Francesco Sacrati (17 September 1605 in

Parma, Italy Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

– 20 May 1650 in

Modena, Italy Modena (, , ; egl, label= Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. A town, and seat of ...

) was an Italian composer of the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

era, who played an important role in the early history of opera. He wrote for the

Teatro Novissimo The Teatro Novissimo was a theatre in Venice located in the Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo with its entrance on the Calle de Mendicanti. It was the first theatre built in Venice specifically for the performance of opera. Because it was purpose-built ...

in Venice as well as touring his operas throughout Italy. His most famous piece is ''

La finta pazza ''La finta pazza'' (''The feigned madwoman'') is an opera composed by Francesco Sacrati to a libretto by Giulio Strozzi. Its premiere in Venice during the Carnival season of 1641 inaugurated the Teatro Novissimo. It became one of the most popu ...

'' ("The Feigned Madwoman", 1641), said to be the first opera ever performed in France (in 1645). The manuscript of this work was long thought to be lost but a touring edition of the manuscript was discovered by musicologist Lorenzo Bianconi in 1984. Some of the music bears striking similarities to the score of

Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considered ...

's ''

L'incoronazione di Poppea ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' ( SV 308, ''The Coronation of Poppaea'') is an Italian opera by Claudio Monteverdi. It was Monteverdi's last opera, with a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello, and was first performed at the Teatro Santi Giovanni ...

'', prompting scholars to speculate that Sacrati had a part in composing the surviving version of that opera. The United States premiere of ''La finta pazza'', and first performance outside Europe, occurred in April 2010 at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Operas

*''La Delia'' (1639) *''La finta pazza'' (1641) *''Bellerofonte'' (1642) *''Venere gelosa'' (1643) *''Proserpina Rapita'' (1644) *''L'Ulisse errante'' (1644) *''La Semiramide in India'' (1648) *''L'isola di Alcina'' (1648) *''Ergasto'' (1650)

References

;Notes ;Sources *''Viking Opera Guide'' (ed. Holden, 1993) *''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians,'' Centennial Edition. Nicolas Slonimsky, Editor Emeritus. Schirmer, 2001. Italian Baroque composers Italian Baroque 1605 births 1650 deaths Italian male classical composers Italian opera composers Male opera composers 17th-century Italian composers 17th-century male musicians {{italy-composer-stub