Francesco Gasparini (19 March 1661 – 22 March 1727) was an Italian

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 ...

composer and teacher whose works were performed throughout Italy, and also on occasion in Germany and England.

Biography

Born in

Camaiore Camaiore is a city and ''comune'' of 32,513 inhabitants within the province of Lucca, Tuscany, central-western Italy. It stretches from the Apuan Alps to the east, to the plains and the coast of Versilia to the west. History Camaiore has Roman or ...

, near

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

, he studied in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

with Corelli and Pasquini. His first important opera, ''Roderico'' (1694), was produced there. In 1702 he went to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

and became one of the leading composers in the city. In 1720 he returned to Rome for his last important work, ''Tigrane'' (1724). He wrote the first opera using the story of Hamlet ('' Ambleto'', 1705) though this was not based on

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play. Gasparini was also a teacher, the instructor of

Marcello Marcello is a common masculine Italian given name. It is a variant of Marcellus. The Spanish and Portuguese version of the name is Marcelo, differing in having only one "l", while the Greek form is Markellos. Etymology The name originally means ...

Quantz Johann Joachim Quantz (; 30 January 1697 – 12 July 1773) was a German composer, flutist and flute maker of the late Baroque period. Much of his professional career was spent in the court of Frederick the Great. Quantz composed hundreds of flute ...

and

Domenico Scarlatti Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti, also known as Domingo or Doménico Scarlatti (26 October 1685-23 July 1757), was an Italian composer. He is classified primarily as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the deve ...

. He was musical director of the

Ospedale della Pietà The Ospedale della Pietà was a convent, orphanage, and music school in Venice. Like other Venetian ''ospedali'', the Pietà was first established as a hospice for the needy. A group of Venetian nuns, called the Consorelle di Santa Maria dell’Um ...

, where he employed

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

as a violin master. He wrote a treatise on the harpsichord (1708). At one time,

Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of ''opera seria'' libretti. Early life Me ...

was betrothed to his daughter. He died in Rome in 1727.

Works

Operas

See List of operas by Francesco Gasparini.

Other

* ''Missa canonica'' for four voices and basso continuo (Venice, 1705)Neuaufgefundenes Bach-Autograph in Weißenfels
at

Reception

Gasparini's works were performed throughout Italy, and also on occasion in Germany and England.

Missa canonica

Gasparini's ''Missa Canonica'' was known to

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

, who, in 1740, copied it out and—after adding parts for strings, oboes,

cornett The cornett, cornetto, or zink is an early wind instrument that dates from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods, popular from 1500 to 1650. It was used in what are now called alta capellas or wind ensembles. It is not to be confused wi ...

, trombone, and organ—performed its

Kyrie Kyrie, a transliteration of Greek , vocative case of (''Kyrios''), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the Kyrie eleison ( ; ). In the Bible The prayer, "Kyrie, eleison," "Lord, have mercy" derives f ...

and Gloria in both the

St. Thomas Church, Leipzig , native_name_lang = , image = Leipzig Thomaskirche.jpg , imagelink = , imagealt = , caption = , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt ...

and St. Nicholas Church, Leipzig.

Recordings

*''Dori & Daliso – Mirena & Floro'',

Auser Musici Auser Musici is a period instrument ensemble centered in Pisa that specializes in early music repertory from the Tuscan region of Italy. History, Mission, and Activities The ensemble was founded in 1997 by the flautist Carlo Ipata and has perform ...

, Carlo Ipata, director, Symphonia SY 03207 (2004) *''Cantate da Camera a voce e basso continuo'' – Susanna Rigacci soprano; Gabriele Micheli harpsichord. Tactus TC 660701 (2004) *'' Il Bajazet'' – Auser Musici; Carlo Ipata, director; Giuseppina Bridelli, soprano; Ewa Gubańska, mezzo-soprano; Benedetta Mazzucato, contralto; Giorgia Cincirpi, mezzo-soprano; Antonio Giovanni, countertenor; Filippo Mineccia, countertenor; Raffaele Pè, countertenor; Leonardo De Lisi, tenor. Glossa GCD923504 (2015) * '' Arie Sacre ''-Eleonora Alberici, soprano; Mario Genesi, harsichord (2007), includes motect "Panis Angelicus" by F. Gasparini

References

* Kennedy, Michael (2006), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Music'', *Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'',

External links

* * 1661 births 1727 deaths 18th-century Italian male musicians 18th-century Italian composers Italian Baroque Italian Baroque composers Italian male classical composers Italian music theorists Musicians from the Province of Lucca Pupils of Bernardo Pasquini {{music-theory-stub