Antonio Sartorio
Encyclopedia
Antonio Sartorio was an Italian
composer
active mainly in Italy and in Hamburg
, Germany
. He was a leading composer of operas in his native Venice
in the 1660s and 1670s and was also known for composing in other genres of vocal music
. Between 1665 and 1675 he spent most of his winters in Hamburg, where he held the post of Kapellmeister
to Duke Johann Friedrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg
– returning to Venice for the summer months. In 1676 he became vice maestro di capella at San Marco in Venice.
in Venice on 4 January 1661. His second opera, Seleuco, did not come until five years later when it was produced at the Teatro San Luca on 16 January 1666. The year before he had been appointed to the position of Kapellmeister to Duke Johann Friedrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg; just months after the duke had assumed authority over the Principality of Calenberg upon his elder brother George William
's inheriting of the Principality of Lüneburg
. Frederick ruled over the Calenberg subdivision of the duchy from 1665 until his death fourteen years later.
Friedrich was a highly intelligent and educated sovereign who had converted to Roman Catholicism
in 1651. Upon becoming duke, Friedrich instituted the Catholic rite to his court, which accordingly led to his choice of Sartorio, a Catholic, as Kapellmeister. The duke had met Sartorio upon one of his four visits to Italy, one of which trips was for the purpose of lending the republic of Venice substantial military aid against the Turks. Sartorio began his duties as Kapellmeister on Trinity Sunday
1666 not too long after the Duke's new palace in Herrenhausen
near Hanover
was finished. The palace's design was inspired by the Palace of Versailles
and is famous for its gardens, the Herrenhausen Gardens
.
As Kapellmeister, Sartorio had at his disposal six instrumentalists and seven or eight singers, the majority of which were Italian. For the group Sartorio composed music for the Kapelle a missa brevis and several vesper psalms and cantatas in both the stile antico and the stile moderno. In addition, the group's repertory included masses, motets and psalms by Henri Dumont
, Bonifatio Gratiani and Orazio Tarditi. Some of the group's music was discovered in 1958 in an organ bellows in the village of Hüpede.
and to hire musicians for service at court. His first trip back to his native city was in 1666–1667. During this time his remarkable double opera, La prosperità d'Elio Seiano and La caduta d'Elio Seiano, was produced on 15 January and 3 February 1667. Originally the librettist, Nicolò Minato
, had intended for the two works to be performed on successive evenings, but it appears that either Sartorio or the theatre management overturned this decision.
Sartorio's second visit to Venice was for the Carnival of 1669–70, during which his next opera, L'Ermengarda regina de' longobardi, was performed. The librettist, Pietro Dolfin, a friend of both Sartorio and Duke Johann Friedrich, administered the duke's theatre loges and corresponded regularly with him between 1669 and 1678. Sartorio’s next stay in Venice lasted an entire year, from January or February 1672 to Carnival 1672–3. On 19 February 1672 his best-known opera, L'Adelaide
, was given for the first time. The libretto is again by Dolfin, who reworked some of Gissilla's arias into a cantata by adding recitatives. Sartorio seems to have responded to Dolfin's wish to have the recitatives set, for a Cantata di Gissilla is extant; it was apparently conceived for a pupil of Dolfin's named Lucretia, who had sung a role in the opera, probably that of Gissilla.
After L'Adelaide premiered, Sartorio was supposed to return to Hanover the following spring. However poor health prevented him from traveling and he was further motivated to stay due to an invitation to write one of two operas for the Teatro di San Luca to be performed at Carnival the following year. The Duke assented to Sartorio's extended stay largely due to a lengthy and persuassive correspondence written by Dolfin expressing concerns over Sartorio's physical health and promoting the honour of having been asked to write the opera. Francesco Cavalli
was the other composer commissioned to write an opera. However, Cavalli's Massenzio, although it went into rehearsal, was found unsuitable by the theatre managers "for lack of spirited ariettas". They therefore gave Sartorio the assignment of writing his own music to the same libretto just 13 days before it premiered on 25 January 1673. The work Sartorio produced contained 78 arias and duets. His other opera for the house, L'Orfeo
, had premiered earlier on 14 December 1672.
