DEVIENNE, François (1759-1803) - Simphonie concertante (c.1800)

François Devienne (1759-1803) - Simphonie concertante [G] pour deux flûtes avec accompagnement de deux violons, alto, basse, deux haubois et deux cors ... œuvre 76 (c.1800)

Performers: Andras Adorjan (flute); Marianne Henkel (flute); Münchener Kammerorchester;

Hans Stadlmair (1929-2019, conductor)

Painting: France school (18th Century) - Homage to Athena

Further info: François Devienne (1759-1803) - Concertos pour Flute

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François (Frederic) Devienne

(Joinville, 31 January 1759 - Paris, 5 September 1803)

French flautist, bassoonist, composer and teacher. He was the seventh of eight children born to Pierre Devienne and his second wife Marie Petit. Following early musical education as a choirboy, he was sent to Paris to study flute with Félix Rault. In 1780 he joined the orchestra of the Prince de Rohan, making his debut at the Concerts spirituels in 1782. From then until 1785 he performed there as a soloist at least 18 times, but after 3 April 1785 he did not appear there for four years. From 1785 to 1789 his place of employment is uncertain; he may have been a member of the Swiss Guards Band in Versailles. Devienne probably returned to Paris in autumn or winter 1788. Thereafter he played flute and bassoon at the Opéra until the Revolution, when he joined the military band of the French Guards. In 1795 he was appointed as an inspector and professor of flute at the new Conservatoire following the publication two years earlier of his treatise 'Méthode de flûte théoretique et pratique'. In May 1803 he entered Charenton, a Parisian home for the mentally ill, where he died the following September after a long illness which ended by impairing his reason. He was an extraordinarily prolific composer of peculiar importance from the impulse that he gave to perfecting the technique of wind instruments. He wrote 12 operas, seven sinfonia concertantes, 14 flute and five bassoon concertos, 25 quintets and quartets, 46 trios, 147 duos, and 67 sonatas, as well as a symphony and two Revolutionary hymns. As a teacher, Joseph Guillou was one of his most famous pupils. François Devienne was regarded in his lifetime as a flute virtuoso, and his works were frequently reprinted abroad. 

WAGENSEIL, Georg Christoph (1715-1777) - Sinfonia in D-Dur (1746)

Georg Christoph Wagenseil (1715-1777) - Sinfonia in D-Dur (1746)

Performers: Vienna Baroque Ensemble; Theodor Guschlbauer (conductor)

Painting: Christian Reder detto Monsù Leandro (1656-1729) - L'avanzata delle truppe

Further info: Georg Christoph Wagenseil (1715-1777) - Concerto für Trombone

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Georg Christoph Wagenseil [Waghenseil, Vangenzeil, Vagensäll et al.]

(Vienna, 29 January 1715 - Vienna, 1 March 1777)

Austrian composer, keyboard player and teacher. Born into a prominent Viennese family, he studied under Johann Joseph Fux and Mattheo Palotta beginning around 1735. Fux was so impressed by his student that he recommended him in 1739 for the post of court composer, which was followed the next year by an appointment as organist for Dowager Empress Elisabeth. By 1749 he had become hofklaviermeister with the responsibility of instructing the royal family on the keyboard. Four years earlier, in 1745, his opera 'Ariodante' launched a career in the royal theatres, and by 1751 he had published a treatise 'Rudimenta panduristae oder Geig- Fundamenta', which was a forerunner of Leopold Mozart’s work. By 1765, however, he began to be afflicted with gout, resulting in a diminishing of his capacity and confinement to his home the final years of his life. Wagenseil was a much-appreciated teacher, whose students included Frantisek Xaver Dusek, Leopold Hofmann, and Johann Baptist Schenk. As a composer, he wrote 16 operas; three oratorios; 17 Masses and a Requiem; over 90 other sacred works (including canticles, Psalms, hymns, etc.); nine secular cantatas; 30 concert arias; 77 symphonies; 81 concertos for keyboard (most with string accompaniment); other concertos for flute, violin, cello, bassoon, and trombone; seven violin sonatas; seven divertimentos; four flute quartets; 60 trio sonatas; and a large number of smaller works for keyboard. Although his early Masses display a Baroque style, his symphonies and concertos, of which he was one of the most prolific composers of the period, were much more advanced, while his penchant for solid, colorful orchestration, interesting harmony, and attention to dramatic detail presage the opera reforms of Christoph Willibald von Gluck in his opera serias. Georg Christoph Wagenseil can be considered one of the pivotal figures in the development of the Classical style in Vienna with a compositional career that spanned a period from Fux, his teacher, to Haydn brothers and W.A. Mozart, for whom he served as a precursor.

