Vincenzo Manfredini (22 October 1737 – 5 or 16 August 1799) was an Italian composer , harpsichordist and a music theorist .
119-656: Domenico Cimarosa ( Italian: [doˈmeːniko tʃimaˈrɔːza] ; 17 December 1749 – 11 January 1801) was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan School and of the Classical period . He wrote more than eighty operas, the best known of which is Il matrimonio segreto (1792); most of his operas are comedies. He also wrote instrumental works and church music. Cimarosa was principally based in Naples , but spent some of his career in various other parts of Italy, composing for
238-701: A Requiem , in G minor (1787). Cimarosa was less successful in Saint Petersburg than some of his compatriots; the works of his subordinate, Martin y Soler , gained more favour with the empress, and this, combined with economies that meant losing most of the Italian singers, and Cimarosa's dislike of the severe Russian winters, led him to leave Russia in June 1791. After spending three months in Warsaw, Cimarosa arrived in Vienna. His music
357-458: A dramma per musica in three acts, with a story loosely based on the Odyssey . At some point in the 1780s Cimarosa married for the second time; his wife, Gaetana, née Pallante, was Constanza's step-sister; she and Cimarosa had two sons. She died in 1796. In 1787, Cimarosa went to Saint Petersburg at the invitation of Empress Catherine II. He was one of a succession of Italian composers engaged by
476-516: A harp tradition, which has a historical base in Abruzzi , Lazio and Calabria . Calabria, alone, has 30 traditional musical instruments, some of which have strongly archaic characteristics and are largely extinct elsewhere in Italy. It is home to the four- or five-stringed guitar called the chitarra battente , and a three-stringed, bowed fiddle called the lira , which is also found in similar forms in
595-534: A broad spectrum of opera and instrumental classical music and popular music drawn from both native and imported sources. Instruments associated with classical music, including the piano and violin, were invented in Italy. Italy's most famous composers include the Renaissance Palestrina , Monteverdi , and Gesualdo ; the Baroque Scarlatti , and Vivaldi ; the classical Paganini , and Rossini ; and
714-410: A center for European classical music, and by the beginning of the 20th century, Italian classical music had forged a distinct national sound that was decidedly Romantic and melodic. As typified by the operas of Verdi, it was music in which "... The vocal lines always dominate the tonal complex and are never overshadowed by the instrumental accompaniments ..." Italian classical music had resisted
833-418: A characteristic "national style". Most folk music is localized, and unique to a small region or city. Italy's classical legacy, however, is an important point of the country's identity, particularly opera; traditional operatic pieces remain a popular part of music and an integral component of national identity. The musical output of Italy remains characterized by "great diversity and creative independence (with)
952-492: A continued presence of classical music across a broad spectrum of Italian society. When music is part of a public display or gathering, it is often chosen from a very eclectic repertoire that is as likely to include well-known classical music as popular music. A few recent works have become a part of the modern repertoire, including scores and theatrical works by composers such as Luciano Berio , Luigi Nono , Franco Donatoni , and Sylvano Bussotti . These composers are not part of
1071-563: A distinct school or tradition, though they do share certain techniques and influences. By the 1970s, avant-garde classical music had become linked to the Italian Communist Party , while a revival of popular interest continued into the next decade, with foundations, festivals and organization created to promote modern music. Near the end of the 20th century, government sponsorship of musical institutions began to decline, and several RAI choirs and city orchestras were closed. Despite this,
1190-544: A diverse array of regional styles, instruments and dances. Instrumental and vocal classical music is an iconic part of Italian identity , spanning experimental art music and international fusions to symphonic music and opera. Opera is integral to Italian musical culture, and has become a major segment of popular music . The Canzone Napoletana —the Neapolitan Song, and the cantautori singer-songwriter traditions are also popular domestic styles that form an important part of
1309-493: A local village. These civic bands ( banda communale ) used instruments to perform operatic arias, with trombones or fluegelhorns for male vocal parts and cornets for female parts. Regional music in the 19th century also became popular throughout Italy. Notable among these local traditions was the Canzone Napoletana —the Neapolitan Song. Although there are anonymous, documented songs from Naples from many centuries ago,
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#17328447241211428-508: A lyric song called a strambotto . Other couples dances are collectively referred to as saltarello . There are, however, also solo dances; most typical of these are the "flag dances" of various regions of Italy, in which the dancer passes a town flag or pennant around the neck, through the legs, behind the back, often tossing it high in the air and catching it. These dances can also be done in groups of solo dancers acting in unison or by coordinating flag passing between dancers. Northern Italy
1547-592: A number of composers gained international reputations in the early 21st century. Italian folk music has a deep and complex history. Because national unification came late to the Italian peninsula , the traditional music of its many hundreds of cultures exhibit no homogeneous national character. Rather, each region and community possesses a unique musical tradition that reflects the history, language, and ethnic composition of that particular locale. These traditions reflect Italy's geographic position in southern Europe and in
1666-401: A number of piano sonatas, which were discovered in manuscript in the 1920s; the quantity has been asserted as over 80 single-movement works, but it is thought that many of these may in fact belong with each other as three-movement works. The work sometimes referred to as Cimarosa's "Concerto for oboe " is in fact a 1949 confection by Arthur Benjamin , consisting of arrangements of movements from
1785-411: A product of the "unprivileged classes". The revivalist scene thus became associated with the opposition, and became a vehicle for "protest against free-market capitalism". Similarly, the avant-garde classical music scene has, since the 1970s, been associated with and promoted by the Italian Communist Party , a change that can be traced back to the 1968 student revolts and protests. Italy has long been
