Pavlos Carrer
Encyclopedia
Pavlos Carrer was a Greek composer
.
Carrer was born in Zakynthos
. He studied in Zakynthos and in Corfu
. In the early 1850s he moved to Milan
, where his first operas and ballets were performed at the stages of the Teatro Carcano and the Teatro alla Canobbiana. In the same city he published some of his salon music. In 1857 he returned to Zakynthos, where Isabella d'Aspeno and La Rediviva were performed. In 1858 excerpts from his opera Marcos Botsaris were performed in Athens
in the presence of King Otto
. However he was unable to secure its performance in his native Zakynthos because of the occupation of the island by the British
who feared the subject of the opera (the Greek war of independence) would increase pro-independence sentiments among the Zakynthos and other Ionian
islands population. In mainland Greece, Marcos was first performed in Patras
in 1861 and then Athens in 1875. The last of his operas, the neoclassical Marathon - Salamis (1888), had its world-premiere in 2003. Throughout his career, Carrer also worked as a teacher and an orchestra conductor.
Carrer was one of the most popular and widely performed composers in nineteenth century Greece, while achieving reputation in Italy. His style has Italian
influences, especially from Verdi
and the belcanto. However, his musical idiom became more and more personal, not necessarily because he sought inspiration in musical themes of traditional and urban popular music of mainland Greece. He was one of the mainstays of the Ionian school of music of the 19th c. amd the first Greek music composer to put forward a complete collection of vocal works with national subjects, Greek-language libretti and lyrics and melodies inspired by the folk, as well as the urban popular tradition of Greece. He died in Zakynthos.
Sacred vocal: Ina ti efryaxan ethni
Secular vocal (selected titles): O Gero Demos, O stratiotis/Asma polemou, I anthopolitra, Lave ena rhodo agapi mou, To fengari, Maria, I katadiki toy klefti, Konstandinos-Sofia.
Instrumental: 45 pieces for piano, music for band, music for flute and piano (mainly opera paraphrases)
Paolo Carrer, Frossini (Lyra, ML0669/70, 1998)
Paolo Carrer, Despo (Lyra, CD0792,2002) (this recording includes, apart from Despo, the prelude to "Isabella d'Aspeno", the overture to "Maria Antonietta", "Gero-Demos", three songs for soprano and orchestra and a polka for orchestra)
N. Varvianis: "Pavlos Carreris", Elliniki dhimiourghia [Hellenic creation], viii/85 (1951), 276-80
G. Leotsakos, ed.: Pavlou Carrer Apomnimonevmata ke Katalogos ergon ke moussikon heirographon [The Memoirs of Pavlos Carrer and a Catalogue of his Works and Musical Manuscripts] (Athens, 2000)
G. Leotsakos: Pavlos Karrer: Apomnimonevmata kai Ergografia [Pavlos Karrer: Memoirs and Works] (Athens, Benaki Museum / Ionian University-Department of Music, 2003)
A. Xepapadakou, The Operas of the Composer Pavlos Carrer of Zante, 1829-1896. Ph.D. Thesis, Ionian University, Dept. of Music Studies, Corfu: 2005.
A. Xepapadakou, “‘Thin red line’. The opera Maria Antonietta and the second European attempt of Pavlos Carrer”, in the Proceedings of the Conference The Ionian Opera and Musical Theatre until 1953, Athens: University of Athens-Dept. of Theatre Studies, Athens State Orchestra & Athens Concert Hall
A. Xepapadakou, “The national element in the Ionian Opera. The case of Pavlos Carrer”, Ariadne, Scientific Bulletin of the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Crete, Rethymno: 2011, 169-199.
A. Xepapadakou, “The ill-fated opera Marathon-Salamis”, in Parabasis, Scientific Bulletin, 5, Athens: University of Athens-Dept. of Theatre Studies, 2003, 41-51.
A. Xepapadakou, “The Marco Bozzari by Pavlos Carrer, a ‘national’ Opera”, in Moussikos Logos, 5, Corfu: Ionian University-Dept. of Music Studies, 2003, 27-63.
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...
.
Carrer was born in Zakynthos
Zakynthos
Zakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
. He studied in Zakynthos and in Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
. In the early 1850s he moved to 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 his first operas and ballets were performed at the stages of the Teatro Carcano and the Teatro alla Canobbiana. In the same city he published some of his salon music. In 1857 he returned to Zakynthos, where Isabella d'Aspeno and La Rediviva were performed. In 1858 excerpts from his opera Marcos Botsaris were performed in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
in the presence of King Otto
Otto of Greece
Otto, Prince of Bavaria, then Othon, King of Greece was made the first modern King of Greece in 1832 under the Convention of London, whereby Greece became a new independent kingdom under the protection of the Great Powers .The second son of the philhellene King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Otto ascended...