MENGAL, Martin-Joseph (1784-1851) - Sixième duo pour cor et piano

Martin-Joseph Mengal (1784-1851) - Sixième duo pour cor et piano

Performers: Jeroen Billiet (horn); Jan Huylebroeck (piano)

Painting: Anton Muller (1853-1897) - The Horn player

Further info: The Fall Now Blows Its Horn

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Martin-Joseph Mengal

(Ghent, 27 January 1784 - Ghent, 4 July 1851)

Flemish composer and horn player. He came from a musical family and received horn and violin lessons from his father. By the age of 13 he played first horn at the Ghent opera and in 1804 he entered the Paris Conservatoire where he studied with Frédéric Duvernoy and Charles Simon Catel. After playing the horn in the orchestra at the Odéon he became principal horn at the Opéra-Comique. In 1825 he was appointed director of the theatre in Ghent but soon resigned and after the 1830 Revolution became a conductor in Antwerp and The Hague. He was the founding director of the Royal Conservatory of Ghent in 1835 and served as director there until his death. As a composer, he wrote at least six operas (1818-1830), a Requiem, several concertos and symphonies concertantes, and chamber music and songs. His brother Jean-Baptiste Mengal (1792-1878) was also a horn player and one of the founders of the Paris Société des Concerts du Conservatoire. 

BERNASCONI, Andrea (1706-1784) - Miserere a 4 (1779)

Andrea Bernasconi (1706-1784) - Miserere (re minore) | a | 4 Vocibus Ordinar:

| Due Violini. | Viola. | Violoncello. | è | Basso (1779)

Performers: Solisti e Coro della Radiotelevisione svizzera; I Barocchisti; Diego Fasolis (conductor)

Painting: Pierre Révoil (1776-1842) - Le Christ au Jardin des Oliviers

Further info: Andrea Bernasconi (1706-1784)

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Andrea (Andre, András, Andreas von) Bernasconi [Bernascone, Bernaskoni, Bornasconi]

(Marseilles?, 1706 - Munich, 24 January 1784)

Italian composer. Son of a military officer, he grew up in Parma. In around 1725 he apparently received further musical education in Milan, where he made his debut as a composer in 1737. In 1744 he was appointed as music director of the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice in a post he held until 1746. A decree of 24 November 1753 refers to his engagement as assistant Kapellmeister of vocal music in Munich from 1 August 1753; his appointment coincided with the opening of the Residenztheater. On 5 June 1754 he was named music teacher to the princesses Maria Anna Josepha and Josepha Maria. Following the death of Giovanni Porta, he was appointed Kapellmeister on 7 September 1755. In 1778 Elector Carl Theodor confirmed his official post, but he probably rendered no further service. After his death, he was succeded by Franz Paul Grua. As a composer, his works include 20 operas, 34 Masses, 11 offertories, eight oratorios, six litanies, around 125 smaller sacred works, 20 symphonies, and a flute concerto. His stepdaughter Antonia Bernasconi (c.1741-c.1803) was a soprano mainly active in Vienna.

SIMON, Simon (c.1735-c.1788) - Concerto Pour le Clavecin (c.1760)

Simon Simon (c.1735-c.1788) - Concerto (Sol majeur) Pour le Clavecin des 

'Pièces de clavecin dans tous les genres avec et sans accompagnement de violon ... oeuvre 1ère' (c.1760)

(World Premiere Recording)

Performers: Pau NG on Sibelius with samples of a German harpsichord (18th Century)

Drawing: Martin Engelbrecht (1684-1756) - A social club (c.1750)

Further info: Simon Simon (c.1735-c.1788) - Premier Concerto en La majeur (1770)

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Simon Simon

(Les-Vaux-de-Cernay, c.1735 - Versailles?, after 1788)