1904-768: A rich variety of types of expression". With the growing industrialization that accelerated during the 20th and 21st century, Italian society gradually moved from an agricultural base to an urban and industrial center. This change weakened traditional culture in many parts of society; a similar process occurred in other European countries, but unlike them, Italy had no major initiative to preserve traditional musics. Immigration from North Africa, Asia, and other European countries led to further diversification of Italian music. Traditional music came to exist only in small pockets, especially as part of dedicated campaigns to retain local musical identities. Music and politics have been intertwined for centuries in Italy. Just as many works of art in
2023-416: A spinning or shepherd's staff with permanently attached seed rattles with ritual fertility significance. The Neapolitan rattle is the triccaballacca , made out of several mallets in a wooden frame. Tambourines ( tamburini , tamburello ), as are various kinds of drums, such as the friction drum putipù . The tamburello , while appearing very similar to the contemporary western tambourine,
2142-407: A state where it was no longer "Italian". This was the opinion of at least one prominent Italian musicologist and critic, Fausto Terrefranca , who, in a 1912 pamphlet entitled Giaccomo Puccini and International Opera , accused Puccini of "commercialism" and of having deserted Italian traditions. Traditional Romantic opera remained popular; indeed, the dominant opera publisher in the early 20th century
2261-631: A variety of folk flutes. These include duct, globular and transverse flutes, as well as various variations of the pan flute . Double flutes are most common in Campania, Calabria and Sicily. A ceramic pitcher called the quartara is also used as a wind instrument, by blowing across an opening in the narrow bottle neck; it is found in eastern Sicily and Campania. Single- ( ciaramella ) and double-reed ( piffero ) pipes are commonly played in groups of two or three. Several folk bagpipes are well-known, including central Italy's zampogna ; dialect names for
2380-736: Is CEMAT , the Federation of Italian Electroacoustic Music Centers. It was founded in 1996 in Rome and is a member of the CIME, the Confédération Internationale de Musique Electroacoustique . CEMAT promotes the activities of the "Sonora" project, launched jointly by the Department for Performing Arts, Ministry for Cultural Affairs and the Directorate for Cultural Relations, Ministry for Foreign Affairs with
2499-401: Is actually played with a much more articulate and sophisticated technique (influenced by Middle Eastern playing), giving it a wide range of sounds. The mouth-harp , scacciapensieri or care-chaser , is a distinctive instrument, found only in northern Italy and Sicily. String instruments vary widely depending on locality, with no nationally prominent representative. Viggiano is home to
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#17328447241212618-459: Is also home to the monferrina , an accompanied dance that was incorporated in Western art music by the composer Muzio Clementi . Academic interest in the study of dance from the perspectives of sociology and anthropology has traditionally been neglected in Italy but is currently showing renewed life at the university and post-graduate level. The earliest Italian popular music was the opera of
2737-483: Is also marked by the presence of a group of composers called the generazione dell'ottanta (generation of 1880), including Franco Alfano , Alfredo Casella , Gian Francesco Malipiero , Ildebrando Pizzetti , and Ottorino Respighi . These composers usually concentrated on writing instrumental works, rather than opera. Members of this generation were the dominant figures in Italian music after Puccini's death in 1924. New organizations arose to promote Italian music, such as
2856-520: Is also the homeland of important interpreters, such as Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli , Quartetto Italiano , I Musici , Salvatore Accardo , Maurizio Pollini , Uto Ughi , Aldo Ciccolini , Severino Gazzelloni , Arturo Toscanini , Mario Brunello , Ferruccio Busoni , Claudio Abbado , Ruggero Chiesa , Bruno Canino , Carlo Maria Giulini , Oscar Ghiglia and Riccardo Muti . Italian contributions to ballet are less known and appreciated than in other areas of classical music. Italy, particularly Milan ,
2975-474: Is always written and performed in Neapolitan , the regional minority language of Campania . Neapolitan songs typically use simple harmonies, and are structured in two sections, a refrain and narrative verses, often in contrasting relative or parallel major and minor keys. In non-musical terms, this means that many Neapolitan songs can sound joyful one minute and melancholy the next. The music of Francesco Tosti
3094-504: Is an integral part of folk traditions in Italy. Some of the dances are ancient and, to a certain extent, persist today. There are magico-ritual dances of propitiation as well as harvest dances, including the "sea-harvest" dances of fishing communities in Calabria and the wine harvest dances in Tuscany. Famous dances include the southern tarantella ; perhaps the most iconic of Italian dances,
3213-429: Is generally eclectic, but unique from other nations' music. The country's historical contributions to music are also an important part of national pride. The relatively recent history of Italy includes the development of an opera tradition that has spread throughout the world; prior to the development of Italian identity or a unified Italian state, the Italian peninsula contributed to important innovations in music including
3332-479: Is identified with the beginnings of Italian lyric opera, wrote 18 string quartets .) In the early 20th century, instrumental music began growing in importance, a process that started around 1904 with Giuseppe Martucci 's Second Symphony, a work that Gian Francesco Malipiero called "the starting point of the renaissance of non-operatic Italian music." Several early composers from this era, such as Leone Sinigaglia , used native folk traditions. The early 20th century
3451-527: Is little perception of a common Italian folk tradition, and the country's folk music never became a national symbol. Folk music is sometimes divided into several spheres of geographic influence, a classification system of three regions, southern, central and northern, proposed by Alan Lomax in 1956 and often repeated. Additionally, Curt Sachs proposed the existence of two quite distinct kinds of folk music in Europe: continental and Mediterranean. Others have placed
3570-422: Is more common, and groups usually use unison singing in two or three parts carried by a single performer. Northern ballad-singing is syllabic, with a strict tempo and intelligible lyrics, while southern styles use a rubato tempo, and a strained, tense vocal style. Folk musicians use the dialect of their own regional tradition; this rejection of the standard Italian language in folk song is nearly universal. There