Sartorio settled in Venice in 1675, taking up residence in the San Giovanni Grisostomo quarter of the city. He won the position of vicemaestro di cappella of the St Mark's Basilica
, narrowly defeating Carlo Grossi
for the post and assuming his position there on 7 May 1676. A set of eight-part psalms for two choirs that he wrote for the basilica were published in 1680; notably being his only printed volume of music. On 17 December 1676, his opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto premiered in Venice to a resounding success. He composed four more operas between 1677–1679.
Sartorio was supposed to have been visited by Duke Friedrich in early 1680, but the duke died on 18 December 1679 in Augsburg at the start of his fifth journey to Italy. Towards the end of 1680 he began composing another opera, La Flora, but he died before he could finish the work. He had been ill for seven months prior to his death. The Teatro San Angelo had commissioned La Flora, and not wanting to give it up, hired Marc'Antonio Ziani
to finish it. The opera was eventually performed at that house as the first opera of the new Carnival season. Giovanni Legrenzi
succeeded him as vicemaestro di cappella of the St Mark's Basilica.
, Utrecht
, directed by Stephen Stubbs
: Vanguard 99194 (2CDs) another, also directed by Stephen Stubbs, on Channel Classics Records
722020, plus one by René Clemenćic on Warner Classics 867384103 (3CDs).
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...
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...
active mainly in Italy and in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He was a leading composer of operas in his native Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in the 1660s and 1670s and was also known for composing in other genres of vocal music
Vocal music
Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...
. Between 1665 and 1675 he spent most of his winters in Hamburg, where he held the post of Kapellmeister
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...
to Duke Johann Friedrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg
John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
John Frederick was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, from 1665 until his death....
– returning to Venice for the summer months. In 1676 he became vice maestro di capella at San Marco in Venice.
Early work in Italy and work as Kapellmeister
Sartorio was the brother of composer and organist Gasparo Sartorio and architect Girolamo Sartorio who also had connections with the theatre. Beyond birth records, the first known information about Sartorio relates to the mounting of his first opera, Gl'amori infruttuosi di Pirro, at the Teatro di San Giovanni GrisostomoLa Fenice
Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
in Venice on 4 January 1661. His second opera, Seleuco, did not come until five years later when it was produced at the Teatro San Luca on 16 January 1666. The year before he had been appointed to the position of Kapellmeister to Duke Johann Friedrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg; just months after the duke had assumed authority over the Principality of Calenberg upon his elder brother George William
George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
George William was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled first over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, then over the Lüneburg subdivision. In 1689 he occupied the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg....
's inheriting of the Principality of Lüneburg
Principality of Lüneburg
The Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
. Frederick ruled over the Calenberg subdivision of the duchy from 1665 until his death fourteen years later.
Friedrich was a highly intelligent and educated sovereign who had converted to Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in 1651. Upon becoming duke, Friedrich instituted the Catholic rite to his court, which accordingly led to his choice of Sartorio, a Catholic, as Kapellmeister. The duke had met Sartorio upon one of his four visits to Italy, one of which trips was for the purpose of lending the republic of Venice substantial military aid against the Turks. Sartorio began his duties as Kapellmeister on Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity...
1666 not too long after the Duke's new palace in Herrenhausen
Herrenhausen
Herrenhausen is an area of the German city Hanover which is most notable for the baroque Herrenhausen Gardens.Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg died in Herrenhausen Castle and his grandson King George II of Great Britain was born there. During the Second World War the castle was...
near Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
was finished. The palace's design was inspired by the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
and is famous for its gardens, the Herrenhausen Gardens
Herrenhausen Gardens
The Herrenhausen Gardens , located in Lower Saxony's capital of Hanover are made up of the Great Garden , the Berggarten, the Georgengarten and the Welfengarten. The gardens are a heritage of the Kings of Hanover.The Great Garden has always been one of the most distinguished baroque formal gardens...
.
As Kapellmeister, Sartorio had at his disposal six instrumentalists and seven or eight singers, the majority of which were Italian. For the group Sartorio composed music for the Kapelle a missa brevis and several vesper psalms and cantatas in both the stile antico and the stile moderno. In addition, the group's repertory included masses, motets and psalms by Henri Dumont
Henri Dumont
Henri Dumont was a Franco-Belgian composer.- Life :Dumont was born to Henry de Thier and Elisabeth Orban in Looz . The family moved in 1613 to Maastricht, where Henri and his brother Lambert were choirboys at the church of Notre-Dame...