French harpsichordist and composer. His life remains somewhat shrouded in mystery. While François-Joseph Fétis suggested a birth year around 1720, an announcement in 'L’avant coureur' from 1761 describes him as 'still very young', casting doubt on this early date. As a child, he was sent to study with his uncle named 'Butet', an organist, but his uncle's 'mediocre talents' hindered the young musician's progress. A fortunate encounter at age 13 with the Marquise de la Mézangère, a pupil of François Couperin, dramatically changed his trajectory. The Marquise welcomed him into her Parisian home, providing harpsichord lessons herself and entrusting his musical education to the violinist Saint-Saire. By 1754, Simon had already established himself as a teacher, attracting a large number of pupils. Despite the demands of his burgeoning career, he dedicated time to composition, studying with Antoine Dauvergne. As a composer, his early works, including petits motets and harpsichord pieces, were performed in private concerts and garnered critical acclaim. His harpsichord compositions, published as Op.1 in 1761, impressed Joseph Brunon Le Tourneur, 'maître de clavecin des enfants de France', leading to a remarkable marriage and the promise of succeeding to Le Tourneur's prestigious royal position. His career flourished then and he became harpsichord teacher to the dauphine, the queen, and the Countess of Artois. Although he assumed Le Tourneur's duties upon his retirement, the official title did not transfer to him until 1770. He should not be confused with a violist named 'Simon' who composed six symphonies in 1748 or the composer 'Simon' active between 1757 and 1771.

FIORENZA, Nicola (c.1700-1764) - Sinfonia a Flauto solo

Nicola Fiorenza (c.1700-1764) - Sinfonia (Sol minore) a Flauto solo | Con VV. e Basso

Performers: Redherring Baroque ensemble; Patrick Deneker (flute & conductor)

Painting: Gaspar Van Wittel (1653-1736) - Naples, a view of the Riviera di Chiaia

Further info: Nicola Fiorenza (c.1700-1764) - Concerto per il flauto obligato (c.1730)

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Nicola Fiorenza

(c.1700 - Naples, 13 April 1764)

Italian violinist and composer. While specific details about his early life are scarce, his musical career began to take shape in the mid-18th century. In 1726, his Sinfonia in A minor for flute, two violins, and basso continuo was published, marking the earliest verifiable date in his professional life. From 1734 to 1740, he was involved with the prestigious Cappella Reale and the orchestra of the Teatro San Bartolomeo, two of the most important musical institutions in Naples at the time. As a composer, his surviving output remain in manuscript at the Naples Conservatory San Pietro a Majella. The bulk of it consists of 15 concertos for various combinations of instruments and nine symphonies (many of them containing important solos for string or wind instruments and coming close to belonging to the concerto category). His compositions are characterized by a unique blend of lyricism and rhythmic inventiveness and despite his role as a minor figure in the history of instrumental music, he deserves be part in the development of the concerto and the symphony in southern Italy during the first half of the 18th century. 

LINEK, Jiří Ignác (1725-1791) - Konzert D dur

Jiří Ignác Linek (1725-1791) - Konzert (Organ) D dur

Performers: Ladislav Vachulka (1910-1986, organ); Orchestre du Conservatoire de Prague;

Frantisek Hertl (1906-1973, conductor)

Painting: Studio of Frans Francken II (1581-1642) - Saint Cecilia

Further info: Jiri Ignác Linek (1725-1791) - Sinfonia Pastoralis in C

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Jiří Ignác (Georg Ignaz) Linek [Linka, Lineck, Lynka]

(Bakov nad Jizerou, 21 January 1725 - Bakov nad Jizerou, 30 December 1791)

Bohemian composer and pedagogue. Born and raised in Bakov nad Jizerou, he studied at the Piarist gymnasium in Kosmonosy and later he studied composition with Josef Seger. From 1747 to his death, he was a teacher, choirmaster and member of the literary fraternity in Bakov nad Jizerou. As a cantor there for over four decades, he composed a vast body of works, primarily for the church. His compositions include numerous masses, requiems, oratorios, and, most notably, a collection of Christmas pastorals. These pastorals, simple yet heartfelt, have become a beloved part of the Bohemian Christmas tradition. His musical style was characterized by its adherence to the Baroque tradition, while also incorporating elements of folk music. His compositions are often described as melodious and expressive, reflecting the musical tastes of the time and place. As a pedagogue, he played a significant role in the development of music education in Bohemia. He founded a literary brotherhood and was instrumental in fostering a love of music among his students.

