Francesco Bartolomeo Conti
Encyclopedia
Francesco Bartolomeo Conti (January 20, 1681 or 1682 - July 1732) was an Italian composer and player of the mandolin
and theorbo
.
Little is known about the biography of Conti. He was born in Florence, Italy. By 1700 he was already known as a theorbist not only in his native Florence, but also in other cities such as Ferrara and Milan. The fame he enjoyed by 1701 enabled him to obtain appointment as an auxiliary theorbist at the Habsburg
court in Vienna with the same salary as the main theorbist, Orazio Clementi. In 1706 carnival he made his debut as an opera composer with Cleotide, and in 1713 was appointed as a court composer. In 1708, with the death of Clementi, Conti was promoted senior theorbist, a position he held until 1726. In the same year he was elected a member of the Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna and in 1711 he was appointed vice-Kapellmeister (vice-maestro di cappella) in Vienna. In April of that year, after the death of his first wife, Theresia Kugler, Conti remarried to prima donna
Maria Landini, at that time the highest-paid singer in Vienna. She sang the main soprano roles in Conti's operas from 1714 and 1721, but died in 1722. After her death Anna Maria Lorenzana, was appointed prima donna and performed in three more of Conti's operas. She became his third wife in April 1725. On August 28, 1723 Conti, as theorbist, took part as the first performance of the festival opera Costanza e Fortezza by Johann Joseph Fux. In 1726 and again during 1729-32 Conti visited Italy because of health problems. He returned to Vienna in 1732, where he staged two new operas but in July of the same year died. He was succeed by his son Ignazio Conti (Florence
1699-1759).
Conti was also a supreme player of the mandolin, and wrote the earliest sonatas for the instrument. His works composed between 1714 and 1725 were primarily written for the carnival season or to celebrate birthdays and name days of the members of the imperial family.
Handel reused some of Conti's music for Cleotide in his pasticcio
Ormisda (1730) performed at the Queen's Theatre
. His music was also appreciated by Johann Sebastian Bach
, and Conti's Cantata Languet anima mea, survives in a manuscript version from 1716 as arranged by Bach (BWV deest 1006).
13 feste teatrali:
9 oratorios:
50 cantatas
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
and theorbo
Theorbo
A theorbo is a plucked string instrument. As a name, theorbo signifies a number of long-necked lutes with second pegboxes, such as the liuto attiorbato, the French théorbe des pièces, the English theorbo, the archlute, the German baroque lute, the angélique or angelica. The etymology of the name...
.
Little is known about the biography of Conti. He was born in Florence, Italy. By 1700 he was already known as a theorbist not only in his native Florence, but also in other cities such as Ferrara and Milan. The fame he enjoyed by 1701 enabled him to obtain appointment as an auxiliary theorbist at the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
court in Vienna with the same salary as the main theorbist, Orazio Clementi. In 1706 carnival he made his debut as an opera composer with Cleotide, and in 1713 was appointed as a court composer. In 1708, with the death of Clementi, Conti was promoted senior theorbist, a position he held until 1726. In the same year he was elected a member of the Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna and in 1711 he was appointed vice-Kapellmeister (vice-maestro di cappella) in Vienna. In April of that year, after the death of his first wife, Theresia Kugler, Conti remarried to prima donna
Prima donna
Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
Maria Landini, at that time the highest-paid singer in Vienna. She sang the main soprano roles in Conti's operas from 1714 and 1721, but died in 1722. After her death Anna Maria Lorenzana, was appointed prima donna and performed in three more of Conti's operas. She became his third wife in April 1725. On August 28, 1723 Conti, as theorbist, took part as the first performance of the festival opera Costanza e Fortezza by Johann Joseph Fux. In 1726 and again during 1729-32 Conti visited Italy because of health problems. He returned to Vienna in 1732, where he staged two new operas but in July of the same year died. He was succeed by his son Ignazio Conti (Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
1699-1759).
Conti was also a supreme player of the mandolin, and wrote the earliest sonatas for the instrument. His works composed between 1714 and 1725 were primarily written for the carnival season or to celebrate birthdays and name days of the members of the imperial family.
Handel reused some of Conti's music for Cleotide in his pasticcio
Pasticcio
In music, a pasticcio or pastiche is an opera or other musical work composed of works by different composers who may or may not have been working together, or an adaptation or localization of an existing work that is loose, unauthorized, or inauthentic.-Etymology:The term is first attested in the...
Ormisda (1730) performed at the Queen's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
. His music was also appreciated by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, and Conti's Cantata Languet anima mea, survives in a manuscript version from 1716 as arranged by Bach (BWV deest 1006).
Works
16 Operas:- Cleotide (1706)
- Don Chisciotte in Sierra Morena (1719)
- Teseo in Creta.
13 feste teatrali:
9 oratorios:
- Il David perseguitato da Saul (1723) libretto by A. di Avanzo.
- David (1724) azione sacra per musica.
50 cantatas
Selected recordings
- Oratorio: David. Marijana Mijanovic, Simone KermesSimone KermesSimone Kermes is a German coloratura soprano, especially known for her virtuoso voice, suited to the opera seria genre, of the Baroque and early Classical repertoires.-Biography:...
, Birgit Christensen, Sonia PrinaSonia PrinaSonia Prina is an Italian operatic contralto who has had an active career in concerts and operas since the mid 1990s. She is particularly known for her appearances in Baroque operas and for her performances of the Baroque concert repertoire...
, Furio Zanasi, Vito Priante, Il Complesso Barocco, dir. Alan CurtisAlan Curtis (harpsichordist)Alan Curtis is a noted American harpsichordist, musicologist, and conductor of baroque opera. After graduate studies at the University of Illinois , where he wrote his dissertation on the keyboard music of Sweelinck, he studied in Amsterdam with Gustav Leonhardt, with whom he subsequently recorded...
. Virgin Classics, 2006 - Cantatas: Sventurata Didone. Fra cetre e fra trombe. Overtures. Ulrike Hofbauer, Neue Hofkapelle München, dir. Hammer ORFORFORF may refer to:* ORF , the Austrian public service broadcaster.* Open reading frame, a portion of the genome.* The IATA airport code for Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia.* ORF format , Olympus raw image file format....
, 2005 - Cantatas: Lontananza dell'amato. Ride il prato. Con più lucidi candori. Vaghi augelletti. Bernarda FinkBernarda FinkBernarda Fink Inzko is an Argentinian mezzo-soprano. Born in Buenos Aires to Slovene parents, Bernarda Fink studied at the "Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón" in Buenos Aires. She won First Prize at the Nuevas Voces Líricas competition in 1985 and moved to Europe...
, Ars Antiqua Austria, dir. Letzbor. Arcana. - Cantatas: Lontananza dell'amato. Ride il prato. Con più lucidi candori. Vaghi augelletti. Rossana Bertini. Tactus.