. He presumably returned to Mannheim in autumn 1755, dying there less than two years later at the age of 39.

AGTHE, Carl Christian (1762-1797) - Concerto a Flauto Traverso (c.1780)

Carl Christian Agthe (1762-1797) - Concerto E. G dur: | Flauto Traverso Principalo: | Violino Primo: | Violino Secondo: | Viola Primo et Secondo: | Oboe Primo: | Oboe Secondo | Cornu Primo: | Cornu Secondo: |

e | Basso è Violoncello (c.1780)

Performers: Gabriele Zucker (flute); Mitteldeutsche Kammerphilharmonie; Gerard Oskamp (conductor)

Painting: Jean Grandjean (1752-1781) - Celebration of Spring

Further info: Sinfonien Nr. 4, 8 und 11 - Flötenkonzert

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Carl (Karl) Christian Agthe [Aghte]

(Hettstedt, 16 June 1762 - Ballenstedt, 27 November 1797)

German organist and composer. He first learnt music with his grandfather Johann Michael Agthe, Kantor at the Rathsschule, and his great-uncle Andreas Agthe, a local organist; he later continued his musical studies as a choirboy and as a member of the local Stadtpfeiferei. From 1776 to 1782 he was director of music with the Hündelberg theatrical company in Reval (now Tallinn), where he composed his first Singspiele 'Martin Velten' (1778). He then moved to Ballenstedt to join the court orchestra of Prince Friedrich Albrecht of Anhalt-Bernburg as an organist and harpsichordist. There he became known as one of the best organists of his time and, after further studies with Friedrich Wilhelm Rust, as an active composer of Singspiele, songs and instrumental pieces. His best-known work is a setting of August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue’s 'Der Spiegelritter' (1795), which was first performed by an amateur society in Ballenstedt and several times revived. He also left 11 symphonies, two concertos, and 14 Dances. His son Albrecht Wilhelm Johann Agthe (1790-1873) was a pianist, teacher and composer. 

SACCHINI, Antonio (1730-1786) - Sinfonia in Re maggiore

Antonio Sacchini (1730-1786) - Sinfonia in Re maggiore

Performers: Orchestra da Camera di Napoli

Painting: Thomas Patch (1720-1782) - Florence, A View of Ponte Santa Trinità Crossing the Arno River

Further info: Sinfonie Napolitane

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Antonio (Maria Gasparo Gioacchino) Sacchini [Sachgini, Sacini, Zacchini et al.]

(Florence, 14 June 1730 - Paris, 6 October 1786)

Italian composer. He was taken by his father at an early age to Naples, where he studied violin under Nicola Fiorenza and composition under Francesco Durante at the Conservatorio Santa Maria di Loreto. In 1756 he composed his first opera, Fra Donato, which launched his career as a composer of opera in Italy. Although he served for several years as an assistant maestro di cappella at the conservatory, he abandoned his teaching profession by 1763 to concentrate on commissions from throughout the country, eventually establishing a reputation as a dramatic and talented composer. In 1768 while in Venice he became director of the Conservatorio dell’Ospedaletto, teaching singing to students such as Nancy Storace. In 1772 he moved to London, where he obtained a great success with his operas but was known for a dissolute lifestyle. This forced Sacchini to travel to Paris in 1781, where he was caught in the middle of the feud between Niccolò Piccinni and Christoph Willibald von Gluck, both of whose partisans condemned him as a member of the other’s faction. In 1786 he produced his most enduring work, Oedip à Colonne, at the request of Marie Antoinette, but his early death from his lifestyle and acute gout prevented him from realizing its success. As a composer, Sacchini was known for his dramatic musical style, particularly in serious opera. He was able to move fluidly between both the Italian and French styles, often using varied forms and progressive harmonic structures. His works include 47 operas, seven oratorios, two symphonies, six string quartets, six trio sonatas, and 12 violin sonatas or lessons, in addition to numerous insertion arias, Masses, motets, Psalms, and other sacred works.