GIROLAMI, Giovan Battista (1702-1786) - Messa in Re maggiore

Giovan Battista Girolami (1702-1786) - Messa in Re maggiore

Performers: Soloists, choir and orchestra 'Duomo di Castelnuovo di Garfagnana'; Luca Bacci (conductor)

Painting: Bartolomeo Altomonte (1694-1783) - The Four Seasons Paying Homage to Chronos (c.1731)

Further info: Giovan Battista Girolami (1702-1786) - Messa da Requiem

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Giovan (Giovanni) Battista Girolami

(Vergemoli, 1702 - Castelnuovo, 20 January 1786)

Italian priest, organist and composer. He was the son of Giovanni Luca Girolami and brother of Carlo Antonio Girolami who was the first of the family to move to Castelnuovo Garfagnana in the province of Lucca, where, in 1728 he married Chiara Teresa, daughter of Cristoforo Pieracchi. The descendents were related with the Counts of Carli Girolami the Marquesses of Gargioli Malaspina of Reggio Emilia. Giovan Battista Girolami was ordained a priest in 1724, and in 1763 he became the maestro di cappella at the cathedral in Castelnuovo. He was pensioned in 1784. His music is mostly unknown, but it mainly consists of sacred works, including several Masses (and Mass movements), an unfinished Messa da requiem (c.1775), and numerous smaller compositions.

KAUER, Ferdinand (1751-1831) - Sonate Militaire 'La conquete d'Oczakow'

Ferdinand Kauer (1751-1831) - Sonate Militaire pour le Clavecin ou Fortepiano ...

'La conquete d'Oczakow' (1788)

Performers: Erich Traxler (harpsichord)

Painting: January Suchodolski (1797-1875) - Victory of Ochakiv, 1788, December 17

Further info: Ferdinand Kauer (1751-1831)

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Ferdinand Kauer [Haver, Kauw, Kaver]

(Klein-Thaya [Tajax; now Dyjákovice], 18 January 1751 - Vienna, 13 April 1831)

Austrian composer and conductor of Moravian birth. The son of a schoolmaster, he received his early education in Znaim from the Jesuits, later continuing his studies at Tyrnau in medicine, theology, and philosophy. Around 1777 he moved to Vienna as a teacher of keyboard while also working as a local church organist and with Artaria as a proofreader. He studied composition with Anton Zimmermann and soon obtained additional work as a violinist at the Leopoldstadt Theatre. There he became assistant to Wenzel Müller, writing his first Singspiels. During the 1790s he met with considerable success with the Singspiels 'Das Faustrecht in Thüringen' and 'Die Löwenritter', both of which were continued through several successful sequels. In 1810 he went to Graz as Kapellmeister, but returned to Vienna until 1818, when he was dismissed from his position. During the night of 28 February to 1 March 1830 he was among the victims of severe floods in the Leopoldstadt when a sudden thaw caused the Danube to overflow its banks. He lost almost all he possessed, including his musical scores, and died in utter poverty little more than a year later. As a composer, his output includes 19 Singspiels, 10 oratorios, 14 Masses, three Requiems, 30 symphonies (including one on Wellington’s Victory), seven concertos, several small chamber works with strings, and numerous keyboard works. He also brought out several theoretical works, including tutors for the flute, piano, violin and cello and on thoroughbass, and a singing manual, all published by Artaria between 1787 and 1794. Despite he has been all but forgotten, he was frequently performed in various countries (including Scandinavia) for many years, giving rise to numerous imitations and sequels.

