Giuseppe Sarti
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Sarti was an Italian
opera
composer.
. His date of birth is not known, but he was baptised on 1 December 1729. Some earlier sources say he was born on 28 December, but his baptism certificate proves the later date impossible. He was educated by Padre Martini, and appointed organist of the cathedral of Faenza before the completion of his nineteenth year. Resigning his appointment in 1750, Sarti devoted himself to the study of dramatic music, becoming director of the Faenza theatre in 1752.
, Il re pastore because Pompeo in Armenia is not certain. In 1753 Sarti went to Copenhagen
with Pietro Mingotti and in 1755 King Frederick V of Denmark
appointed him Hofkapellmeister and director of the opera. Here he produced his Ciro riconosciuto.
In 1765 he travelled to Italy
to engage some new singers; meanwhile the death of King Frederick put an end to his engagement for the time being. In 1769 he went to London
, where he could only survive by giving music lessons. In 1770 he obtained a post in Venice
as music master at the Conservatorio dell'Ospedaletto. In 1779 he was elected maestro di cappella at the cathedral of Milan
, where he remained until 1784. Here he exercised his true vocation of composer, in addition to at least twenty of his most successful operas, a vast amount of sacred music for the cathedral, and educating a number of clever pupils, the most distinguished of whom was Cherubini
. In 1784 Sarti was invited by the empress Catherine II to St. Petersburg. On his way there he stopped in Vienna, where Emperor Joseph II
received him with special favour, and where he made the acquaintance of Mozart. He reached St. Petersburg in 1785, and at once took the direction of the opera, for which he composed many new pieces, besides some very striking sacred music, including a Te Deum for the victory of Ochakov, in which he introduced the firing of real cannons. He remained in Russia
until 1801, when his health was so broken that he solicited permission to return. The emperor Alexander dismissed him in 1802 with a liberal pension; letters of nobility had been granted to him by empress Catherine. His most successful operas in Russia were Armida e Rinaldo and The Early Reign of Oleg (Nachal'noye upravleniye Olega), for the latter of which the empress herself wrote the libretto. Sarti died in Berlin
.
Sarti's opera Fra i due litiganti il terzo gode has been immortalized by Mozart, who introduced an air from it into the supper scene in Don Giovanni
. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro
owed a great deal to the influence of this opera, which was performed in Vienna in 1784. The admirable libretto by Da Ponte
, author of the libretti of Figaro and Don Giovanni, shows similar situations, and the complicated finale of the first act served as a model to Mozart for the finale of the last act of Figaro.
Sonatas for harpsichord and others instruments (in the Satta's thematic catalog)
Sonatas for harpsichord or organ (in the Satta's thematic catalog)
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...
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...
composer.
Biography
He was born at FaenzaFaenza
Faenza is an Italian city and comune, in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated 50 km southeast of Bologna.Faenza is noted for its manufacture of majolica ware glazed earthenware pottery, known from the name of the town as "faience"....
. His date of birth is not known, but he was baptised on 1 December 1729. Some earlier sources say he was born on 28 December, but his baptism certificate proves the later date impossible. He was educated by Padre Martini, and appointed organist of the cathedral of Faenza before the completion of his nineteenth year. Resigning his appointment in 1750, Sarti devoted himself to the study of dramatic music, becoming director of the Faenza theatre in 1752.
Opera
In 1752 he produced his first operaOpera
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...
, Il re pastore because Pompeo in Armenia is not certain. In 1753 Sarti went to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
with Pietro Mingotti and in 1755 King Frederick V of Denmark
Frederick V of Denmark
Frederick V was king of Denmark and Norway from 1746, son of Christian VI of Denmark and Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.-Early life:...
appointed him Hofkapellmeister and director of the opera. Here he produced his Ciro riconosciuto.
In 1765 he travelled to Italy
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...
to engage some new singers; meanwhile the death of King Frederick put an end to his engagement for the time being. In 1769 he went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he could only survive by giving music lessons. In 1770 he obtained a post in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
as music master at the Conservatorio dell'Ospedaletto. In 1779 he was elected maestro di cappella at the cathedral of 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 ,...