. However he was unable to secure its performance in his native Zakynthos because of the occupation of the island by the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
who feared the subject of the opera (the Greek war of independence) would increase pro-independence sentiments among the Zakynthos and other Ionian
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese, i.e...
islands population. In mainland Greece, Marcos was first performed in Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
in 1861 and then Athens in 1875. The last of his operas, the neoclassical Marathon - Salamis (1888), had its world-premiere in 2003. Throughout his career, Carrer also worked as a teacher and an orchestra conductor.
Carrer was one of the most popular and widely performed composers in nineteenth century Greece, while achieving reputation in Italy. His style has 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...
influences, especially from Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
and the belcanto. However, his musical idiom became more and more personal, not necessarily because he sought inspiration in musical themes of traditional and urban popular music of mainland Greece. He was one of the mainstays of the Ionian school of music of the 19th c. amd the first Greek music composer to put forward a complete collection of vocal works with national subjects, Greek-language libretti and lyrics and melodies inspired by the folk, as well as the urban popular tradition of Greece. He died in Zakynthos.
Works
Operas: Dante e Bice (1852), Isabella d'Aspeno (1854), La Rediviva (1855), Marcos Botsaris (1858-1860), Fior di Maria (1867), I Kyra Frossyni (1868), Maria Antonietta (1873), Despo (1875), Marathon - Salamis (1886-1888), etc.Sacred vocal: Ina ti efryaxan ethni
Secular vocal (selected titles): O Gero Demos, O stratiotis/Asma polemou, I anthopolitra, Lave ena rhodo agapi mou, To fengari, Maria, I katadiki toy klefti, Konstandinos-Sofia.
Instrumental: 45 pieces for piano, music for band, music for flute and piano (mainly opera paraphrases)
Recordings
Pavlos Karrer, Despo, Markos Botsaris (excerpts) (LP released by the 'Friends of the Museum of Solomos and Distinguished Zantiotes', Zante, 1989) EMI MT15117Paolo Carrer, Frossini (Lyra, ML0669/70, 1998)
Paolo Carrer, Despo (Lyra, CD0792,2002) (this recording includes, apart from Despo, the prelude to "Isabella d'Aspeno", the overture to "Maria Antonietta", "Gero-Demos", three songs for soprano and orchestra and a polka for orchestra)
Sources
E. Legrand: Bibliographie ionienne du quinzième siècle à l'année 1900, ed. H. Pernot, iii (Paris, 1910)N. Varvianis: "Pavlos Carreris", Elliniki dhimiourghia [Hellenic creation], viii/85 (1951), 276-80
G. Leotsakos, ed.: Pavlou Carrer Apomnimonevmata ke Katalogos ergon ke moussikon heirographon [The Memoirs of Pavlos Carrer and a Catalogue of his Works and Musical Manuscripts] (Athens, 2000)
G. Leotsakos: Pavlos Karrer: Apomnimonevmata kai Ergografia [Pavlos Karrer: Memoirs and Works] (Athens, Benaki Museum / Ionian University-Department of Music, 2003)
A. Xepapadakou, The Operas of the Composer Pavlos Carrer of Zante, 1829-1896. Ph.D. Thesis, Ionian University, Dept. of Music Studies, Corfu: 2005.
A. Xepapadakou, “‘Thin red line’. The opera Maria Antonietta and the second European attempt of Pavlos Carrer”, in the Proceedings of the Conference The Ionian Opera and Musical Theatre until 1953, Athens: University of Athens-Dept. of Theatre Studies, Athens State Orchestra & Athens Concert Hall
A. Xepapadakou, “The national element in the Ionian Opera. The case of Pavlos Carrer”, Ariadne, Scientific Bulletin of the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Crete, Rethymno: 2011, 169-199.
A. Xepapadakou, “The ill-fated opera Marathon-Salamis”, in Parabasis, Scientific Bulletin, 5, Athens: University of Athens-Dept. of Theatre Studies, 2003, 41-51.
A. Xepapadakou, “The Marco Bozzari by Pavlos Carrer, a ‘national’ Opera”, in Moussikos Logos, 5, Corfu: Ionian University-Dept. of Music Studies, 2003, 27-63.