3689-448: The organetto , an accordion most closely associated with the saltarello ; the diatonic button organetto is most common in central Italy, while chromatic accordions prevail in the north. Many municipalities are home to brass bands , which perform with roots revival groups; these ensembles are based around the clarinet , accordion, violin and small drums, adorned with bells. Italy's wind instruments include most prominently
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3808-457: The tarantella is in 6/8 time, and is part of a folk ritual intended to cure the poison caused by tarantula bites. Popular Tuscan dances ritually act out the hunting of the hare, or display blades in weapon dances that simulate or recall the moves of combat, or use the weapons as stylized instruments of the dance itself. For example, in a few villages in northern Italy, swords are replaced by wooden half-hoops embroidered with green, similar to
3927-519: The maggio celebration. Professional female singers perform dirges similar in style to those elsewhere in Europe. Yodeling exists in northern Italy, though it is most commonly associated with the folk musics of other Alpine nations. The Italian Carnival is associated with several song types, especially the Carnival of Bagolino , Brescia . Choirs and brass bands are a part of the mid-Lenten holiday, while
4046-471: The Enciclopedia Moderna Italiana , tended to treat traditionally favored composers such as Giacomo Puccini and Pietro Mascagni with the same brevity as composers and musicians that were not as favored—modernists such as Alfredo Casella and Ferruccio Busoni ; that is, encyclopedia entries of the era were mere lists of career milestones such as compositions and teaching positions held. Even
4165-609: The Società Italiana di Musica Moderna , which promoted several composers in disparate styles, ranging from experimental to traditional. After a dispute over the value of experimental music in 1923, Casella formed the Corporazione delle Nuove Musiche to promote modern experimental music. In the 1950s, Luciano Berio experimented with instruments accompanied by electronic sounds on tape. In modern Italy, one important organization that fosters research in avantgarde and electronic music
4284-565: The Venice Festival of Contemporary Music and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino . Guido M. Gatti 's founding of the periodical Il Pianoforte and then La rassegna musicale also helped to promote a broader view of music than the political and social climate allowed. Most Italians, however, preferred more traditional pieces and established standards, and only a small audience sought new styles of experimental classical music. Italy
4403-529: The begging song tradition extends through many holidays throughout the year. Instrumentation is an integral part of all facets of Italian folk music. There are several instruments that retain older forms even while newer models have become widespread elsewhere in Europe. Many Italian instruments are tied to certain rituals or occasions, such as the zampogna bagpipe, typically heard only at Christmas. Italian folk instruments can be divided into string , wind and percussion categories. Common instruments include
4522-587: The music of Crete and Southeastern Europe . A one-stringed, bowed fiddle called the torototela , is common in the northeast of the country. The largely German-speaking area of South Tyrol is known for the zither , and the ghironda ( hurdy-gurdy ) is found in Emilia , Piedmont and Lombardy . Existing, rooted and widespread traditions confirm the production of ephemeral and toy instruments made of bark, reed (arundo donax), leaves, fibers and stems, as it emerges, for example, from Fabio Lombardi 's research. Dance
4641-487: The "German harmonic juggernaut" —that is, the dense harmonies of Richard Wagner , Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss . Italian music also had little in common with the French reaction to that German music—the impressionism of Claude Debussy , for example, in which melodic development is largely abandoned for the creation of mood and atmosphere through the sounds of individual chords. European classical music changed greatly in
4760-535: The 1830s through an annual songwriting competition for the yearly Piedigrotta festival, dedicated to the Madonna of Piedigrotta , a well-known church in the Mergellina area of Naples. The music is identified with Naples, but is famous abroad, having been exported on the great waves of emigration from Naples and southern Italy roughly between 1880 and 1920. Language is an extremely important element of Neapolitan song, which
4879-683: The 1960s with musicians like Fabrizio De André , Paolo Conte , Giorgio Gaber , Umberto Bindi , Gino Paoli and Luigi Tenco . Vincenzo Manfredini Manfredini was born in Pistoia , in Tuscany . He studied music with his father, Francesco Onofrio Manfredini . Then he studied with Perti in Bologna and Fioroni in Milan . In 1758 his older brother Giuseppe, a castrato , went to Moscow with Locatelli 's opera troupe, and Vincenzo went with him, possibly as one of
Domenico Cimarosa - Misplaced Pages Continue
4998-538: The 1980s, the first star to emerge from Italian hip hop was singer Jovanotti . Italian metal bands include Rhapsody of Fire , Lacuna Coil , Elvenking , Forgotten Tomb , and Fleshgod Apocalypse . Italy contributed to the development of disco and electronic music , with Italo disco, known for its futuristic sound and prominent use of synthesisers and drum machines, one of the earliest electronic dance genres. Producers such as Giorgio Moroder , who won three Academy Awards and four Golden Globes, were influential in
5117-521: The 1980s. Respected composers from this era include the well-known Aldo Clementi , and younger peers such as Marco Tutino and Lorenzo Ferrero . Italy, being one of Catholicism's seminal nations, has a long history of music for the Catholic Church . Until approximately 1800, it was possible to hear Gregorian Chant and Renaissance polyphony , such as the music of Palestrina , Lassus , Anerio , and others. Approximately 1800 to approximately 1900
5236-533: The 19th century. Even Verdi's name was a synonym for Italian unity because " Verdi " could be read as an acronym for Vittorio Emanuele Re d'Italia , Victor Emanuel King of Italy , the Savoy monarch who eventually became Victor Emanuel II , the first king of united Italy. Thus, " Viva Verdi " was a rallying cry for patriots and often appeared in graffiti in Milan and other cities in what was then part of Austro-Hungarian territory. Verdi had problems with censorship before