VIOLA I VALENTI, Anselm (1738-1798) - Missa Alma Redemptoris Mater

Anselm Viola i Valentí (1738-1798) - Missa Alma Redemptoris Mater

Performers: Escolania de Montserrat; Orquestra d'antics escolans; Ireneu Segarra (1917-2005, conductor)

Drawing: Alexandre de Laborde (1773-1842) - Vista interior de la iglesia de Mont-Serrat (1806)

Further info: Missa Alma Redemptoris Mater

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(Pere) Anselm Viola i Valentí

 (Torroella de Montgrí, 13 June 1738 - Montserrat Abbey, 25 January 1798)

Spanish teacher and composer. The eldest son of Francesc Viola's third marriage, his mother's name was Maria Rosa Valentí. He trained at the Escolania de Montserrat under Benet Julià and Josep Antoni Martí. On 20 March 1756, he began his novitiate at the Monastery of Montserrat, where he took his vows in 1757. He then moved to Madrid, where he completed his ecclesiastical and musical studies at the Church of Nuestra Señora de Montserrat, coming under the influence of José de Nebra. He also premiered many of his works there, achieving great success at the royal chapel. Upon returning to Montserrat in 1768, he was appointed master of the Escolania, teaching renowned students such as Fernando Sor, who wrote memoirs detailing the life of his master Anselm Viola, and master of the music chapel, positions he held until his death. As a composer, he wrote instrumental works, sonatas, and other pieces for keyboard instruments, as well as a classical-style concerto for bassoon and orchestra. He composed two masses for voices and orchestra, two Magnificats for six and seven voices (the second with basso continuo), 'Tèrcia i Completes' (both for seven voices with accompaniment), and a Lamentation for alto and orchestra. 

BONPORTI, Francesco Antonio (1672-1749) - Concerto a quattro (c.1715)

Francesco Antonio Bonporti (1672-1749) - Concerto a quattro, Op.11 No.8 (c.1715)

Performers: Amsterdams Kamerorkest; André Rieu (1917-1992, conductor)

Painting: Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) - Les Plaisirs du bal

Further info: Italienische Meister Zwischen Barock und Classik

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Francesco Antonio Bonporti [Bomporti, Buomporti, Buonporti]

(Trento, bap. 11 June 1672 - Padua, 19 December 1749)

Italian priest and composer. He was initially educated in Trento and Innsbruck in philosophical and humanistic subjects appropriate to the clerical vocation he was to follow. In 1691 he was admitted to the Collegium Germanicum in Rome, where he studied theology. While in Rome, he also studied composition under the guidance of Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni and possibly violin (not documented) with Arcangelo Corelli. Bonporti returned to Trent ordained as a priest and obtained a minor office in the cathedral in 1697. There he published his first opus, a set of ten trio sonatas and where on the title-page he called himself ‘gentiluomo di Trento’. He moved to Padua in 1740, lodging in the house of a fellow priest. A final appeal to Empress Maria Theresa in 1746, in which op.12 was enlisted, proved fruitless. He died three years later and was buried in Padua. Bonporti regarded himself as primarily a priest rather than a composer. His output consists in twelve opus, and the foremost of them is his 'Concerti a quattro', Op.11 (c.1715). Such as many italian composers of his time, he based his musical language on Corelli. 

BOLOGNE, Joseph (1744-1799) - Symphonie concertante (1777)

Joseph Bologne de Saint-George (1744-1799) - Symphonie concertante des 'Second œuvre de | deux | symphonies | concertantes | Pour deux Violons principaux, | deux Violons ripieno, Alto et Basse, | deux Hautbois et deux Cors, | ad Libitum ... Oeuvre IX' (1777)

Performers: Miroslav Vilimec (violin); Radio Symphony Orchestra Pilsen; Frantisek Preisler (conductor)

Drawing: Pierre-Adrien Pâris (1745-1819) - Architectural Fantasy Ruins of a Circular Temple Seen through a Natural Arch (c.1785)

Further info: Symphonies and Violin Concertos

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Joseph Bologne [Boulogne, 'Chevalier de Saint-Georges']

(Baillif, 25 December 1745 - Paris, 9 June 1799)

