Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

Jean-Baptiste Pergolèse ( Giovanni Battista Pergolesi in Italian), (born the January 4th 1710 with Jesi, in the Province of Ancône, in the Steps and dead the March 17th 1736 with Pouzzoles close to Naples) was a Italian Compositeur of the 18th century.

Biography

Its name comes to him from the town of Pergola from where its family was originating. Very gifted child, it was sent as of the twelve years age to famous Conservatoire of the Poveri di Gesù Cristo to Naples where he was the pupil of famous and demanding professors of which Francesco Lasting. He accepted there a solid musical formation centered on the training of the beauty and the difficulties of the Neapolitan opera and the religious polyphony.

Its chief of work of end of study to the academy, the Conversatione di San Guglielmo d' Aquitana , given in 1731 made it famous. Its young fame made him immediately receive the ordering of its first opera for the season which began Theatro San Bartolomeo . Its Salustia was played in winter of the same year and was a great success like the following year sound Frate 'in (the Brother in love). In 1732, he became choirmaster of prince Ferdinando Colonna Stigliano, rider of the viceroy of Naples.

For Naples victim of a violent one seism in 1732, Pergolèse composed its great solemn Mass with ten votes, double chorus, two orchestras and two organ as well as solemn Vespers with five votes. These outward journeys and returns between the music profane and the sacred music were frequent at that time where the Italian musicians made play works profane and religious for the same public with the support of the same patrons creating thus naturally adapted of a music for another and consequently a proximity between them.

The Pergolèse young person wrote then several operas and as much of intermezzi. Indeed, these interludes in the Neapolitan taste were small jokes played during the intervals to distract the public which appreciated them much. He made thus play in 1733 Serva padrona (the main Maidservant), " intermezzo per musica" , during the intervals of its principal opera, It Prigionier superbo. This interlude became an autonomous work with exceptional success just like Livietta E Tracollo played the following year which also knew a career independent of its principal opera.

In 1735, the health of the young musician declined already and obliged it to withdraw itself with the beginning of the year following with the monastery of the Capuchins of Puzzuoli, close to Naples. He wrote for the good fathers Coi Cappuccini di Pozzuoli and it is probably in their monastery that Pergolèse composed its Salve Regina and her superb Stabat MATER which had been ordered to him by its patron, the duke of Maddaloni. Reached phthisis, he died in 1736 at the 26 years age.

Pergolèse was a genious musician whose preclassical work announces that of Mozart. The myth which was born in all Europe around its life and of its work after its disappearance represents an exceptional phenomenon in the history of the music as it will be the case later for Mozart, another musician of genious. More than 300 numbers of opus were allotted to him of which only one about thirty was recognized by the modern critic as being really the type-setter, phenomenon testifying to the reputation of this large type-setter.

Several years after the disappearance of its creator, the 1752, the representation with Paris of Serva padrona by a troop of Italian comic opera started famous “the Querelle of the Buffoons” opposing the defenders of the French music '' ramists '' (corner of the King) and the '' rousseauists '' (corner of the Queen), in favor “to Italianize” the French opera. One can say that this quarrel was one great moment of opening to new esthetic values.

Igor Stravinski took as a starting point certain parts, a posteriori apocryphal books, of Pergolèse in its ballet Pulcinella , written in 1919

External bonds

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Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini, Jesi

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