5355-454: The 19th century. Opera has had a lasting effect on Italy's classical and popular music. Opera tunes spread through brass bands and itinerant ensembles. Canzone Napoletana , or Neapolitan song , is a distinct tradition that became a part of popular music in the 19th century, and was an iconic image of Italian music abroad by the end of the 20th century. Imported styles have also become an important part of Italian popular music, beginning with
5474-407: The 20th century. New music abandoned much of the historical, nationally developed schools of harmony and melody in favor of experimental music , atonality , minimalism and electronic music , all of which employ features that have become common to European music in general and not Italy specifically. These changes have also made classical music less accessible to many people. Important composers of
5593-626: The Bourbons, but an inquest showed it to be unfounded. Although Cimarosa wrote a considerable quantity of instrumental and church music, he was, and remains, best known for his operas. He was famous for his facility as a composer, although he frequently reused material, as was usual in his day, and employed assistants for routine tasks such as composing recitatives . In the article on Cimarosa in Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2001), Jennifer E. Johnson and Gordana Lazarevich write that he rose above
5712-641: The English form, with some British ballads existing in exact correspondence with an Italian song. Other Italian ballads are more closely based on French models. Lyric songs are a diverse category that consist of lullabies, serenades and work songs, and are frequently improvised though based on a traditional repertoire. Other Italian folk song traditions are less common than ballads and lyric songs. Strophic, religious laude , sometimes in Latin, are still occasionally performed, and epic songs are also known, especially those of
5831-517: The Fascist era of the 1920s and 30s, government censorship and interference with music occurred, though not on a systematic basis. Prominent examples include the notorious anti-modernist manifesto of 1932 and Mussolini 's banning of G.F. Malipiero's opera La favola del figlio cambiato after one performance in 1934. The music media often criticized music that was perceived as either politically radical or insufficiently Italian. General print media, such as
5950-499: The French Café-chantant in the 1890s and then the arrival of American jazz in the 1910s. Until Italian Fascism became officially "allergic" to foreign influences in the late 1930s, American dance music and musicians were quite popular; jazz great Louis Armstrong toured Italy as late as 1935 to great acclaim. In the 1950s, American styles became more prominent, especially rock. The singer-songwriter cantautori tradition
6069-508: The Italian Futurist painter and composer, wrote of the possibilities of new music in his 1913 manifestoes The Art of Noises and Musica Futurista . He also invented and built instruments such as the intonarumori , mostly percussion, which were used in a precursor to the style known as musique concrète . One of the most influential events in early 20th century music was the return of Alfredo Casella from France in 1915; Casella founded
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#17328447241216188-514: The Italian Renaissance were commissioned by royalty and the Catholic Church , much music was likewise composed on the basis of such commissions—incidental court music, music for coronations, for the birth of a royal heir, royal marches, and other occasions. Composers who strayed ran certain risks. Among the best known of such cases was the Neapolitan composer Domenico Cimarosa , who composed
6307-540: The Italian music industry. Introduced in the early 1920s, jazz gained a strong foothold in Italy, and remained popular despite xenophobic policies of the Fascists. Italy was represented in the progressive rock and pop movements of the 1970s, with bands such as PFM , Banco del Mutuo Soccorso , Le Orme , Goblin , and Pooh . The same period saw diversification in the cinema of Italy , and Cinecittà films included complex scores by composers including Ennio Morricone . In
6426-459: The Occitanic troubadours are some of the oldest preserved samples of vernacular song, and modern bands like Gai Saber and Lou Dalfin preserve and contemporize Occitan music. The Occitanian culture retains characteristics of the ancient Celtic influence, through the use of six- or seven-hole flutes ( fifre ) or the bagpipes ( piva ). Much of northern Italy shares with areas of Europe further to
6545-452: The Republican hymn for the short-lived Neapolitan Republic of 1799 . When the republic fell, he was tried for treason along with other revolutionaries. Cimarosa was not executed by the restored monarchy, but he was exiled. Music also played a role in the unification of the peninsula. During this period, some leaders attempted to use music to forge a unifying cultural identity. One example is
6664-488: The Romantic Verdi and Puccini . Classical music has a strong hold in Italy, as evidenced by the fame of its opera houses such as La Scala, and performers such as the pianist Maurizio Pollini and tenor Luciano Pavarotti . Italy is known as the birthplace of opera. Italian opera is believed to have been founded in the 17th century. Italian folk music is an important part of the country's musical heritage, and spans
6783-465: The Russian court over the years; others were Vincenzo Manfredini (from 1762 to 1769), Baldassare Galuppi (1765–1768), Tommaso Traetta (1768–1775), Giovanni Paisiello (1776–1784), and Giuseppe Sarti (1785–1801). He composed a serious opera, Cleopatra , and revised two of his existing comic pieces Le donne rivali and I due baroni di Rocca Azzurra . Other compositions for Catherine's court included
6902-449: The appropriate, this gaiety and tenderness, and above all … incomparable elegance". Stendhal wrote that Cimarosa, Mozart and Shakespeare were the only passions of his life. To Stendhal, Cimarosa was "the Molière of composers", and he claimed to have seen Il matrimonio segreto more than 100 times. Hector Berlioz , who hated Italian opera, was not an admirer: "I should throw to the devil
7021-522: The ascent of Don Lorenzo Perosi and his supporter (and future saint), Pope Pius X . The advent of Vatican II , however, nearly obliterated all Latin-language music from the Church, once again substituting it with a more popular style. The dominance of opera in Italian music tends to overshadow the important area of instrumental music. Historically, such music includes the vast array of sacred instrumental music, instrumental concertos, and orchestral music in
7140-620: The bagpipe vary throughout Italy-- eghet in Bergamo , piva in Lombardy , müsa in Alessandria , Genoa , Pavia and Piacenza , and so forth. Numerous percussion instruments are a part of Italian folk music, including wood blocks, bells , castanets , drums. Several regions have their own distinct form of rattle , including the raganella cog rattle and the Calabrian conocchie ,