Caribbean composer, violinist, swordsman, equestrian and military commander. Son of a manumitted African mother and French plantation owner (his last name was apparently taken from one of the plantations his father owned), he grew up in the vicinity of Basse-Terre. His family went to France in 1747 to escape difficulties with the law but returned to Guadeloupe a few years later. In 1753 they moved permanently, first to Bordeaux then to Paris, where he underwent his earliest musical education, probably under Antonio Lolli and a few years later François-Joseph Gossec. In 1769 he became a violinist in the Concerts des amateurs, later becoming its director. During this time, beginning with his debut as a soloist in 1772, he became famous for his technical proficiency on his instruments, earning the epithet as the finest violinist of the age. A proposal to make him musical director of the Opéra in 1776 was blocked by four singers who refused to work with a “mulatto.” In 1781 he founded the Loge Olympique orchestra sponsored by one of Paris’s largest masonic lodges; he conducted the premieres of Haydn’s so-called Paris symphonies, which he had helped commission. In 1787 he traveled to London, where his prowess as a violinist and swordsman were thought legendary. A supporter of the Revolution, he was given command of troops from France’s colonial domains in 1792, but a year later he was denounced and spent 18 months in prison. Disillusioned, he sailed to Hispanola to participate in the newly independent Haiti of Toussant l’Ouverture. There the corruption and poor living standards further eroded his health and state of mind. He returned to Paris to conduct the Cercle d’harmonie orchestra, but was unable to escape poverty. During his lifetime, Saint-Georges was a remarkable bon vivant who freely interacted in the upper circles of Parisian society. His music was known for its tunefulness and technical brilliance, using devices such as bariolage that were extremely uncommon. His 1778 opera 'Le partie du chasse' was well received. In all he wrote six operas, 13 violin concertos, 10 sinfonia concertantes, a bassoon concerto, two symphonies, nine violin sonatas, 18 string quartets, and several other smaller pieces. His multifaceted personality has been the subject of both literature (six novels) and a motion picture. He is reckoned as one of the greatest Afro-Caribbean musicians of the period.

NICOLAI, Carl Otto (1810-1849) - Weihnachts-Ouverture (1833)

Carl Otto Nicolai (1810-1849) - Weihnachts-Ouverture (D-Dur) | (über den Choral "Vom Himmel hoch") (1833)

Performers: Bamberger Symphoniker; Karl Anton Rickenbacher (1940-2014, conductor)

Painting: August von Kreling (1819-1876) - The First Harvest After the Thirty Years’ War (1849)

Further info: Nicolai - Overtures & Symphony

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(Carl) Otto (Ottone, Othon) (Ehrenfried) Nicolai [Niccolai, Nicolaj]

(Königsberg [now Kaliningrad], 9 June 1810 - Berlin, 11 May 1849)

German composer and conductor. He was the first child of the composer Carl Ernst Daniel Nicolai (1785-1854) and his wife Christiane Lauber. Because of his mother’s physical and mental illness, the marriage was dissolved a few months after Nicolai’s birth. He grew up in the care of foster-parents until 1820, when his father took on responsibility for his education. He studied piano at home, and in 1827 went to Berlin, where he took lessons in theory with Carl Friedrich Zelter. He also took courses with Bernhard Klein at the Royal Institute for Church Music. On 13 April 1833, he made his concert debut in Berlin as a pianist, singer, and composer. He then was engaged as organist to the embassy chapel in Rome by the Prussian ambassador, Christian Charles Josias von Bunsen. While in Italy, he also studied counterpoint with Giuseppe Baini. In 1837 he proceeded to Vienna, where he became a singing teacher and Kapellmeister at the Karnthnertortheater. In 1838 he returned to Italy where he presented in Trieste his first opera, 'Rosmonda d'Inghilterra'. In late summer 1841 he was appointed principal conductor of the Hofoper at the Kärntnertor, and was able to concentrate on the operas of Mozart and Beethoven, which he particularly admired. Required by contract to compose German operas, he provided his first original German opera, 'Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor'. In summer 1844 he undertook a long journey via Prague, Dresden, Leipzig and Berlin to Königsberg, where he performed the 'Kirchliche Fest-Ouvertüre' which he had dedicated to his native town, as part of the festival to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the university. King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia was so impressed that he tried to tempt him to Berlin; Nicolai, however, did not at first respond to the offer. October 1847 saw him installed as Kapellmeister at the Königliches Opernhaus in Berlin and, as Mendelssohn’s successor, artistic director of the cathedral choir. Wishing to reform Prussian church services, he immediately began to compose a series of large-scale religious works. Soon afterwards he joined the Tonkünstlerverband, a society concerned with the reorganization of Prussian musical life; 'Die lustigen Weiber' eventually received its première, without huge success, on 9 March 1849. Two months later, Nicolai died. On the same day he was elected a member of the Akademie der Künste, but too late to receive the news.