, Bonifatio Gratiani and Orazio Tarditi. Some of the group's music was discovered in 1958 in an organ bellows in the village of Hüpede.
Trips home to Venice
Sartorio worked in Hanover up until 1675, during which time he returned frequently to Venice in the winter, both to compose operas for CarnivalCarnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
and to hire musicians for service at court. His first trip back to his native city was in 1666–1667. During this time his remarkable double opera, La prosperità d'Elio Seiano and La caduta d'Elio Seiano, was produced on 15 January and 3 February 1667. Originally the librettist, Nicolò Minato
Nicolò Minato
Count Nicolò Minato was an Italian poet, librettist and impresario. His career can be divided into two parts: the years he spent at Venice, from 1650 to 1669, and the years at Vienna, from 1669 until his death....
, had intended for the two works to be performed on successive evenings, but it appears that either Sartorio or the theatre management overturned this decision.
Sartorio's second visit to Venice was for the Carnival of 1669–70, during which his next opera, L'Ermengarda regina de' longobardi, was performed. The librettist, Pietro Dolfin, a friend of both Sartorio and Duke Johann Friedrich, administered the duke's theatre loges and corresponded regularly with him between 1669 and 1678. Sartorio’s next stay in Venice lasted an entire year, from January or February 1672 to Carnival 1672–3. On 19 February 1672 his best-known opera, L'Adelaide
Adelaide (opera)
Adelaide or l'Adelaide is an opera by Antonio Sartorio to an Italian libretto by Pietro Dolfin. It was premiered in Venice at the Teatro San Salvatore in 1672. An exact date is not known, although the libretto is dedicated February 19, 1672....
, was given for the first time. The libretto is again by Dolfin, who reworked some of Gissilla's arias into a cantata by adding recitatives. Sartorio seems to have responded to Dolfin's wish to have the recitatives set, for a Cantata di Gissilla is extant; it was apparently conceived for a pupil of Dolfin's named Lucretia, who had sung a role in the opera, probably that of Gissilla.
After L'Adelaide premiered, Sartorio was supposed to return to Hanover the following spring. However poor health prevented him from traveling and he was further motivated to stay due to an invitation to write one of two operas for the Teatro di San Luca to be performed at Carnival the following year. The Duke assented to Sartorio's extended stay largely due to a lengthy and persuassive correspondence written by Dolfin expressing concerns over Sartorio's physical health and promoting the honour of having been asked to write the opera. Francesco Cavalli
Francesco Cavalli
Francesco Cavalli was an Italian composer of the early Baroque period. His real name was Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni, but he is better known by that of Cavalli, the name of his patron Federico Cavalli, a Venetian nobleman.-Life:Cavalli was born at Crema, Lombardy...
was the other composer commissioned to write an opera. However, Cavalli's Massenzio, although it went into rehearsal, was found unsuitable by the theatre managers "for lack of spirited ariettas". They therefore gave Sartorio the assignment of writing his own music to the same libretto just 13 days before it premiered on 25 January 1673. The work Sartorio produced contained 78 arias and duets. His other opera for the house, L'Orfeo
Orfeo (Sartorio)
Orfeo is an opera in three acts by the Italian composer Antonio Sartorio. The libretto, by Aurelio Aureli, is based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. It was first performed at the Teatro San Salvatore, Venice in 1672...
, had premiered earlier on 14 December 1672.
Later life in Italy
After spending two more years in Hanover, Sartorio left the service of Duke Johann Friedrich permanently in April 1675, although he still called himself Friedrich's court composer in the manuscripts of his remaining operas. Upon his departure, the Duke gave him a gift of 50 thalers and a golden chain. The two men remained on good terms and corresponded often with each other about negotiations with singers or visits on his behalf to cloistered ladies.Sartorio settled in Venice in 1675, taking up residence in the San Giovanni Grisostomo quarter of the city. He won the position of vicemaestro di cappella of the St Mark's Basilica
St Mark's Basilica
The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice, northern Italy. It is the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture...