, where he remained until 1784. Here he exercised his true vocation of composer, in addition to at least twenty of his most successful operas, a vast amount of sacred music for the cathedral, and educating a number of clever pupils, the most distinguished of whom was Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini was an Italian composer who spent most of his working life in France. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries....
. In 1784 Sarti was invited by the empress Catherine II to St. Petersburg. On his way there he stopped in Vienna, where Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
received him with special favour, and where he made the acquaintance of Mozart. He reached St. Petersburg in 1785, and at once took the direction of the opera, for which he composed many new pieces, besides some very striking sacred music, including a Te Deum for the victory of Ochakov, in which he introduced the firing of real cannons. He remained in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
until 1801, when his health was so broken that he solicited permission to return. The emperor Alexander dismissed him in 1802 with a liberal pension; letters of nobility had been granted to him by empress Catherine. His most successful operas in Russia were Armida e Rinaldo and The Early Reign of Oleg (Nachal'noye upravleniye Olega), for the latter of which the empress herself wrote the libretto. Sarti died in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Sarti's opera Fra i due litiganti il terzo gode has been immortalized by Mozart, who introduced an air from it into the supper scene in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
owed a great deal to the influence of this opera, which was performed in Vienna in 1784. The admirable libretto by Da Ponte
Lorenzo Da Ponte
Lorenzo Da Ponte was a Venetian opera librettist and poet. He wrote the librettos for 28 operas by 11 composers, including three of Mozart's greatest operas, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte....
, author of the libretti of Figaro and Don Giovanni, shows similar situations, and the complicated finale of the first act served as a model to Mozart for the finale of the last act of Figaro.
Works
Sonatas for harpsichord and others instruments (in the Satta's thematic catalog)
- S. I: 1 Sonata in D Major for harpsichord and violin or flute (facsimile, SPES 1989)
- S. I: 2 Sonata in D Major for harpsichord and violin (violin is missing)
- S. I: 3 Sonata in e minor for harpsichord and violin or flute (facsimile, SPES 1989)
- S. I: 4 Sonata in G Major for harpsichord and violin or flute (facsimile, SPES 1989)
Sonatas for harpsichord or organ (in the Satta's thematic catalog)
- S. II: 1 Sonata in C Major for harpsichord (critical edition, Ricordi 1979)
- S. II: 2 Sonata in D Major for harpsichord (critical edition with facsimile, Esarmonia 2008)
- S. II: 2a Sonata in D Major for Organ (critical edition with facsimile, Esarmonia 2009)
- S. II: 3 Sonata in D Major for harpsichord (critical edition with facsimile, Esarmonia 2008)
- S. II: 4 Sonata in D Major for harpsichord (critical edition with facsimile, Esarmonia 2008)
- S. II: 5 Sonata in D Major for harpsichord (critical edition with facsimile, Esarmonia 2009)
- S. II: 6 Sonata in D Major for harpsichord (incomplete manuscript)
- S. II: 7 Sonata in E flat Major for harpsichord (critical edition with facsimile, Esarmonia 2009)
- S. II: 8 Sonata in F Major for harpsichord (critical edition, Eurarte 2002)
- S. II: 9 Sonata in G Major for harpsichord (critical edition, Ricordi 1979)
- S. II: 10 Sonata in G Major for harpsichord (critical edition, Ricordi 1979)
- S. II: 11 Sonata in G Major for harpsichord (critical edition, Eurarte 2002)
- S. II: 12 Sonata in G Major for harpsichord (critical edition with facsimile, Esarmonia 2008)
- S. II: 13 Sonata in G Major for harpsichord (critical edition with facsimile, Esarmonia 2008)
External links
- Free scores by Giuseppe Sarti in the Royal Library and Copenhagen University Library
- Presentation of Giuseppe Sarti's Sonatas by Roberto Satta