ZECHNER, Johann Georg (1716-1778) - Dixit Dominus

Johann Georg Zechner (1716-1778) - Dixit Dominus aus 'Vesperae solemnes ex C de Beata'

Performers: Solisten, Chor und ensemble Gleisdorf

Painting: Simon Vouet (1590-1649) - Assembly of the Gods

Further info: Johann Georg Zechner - der Mensch und Musiker

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Johann Georg Zechner [Cehner, Zehetner]

(Gleisdorf, 9 April 1716 - Stein an der Donau, 7 June 1778)

Austrian composer and organist. Almost nothing is known about his youth until he was documented as organist at the Benedictine abbey of Göttweig in 1736, a post he held until 1746. That year he was appointed choral director of St Veit, Krems an der Donau (1746-1753) while he was studying philosophy and theology. In 1752 he was ordained priest and a year later he was appointed to the charge of the Chapel of All Saints at Stein an der Donau, in a post he held the rest of his life. As a composer, he show the influence of his fellows Johann Joseph Fux and Antonio Caldara, both active in Vienna, but evolving to early Classical style in his later works. Despite he focused on sacred music, among them, masses (the foremost was his Große Orgelmesse in C, 1761), requiems, and many liturgical pieces, he also wrote instrumental music very close to Georg Christoph Wagenseil and Georg Matthias Monn on style terms. 

CIURANA ARDIOL, Tomás (1762-1829) - Sonata en Do major

Tomás Ciurana Ardiol (1762-1829) - Sonata en Do major

Performers: Miguel Álvarez-Argudo (piano)

Drawing: R. Haes (19th Century) - Design for a Bourgeois Biedermeier Interior

Further info: Obras para tecla

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Tomás Ciurana Ardiol

(Peníscola, 1761 - Xàtiva, 4 June 1829)

Spanish composer, organist, and cleric. Born in Peníscola, he belonged to a family of musicians, including his brother Manuel Ciurana Ardiol (fl. 1800-1842), who served as organist at Sant Nicolau in Valencia and known for his 'Gran Salmodia de Misas' (1842). Tomás Ciurana Ardiol was organist at the church of Morella before moving to the Collegiate church of Xàtiva to occupy the same position. His tenure in Xàtiva included the professional formation of successors such as Joaquin Aparicio Ibáñez, who resided in Ciurana’s household on Sant Domènec Street. As a composer, his output consists of works for keyboard instruments, ranging from liturgical pieces like 'pasos y fugas' to sonatas influenced by the European Galant style. Historical records in Xàtiva, including his testamentary documents, provide evidence of his role in the city's religious institutions and the continuation of local organ traditions.

HOOK, James (1746-1827) - Great Britain Triumphant (1794)

James Hook (1746-1827) - Great Britain Triumphant (1794)

Performers: Caroline Schiller (soprano); Stefanie True (soprano); Mária Zádori (soprano); Zoltán Megyesi (tenor);

Reid Spencer (baritone); Capella Savaria; Mary Térey-Smith (conductor)

Drawing: James Gray Mayhew (1771-1845) - A project for a Triumphal Archway with classical figures in foreground

Further info: Great Britain Triumphant

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James Hook

(Norwich, 3 June 1746 - Boulogne, 1827)

English composer and organist. Born with a club foot (later corrected somewhat by surgery), he showed remarkable musical talent at an early age, being able to play the harpsichord at the age of four and performing concertos in public at six. For a time he was taught by Thomas Garland, the Cathedral organist, and before he was eight he had composed songs and his first opera. This was considered by connoisseurs as an ‘extraordinary instance of infantine genius’, but the music is lost. From 13 November 1756 fairly regular advertisments appeared in the Norwich Mercury for concerts at which Hook performed concertos, many of which were benefit concerts. Hook employed his talents in various ways at this time, including teaching, composing, transcribing music and tuning keyboard instruments. By 1763 he had moved to London, where his prowess on the instrument led to employment as a soloist in the Marylebone Gardens public concerts. On 29 May 1766 he married Elizabeth Jane Madden (?-1805) at St Pancras Old Church. In May 1767 he had applied unsuccessfully for the post of organist for the united parishes of St Matthew Friday Street and St Peter Westcheap, but before 6 September 1772 he had been appointed organist of St Johns Horselydown, Bermondsey. In 1768 he was appointed organist and composer to Marylebone Gardens. From 1774 to 1806 he also performed regularly at the Vauxhall Gardens and participated in the English opera at Covent Garden. On 18 October 1805 Hook’s wife died, and a year later, on 4 November 1806, he married his second wife, Harriet Horncastle James (?-1873). It is not known why he suddenly left his position at Vauxhall after almost a half century of service there. As a composer, he wrote over 2000 songs (including catches and glees), as well as 52 operas-stage works, 21 concertos, 40 odes (and an oratorio), and a large number of sonatas. His musical style was at once progressive and reflective of European continental trends. His son Theodore Edward Hook (1788-1841) was a writer, intellectual, prankster and civil servant, mainly known for his practical jokes, particularly the Berners Street hoax in 1810.