, narrowly defeating Carlo Grossi
Carlo Grossi
Carlo Grossi was an Italian composer.-Life:He is believed to have been the first composer to use the term "divertimento", in his 1681 composition "Il divertimento de' grandi musiche da camera, ò per servizio di tavola". He was the organist at the church of SS...
for the post and assuming his position there on 7 May 1676. A set of eight-part psalms for two choirs that he wrote for the basilica were published in 1680; notably being his only printed volume of music. On 17 December 1676, his opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto premiered in Venice to a resounding success. He composed four more operas between 1677–1679.
Sartorio was supposed to have been visited by Duke Friedrich in early 1680, but the duke died on 18 December 1679 in Augsburg at the start of his fifth journey to Italy. Towards the end of 1680 he began composing another opera, La Flora, but he died before he could finish the work. He had been ill for seven months prior to his death. The Teatro San Angelo had commissioned La Flora, and not wanting to give it up, hired Marc'Antonio Ziani
Marc'Antonio Ziani
Marc'Antonio Ziani was an Italian composer in Vienna.Marc'Antonio was born in Venice. He probably studied with his uncle, the organist Pietro Andrea Ziani. From 1686 to 1691 Ziani was maestro di cappella to Duke Ferdinando Carlo di Gonzaga in Mantua, but simultaneously developed his career as an...
to finish it. The opera was eventually performed at that house as the first opera of the new Carnival season. Giovanni Legrenzi
Giovanni Legrenzi
Giovanni Legrenzi was an Italian composer of opera, vocal and instrumental music, and organist, of the Baroque era...
succeeded him as vicemaestro di cappella of the St Mark's Basilica.
Selected list of works
- L'AdelaideAdelaide (opera)Adelaide or l'Adelaide is an opera by Antonio Sartorio to an Italian libretto by Pietro Dolfin. It was premiered in Venice at the Teatro San Salvatore in 1672. An exact date is not known, although the libretto is dedicated February 19, 1672....
(1672) - Alcina (1674-5)
- Anacreonte tirano (1677)
- Antonio e Pompeiano (1677)
- Elio Seiano (1667) (A double bill or "La prosperita d'Elio Seinano" and "La caduta d'Elio Seiano")
- La Flora (1680, unfinishedUnfinished workAn unfinished work is creative work that has not been finished. Its creator may have chosen never to finish it or may have been prevented from doing so by circumstances outside of their control such as death. Such pieces are often the subject of speculation as to what the finished piece would have...
, completed by Marc Antonio Ziani) - Giulio Cesare in Egitto (1676)
- Massenzio (1673)
- L'OrfeoOrfeo (Sartorio)Orfeo is an opera in three acts by the Italian composer Antonio Sartorio. The libretto, by Aurelio Aureli, is based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. It was first performed at the Teatro San Salvatore, Venice in 1672...
(1672)
Recordings
There is one recording of Giulio Cesare in Egitto, conducted by Attilio Cremonesi (ORF CD409 (3CDs)), and also several recordings of l'Orfeo, including a live recording from the Muziekcentrum VredenburgMuziekcentrum Vredenburg
Muziekcentrum Vredenburg is a building in Utrecht, Netherlands.The venue has hosted concerts by many famous artists, spanning many different genres....
, Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, directed by Stephen Stubbs
Stephen Stubbs
Stephen Stubbs is a lutenist and music director and has been a leading figure in the European early music scene for nearly thirty years....
: Vanguard 99194 (2CDs) another, also directed by Stephen Stubbs, on Channel Classics Records
Channel Classics Records
Channel Classics Records is a record label from the Netherlands, specializing in classical music. The managing director and producer is C. Jared Sacks, who grew up in Boston. Sacks was schooled as a professional horn player at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam...
722020, plus one by René Clemenćic on Warner Classics 867384103 (3CDs).
Source
- Edward H. Tarr. "Sartorio [Sertorio], Antonio", Grove Dictionary of Music and MusiciansGrove Dictionary of Music and MusiciansThe New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, it is the largest single reference work on Western music. The dictionary has gone through several editions since the 19th century...
.