Nicola Porpora died OTD 03 March 1768. From Naples, he moved to Venice from 1725. He taught at two of the Ospedale and during his time here he had nine opera premieres in three different Venetian opera houses. He also taught Farinelli, J A Hasse, and Haydn.
#VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
Antonio Buzzolla was born #OTD 02 March 1815 in the Veneto. He held the coveted position of Maestro di cappella at St Mark’s in Venice from 1855, and was one of a select group of composers asked by Verdi to contribute to the Messa per Rossini.
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Girolamo Frescobaldi died #OTD 01 March 1643. As an organist at St Peter’s in Rome, he wrote the important collection of music called Fiori Musicali either for Rome, or for St Mark’s, Venice where it was published in 1635. J S Bach & Henry Purcell were both influenced by it. #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
Happy Birthday Bernadette Peters! We loved her as Gloria Windsor in Mozart In The Jungle and the Venice Episodes were the best of all the seasons! #FollowThatGondola!
#Venice #Venezia #MusiciansWalkingTourOfVenice #TheWanderingWinds #MusiciansInVenice #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
buff.ly/4hBuWlR
Johann Philipp Krieger, German baroque composer & organist was baptised OTD 27 February 1649, Nürnberg. A child prodigy, he became Bayreuth court organist in 1670. He travelled to Rome then onto Venice where he worked with Johann Rosenmüller, and Giovanni Battista Volpe #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
Stefano Landi from Rome, baptised OTD 26 Feb 1587, spent 2 years in Venice, 1618-1620, marking a turning point in early opera. Landi’s 1632 opera “Sant' Alessio" was the earliest known opera based on a historical or religious figure, and the 1st opera to include an overture #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
Carlo Goldoni was born OTD 25 February 1707, Republic of Venice. He was a playwright & librettist writing in Italian, French & in Venetian dialect. After leaving the city to initially practice law, he returned, writing hugely successful realistic comedies.
#CarloGoldoni #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
Imagine the premiere of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo OTD 24 February 1607 at the Mantuan Court. L’Orfeo was a significant work for Claudio Monteverdi, paving the way for the economic and social transformations that opera would have on Venice.
#Venice #Venezia #Monteverdi #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
Gentile Bellini’s depictions of musicians in his artworks are on view across Venice (for example in the Church of San Zaccaria or in the Accademia Gallery). He was born in Venice, or the Republic of Venice as he would have known it. He died in the city OTD 23 February 1507. #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
Silvano Carroli, Italian baritone, was born OTD 22 February 1939, in Venice. He attended St Mark’s as a chorister, then trained at La Fenice. His 1963 debut was in Puccini’s La bohème (Zerrifelli). Here's his Scarpia in Tosca, 1987 buff.ly/4aTrJf1
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5 of Saverio Mercadante’s 60 operas premiered at Teatro La Fenice, Venice. OTD 21 Feb 1826 his Caritea, regina di Spagna opened. In his early days, he was encouraged by Rossini & although his operas had been as popular as Verdi's, they are rarely performed today. #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
OTD 20 February, 1650 Francesco Cavalli’s opera L’Orimonte opened at Teatro San Cassiano, Venice. Although Cavalli served as Maestro di cappella at St Mark’s from 1668, he wrote over 40 operas, but sadly they have not all survived.
#MusiciansWalkingTourOfVenice #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
Orazio Vecchi died on this day, February 19 in 1605. Although not Venetian, he became acquainted with Venetian school composers G. Gabrieli & Claudio Merulo. Known for his collections of comedy madrigals, in 1594 he visited Venice where he published a collection of canzonetta #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
Gaetano Donizetti’s tragic opera Pia de’ Tolomei premiered OTD, 18 February, in 1837 at what is now the Teatro Goldoni in Venice, then known as the Teatro Apollo. It was intended for La Fenice, but after a fire there, some performances were transferred to the Apollo. #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
Vivaldi’s opera L’Olimpiade premiered OTD 17 February, in 1734 at Teatro Sant’Angelo Venice, where the hotel Palazzo Barocci now stands on the Grand Canal. It’s a story of royal love triangles, disguises and of course a shepherdess, set during the classical Olympic games.
#VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
All 5 of Antonio Buzzolla’s operas premiered at La Fenice & OTD February 16 1850, his Elisabetta di Valois with libretto by Francesco Maria Piave (from Murano) opened.
Buzzolla was Maestro di cappella at St Mark’s from 1855 & is also known for his songs in Venetian dialect #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily
February 15, 1941 Maria Callas makes her professional debut in Suppé’s Boccaccio with the GreekNO, Athens, in the role of Beatrice. Callas’ first appearances at Teatro La Fenice 6 years later are legendary - she is written into the very fabric of this corner of Venice #VeniceMusicAlmostDaily #guidl