MUFFAT, Georg (1653-1704) - Suite a molti stromenti (1682)

Georg Muffat (1653-1704) - Suite a molti stromenti aus

'Armonico tributo, cioè sonate di camera commodissime a pocchi, o a molti stromenti' (1682)

Performers: Gradus ad Parnassum; Wien Ton Kοοpman (conductor)

Painting: Unknown artist (18th Century) - Aria Allegretto

Further info: Armonico tributo cioè Sonate di camera commodissime a pocchi, ò a molti stromenti

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Georg (Georgio) Muffat [Mouffat]

(Mégève, bap. 1 June 1653 - Passau, 23 February 1704)

German composer and organist of French birth. He studied with Jean-Baptiste Lully and his contemporaries in Paris from 1663 to 1669. He returned to Alsace to become a student, first at the Jesuit college at Séléstat in 1669, then in 1671 at a similar institution at Molsheim, where he was appointed organist to the exiled Strasbourg Cathedral chapter. Then he held posts in Prague (1677), and Salzburg, where he was appointed organist and chamber musician to the Archbishop Max Gandolf in 1678. In the early 1680s, he was granted leave to study in Rome, where he met Arcangelo Corelli. He returned to Salzburg in September 1682. In 1690, he became Kapellmeister for Johann Philipp, bishop of Passau in a post he held the rest of his life. As a composer, his 15 orchestral suites model the French manner, while the 12 concerti grossi (1701) bring out the typical Corellian textures and contrasts of small and large groups. He also composed 5 sonatas for strings and continuo, a single violin sonata, 3 lost operas, and a volume of organ music containing 12 toccatas, a chaconne, a passacaglia, and an aria with variations. His 1699 treatise, the 'Regulae Concentuum Partiturae', is one of the best on continuo playing. He considered himself a German, although his ancestors were Scottish and his family had settled in Savoy in the early 17th century. He was a prominent composer of instrumental music who was particularly important for the part he played in introducing the French and Italian styles into Germany. Three of his sons worked at the Hofkapelle in Vienna: Franz Georg Gottfried Muffat (1681-1710), Johann Ernst Muffat (1686-1746) and Gottlieb Muffat (1690-1770).

ROFFELD, Amand (1699-1780) - Missa in a-moll

Amand Roffeld (1699-1780) - Missa in a-moll

Performers: Capella Regia Praha; Robert Hugo (conductor)

Painting: Johann Michael Rottmayr (1656-1730) - Triumf lasky

Further info: Hudba polabského baroka

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(Padre) Amand (Amando) Roffeld

(Markvartice, 1699 - Prague, 1 June 1780)

Augustinian friar, keyboardist, and composer. Few details of his life are known. Associated with the Augustinian Monastery in Prague’s Lesser Town (Malá Strana), he gained recognition as harpsichordist whose works, characterized by a progressive style featuring virtuosic flourishes, were preserved in contemporary manuscript copies alongside those of notable figures like Antonín Reichenauer. Between approximately 1734 and 1737, he served the noble Morzin family, likely as a domestic tutor for either Václav Morzin or his son Karl Josef. His tenure at the Morzin court concluded around the time of Václav’s death in 1737.

STEINBACHER, Johann Michael (c.1710-1741) - Concerto con Cembalo

Johann Michael Steinbacher (c.1710-1741) - Concerto (C-Dur) | Cembalo obligato |

cum violino Primo | violino Secundo | et violone obligato

Performers: Milko Bіzjаk (cembalo); Gertraud Gаmеrith (violin); Aninka Hаrms (violin); Alojz Mordеj (violoncello)

Painting: Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) - Fête champêtre (c.1720)

Further info: Concertos–C major

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Johann Michael Steinbacher [Stainbacher]

(c.1710 - Graz?, 1741)

Austrian organist and composer. Primarily active in Graz, where he served as the city parish organist (Stadtpfarrorganist) starting in 1740. Although his exact dates of birth and death remain unconfirmed, records of his family life suggest he was born before 1710, and his professional trail fades after 1741, though he may have later joined the court of Count Joseph Bernhard Attems at Schloss Dornau. As a composer, he is historically significant for his five harpsichord concertos, early Austrian examples of the genre that adhere to the Vivaldian formal model, and a collection of six partitas. The modest range of the solo parts in his concertos suggests they may have been originally conceived for the organ, marking an important stylistic link in the development of keyboard literature within the regional Baroque tradition.