SCHROTER, Corona (1751-1802) - Die Fischerin (1781)

Corona Schröter (1751-1802) - Die Fischerin (1781)

Performers: Ulrike Stаude (soprano); Markus Schäfеr (tenor); Ekkehard Abеle (bass);

Michael Frеimuth (guitar); Gerald Hаmbitzеr (fortepiano)

Painting: Johann Peter Hasenclever (1810-1853)  - Young woman at the open window looking at the full moon

Further info: Corona Schröter (1751-1802)

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Corona (Korona) Elisabeth Wilhelmine Schröter [Schroeder, Schroeter, Mlle Schröterin]

(Guben, 14 January 1751 - Ilmenau, 23 August 1802)

German singer, actress and composer. Daughter of the oboist Johann Friedrich Schröter (1724-1811), her earliest instruction was from her father and later from Johann Adam Hiller with whom she appeared in Hiller’s Grand Concerts in Leipzig. In 1776 a friendship with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe led to an appointment as a chamber musician at the Weimar court of Princess Anna Amalia. Although this was dissolved in 1783, she continued to live there supporting herself through lessons and through her musical salons. She and a companion moved to Ilmenau in 1801 in a vain attempt to recover from a lung disease. The bulk of her compositional efforts were dedicated toward Lieder (compiled in two collections from 1786 and 1794), of which 41 have survived, including an early setting of Goethe’s Der Erlkönig. In addition she composed 360 Italian airs and duets (lost), as well as music for two Singspiels. Her brothers Johann Samuel Schroeter (1753-1788) and Johann Heinrich Schröter (c.1760-after 1784) were musicians and composers, and her sister Marie Henriette Schröter (1766-after 1804) was a singer, active in Darmstadt court.

SORKOCEVIC, Luka (1734-1789) - Sinfonia in D-Dur

Luka Sorkočević (1734-1789) - Sinfonia (VI) in D-Dur

Performers: Zagreb orchestra

Engraving: Gerard van der Gucht (1696-1776) - Concert ticket with a group of eleven musicians

playing various instruments in an interior with a Venetian window

Further info: Luka Sorkočević (1734-1789) - Symphonies

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Luka (Luca) Sorkočević [Sorgo, Sorgoevich, Sijerkowinsky]

(Dubrovnik, 13 January 1734 - Dubrovnik, 11 September 1789)

Dalmatian-Croatian composer and nobleman. A member of a family of Dalmatian nobility, he was trained in music by Giovanni Valentini, maestro di cappella of the Dubrovnik cathedral. In 1752 he became a member of the Great Council. By 1757 he traveled to Rome to study under Rinaldo da Capua, but his position in society redirected his life toward a role as a politician. In 1776 he negotiated with France on behalf of the Republic and from 1781 to 1782 he was ambassador for the Republic of Dubrovnik to the Holy Roman court in Vienna, during which period he became friends with Christoph Willibald von Gluck, Joseph Haydn, and Pietro Metastasio. His health began to fail upon his return to Dubrovnik when he was afflicted with chronic arthritis, and in a fit of despondency he committed suicide by leaping from the upper story of his palace. He was occupied with musical composition for a small portion of his life, even as he maintained a career in politics. His output includes nine symphonies, two sonatas (one keyboard and one violin), several arias, and a motet in Croatian titled 'Bablionskiem na riekama' (Super flumina Babylonis, Psalm 136). His musical style is galant, although he shows some influences of the Italian opera. His son, Antun Sorkočević (1775-1841), was also a politician and composer, active in France.

WEIGEL, Philipp Jakob (1752-1826) - Missa solemnis

Philipp Jakob Weigel (1752-1826) - Missa solemnis

Performers: Kirchenchöre St.Peter und Eschbach; Kammerorchester Stohren; Lambert Bumiller (conductor)

Painting: Unknown (18th Century) - Design for a ceiling painting

Further info: Philipp Jakob Weigel (1752-1826)

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Philipp Jacob Weigel

(Windach, 12 January 1752 - Kirchhofen, 1826)

German Benedictine monk and composer. Few details are known about his life. In 1791 he professed his vows and entered as monk at St. Peter's Abbey, Schwarzwald. There he also served as choirmaster from 1806. In 1815, he became a parish priest in Bollschweil. He retired in 1821 and settled in Kirchhofen. As a composer, he mainly wrote sacred music, mostly lost, and he published the collection '46 Variationen zur steigenden Übung für Clavier-Schüler, und zur Erleichterung des Unterrichtes für die Lehrmeister als ein noch vorhandenes Bedürfnis verfertiget und herausgegeben'.