7259-529: The best-known Italian pop musicians of the last few decades are Domenico Modugno , Mina , Mia Martini , Adriano Celentano , Claudio Baglioni , Ornella Vanoni , Patty Pravo and, more recently, Zucchero , Mango , Vasco Rossi , Gianna Nannini and international superstar Laura Pausini and Andrea Bocelli . Musicians who compose and sing their own songs are called cantautori (singer-songwriters). Their compositions typically focus on topics of social relevance and are often protest songs : this wave began in
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#17328447241217378-581: The centre of the Mediterranean; Celtic , Slavic , Greek , and Byzantine influences, as well as rough geography and the historic dominance of small city states , have all combined to allow diverse musical styles to coexist in close proximity. Italian folk styles are very diverse, and include monophonic , polyphonic , and responsorial song, choral, instrumental and vocal music, and other styles. Choral singing and polyphonic song forms are primarily found in northern Italy, while south of Naples, solo singing
7497-452: The centuries that followed, opera traditions developed in Naples and Venice; the operas of Claudio Monteverdi , Alessandro Scarlatti , Giambattista Pergolesi , and, later, of Gioacchino Rossini , Vincenzo Bellini , and Gaetano Donizetti flourished. Opera has remained the musical form most closely linked with Italian music and Italian identity. This was most obvious in the 19th century through
7616-518: The chorus " Va, pensiero " from Giuseppe Verdi 's opera Nabucco . The opera is about ancient Babylon kingdom, but the chorus contains the phrase " O mia Patria ", ostensibly about the struggle of the Israelites confederation, but also a thinly veiled reference to the destiny of a not-yet-united Italy; the entire chorus became the unofficial anthem of the Risorgimento , the drive to unify Italy in
7735-447: The closing section, in the style of cabalettas . Providing contrast to the vocal display pieces, he often wrote quite simple arias in the manner of cavatinas . A feature of his scores is the sustained writing for concerted voices. In the words of the Grove article: One of Cimarosa's strengths was the composition of witty and vivacious ensembles. Il matrimonio segreto , an ensemble opera in
7854-480: The conductor Arturo Toscanini , an avowed opponent of Fascism, gets the same neutral and distant treatment with no mention at all of his "anti-regime" stance. Perhaps the best-known episode of music colliding with politics involves Toscanini. He had been forced out of the musical directorship at La Scala in Milan in 1929 because he refused to begin every performance with the fascist song, " Giovinezza ". For this insult to
7973-411: The cultural markers of Italian national cultures and ethnic identity and holds an important position in society and in politics . Italian music innovation – in musical scale , harmony , notation , and theatre – enabled the development of opera and much of modern European classical music – such as the symphony and concerto – ranges across
8092-427: The death sentence only through the intercession of influential admirers, including Cardinals Consalvi and Ruffo and Lady Hamilton . He was exiled from Naples, and went to Venice. He was terminally ill by this time, probably with stomach cancer, and he died on 11 January 1801, aged 51, composing until almost the end. His last opera, Artemisia was left unfinished. A rumour spread that he had been poisoned by agents of
8211-439: The development of musical notation and Gregorian chant . Italy has a strong sense of national identity through distinctive culture – a sense of an appreciation of beauty and emotionality, which is strongly evidenced in the music. Cultural, political and social issues are often also expressed through music in Italy. Allegiance to music is integrally woven into the social identity of Italians but no single style has been considered
8330-878: The development of electronic dance music. Italian pop is represented annually with the Sanremo Music Festival , which served as inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest . Gigliola Cinquetti , Toto Cutugno , and Måneskin won Eurovision, in 1964 , 1990 , and 2021 respectively. Singers such as Domenico Modugno , Mina , Andrea Bocelli , Raffaella Carrà , Il Volo , Al Bano , Toto Cutugno , Nek , Umberto Tozzi , Giorgia , Grammy winner Laura Pausini , Eros Ramazzotti , Tiziano Ferro , Måneskin, Mahmood , Ghali have received international acclaim. Italian music has been held up in high esteem in history and many pieces of Italian music are considered high art. More than other elements of Italian culture , music
8449-507: The first two of these were composed for Naples, and the last for La Fenice in Venice. During the occupation of Naples by the troops of the French Republic , in 1799 Cimarosa joined the liberal party, but the monarchy was soon restored, and took strong measures against those with liberal or revolutionary connections. Cimarosa was imprisoned along with many of his political friends, and escaped
8568-458: The following year. In the 1770s and 1780s Cimarosa wrote numerous operas for the theatres of Italy. He was best known for his comedies, but wrote serious works from time to time, including Caio Mario (1780) and Alessandro nell'Indie (1781). As well as stage works he wrote church music. He was appointed supernumerary organist of the Neapolitan royal court in November 1779, and by the early 1780s he
8687-403: The function of the orchestra is to provide discreet support for the voices. During his four years in Saint Petersburg, he began to use clarinets, and to orchestrate more fully and richly. Johnson and Lazarevich instance Il matrimonio segreto , in which a large orchestra "provides colour and exhibits independent motivic and rhythmic material that serves as commentary on the action". Cimarosa wrote
8806-564: The group and open-voice choral works of the north yield to a stronger Arabic, Greek, and North African-influenced strident monody of the south. In parts of Apulia ( Grecìa Salentina , for example) the Griko dialect is commonly used in song. The Apulian city of Taranto is a home of the tarantella , a rhythmic dance widely performed in southern Italy. Apulian music in general, and Salentine music in particular, has been well researched and documented by ethnomusicologists and by Aramirè . The music of