REJCHA, Antonín (1770-1836) - Sinfonia in Es-Dur (c.1799)

Antonín Rejcha (1770-1836) - Sinfonia in Es-Dur, Op.41 (c.1799)

Performers: Die Prager Virtuosen; Oldrich Vlcek (conductor)

Drawing: Unknown artist (19th Century) - Entry of Pius VII and Napoleon into Paris

Further info: Die Prager Virtuosen

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Antonín (Antoine-Joseph, Anton) Rejcha [Reicha, Raccha, Racha]

(Prague, 26 February 1770 - Paris, 28 May 1836)

Bohemian composer. Nephew and pupil of Joseph Rejcha (1752-1795), in 1785 the family moved to Bonn, where he became a member of the Hofkapelle of Max Franz, Elector of Cologne, playing violin and second flute in the court orchestra under his uncle's direction. The young Beethoven entered the Hofkapelle as violist and organist in 1789 and he befriended him. From about 1785 he studied composition secretly, against his uncle's wishes, composing and conducting his first symphony in 1787 and entering the University of Bonn in 1789, where he studied and performed until 1794, when Bonn was attacked and captured by the French. He managed to escape to Hamburg. In 1799 he moved to Paris, hoping to achieve success as an opera composer but in 1801 he moved on to Vienna. Once there, he studied with Antonio Salieri and Johann Georg Albrechtsberger. Reicha's life and career in Vienna were interrupted by Napoleon's November 1805 occupation of the city by French troops. Then Reicha decided to move back to Paris. He was soon teaching composition privately, future prolific composer George Onslow being one of his pupils by 1808. This time three of his many operas were produced, but they all failed; yet his fame as theorist and teacher increased steadily, and by 1817 most of his pupils became professors at the Conservatoire de Paris. The following year, Reicha himself was appointed professor of counterpoint and fugue at the Conservatoire with the support of Louis XVIII. In 1818 he married Virginie Enaust, who bore him two daughters. Reicha stayed in Paris for the rest of his life. He became a naturalized citizen of his adopted country in 1829 and Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1835. That same year, he succeeded François-Adrien Boieldieu at the Académie française. Though a prolific composer, he was of particular importance as a theorist and teacher in early 19th-century Paris.

HARST, Coelestin (1698-1776) - Suite de pièces pour le clavecin (1745)

Coelestin Harst (1698-1776) - Suite (Fa majeur) de pièces pour le clavecin ... Ier livre (1745)

Performers: Marc Schаеffеr (harpsichord)

Painting: Johann Christoph Frisch (1738-1815) - Elisabeth Mara

Further info: Concert at the Chateau of the Rohans in Strasbourg

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Coelestin (Célestin) Harst

(Sélestat, 1698 - Gerberschweier, 1776)

Alsatian priest and composer. After preliminary studies in Sélestat he entered the Benedictine convent of Ebersmünster, where he became master of the novices, teacher, and in 1745 prior, at the same time acquiring sufficient reputation as a harpsichordist to play before Louis XV during the king's visit to Strasbourg in 1744. His knowledge of the organ led to invitations to examine new instruments. As a superior he insisted upon strict adherence to the rule of his order, but he could also be amusing and entertaining. At his death he was provost of the convent of St Marx near Gerberschweier. Harst's only known work is his 'Recueil de différentes pièces de clavecin' (1745). He was one of the very few composers to use François Couperin's term ordre for a group of pieces in the same key, and his style is an amalgam of Couperin, Jean-Philippe Rameau and Jean-François Dandrieu.