ZUMSTEEG, Johann Rudolf (1760-1802) - Concert per il Violoncello

Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg (1760-1802) - Concert (Es-Dur) per il Violoncello

Performers: Alfred Lessing (1930-2013, cello); Consortium Musicum; Gerd Berg (1927-2016, conductor)

Drawing: Paul Sandby (1731-1809) - The Asylum for the Deaf

Further info: Am Hofe Des Herzogs Karl Eugen Von Württemberg

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Johann Rudolf (Rudolph) Zumsteeg [Zumsteg, Sumsteeg, Zumstaeg, Zum Steeg]

(Sachsenflur, 10 January 1760 - Stuttgart, 27 January 1802)

German cellist, composer and conductor. After the early death of his mother, he received general education at the Carlsschule in Stuttgart, the military academy founded by the duke, where he became friendly with Friedrich von Schiller and the sculptor Johann Heinrich Dannecker. He studied cello with Eberhard Malterre and cello and composition with Agostino Poli in Stuttgart, and in 1781 became solo cellist in the Court Orchestra there. In 1783, he married Luise Andreae with whom he had seven children. He served as music master at the Carlsschule (1785-94), and in 1791 was made director of German music at the Stuttgart Court Theater. In 1793 he succeeded Poli as court Konzertmeister, where he championed the works of W.A. Mozart. As a composer, he produced 12 operas at Stuttgart, of which the best was 'Die Geisierinsel', after Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' (1798). His other stage works included 'Zalaor' (1787), 'Tamira' (1788), 'Das Pfauenfest' (1801), and 'Ebondocani' (1803). His music also includes a monodrama, five sets of incidental music, two Masses, 14 sacred and 16 occasional cantatas, an ode, two symphonies, 12 concertos (10 for cello and two for flute, in addition to a concertante for two flutes), two cello sonatas, a trio for three cellos, and four duos. However, his name became widely known through the numerous ballads and lieder (c.300 works) published from 1791 onwards. His son Gustav Adolf Zumsteeg (1794-1859), after taking over his mother’s music shop (1821), helped to found the Stuttgart male choir Liederkranz (1824) and later established a music publishing house for choral works (1825), which remained active until it was purchased by Kazimierz Sikorski in 1940. His daughter Emilie Zumsteeg (1796-1857) was a singer, pianist and composer.

GILLES, Jean (1668-1705) - Laudate nomen domini

Jean Gilles (1668-1705) - Laudate nomen domini // En Simphonie

Performers: Marie-Claire Cottin (soprano); Pierre Pеgaud (tenor); Joseph Sagе (countertenor); Jacques Bοna (bass); Michel Carеy (baritone); Avignοn Vocal Ensemble; Georges Durаnd (conductor)

Painting: Jean Lemaire (1598-1659) - Thésée retrouve l'épée de son père (c.1638)

Further info: Jean Gilles (1668-1705) - Te Deum (1697)

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Jean Gilles [Giles, Gille, Gilles de Tarascon]

(Tarascon, 8 January 1668 - Toulouse, 5 February 1705)

French composer. He received music training in the choir school of the Cathedral of St. Sauveur at Aix-en-Provence. His teacher was Guillaume Poitevin, who also taught André Campra and Esprit Antoine Blanchard. On 5 November 1688, at Poitevin’s request, he shared the positions of sous-maître and organist with another student, Jacques Cabassol. Poitevin retired on 4 May 1693 and he succeeded him as maître de musique. After moving on several times, he was appointed maître de musique at the Cathedral of St Etienne at Toulouse in 1697, as the successor of André Campra. In 1701 the Duke of Burgundy and the duc de Berry, grandsons of Louis XIV, visited Toulouse with great ceremony. With the attention this event brought him, Gilles’s reputation grew, and in July 1701 he was offered the directorship of the choir school at Notre Dame des Doms, Avignon. He agreed to accept, and Rameau was appointed to deputize until he arrived, but although Gilles may have spent a short time at Avignon he never left his post at Toulouse. As a composer, his most famous work was Messe des morts, which contains an erudite fugue in its Requiem, attesting to Gilles's excellent technique. It became part of the regular services at funerals and was performed at services for Louis XV in 1774. He additionally wrote 32 choral motets and other sacred works. 

