Giovanni Battista Maccioni (''

floruit ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

'' 1651 – 1674) was an Italian composer,

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

, and musician. His ''L'arpa festante'' (''The Festive Harp''), first performed in 1653, inaugurated what was to become the

Bavarian State Opera The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...

and is often described as the first opera to be wholly written and produced in Germany.Daolmi, Davide (2007)
"Maccioni, Giovanni Battista"
''Dizionario biografico degli italiani'', Volume 67.

Treccani The ''Enciclopedia Italiana di Scienze, Lettere e Arti'' (Italian for "Italian Encyclopedia of Science, Letters, and Arts"), best known as ''Treccani'' for its developer Giovanni Treccani or ''Enciclopedia Italiana'', is an Italian-language en ...

. Online version retrieved 29 March 2013 .

Life

Nothing is known about Maccioni's early life nor the date and place of his birth. The first record of him was in 1651 when he was hired as the court chaplain, poet and musician to

Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria Ferdinand Maria (31 October 1636 – 26 May 1679) was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and an elector ('' Kurfürst'') of the Holy Roman Empire from 1651 to 1679. Electoral Prince of Bavaria He was born in Munich. He was the eldest son of Maximi ...

. When Ferdinand married

Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy Henriette Adelaide of Savoy (Enrichetta Adelaide Maria; 6 November 1636 – 13 June 1676), was Electress of Bavaria by marriage to Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria. She had much political influence in her adopted country and with her husband d ...

in 1652, Maccioni, who was considered an outstanding harpist, became her harp teacher.Sadie, Julie Anne (1998)
''Companion to Baroque Music''
p. 231. University of California Press. It was she who encouraged him to write and compose a work to celebrate the visit of

Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III (Ferdinand Ernest; 13 July 1608, in Graz – 2 April 1657, in Vienna) was from 1621 Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary from 1625, King of Croatia and Bohemia from 1627 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1637 until his death in 1657. ...

to Munich in August 1653. The result was ''L'arpa festante'', often referred to as the first opera to be wholly written and produced in Germany, although it was closer in its form and length to a dramatic

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

. Nevertheless, it differed from previous court entertainments which had been plays with musical interludes. ''L'arpa festante'' was an integrated musical drama with recitatives, solo arias, duets and a final chorus. The score is held in the

Austrian National Library The Austrian National Library (german: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in center of V ...

. Princess Henriette Adelaide herself portrayed the role of Feminine Beauty in the prologue of ''L'arpa festante'' and is said to have collaborated with Maccioni on several of his other libretti. His libretto for the opera ''L'Ardelia'', performed in 1660 (probably to music by

Francesco Cavalli Francesco Cavalli (born Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni; 14 February 1602 – 14 January 1676) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque music, Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverd ...

) is dedicated to her. Maccioni remained in Munich until 1662, writing libretti for various court celebrations and ballets by other composers. He then left for Rome, where for the next 12 years he continued to serve Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide as their agent, engaging Italian musicians for the court theatre in Munich. There are no further records of him after 1674. The date and place of his death are unknown. Maccioni's music for ''L'arpa festante'' was performed by the Neue Hofkapelle München orchestra conducted by Christopher Hammer in October 2003 to mark the 350th anniversary of opera in Germany. The modern day

Baroque music Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Classical period after a short transiti ...

ensemble,

L'arpa festante is a German chamber orchestra, specializing in the revival and performance of unknown works, especially from the Baroque era. It was established in Munich in 1983 by Michi Gaigg, who also led the ensemble as concertmaster until 1995. The ensemble ...

, takes its name from the work.Neue Hofkapelle München
About the Hofkapelle Munich
Retrieved 29 March 2013.

References

External links

(

Bavarian State Library The Bavarian State Library (german: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, abbreviated BSB, called ''Bibliotheca Regia Monacensis'' before 1919) in Munich is the central " Landesbibliothek", i. e. the state library of the Free State of Bavaria, the big ...

)
Illustrated libretto for Maccioni's ''Applausi Festivi'', 1658
an elaborate court entertainment with music and tournaments celebrating the visit of

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I (Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Franz Felician; hu, I. Lipót; 9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, by his first wife, Maria An ...

to the Munich court. (

Herzog August Bibliothek The Herzog August Library (german: link=no, Herzog August Bibliothek — "HAB"), in Wolfenbüttel, Lower Saxony, known also as ''Bibliotheca Augusta'', is a library of international importance for its collection from the Middle Ages and ear ...

)
Maccioni's libretto for ''L'Ardelia'': Dramma musicale, 1660
(Bavarian State Library) {{DEFAULTSORT:Maccioni, Giovanni Battista 17th-century Italian composers Italian Baroque composers Italian male classical composers Italian librettists Place of birth unknown Year of birth unknown 17th-century male musicians