GOMES DA ROCHA, Francisco (1745-1808) - Novena De Nossa Senhora Do Pilar (1789)

Francisco Gomes da Rocha (1745-1808) - Novena De Nossa Senhora Do Pilar (1789)

Performers: Orquestra e Coro Vox Brasiliensis; Ricardo Kanji (1948-2025, conductor)

Drawing: Johann Jacob Steinmann (1800-1844) - Largo do Paço (1839)

Further info: HISTÓRIA DA MÚSICA BRASILEIRA

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Francisco Gomes da Rocha

(Vila Rica, 1745 - Rio de Janeiro, 1808)

Brazilian composer, instrumentalist, and conductor in the Captaincy of Minas Gerais. A bassoonist and timpanist for the Regiment of Dragoons, he also served as a contralto singer and eventually succeeded José Joaquim Emerico Lobo de Mesquita as music director at the Matriz do Pilar in 1800. In addition to his musical professional career, he held administrative roles, including treasurer and clerk, within several religious brotherhoods. While historical estimates suggest a prolific output of approximately 200 compositions, only a small number of manuscripts have been preserved. His extant catalog is defined by sacred works for voices and chamber orchestra, most notably the Novena de Nossa Senhora do Pilar (1789) and the Matins Spiritus Domini (1795).

WAGNER, Richard (1813-1883) - Sinfonia in C-Dur (1832)

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) - Sinfonia in C-Dur (1832), WWV 29

Performers: Tοkyο Metrοpοlitan Symphοny Orchestra; Hiroshi Wakasugi (1935-2009, conductor)

Painting: Carl Friedrich Heinrich Werner (1808-1894) - Festival of the Artists at Tor dé Schiavi (1846)

Further info: Richard Wagner (1813-1883) - Sinfonia (E-Dur) Nr. 2 (1834)

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(Wilhelm) Richard (Ricardo, Richardus) Wagner [Vagner, Waguna, Karl Freigedank]

(Leipzig, 22 May 1813 - Venice, 13 February 1883)

German composer. He was the ninth child of Carl Wagner, a clerk in the Leipzig police service. Richard’s father died six months after his birth. Soon after, Richard’s mother started living with her late husband’s friend named Ludwig Geyer. After a while, she and her family moved to Geyer’s residence in Dresden. Richard lived here until he turned 14. Geyer loved theater and this interest was shared by Richard who took part in his performances. In 1820, Richard was enrolled at Pastor Wetzel’s school near Dresden. Here, he received piano instruction from a Latin teacher. After Geyer’s death in 1821, Richard was sent to a boarding school of Dresdner Kreuzchor, which was paid for by Geyer’s brother. When Richard turned nine, he was impressed by the Gothic elements of Carl Weber’s opera Der Freischutz. During this time, Richard entertained ambitions as a playwright. By 1827, the family went back to Leipzig. His first lessons in harmony were taken between 1828 and 1831. In January of 1828, he heard Beethoven’s 7th Symphony and later in March, the same composer’s 9th Symphony. In 1831, Richard joined Leipzig University. He became a member of the Saxon student fraternity. Richard also took composition lessons from Thomaskantor Weinlig. In 1833, Richard’s brother managed to get a position for him as a choir master at a theatre in Wurzburg. When he turned 20 that same year, Richard composed his first complete opera entitled Die Feen, which means The Fairies. In 1834, he went back to Leipzig where he held a short appointment as a musical director at the Magdeburg opera house. During this time, he wrote Das Liebesverbot, or The Ban on Love. This composition was based on Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. In 1840, Richard completed Rienzi. With a lot of support from Giacomo Meyerbeer, this was accepted for performance by the Dresden Court Theatre in 1842. Richard lived in Dresden for the next six years. 

During his time here, he was appointed the Royal Saxon Court-Conductor. However, his involvement with left-wing politics terminated his stay in Dresden. After leaving Dresden, Richard was unable to enter Germany for the next 11 years due to great political instability. During this time, he wrote Opera and Drama and then started developing his popular Ring Cycle. This work combined literature, music, and visual elements in a way that would anticipate the future of film. In 1843, Wagner completed The Flying Dutchman, which was considered one of the greatest works of the time. In 1845, Richard produced Tannhauser and then started working on Lohengrin. In 1862, Richard returned to Germany. He was invited by the king to settle in Bavaria. In 1869 and 1870, Richard’s first two operas were presented in Munich. Richard died of a heart attack on February 13, 1883. He was 69 years old and died while on vacation in Venice. His body was shipped back to Bayreuth where he was buried. Until his final years, Richard’s life was characterized by political exile, poverty, turbulent love affairs and repeated flight from creditors. His controversial music, drama and politics have attracted extensive comment in the recent decade. The effect of his ideas can actually be traced in many arts throughout 20th century. Their influence spread beyond composition to philosophy, visual arts, theatre and literature. During his lifetime, his work was deeply loved by many and influenced other composers. He was able to revolutionize opera through his concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, which translates to “total work of art.” His compositions, and especially those of later years, are notable for their complex textures, orchestration, rich harmonies and elaborate use of leitmotifs. His musical language composed of extreme use of chromaticism and shifting tonal centers greatly influenced the development of classical music.