SAMMARTINI, Giuseppe (1695-1750) - Concerto per la Flauta

Giuseppe Sammartini (1695-1750) - Concerto (in Fa maggiore) a più istromenti & la flauta, IGS 25

Performers: Sophie Larivière (flute); Ensemble Caprice

Painting: Italian school (c.1700) - Young musicians

Further info: Giuseppe Sammartini (1695-1750) - Concerto (II) for the harpsichord, Opera Nona

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Giuseppe (Gioseffo) (Francesco Gaspare Melchiorre Baldassare) Sammartini [S Martini, St Martini, et al.]

(Milan, 6 January 1695 - London, ?17-23 November 1750)

Italian composer. He was the son of French oboist Alexis Saint-Martin and older brother of the better-known composer Giovanni Battista Sammartini. Young Giuseppe's first instruction likely came from his father, and by 1711 the two brothers were performing together in an orchestra. Giuseppe's first surviving compositions date to the mid-1710s. Around the time of that publication, Giuseppe and Giovanni became members of a Milan orchestra and by 1720 they had joined that city's Regio Ducal Theater orchestra. In 1729, Giuseppe departed Italy for Brussels, where he remained briefly before traveling to London, the city he would settle in for the remainder of his career. He was already recognized in England as a promising composer, owing to the publication there of his 12 Trio Sonatas in 1727. But it was his musicianship on the oboe that made him a celebrity in the English capital. In the 1730s Sammartini played in Handel's orchestra and performed in many productions of Handel's operas, including that of Arminio, which features difficult obbligato writing for the oboe in the Act II aria, "Quella fiamme." In 1736 Sammartini was appointed music teacher in the household of Prince Frederick of Wales. His duties included instructing the Prince's wife Augusta and her children in music, and undoubtedly involved many private chamber music performances before the Prince and his retinue. Sammartini held this post until his death. This final decade-and-a-half was apparently a very happy time for him: many of his works date to this period, some carrying dedications to the Prince (12 Sonatas, Op. 1; 1736) and to Augusta (12 Trios, Op. 3; 1743). Sammartini died at the household of the Prince during the week of November 17, 1750.

LOTTI, Antonio (1667-1740) - Missa a tre cori (c.1718)

Antonio Lotti (1667-1740) - Missa a tre cori (c.1718)

Performers: Harvard University Choir; Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra; Murray Forbes Somerville (conductor)

Painting: Studio of Canaletto - The Piazzetta from the Molo, Venice

Further info: Antonio Lotti (1667-1740) - Dixit Dominus

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Antonio Lotti [Lothi, Gotti, Gnocchi]

(Venice, 5 January 1667 - Venice, 5 January 1740)

Italian teacher and composer. Son of the composer active in Hanover, Matteo Lotti, he received early lessons from Giovanni Legrenzi. He became a salaried alto singer on 30 May 1689, assistant to the second organist on 6 August 1690, second organist on 31 May 1692, and first organist on 17 August 1704. Seven years earlier, in 1697, he was 'maestro di cappella' for the church of the Spirito Santo, and the following year, he finished an entire book of masses, presumably for use there and at San Marco. He also composed sacred music for the Ospedale degli Incurabili, although the terms of his appointment there, if any, are not known. He excelled equally as an opera composer for the Venetian theatre, with sixteen works premiered between 1706 and 1717 alone. Having reached fame as one of the most celebrated church and theater composers of his time, he was invited in September of 1717 together with his wife, Santa Stella, a renowned soprano, and several musicians from the basilica of San Marco, by the Electoral Court of Saxony to come to Dresden for a two year residency. During his stay in Dresden, he wrote numerous sacred works, chamber music, and three operas that were given during the festival month, in the new opera house that Augustus II 'the Strong' had built especially for this occasion. In 1719 he returned to his posts in Venice. Despite the success of his psalm motet Miserere of 1733, thereafter sung every Holy Thursday at San Marco for the rest of the century, he failed to win the election to be 'maestro di cappella' when the post fell vacant that year. He finally won the appointment on 2 April 1736, which qualified him for the annual salary of 400 ducats and free lodging in the piazza de’ Canonici. As a teacher, he was highly praised and several of his pupils became accomplished composers, among them, Domenico Alberti, Girolamo Bassani, Baldassare Galuppi, Michelangelo Gasparini, Benedetto Marcello and Giambattista Pescetti. Antonio Lotti was the last of the great Baroque 'maestro di cappella' of San Marco in Venice, his legacy of sacred music, including at least 10 masses and 2 requiems, remained in the regular repertory of the basilica throughout the 18th century. He could compose in the stile antico for liturgy, and his polyphony might comprise as many as 10 voices full of dissonant suspensions. He was also internationally prominent in the musical theater, having composed at least 24 operas and 8 oratorios, as well as at least 88 secular cantatas; a 1705 publication of vocal duets, trios, and “madrigals”; a concerto for oboe d’amore; 6 sonatas for violin and continuo; 6 sinfonie; and a half-dozen assorted chamber works.

