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Gaspare Spontini

Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini (14 November 1774 – 24 January 1851) was an Italian opera composer and conductor from the classical era.

Spontini, after Nicolas-Eustache Maurin
Spontini's signature

Biography edit

 
Portrait of Gaspare Spontini, composer (1774-1851)

Born in Maiolati, Papal State (now Maiolati Spontini, Province of Ancona), he spent most of his career in Paris and Berlin, but returned to his place of birth at the end of his life. During the first two decades of the 19th century, Spontini was an important figure in French opera. In his more than twenty operas, Spontini strove to adapt Gluck's classical tragédie lyrique to the contemporary taste for melodrama, for grander spectacle (in Fernand Cortez for example), for enriched orchestral timbre, and for melodic invention allied to idiomatic expressiveness of words.

As a youth, Spontini studied at the Conservatorio della Pietà de' Turchini, one of four active music conservatories of Naples. Working his way from Italian city to city, he got his first break in Rome, with his successful comedy Li Puntigli delle Donne (Carnival 1793). In 1803, he went to Paris, where, on 11 February 1804, debuted his comic opera La Finta Filosofa, his Neapolitan success of 1799. In part on the recommendation of the comte de Rémusat and his literary countess, a dame du palais, Spontini circulated in the Imperial court, was made a member of the Académie Impériale de Musique and gained a court position as compositeur particulier de la chambre of the Empress in 1805.

Though Spontini's earlier successes were comedies, with the encouragement of Empress Joséphine in 1807, Spontini wrote his greatest success, the tragédie lyrique La Vestale, which has remained his best-known work.[1] Its premiere at the Opéra in Paris established Spontini as one of the greatest Italian composers of his age. His contemporaries Cherubini, Beethoven, Weber, Rossini and Meyerbeer all considered it a masterpiece, and later composers such as Berlioz, Verdi, and Wagner admired it.

During the Peninsular War, Napoleon promoted works such as Gasparo Spontini's Fernand Cortez (1809), which concerned the Spanish conquest of Mexico under the reign of Charles V.[2] In 1811, Spontini married Celeste Érard, the niece of the Parisian maker of pianos and harps Sébastien Érard; it was a happy marriage, though childless.[3] He was made a chevalier of Napoleon's Legion of Honor; its Maltese cross hangs round his neck in the portrait by Nicolas-Eustache Maurin (illustration).

Under the changed political climate of the Bourbon Restoration, Spontini, closely identified with the former Empire, saw his opera Olimpie (1819, revised 1821, 1826) meet with indifference, leading him to leave Paris for Berlin, where his operas had already achieved success. There he became Kapellmeister and chief conductor at the Königliches Opernhaus, and in this period he composed the Prussian National Anthem "Borussia". There he also met the young Mendelssohn, but deprecated the 17-year old's opera Die Hochzeit des Camacho.[4]

In 1842, a disillusioned Spontini, chagrined at the success of Giacomo Meyerbeer and others in Germany, returned to Italy, where he died in 1851.[5]

Bibliography (French) Gaspare Spontini by Patrick Barbier, bleu nuit éditeur, 2017, 176 p. (ISBN 978-2-3588-4067-5)

Compositions edit

For the opera edit

Other compositions edit

  • L'eccelsa gara[6] – Cantata, on a text by Luigi Balocchi (1806)
  • Tout le monde a tort – Vaudeville (1806)
  • Bacchanale des Danaïdes [scores], for Antonio Salieri's Les Danaïdes (1817)
  • BorussiaPrussian anthem, on a text by Johann Friedrich Leopold Duncker [de] (1818)
  • Tout deuil [scores] (1820)
  • Lalla Rûkh – Festspiel, on a text by S. H. Spicker, after Thomas Moore (1821)

Modern revivals edit

During the 20th century, Spontini's operas were only rarely performed, although several had their first revivals in years. Perhaps the most famous modern production was the revival of La vestale with Maria Callas at La Scala at the opening of the 1954 season, to mark the 180th anniversary of the composer's birth. The stage director was famed cinema director Luchino Visconti. That production was also the La Scala debut of tenor Franco Corelli. Callas recorded the arias "Tu che invoco" and "O Nume tutelar" from La vestale in 1955 (as did Rosa Ponselle in 1926). In 1969, conductor Fernando Previtali revived the opera, with soprano Leyla Gencer and baritone Renato Bruson. (An unofficial recording is in circulation.) In 1993, conductor Riccardo Muti recorded it in the original French language with Karen Huffstodt, Denyce Graves, Anthony Michaels-Moore and Dimitri Kavrakos.

