Andrea Zani
Encyclopedia
Andrea Teodoro Zani was an Italian
violin
ist and composer
.
in the Province of Cremona
. He received his first instruction in playing the violin
from his father, an amateur violinist. Subsequently, he received instruction in composition
from Giacomo Civeri, a local musician, and studied violin in Guastalla
with the court violinist Carlo Ricci. Antonio Caldara
, who was working as Capellmeister
at the court of Archduke Ferdinand Charles in Mantua
, not far from Casalmaggiore, heard Zani play and invited him to accompany him to Vienna
. Between 1727 and 1729 Zani arrived in Vienna and was active there as a violinist in the service of the Habsburgs. Following the death of his sponsor Caldara in 1736, he returned to Casalmaggiore where he remained for the rest of his life, except for occasional concert appearances. He died in his home town as the result of an accident, when the carriage in which he was travelling to Mantua overturned.
, but are somewhat less sweeping. His op. 2, published in 1729, is of great historical importance because it is the earliest dated source of symphonies
that present no ambiguities of genre (Wolf 2004). His late works clearly exhibit a casting off of baroque
elements in favor of early classical
ones.
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...
violin
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....
ist 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...
.
Life
Zani was born at CasalmaggioreCasalmaggiore
Casalmaggiore is a comune in the province of Cremona, Lombardy, northern Italy, located across the Po River. It was the birthplace of Italian composers Ignazio Donati and Andrea Zani ....
in the Province of Cremona
Province of Cremona
The Province of Cremona is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Cremona.The province has an area of 1,771 km² and in 2008 census, had a population of 358,628. There are 115 comuni...
. He received his first instruction in playing the violin
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....
from his father, an amateur violinist. Subsequently, he received instruction in composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
from Giacomo Civeri, a local musician, and studied violin in Guastalla
Guastalla
Guastalla is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Emilia in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.-Geography:Guastalla is situated in the Po Valley, and lies on the banks of the Po River...
with the court violinist Carlo Ricci. Antonio Caldara
Antonio Caldara
Antonio Caldara was an Italian Baroque composer.Caldara was born in Venice , the son of a violinist. He became a chorister at St Mark's in Venice, where he learned several instruments, probably under the instruction of Giovanni Legrenzi...
, who was working as Capellmeister
Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...
at the court of Archduke Ferdinand Charles in Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
, not far from Casalmaggiore, heard Zani play and invited him to accompany him 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...
. Between 1727 and 1729 Zani arrived in Vienna and was active there as a violinist in the service of the Habsburgs. Following the death of his sponsor Caldara in 1736, he returned to Casalmaggiore where he remained for the rest of his life, except for occasional concert appearances. He died in his home town as the result of an accident, when the carriage in which he was travelling to Mantua overturned.
Style and significance
Zani's works show the influence of Antonio VivaldiAntonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
, but are somewhat less sweeping. His op. 2, published in 1729, is of great historical importance because it is the earliest dated source of symphonies
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
that present no ambiguities of genre (Wolf 2004). His late works clearly exhibit a casting off of baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
elements in favor of early classical
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...
ones.
Compositions
- 12 Sonate da camera, op.1 (probably Casalmaggiore, 1727) (Reprinted in Paris as Sonates a violino solo e basso da camera, op. 3)
- Sei sinfonie da camera e altretanti concerti da chiesa a quattro strumenti, op. 2 (Casalmaggiore, 1729)
- Concerti Dodici a quattro con i suoi ripieni, op. 4 (Vienna, 1735)
- Sonate 12 a violino e basso intitolate "pensieri armonici", op. 5 (Vienna, 1735)
- Sonate a violino e basso, op. 6 (Paris, 1740)
- In addition, there are numerous manuscripts found in libraries scattered throughout Europe , including three concertos and one sonata for flute, six trio sonatas for two violins and continuo, as well as several violin concertos and symphonies.
Sources
- Larue, Jan, and Eugene K. Wolf. "Symphony, §I: 18th century". Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 17 February 2007)
- Wolf, Eugene K. 2004, "Andrea Zani's sinfonie da camera, op. 2 (Casalmaggiore, 1729)". In Giovanni Battista Sammartini and His Musical Environment, Studi sulla storia della musica in Lombardia: Collana di testi musicologici 4, edited by Anna Cattoretti, 531–47. Turnhout: Brepols. ISBN 250351233X
External links
- Villa, Marcello. 2002. "Andrea Zani" Copyright © 2002 MVCremona.