Carlo Luigi Grua was an Italian composer who is best known for his position as Kapellmeister

Kapellmeister

Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...

 for the Electoral Court at the German city of Mannheim

Mannheim

Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....

.

Born in Milan

Milan

Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

, he was raised to the position in 1733 by Elector Karl III Philip

Karl III Philip, Elector Palatine

Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine was a ruler from the house of Wittelsbach. He was Elector Palatine, Count of Palatinate-Neuburg, and Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1716 to 1742...

, and held the position until his death.

His compositions during his tenure included sacred

Sacred

Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...

 works, oratorio

Oratorio

An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...

s, and opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

.

Grua died in Mannheim in 1773.

Opera

• Meride (1742), libretto by G. C. Pasquini.
• La clemenza di Tito (1748), libretto by Metastasio.

Oratorios

• La conversione di. S. Ignazio (1740), text by L. Santorini
• Bersabea, owero il pentimento di David (1741)
• Jaele (1741), text by L. Santorini
• Il figliuol prodigo (1742, rev. 1749), text by G. C. Pasquini
• La missione sacerdotale (1746), text by L. Santorini
• S. Elena al Calvario (1750), text by Metastasio
• La passione di Giesu Christo nostro Signore (1754), text by Metastasio