8925-1012: The island of Sardinia is best known for the polyphonic chanting of the tenores . The sound of the tenores recalls the roots of Gregorian chant, and is similar to but distinctive from the Ligurian trallalero . Typical instruments include the launeddas , a Sardinian triplepipe used in a sophisticated and complex manner. Efisio Melis was a well-known master launeddas player of the 1930s. Italian folk songs include ballads , lyrical songs, lullabies and children's songs, seasonal songs based around holidays such as Christmas, life-cycle songs that celebrate weddings, baptisms and other important events, dance songs, cattle calls and occupational songs, tied to professions such as fishermen, shepherds and soldiers. Ballads ( canti epico-lirici ) and lyric songs ( canti lirico-monostrofici ) are two important categories. Ballads are most common in northern Italy, while lyric songs prevail further south. Ballads are closely tied to
9044-485: The late 19th century, with international styles influencing Italian music by the late 1910s; however, the rise of autarchia , the Fascist policy of cultural isolationism in 1922 led to a retreat from international popular music. During this period, popular Italian musicians traveled abroad and learned elements of jazz , Latin American music and other styles. These musics influenced the Italian tradition, which spread around
9163-425: The man who "virtually brought the history of Italian opera to an end". After World War I, however, opera declined in comparison to the popular heights of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Causes included the general cultural shift away from Romanticism and the rise of the cinema, which became a major source of entertainment. A third cause is the fact that "internationalism" had brought contemporary Italian opera to
9282-448: The mediocrity of some the librettos he set and produced music "suffused with lightness, elegance and finesse". Cimarosa avoided the rigidity of the traditional da capo aria , and wrote solo numbers consisting of more flexible divisions, with changes of tempo, metre and key to reflect the words of his librettists. Johnson and Lazarevich comment that this freedom of form conveys spontaneity and flexibility. Cimarosa's arias often speed up for
9401-471: The monastic order of the Church of San Severo, and Cimarosa received a good education—including musical training—from the monks and clergy of the church. The organist of the monastery, Padre Polcano, took a particular interest in his education and Cimarosa progressed so well in his musical studies that he was admitted to Naples's leading college of music, the Conservatorio di S Maria di Loreto, in 1761, when he
9520-406: The new technology of electronics to create hitherto impossible sounds. In Italy, one of the first to devote his attention to experimental music was Ferruccio Busoni , whose 1907 publication, Sketch for a New Aesthetic of Music , discussed the use of electrical and other new sounds in future music. He spoke of his dissatisfaction with the constraints of traditional music: Similarly, Luigi Russolo ,
9639-501: The next year. Manfredini's theoretical research Regole armoniche, o sieno precetti ragionevoli per apprendere la musica ( Venice , 1775) has two parts, an introduction to the elements of music and to keyboard accompaniment. It was translated into Russian by Stepan Degtyaryov , a Russian composer, conductor and singer. The observations of Manfredini on the proper method of teaching singing aroused vigorous opposition from Giovanni Battista Mancini . The second edition ( Venice , 1797)
9758-498: The north an interest in ballad singing (called canto epico lirico in Italian) and choral singing. Even ballads—usually thought of as a vehicle for a solo voice—may be sung in choirs. In the province of Trento "folk choirs" are the most common form of music making. Noticeable musical differences in the southern type include increased use of interval part singing and a greater variety of folk instruments. The Celtic and Slavic influences on
9877-472: The object of promoting and diffusing Italian contemporary music abroad. Italian classical music grew gradually more experimental and progressive into the mid-20th century, while popular tastes have tended to stick with well established composers and compositions of the past. The 2004–2005 program at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples is typical of modern Italy: of the eight operas represented, the most recent
9996-521: The opera houses of Rome, Venice, Florence and elsewhere. He was engaged by Catherine the Great of Russia as her court composer and conductor between 1787 and 1791. In his later years, returning to Naples, he backed the losing side in the struggle to overthrow the monarchy there, and was imprisoned and then exiled. He died in Venice at the age of 51. Cimarosa was born in Aversa , a town near Naples . His family name
10115-485: The period include Ottorino Respighi , Ferruccio Busoni , Alfredo Casella , Gian Francesco Malipiero , Franco Alfano , Bruno Maderna , Luciano Berio , Luigi Nono , Sylvano Bussotti , Salvatore Sciarrino , Luigi Dallapiccola , Carlo Jachino , Gian Carlo Menotti , Jacopo Napoli , and Goffredo Petrassi . Opera originated in Italy in the late 16th century during the time of the Florentine Camerata . Through
10234-501: The pieces were given several times. Cimarosa's La ballerina amante , a commedia per musica first performed in Naples was chosen as the inaugural work at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos , Lisbon, in June 1793. Three weeks after the premiere of Il matrimonio segreto the emperor Leopold died suddenly. His successor, Francis II , was less interested in music than Leopold had been, and in 1793, Cimarosa returned to Naples. In 1796 he
10353-644: The premiere in 1772 of his first commedia per musica , Le stravaganze del conte , performed at the Teatro dei Fiorentini in Naples. The work met with approval, and was followed in the same year by Le pazzie di Stelladaura e di Zoroastro . This work was also successful, and the fame of the young composer began to spread all over Italy. In 1774, he was invited to Rome to write an opera for the stagione of that year; and there he produced another comic opera called L'italiana in Londra . In 1777 he married Constanza Suffi, who died
10472-525: The regime, he was attacked and beaten on the street outside the Bologne opera after a performance in 1931. During the Fascist era, political pressure stymied the development of classical music, although censorship was not as systematic as in Nazi Germany. A series of "racial laws" was passed in 1938, thus denying to Jewish composers and musicians membership in professional and artistic associations. Although there
10591-467: The same evening in his private chambers – "the longest encore in operatic history" as one critic put it. Cimarosa did not consider the work his best, but it has a better libretto than some of his other comic operas, the plot clear, the characters well drawn and elaborate disguises and coincidences dispensed with. The composer's own favourite of his operas was Artemisia, regina di Caria , a serious work, composed for Naples five years later. Cimarosa's success