Other revivals of Spontini include Agnes von Hohenstaufen in Italian as Agnese di Hohenstaufen at the Maggio Musicale festival in Florence in 1954, starring Franco Corelli and conducted by Vittorio Gui, and in Rome in 1970, with Montserrat Caballé and Antonietta Stella, conducted by Riccardo Muti, both recorded live. Fernand Cortez was revived in 1951, with a young Renata Tebaldi, at the San Carlo in Naples, conducted by Gabriele Santini. The premiere of the integral version of the work took place at the Erfurt (Germany) opera house (2006, Jean-Paul Penin, conductor).

Li puntigli delle donne was performed at the Putbus Festival 1998, conducted by Wilhelm Keitel (recording Arte Nova 74321591982).

References edit

  1. ^ Gerhard (n. d) §2
  2. ^ Silke, p. 22.
  3. ^ Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini: Gaspare Spontini 1 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Todd (2003), pp. 167–168.
  5. ^ Gerhard (n. d) §4
  6. ^ (in Dutch) "Unieke partituren van Spontini ontdekt in het kasteel van Hingene". VRT, 27 June 2016

Sources edit

  • Gerhard, Anselm (n.d.). "Spontini, Gaspare", in Grove Music Online, (subscription required), accessed 13 September 2014.
  • Silke Leopold (2006), "The Idea of National Opera, c. 1800" in Unity and Diversity in European Culture c. 1800, (Ed.) Tim Blanning and Hagen Schulze New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Todd, R. Larry (2003), Mendelssohn, A Life in Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-511043-2.
  • Gaspare Spontini (French) [archive] by Patrick Barbier, bleu nuit éditeur, 2017, 176 p. (ISBN 978-2-3588-4067-5)

