Giuseppe Farinelli
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Farinelli was an Italian
composer
active at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century who excelled in writing opera buffa
s. Considered the successor and most successful imitator of Domenico Cimarosa
, the greatest of his roughly 60 operas include I riti d'Efeso
(1803, Venice), La contadina bizzarra (1810, Milan) and Ginevra degli Almieri (1812, Venice). More than 2/3 of his operas were produced between 1800-1810 at the height of his popularity. With the arrival of Gioachino Rossini his operas became less desirable with the public, and by 1817 his operas were no longer performed. His other compositions include 3 piano forte sonata
s, 3 oratorio
s, 11 cantata
s, 5 mass
es, 2 Te Deum
s, a Stabat mater
, a Salve regina
, a Tantum ergo
, numerous motet
s, and several other sacred works.
, he assumed the professional name of Farinelli after the famous castrato of that name
in gratitude to the singer for his help in his musical education and his protection. He studied with Lionelli in Este and with Antonio Martinelli in Venice before going to Naples in 1785 to pursue studies at the Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini. While at the conservatory he was a pupil of Lorenzo Fago (harmony), Nicola Sala
(counterpoint), Giacomo Tritto (composition), and Barbiello (singing). His first opera, Il dottorato di Pulcinella, displayed a talent for comedy and was performed at the conservatory in 1792 to an enthusiastic reception. His first opera performed in one of the public Italian opera houses was L’uomo indolente in Naples at the Teatro Nuovo in 1795.
After several more years in Naples, Farinelli moved to Turin in 1810. He left there in 1817 to assume the position of maestro al cembalo at the Teatro Nuovo in Trieste. In 1819 he became maestro di cappella and organist of the Susa Cathedral
, a position he held until his death in Trieste in 1836.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
active at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century who excelled in writing opera buffa
Opera buffa
Opera buffa is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ‘commedia in musica’, ‘commedia per musica’, ‘dramma bernesco’, ‘dramma comico’, ‘divertimento giocoso' etc...
s. Considered the successor and most successful imitator of Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa was an Italian opera composer of the Neapolitan school...
, the greatest of his roughly 60 operas include I riti d'Efeso
I riti d'Efeso
I riti d'Efeso is a dramma eroico per musica or opera in 2 acts and 26 scenes by composer Giuseppe Farinelli. The work uses an Italian language libretto by Gaetano Rossi. The work premiered at La Fenice in Venice on 26 December 1803 in a double bill with Filippo Beretti's Atamaro e Obeide.-Roles:...
(1803, Venice), La contadina bizzarra (1810, Milan) and Ginevra degli Almieri (1812, Venice). More than 2/3 of his operas were produced between 1800-1810 at the height of his popularity. With the arrival of Gioachino Rossini his operas became less desirable with the public, and by 1817 his operas were no longer performed. His other compositions include 3 piano forte sonata
Sonata
Sonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
s, 3 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, 11 cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s, 5 mass
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
es, 2 Te Deum
Te Deum
The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise"....
s, a Stabat mater
Stabat Mater
Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Roman Catholic hymn to Mary. It has been variously attributed to the Franciscan Jacopone da Todi and to Innocent III...
, a Salve regina
Salve Regina
The "Salve Regina", also known as the Hail Holy Queen, is a Marian hymn and one of four Marian antiphons sung at different seasons within the Christian liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. The Salve Regina is traditionally sung at Compline in the time from the Saturday before Trinity...
, a Tantum ergo
Tantum Ergo
Tantum ergo are the opening words of the last two verses of Pange Lingua, a Mediaeval Latin hymn written by St Thomas Aquinas. These last two verses are sung during veneration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church and other churches that practice this devotion...
, numerous motet
Motet
In classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions.-Etymology:The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian...
s, and several other sacred works.
Biography
Born Giuseppe Francesco Finco in EsteEste, Italy
Este is a town and comune of the Province of Padua, in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Euganei Hills. The town is a centre for farming, crafts and industry worthy of note.-History:...
, he assumed the professional name of Farinelli after the famous castrato of that name
Farinelli
Farinelli , was the stage name of Carlo Maria Broschi, celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera.- Early years :...
in gratitude to the singer for his help in his musical education and his protection. He studied with Lionelli in Este and with Antonio Martinelli in Venice before going to Naples in 1785 to pursue studies at the Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini. While at the conservatory he was a pupil of Lorenzo Fago (harmony), Nicola Sala
Nicola Sala
Nicola Sala was an Italian composer and music theorist born in Tocco Caudio and died in Naples. He was chapel-master and professor at Naples, having devoted himself to the collection of the finest models of printed music...