10710-487: The so-called "garland dances" in northern Europe. There are also dances of love and courting, such as the duru-duru dance in Sardinia. Many of these dances are group activities, the group setting up in rows or circles; some—the love and courting dances—involve couples, either a single couple or more. The tammuriata (performed to the sound of the tambourine) is a couple dance performed in southern Italy and accompanied by
10829-399: The sonatas. Johnson and Lazarevich write that Cimarosa's reputation during his lifetime reached a height unsurpassed until Rossini's heyday, and he continued to be highly regarded into the 19th century. Eugène Delacroix preferred Cimarosa's music to Mozart 's. He wrote of Il matrimonio segreto , "It is perfection itself. No other musician has this symmetry, this expressiveness and sense of
10948-636: The standard repertoire of classical ballet, little of which is Italian. The Italian equivalent of the Russian Bolshoi Ballet and similar companies that exist only to perform ballet, independent of a parent opera theater is La Scala Theatre Ballet . In 1979, a modern dance company, Aterballetto , was founded in Reggio Emilia by Vittorio Biagi. Experimental music is a broad, loosely defined field encompassing musics created by abandoning traditional classical concepts of melody and harmony, and by using
11067-689: The style of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro , is composed of eight arias, four duets, three trios, a quartet, a quintet and two finales featuring all six characters. Harmonically, Cimarosa was not innovative, remaining content with traditional diatonic conventions. In the view of Johnson and Lazarevich his musical strengths are to be found in "the richness of his melodic invention, the brilliance and energy of his rhythmic and melodic motifs and his constantly lively accompaniments". Cimarosa's approach to orchestration developed over his career. His earlier works are generally written for strings, oboes, horns and trumpets, and occasionally bassoons and flutes. In these pieces
11186-595: The term, canzone Napoletana now generally refers to a large body of relatively recent, composed popular music—such songs as " 'O Sole Mio ", "Torna a Surriento", and " Funiculi Funicula ". In the 18th century, many composers, including Alessandro Scarlatti , Leonardo Vinci , and Giovanni Paisiello , contributed to the Neapolitan tradition by using the local language for the texts of some of their comic operas . Later, others—most famously Gaetano Donizetti —composed Neapolitan songs that garnered great renown in Italy and abroad. The Neapolitan song tradition became formalized in
11305-546: The throne. In 1769 he returned with a pension to Bologna . He would meet Mozart along with his father a year later in 1770. After two attempts at opera, Manfredini devoted himself mainly to writing and teaching, also publishing a set of symphonies (1776) and string quartets (?1781). When Pavel Petrovich became Emperor in 1796, he invited his former teacher, who arrived in September 1798, but took up no post and died in St. Petersburg
11424-500: The transition zone from the former to the latter roughly in north-central Italy, approximately between Pesaro and La Spezia . The central, northern and southern parts of the peninsula each share certain musical characteristics, and are each distinct from the music of Sardinia . In the Piedmontese valleys and some Ligurian communities of northwestern Italy, the music preserves the strong influence of ancient Occitania . The lyrics of
11543-447: The troupe. Moving to St. Petersburg , he became maestro di cappella to Peter Fedorovich , who on becoming Emperor in 1762 made him maestro of the court's Italian opera company. Confirmed in this post by Catherine II , he composed operas and occasional works, but on Galuppi 's arrival in 1765 he was relegated to composing the ballets performed with Galuppi's operas and to serving as harpsichord teacher to Pavel Petrovich , heir to
11662-593: The unification of Italy. His opera Un ballo in maschera was originally entitled Gustavo III and was presented to the San Carlo opera in Naples , the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies , in the late 1850s. The Neapolitan censors objected to the realistic plot about the assassination of Gustav III , King of Sweden , in the 1790s. Even after the plot was changed, the Neapolitan censors still rejected it. Later, in
11781-503: The unique and interminable Matrimonio Segreto , which is nearly as tiresome as The Marriage of Figaro without being anything like so musical." Robert Schumann was impressed by Cimarosa's "absolutely masterful" orchestration, but by little else. Eduard Hanslick praised Cimarosa's wonderful facility, masterly compositional strokes and good taste. "Full of sunshine – that is the right expression for Cimarosa's music". Music of Italy In Italy , music has traditionally been one of
11900-475: The wake of the French Revolution , Italy again became a center of ballet, largely through the efforts of Salvatore Viganò , a choreographer who worked with some of the most prominent composers of the day. He became balletmaster at La Scala in 1812. The best-known example of Italian ballet from the 19th century is probably Excelsior , with music by Romualdo Marenco and choreography by Luigi Manzotti . It
12019-456: The works of Andrea Gabrieli , Giovanni Gabrieli , Girolamo Frescobaldi , Giuseppe Garibaldi , Tomaso Albinoni , Arcangelo Corelli , Antonio Vivaldi , Domenico Scarlatti , Luigi Boccherini , Muzio Clementi , Giuseppe Gariboldi , Luigi Cherubini , Giovanni Battista Viotti and Niccolò Paganini . (Even opera composers occasionally worked in other forms— Giuseppe Verdi 's String Quartet in E minor , for example. Even Donizetti , whose name
12138-471: The works of Giuseppe Verdi , an icon of Italian culture and pan-Italian unity. Italy retained a Romantic operatic musical tradition in the early 20th century, exemplified by composers of the so-called Giovane Scuola , whose music was anchored in the previous century, including Arrigo Boito , Ruggiero Leoncavallo , Pietro Mascagni , and Francesco Cilea . Giacomo Puccini , who was a realist composer, has been described by Encyclopædia Britannica Online as
12257-432: The world and further diversified following liberalization after World War II. Under the isolationist policies of the fascist regime, which rose to power in 1922, Italy developed an insular musical culture. Foreign musics were suppressed while Mussolini's government encouraged nationalism and linguistic and ethnic purity. Popular performers, however, travelled abroad, and brought back new styles and techniques. American jazz
12376-420: Was Casa Ricordi , which focused almost exclusively on popular operas until the 1930s, when the company allowed more unusual composers with less mainstream appeal. The rise of relatively new publishers such as Carisch and Suvini Zerboni also helped to fuel the diversification of Italian opera. Opera remains a major part of Italian culture; renewed interest in opera across the sectors of Italian society began in