PILOTTI, Giuseppe (1784-1838) - Concerto per il Oboe

Giuseppe Pilotti (1784-1838) - Concerto (Concertino in Fa maggiore) per il Oboe

Performers: Diego Dini Ciacci (oboe); Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto

Painting: Anonymous (19th Century) - Portrait of Giuseppe Pilotti

Further info: Oboenkonzerte

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Giuseppe Pilotti

(Bologna, 2 January 1784 - Bologna, 12 June 1838)

Italian organist, composer and teacher. Born and raised in Bologna, his father was an organist and organ builder. Following in his footsteps, he played the organ in Bologna and nearby towns to support his family after his father's death. He studied counterpoint under Stanislao Mattei and was admitted to the Accademia Filarmonica in 1805. Later, he succeeded Mattei as choirmaster of San Petronio in Bologna and was appointed professor of counterpoint at the Liceo Filarmonica, a position he held until his death. Among his notable pupils were Michele Puccini and Francesco Cellini. As a composer, he wrote at least two operas: "L'ajo in imbarazzo" and "Non essere geloso." He also composed instrumental pieces, including three concertos, and sacred music. Additionally, he published a treatise on instrumentation titled "Breve insegnamento teorico sulla natura, estensione, proporzione armonica... per tutti strumenti." 

FASCH, Johann Friedrich (1688-1758) - Ouverture a 5 (c.1740)

Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758) - Ouverture (B-Dur) | a | 2 Hautb. | 2 Violin | Viola

| Basson | e | Cembalo (c.1740)

Performers: Mаin-Barockorchester Frankfurt; Martin Jοpp (conductor)

Painting: Martino Altomonte (1657-1745) - Elekcja Augusta II na Woli 27 czerwca 1697

Further info: Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758) - Magnificat (c.1724)

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Johann (Johannes) Friedrich Fasch

(Buttelstädt, 15 April 1688 - Zerbst, 5 December 1758)

German composer. Son of the Kantor Friedrich Georg Fasch (1663-1700), he was recruited at age 13 by Johann Kuhnau for the St. Thomas School in Leipzig. He founded a collegium musicum at the university there in 1708 through which Fasch became familiar with the Italian concertos of Antonio Vivaldi and others. Despite having little formal training in composition, he was invited to compose operas by Duke Moritz Wilhelm of Saxe-Zeit in 1711 and 1712, and, thereafter, he held positions as violinist in Bayreuth in 1714, as organist in Greiz until 1721, and then as Kapellmeister in Prague, before reluctantly accepting the same post in Zerbst in 1722. He was not altogether happy with the strict Lutheran regime there, but although he visited elsewhere, particularly Dresden, he remained in Zerbst for the rest of his life. His friend Georg Philipp Telemann gave performances of his church music in Hamburg, and Johann Sebastian Bach prepared several transcriptions of his overtures for performances with the Leipzig Collegium Musicum. Fasch's innovative orchestral writing foreshadowed the Classical style. Most of his vocal compositions (13 masses, 66 church cantatas, 9 church cantata cycles, 14 serenatas, and 4 operas) are lost, but his instrumental works survive in manuscript and represent an important pre-classical oeuvre: 87 overtures, 18 solo concertos, 46 ensemble concertos, 18 trio sonatas, 12 sonatas a quattro and 19 symphonies. After Georg Philipp Telemann, he probably was the most famous German composer toward the end of the Baroque. His son Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch (1736-1800) was harpsichordist and composer at the court of Frederick the Great in Berlin from 1756.