(counterpoint), Giacomo Tritto (composition), and Barbiello (singing). His first opera, Il dottorato di Pulcinella, displayed a talent for comedy and was performed at the conservatory in 1792 to an enthusiastic reception. His first opera performed in one of the public Italian opera houses was L’uomo indolente in Naples at the Teatro Nuovo in 1795.
After several more years in Naples, Farinelli moved to Turin in 1810. He left there in 1817 to assume the position of maestro al cembalo at the Teatro Nuovo in Trieste. In 1819 he became maestro di cappella and organist of the Susa Cathedral
Susa Cathedral
Susa Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Susa, Piedmont, in northern Italy. It is the seat of the Bishop of Susa and is dedicated to Saint Justus of Novalesa ....
, a position he held until his death in Trieste in 1836.
Operas
(selection)- Il dottorato di Pulcinella (farsa, G. Lorenzi), Naples, Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini, 1792
- L’uomo indolente (dramma giocoso, 2 acts, G. Palomba), Naples, Teatro Nuovo, 1795
- Annetta, o La virtù trionfa (farsa, 1 act, G. Artusi), Venice, S Samuele, 11 January 1800
- Teresa e Claudio (farsa, 2 acts, G.M. Foppa), Venice, S Luca, 9 Sept 1801
- Giulietta (dramma semiserio, G. Rossi), Parma, Ducale, carn. 1802; revised as Le lagrime d’una vedova, Padua, Nuovo, 1802
- Il Cid della SpagnaIl Cid della SpagnaIl Cid della Spagna is a dramma per musica or opera in 2 acts by composer Giuseppe Farinelli. The work uses an Italian language libretto by Antonio Simeone Sografi that is based on Pierre Corneille's 1636 play Le Cid. The work premiered at La Fenice in Venice on 17 February 1802 in a double bill...
(dramma per musica, 2 acts A. Sografi, after P. Corneille's Le CidLe CidLe Cid is a tragicomedy written by Pierre Corneille and published in 1636. It is based on the legend of El Cid.The play followed Corneille's first true tragedy, Médée, produced in 1635. An enormous popular success, Corneille's Le Cid was the subject of a heated polemic over the norms of dramatic...
), Venice, La Fenice, 17 February 1802 - Pamela (farsa in musica, 1 act, Rossi, after C. Goldoni), Venice, S Luca, 22 Sept 1802; revised as Pamela maritata, Cingoli, 1806
- Chi la dura la vince, (melodramma buffo, 2 Acts, G. Rossi), Rome, Teatro Valle, 2 January 1803
- I riti d'EfesoI riti d'EfesoI riti d'Efeso is a dramma eroico per musica or opera in 2 acts and 26 scenes by composer Giuseppe Farinelli. The work uses an Italian language libretto by Gaetano Rossi. The work premiered at La Fenice in Venice on 26 December 1803 in a double bill with Filippo Beretti's Atamaro e Obeide.-Roles:...
(dramma eroico, 2 acts, Rossi), Venice, Fenice, 26 Dec 1803 - Odoardo e Carlotta (opera buffa, 2 acts, L. Buonavoglia), Venice, S Moisè, 12 Dec 1804
- Il finto sordo, (opera buffa, 2 acts, Angelo Anelli), Milan, Teatro Carcano, 18 April 1805
- Climene (opera seria, 2 acts), Naples, S Carlo, 27 June 1806
- Il testamento, o Seicentomila franchi [I seicentomila franchi] (farsa giocosa, 1 act, Foppa), Venice, S Moisè, 24 October 1806
- CalliroeCalliroe (Farinelli)Calliroe is a melodramma eroico or opera in 2 acts and 23 scenes by composer Giuseppe Farinelli. The work uses an Italian language libretto by Gaetano Rossi. The work premiered at La Fenice in Venice on 3 January 1808 in a double bill with the house premiere of Urbano Garzia's ballet Il...
(melodramma eroico, 2 acts, G. Rossi), Venice, La Fenice, 3 January 1808 - La contadina bizzarra (melodramma serio, L. Romanelli, after F. Livigni: La finta principessa), Milan, La Scala, 16 August 1810
- Ginevra degli Almieri (tragicommedia, 3 acts, Foppa), Venice, S Moisè, 8 December 1812
- Caritea regina di Spagna (opera seria, 2 acts), Naples, S Carlo, 16 September 1814
- La donna di Bessarabia (dramma per musica, 1 act, Foppa), Venice, S Moisè, January 1817
Sources
- Giovanni Carli Ballola. "Giuseppe Farinelli", The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2001.