12495-458: Was Cimmarosa, which is how he is recorded on his baptismal record. He appears to have been an only child. His father, Gennaro, was a stonemason, and within days of Domenico's birth the family moved to Naples where Gennaro found employment on the construction of the Palace of Capodimonte . When Domenico was seven, Gennaro fell from scaffolding and was killed. His widow, Anna, was taken on as a laundress by
12614-537: Was Puccini. In symphonic music, of the 26 composers whose music was played, 21 of them were from the 19th century or earlier, composers who use the melodies and harmonies typical of the Romantic era. This focus is common to other European traditions, and is known as postmodernism , a school of thought that draws on earlier harmonic and melodic concepts that pre-date the conceptions of atonality and dissonance . This focus on popular historical composers has helped to maintain
12733-483: Was a center of court ballet as early as the 15th century, which was influenced by the entertainments common in royal celebrations and aristocratic weddings. Early choreographers and composers of ballet include Fabritio Caroso and Cesare Negri . The style of ballet known as the "spectacles all’italiana " imported to France from Italy caught on, and the first ballet performed in France (1581), Ballet Comique de la Reine ,
12852-566: Was a century during which a more popular, operatic, and entertaining type of church music was heard, to the exclusion of the aforementioned chant and polyphony. In the late 19th century, the Cecilian Movement was started by musicians who fought to restore this music. This movement gained impetus not in Italy but in Germany, particularly in Regensburg . The movement reached its apex around 1900 with
12971-459: Was a major development of the later 1960s, while the Italian rock scene soon diversified into progressive , punk , funk and folk-based styles. Italian opera became immensely popular in the 19th century and was known across even the most rural sections of the country. Most villages had occasional opera productions, and the techniques used in opera influenced rural folk musics. Opera spread through itinerant ensembles and brass bands , focused in
13090-466: Was a visiting maestro at the Ospedaletto di Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice. For Rome, he composed operas for three different theatres in the late 1780s and early 1780s; these works included Il ritorno di Don Calandrino , L'italiana in Londra , Le donne rivali , Il pittore parigino and for La Scala , Milan, following the success there of a revival of L'impresario in angustie , he composed La Circe ,
13209-519: Was already popular there, and the emperor, Leopold II , appointed him Kapellmeister to the court, and commissioned a new opera. The result was Il matrimonio segreto , to a text by Giovanni Bertati , based on the 1766 play, The Clandestine Marriage , by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick . The opera, performed at the Burgtheater on 7 February 1792, was so successful that Leopold had it played again
13328-503: Was an important influence on singers such as Alberto Rabagliati , who became known for a swinging style. Elements of harmony and melody from both jazz and blues were used in many popular songs, while rhythms often came from Latin dances like the tango , rumba and beguine . Italian composers incorporated elements from these styles, while Italian music, especially Neapolitan song, became a part of popular music across Latin America. Among
13447-421: Was appointed principal organist of the royal chapel, and he continued to produce new operas and revise older ones. He reworked L'italiana in Londra and I due baroni , adapting them for local taste by adding sections in Neapolitan dialect. The most important new works from this last phase of his career were Le astuzie femminili (1794) and two serious operas, Penelope (1794) and Gli Orazi e i Curiazi (1796);
13566-408: Was choreographed by an Italian, Baltazarini di Belgioioso, better known by the French version of his name, Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx . Early ballet was accompanied by considerable instrumentation, with the playing of horns, trombones, kettle drums, dulcimers, bagpipes, etc. Although the music has not survived, there is speculation that dancers, themselves, may have played instruments on stage. Then, in
13685-419: Was composed in 1881 and is a lavish tribute to the scientific and industrial progress of the 19th century. It is still performed and was staged as recently as 2002. Currently, major Italian opera theaters maintain ballet companies. They exist to provide incidental and ceremonial dancing in many operas, such as Aida or La Traviata . These dance companies usually maintain a separate ballet season and perform
13804-574: Was international. He was, together with Paisiello, the most popular opera composer in the late 18th century. He composed 60 opere buffe and 20 opere serie , many of which quickly entered the repertoire of opera houses throughout Europe. They were performed in Berlin, Copenhagen, Hamburg, London, Prague and Stockholm, as well as Saint Petersburg, Vienna and all the main Italian cities. Between 1783 and 1790 Haydn conducted performances of thirteen Cimarosa operas for his employers at Schloss Esterházy and many of
13923-648: Was not a massive flight of Italian Jews from Italy during this period (compared to the situation in Germany) composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco , an Italian Jew, was one of those who emigrated. Some non-Jewish foes of the regime also emigrated—Toscanini, for one. More recently, in the later part of the 20th century, especially in the 1970s and beyond, music became further enmeshed in Italian politics. A roots revival stimulated interest in folk traditions, led by writers, collectors and traditional performers. The political right in Italy viewed this roots revival with disdain, as
14042-451: Was popular at the turn of the 20th century, and is remembered for his light, expressive songs. His style became very popular during the Belle Époque and is often known as salon music. His most famous works are Serenata , Addio and the popular Neapolitan song, Marechiaro , the lyrics of which are by the prominent Neapolitan dialect poet, Salvatore di Giacomo . Recorded popular music began in
14161-449: Was twelve. His teachers were Gennaro Manna and Fedele Fenaroli for composition and Saverio Carcais, the maestro de violino . He was a capable keyboard player, violinist and singer, but composition was his primary concern as a student; in 1770 he, Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli and Giuseppe Giordani were senior students in the composition class. As a student, Cimarosa wrote sacred motets and masses, but he first came to public notice with
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