HOTTETERRE, Jean (c.1666-1720) - Suite 'La Noce Champetre'

Jean Hotteterre (c.1666-1720) - Suite 'La Noce Champetre' des

'Pièces pour la muzette qui peuvent aussi se jouer sur la flûte, sur le haubois etc... oeuvre posthume'

Performers: The Telemann Society Orchestra; Richard Schulze (1928-2001, conductor)

Painting: Jan Steen (c.1626-1679) - The Dancing Couple

Further info: A Country Wedding Festival From 17th Century France

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Jean Hotteterre [Haulteterre, Hautetére, Otteterre et al.]

(Paris?, c.1666 - Paris, 5 March 1720)

French composer. Born into a family of woodwind instrument makers, instrumentalists and composers, he was son of Martin Hotteterre (c.1635-1712). He served in the hautbois et musettes de Poitou. On his father's death in 1712 he succeeded to the business, continuing the workshop on the rue de Harlay until his death. His only extant collection of 'Pièces pour la muzette qui peuvent aussi se jouer sur la flûte, sur le haubois etc... oeuvre posthume' was published by his brother Jacques Hotteterre (1673-1763) in 1722. During the 17th century various members of the family moved to Paris, where they gained fame as instrument makers and players, serving royal music-making. They are credited with developing early prototypes of the Baroque oboe, bassoon, musette and flute. Their talents in instrument making, playing, composition and pedagogy converged to form the foundation of the French school of woodwind playing. 

LOLLI, Antonio (c.1725-1802) - Concerto a Violino Principale (1775)

Antonio Lolli (c.1725-1802) - Concerto in G. Violino Principale, Violino Primo, Violino Secundo,

Viola di Alto con Basso (1775)

Performers: Luca Fаnfοni (violin); Reale Concerto ensemble

Painting: Francesco Zerilli (1793-1837) - Veduta di Palermo dalla Villa Belmonte

Further info: Complete Violin Concertos

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Antonio (Antoin, Antoine) Lolli [Loli, Lolly]

(Bergamo, c.1725 - Palermo, 10 August 1802)

Italian violinist and composer. He was probably trained in the city of Milan, by 1758 was named solo violinist to the court of the Duke of Wurttemberg in Stuttgart. He also commenced touring as a virtuoso, appearing with great success in Vienna (c.1760) and at the Concert Spirituel in Paris (1764, 1766). As a result of incurring debts, the Stuttgart court allowed him to tour extensively in order to recoup his losses. His tours took him to Frankfurt am Main and Utrecht (1769), Italy (1771), and northern Germany (1773). Lolli's Stuttgart contract was abrogated due to his debts in 1774. He then went to St. Petersburg, where he was a favorite of Catherine II in the capacity of chamber virtuoso (1774-83). He also found favor with Grigori Potemkin. Lolli continued to tour, and absented himself from the court between 1777 and 1780. Having dissipated 10,000 florins he had accumulated from gambling, he returned to St. Petersburg in 1780 and succeeded in regaining his social and artistic position. He appeared in concerts at Potemkin's palace there, and also in Moscow. Despite his frequent derelictions of duty, he was retained at the court until his contract was terminated in 1783. In 1784 he gave his last public concerts in Russia. He then appeared in Stockholm, Hamburg, and Copenhagen (1784), London (1785), and Italy. After visits to Copenhagen, Hamburg, and Stettin (1791), Palermo (1793), and Vienna (1794). In 1794 he was engaged as maestro di cappella to the court of Naples. After retirement, he settled in Palermo, where he spent his last years in poverty. As a performer, he was greatly admired for his commanding technique as a virtuoso and he was even known as 'the Shakespeare among violinists', but as a composer critics such as Charles Burney found his music bizarre. Lolli had little if any formal training in composition, nor did he ever realize his intentions of studying counterpoint with Padre Martini. Such study might not have made him a better composer, but identification as a Martini pupil might have mitigated contemporary criticism of his works. His music consists of 12 violin concertos, 28 violin sonatas, six duos, and 36 solo violin capriccios. His main claim to fame is a treatise, 'L’école du violon en quatuor' (1784).