External links edit

gaspare, spontini, gaspare, luigi, pacifico, spontini, november, 1774, january, 1851, italian, opera, composer, conductor, from, classical, spontini, after, nicolas, eustache, maurinspontini, signature, contents, biography, compositions, opera, other, composit. Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini 14 November 1774 24 January 1851 was an Italian opera composer and conductor from the classical era Spontini after Nicolas Eustache MaurinSpontini s signature Contents 1 Biography 2 Compositions 2 1 For the opera 2 2 Other compositions 3 Modern revivals 4 References 5 Sources 6 External linksBiography edit nbsp Portrait of Gaspare Spontini composer 1774 1851 Born in Maiolati Papal State now Maiolati Spontini Province of Ancona he spent most of his career in Paris and Berlin but returned to his place of birth at the end of his life During the first two decades of the 19th century Spontini was an important figure in French opera In his more than twenty operas Spontini strove to adapt Gluck s classical tragedie lyrique to the contemporary taste for melodrama for grander spectacle in Fernand Cortez for example for enriched orchestral timbre and for melodic invention allied to idiomatic expressiveness of words As a youth Spontini studied at the Conservatorio della Pieta de Turchini one of four active music conservatories of Naples Working his way from Italian city to city he got his first break in Rome with his successful comedy Li Puntigli delle Donne Carnival 1793 In 1803 he went to Paris where on 11 February 1804 debuted his comic opera La Finta Filosofa his Neapolitan success of 1799 In part on the recommendation of the comte de Remusat and his literary countess a dame du palais Spontini circulated in the Imperial court was made a member of the Academie Imperiale de Musique and gained a court position as compositeur particulier de la chambre of the Empress in 1805 Though Spontini s earlier successes were comedies with the encouragement of Empress Josephine in 1807 Spontini wrote his greatest success the tragedie lyrique La Vestale which has remained his best known work 1 Its premiere at the Opera in Paris established Spontini as one of the greatest Italian composers of his age His contemporaries Cherubini Beethoven Weber Rossini and Meyerbeer all considered it a masterpiece and later composers such as Berlioz Verdi and Wagner admired it During the Peninsular War Napoleon promoted works such as Gasparo Spontini s Fernand Cortez 1809 which concerned the Spanish conquest of Mexico under the reign of Charles V 2 In 1811 Spontini married Celeste Erard the niece of the Parisian maker of pianos and harps Sebastien Erard it was a happy marriage though childless 3 He was made a chevalier of Napoleon s Legion of Honor its Maltese cross hangs round his neck in the portrait by Nicolas Eustache Maurin illustration Under the changed political climate of the Bourbon Restoration Spontini closely identified with the former Empire saw his opera Olimpie 1819 revised 1821 1826 meet with indifference leading him to leave Paris for Berlin where his operas had already achieved success There he became Kapellmeister and chief conductor at the Konigliches Opernhaus and in this period he composed the Prussian National Anthem Borussia There he also met the young Mendelssohn but deprecated the 17 year old s opera Die Hochzeit des Camacho 4 In 1842 a disillusioned Spontini chagrined at the success of Giacomo Meyerbeer and others in Germany returned to Italy where he died in 1851 5 Bibliography French Gaspare Spontini by Patrick Barbier bleu nuit editeur 2017 176 p ISBN 978 2 3588 4067 5 Compositions editSee also List of operas by Gaspare Spontini For the opera edit Li puntigli delle donne 1796 L eroismo ridicolo scores 1798 Teseo riconosciuto 1798 La fuga in maschera 1800 Le metamorfosi di Pasquale 1802 Milton 1804 Julie ou Le pot de fleurs 1805 La vestale 1807 Fernand Cortez 1809 Olimpie 1819 Nurmahal oder das Rosenfest von Caschmir 1822 Agnes von Hohenstaufen 1829 Other compositions edit L eccelsa gara 6 Cantata on a text by Luigi Balocchi 1806 Tout le monde a tort Vaudeville 1806 Bacchanale des Danaides scores for Antonio Salieri s Les Danaides 1817 Borussia Prussian anthem on a text by Johann Friedrich Leopold Duncker de 1818 Tout deuil scores 1820 Lalla Rukh Festspiel on a text by S H Spicker after Thomas Moore 1821 Modern revivals editDuring the 20th century Spontini s operas were only rarely performed although several had their first revivals in years Perhaps the most famous modern production was the revival of La vestale with Maria Callas at La Scala at the opening of the 1954 season to mark the 180th anniversary of the composer s birth The stage director was famed cinema director Luchino Visconti That production was also the La Scala debut of tenor Franco Corelli Callas recorded the arias Tu che invoco and O Nume tutelar from La vestale in 1955 as did Rosa Ponselle in 1926 In 1969 conductor Fernando Previtali revived the opera with soprano Leyla Gencer and baritone Renato Bruson An unofficial recording is in circulation In 1993 conductor Riccardo Muti recorded it in the original French language with Karen Huffstodt Denyce Graves Anthony Michaels Moore and Dimitri Kavrakos Other revivals of Spontini include Agnes von Hohenstaufen in Italian as Agnese di Hohenstaufen at the Maggio Musicale festival in Florence in 1954 starring Franco Corelli and conducted by Vittorio Gui and in Rome in 1970 with Montserrat Caballe and Antonietta Stella conducted by Riccardo Muti both recorded live Fernand Cortez was revived in 1951 with a young Renata Tebaldi at the San Carlo in Naples conducted by Gabriele Santini The premiere of the integral version of the work took place at the Erfurt Germany opera house 2006 Jean Paul Penin conductor Li puntigli delle donne was performed at the Putbus Festival 1998 conducted by Wilhelm Keitel recording Arte Nova 74321591982 References edit Gerhard n d 2 Silke p 22 Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini Gaspare Spontini Archived 1 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Todd 2003 pp 167 168 Gerhard n d 4 in Dutch Unieke partituren van Spontini ontdekt in het kasteel van Hingene VRT 27 June 2016Sources editGerhard Anselm n d Spontini Gaspare in Grove Music Online subscription required accessed 13 September 2014 Silke Leopold 2006 The Idea of National Opera c 1800 in Unity and Diversity in European Culture c 1800 Ed Tim Blanning and Hagen Schulze New York Oxford University Press Todd R Larry 2003 Mendelssohn A Life in Music Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 511043 2 Gaspare Spontini French archive by Patrick Barbier bleu nuit editeur 2017 176 p ISBN 978 2 3588 4067 5 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gaspare Spontini Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini of Jesi Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Spontini Gasparo Luigi Pacifico Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 25 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 732 733 Herbermann Charles ed 1913 Gasparo Luigi Pacifico Spontini Catholic Encyclopedia New York Robert Appleton Company Free scores by Gaspare Spontini at the International Music Score Library Project IMSLP Portals nbsp Classical music nbsp Biography nbsp Music Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gaspare Spontini amp oldid 1205712799, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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