Nicola Fiorenza (born after 1700 in Naples

Naples

Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

; died 13 April 1764) was an Italian violinist

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

 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...

 of the early Neapolitan classical period

Classical period (music)

The dates of the Classical Period in Western music are generally accepted as being between about 1750 and 1830. However, the term classical music is used colloquially to describe a variety of Western musical styles from the ninth century to the present, and especially from the sixteenth or...

.

Life

Fiorenza was educated at the Conservatorio S. Maria di Loreto, presumably also by Francesco Barbella. In 1726 Fiorenza was a cellist in the Neapolitan court orchestra, replacing Francesco Alborea who had moved to Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

. He later got a steady job as a violinist. From 1758 he held the post of concert master of the Royal Court Orchestra, as successor to Domenico de Matteis.

In 1743 Fiorenza and four other equally qualified candidates were vying to become the head of the strings class at the Conservatorio S. Maria di Loreto. The decision was to be made by drawing lots. Fiorenza drew the winning lot and became teacher of the class of the institute that was led by Francesco Durante

Francesco Durante

Francesco Durante was an Italian composer.He was born at Frattamaggiore, in the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, and at an early age he entered the Conservatorio dei poveri di Gesù Cristo, in Naples, where he received lessons from Gaetano Greco. Later he became a pupil of Alessandro Scarlatti at the...

. From around 1760, claims were made against Fiorenza that he beat and threatened his students resulting in some students abandoning their studies. For this reason, the management of the Conservatorio were forced to dismiss Fiorenza in 1762.

Cultural background

Naples played a very important role in European music of the 18th century. With its theaters, schools and particularly four conservatories, the city was a breeding ground for musicians and artists that produced in this period a remarkable musical style.

Works

Fiorenza's musical legacy consists of about thirty traditional hand-written compositions that date from the period between 1726 and 1736. However, it is assumed that during the period he taught at the Conservatorio he wrote more works. The currently available works include violin sonatas, trio sonatas, string symphonies with three and four violins and solo concerts for various instruments. Stylistically, his works range from the strict pattern of Corelli

Arcangelo Corelli

Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian violinist and composer of Baroque music.-Biography:Corelli was born at Fusignano, in the current-day province of Ravenna, although at the time it was in the province of Ferrara. Little is known about his early life...

's church sonatas to the galant work of Durante.