João Domingos Bomtempo (ʒuˈɐ̃w̃ duˈmĩɡuʃ bõˈtẽpu; Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

, December 28, 1775 — Lisbon, August 18, 1842) was a Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 classical pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

, composer and pedagogue.

Biography

Bomtempo was the son of an Italian

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...

 musician in the Portuguese court orchestra, and studied at the Music Seminary of the Patriarchal See in Lisbon. Unlike most of his contemporaries, he was not interested in 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...

 and, in 1801, instead of going to Italy, he traveled to Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, starting a career as a virtuoso pianist. He moved 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...

 in 1810 and became acquainted with liberal circles. In 1822 he returned to Lisbon, founding a Philharmonic Society to promote public concerts of contemporary music. After the Portuguese civil war

Liberal Wars

The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...

 between liberals and absolutists, Bomtempo became a music teacher of Queen Maria II of Portugal and first Director of the National Conservatory, created in 1835 to replace the old Patriarchal Seminary, which had been abolished by the liberal régime.

Bomtempo composed a vast amount of concertos (newly published by Soundpost.org), sonatas, variations and fantasies for the piano. His two known symphonies are the first to be produced by a Portuguese composer. Bomtempo's masterpiece is his Requiem in memory of Luís de Camões

Luís de Camões

Luís Vaz de Camões is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, Vondel, Homer, Virgil and Dante. He wrote a considerable amount of lyrical poetry and drama but is best remembered for his epic work Os Lusíadas...

.

Selected works

Op. 1 \ Piano Sonata No. 1 in F major

Op. 2 \ Piano Concerto No.1 in E flat major

Op. 3 \ Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor

Op. 4 \ Fandango & Variations for piano

Op. 5 \ Piano Sonata No. 2 in C major

Op. 6 \ Introduction, 5 variations & fantasy on Paisiello's favorite air for piano

Op. 7 \ Piano Concerto No.3 in G minor

Op. 8 \ Capriccio & Variations on God save the King for piano in E flat major

Op. 9 No.1 \ Piano Sonata No. 3 in E flat major

Op. 9 No.2 \ Piano Sonata No. 4 in C major

Op. 10 \ Hymno lusitano (cantata)

Op. 11 \ Symphony No.1 in E flat major

Op. 12 \ Piano Concerto No.4 in D major

Op. 13 \ Piano Sonata No. 5 in C major

Op. 14 \ Fantasia for piano in C minor

Op. 15 No.1 \ Piano Sonata No. 6 in A flat major

Op. 15 No.2 \ Piano Sonata No. 7 in G minor

Op. 15 No.3 \ Variations for piano on a popular French song

Op. 16 \ Piano Quintet in E flat major

Op. 17 \ A paz da Europa (cantata)

Op. 18 No.1 \ Piano Sonata No. 8 in G major

Op. 18 No.2 \ Piano Sonata No. 9 in F minor

Op. 18 No.3 \ Piano Sonata No.10 in E flat major

Op. 19 \ 12 Studies for piano

Op. 20 \ Piano Sonata No.11 in E flat major

Op. 21 \ Variations for piano on a theme from Die Zauberflöte in G minor

Op. 22 \ Variations for piano on a theme from Alessandro in Efeso in B flat major

Op. 23 \ Requiem in C minor

• 4 Absolutions
• Libera me Domine in C minor
• Serenata for piano and winds in F major
• Symphony No.2 in D major
• Te Deum in F major
• Variations for piano on a theme from La donna del Lago in E minor
• Waltz for piano
• Alessandro in Efeso, opera seria

External links

• Bio, Audio Files, List of Works, Links, Bibliography, Discography