Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi
Encyclopedia
Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi (December 9, 1728 – November 19, 1804) was an Italian
opera composer.
Guglielmi was born in Massa
. He received his first musical education from his father, and afterwards studied under Francesco Durante
at the Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto at Naples
. His first operatic work, produced at Turin
in 1755, established his reputation, and soon his fame spread beyond the limits of his own country, so that in 1762 he was called to Dresden
to conduct the opera there. He remained for some years in Germany
, where his works met with much success, but the greatest triumphs were reserved for him in England
.
He went to London
, according to Charles Burney
, in 1768, but according to Florimo in 1772, returned to Naples in 1777. He continued to produce operas at an astounding rate, but was unable to compete successfully with the younger masters of the day. In 1793 he became maestro di cappella at St Peter's
, Rome
, where he died in 1804.
He was a very prolific composer of Italian dramma giocoso
and commedia per musica
operas, and there is in most of his scores a vein of humour and natural gaiety not surpassed by Domenico Cimarosa
himself. In opera seria
he was less successful. But here also he shows at least the qualities of a competent musician. Considering the enormous number of his works, his unequal workmanship and the frequent instances of mechanical and slipshod writing in his music need not surprise us.
He also wrote oratorio
s and miscellaneous pieces of orchestral and chamber music. Of his eight sons two at least acquired fame as musicians: Pietro Carlo Guglielmi (1763-1827), a successful imitator of his father's operatic style, and Giacomo Guglielmi, an excellent singer.
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...
opera composer.
Guglielmi was born in Massa
Massa
Massa is a town and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, the administrative centre of the province of Massa-Carrara. It is located in the Frigido River Valley, near the Alpi Apuane, some 5 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian Sea....
. He received his first musical education from his father, and afterwards studied under Francesco Durante
Francesco Durante
Francesco Durante was an Italian composer.He was born at Frattamaggiore, in the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, and at an early age he entered the Conservatorio dei poveri di Gesù Cristo, in Naples, where he received lessons from Gaetano Greco. Later he became a pupil of Alessandro Scarlatti at the...
at the Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto at Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. His first operatic work, produced at Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
in 1755, established his reputation, and soon his fame spread beyond the limits of his own country, so that in 1762 he was called to Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
to conduct the opera there. He remained for some years in 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...
, where his works met with much success, but the greatest triumphs were reserved for him in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
He went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, according to Charles Burney
Charles Burney
Charles Burney FRS was an English music historian and father of authors Frances Burney and Sarah Burney.-Life and career:...
, in 1768, but according to Florimo in 1772, returned to Naples in 1777. He continued to produce operas at an astounding rate, but was unable to compete successfully with the younger masters of the day. In 1793 he became maestro di cappella at St Peter's
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he died in 1804.
He was a very prolific composer of Italian dramma giocoso
Dramma giocoso
Dramma giocoso is the name of a genre of opera common in the mid-18th century. The term is a contraction of "dramma giocoso per musica" and is essentially a description of the text rather than the opera as a whole...
and commedia per musica
Opera buffa
Opera buffa is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ‘commedia in musica’, ‘commedia per musica’, ‘dramma bernesco’, ‘dramma comico’, ‘divertimento giocoso' etc...
operas, and there is in most of his scores a vein of humour and natural gaiety not surpassed by Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa
Domenico Cimarosa was an Italian opera composer of the Neapolitan school...
himself. In opera seria
Opera seria
Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770...
he was less successful. But here also he shows at least the qualities of a competent musician. Considering the enormous number of his works, his unequal workmanship and the frequent instances of mechanical and slipshod writing in his music need not surprise us.
He also wrote oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
s and miscellaneous pieces of orchestral and chamber music. Of his eight sons two at least acquired fame as musicians: Pietro Carlo Guglielmi (1763-1827), a successful imitator of his father's operatic style, and Giacomo Guglielmi, an excellent singer.
Oratorios, cantatas, serenatas
- La madre de' Maccabei (componimento sacro, libretto by Giuseppe Barbieri, 1764, Rome)
- Componimento drammatico per le faustissime nozze de S.E. il cavaliere Luigi Mocenigo colla N.D. Francesca Grimani (libretto by A. M. Borga, 1766, Venice)
- Telemaco (componimento drammatico, libretto by Giuseppe Petrosellini, 1775, Rome)
- Cantata per il genetliaco della sovrana e l'inaugurazione delle adunanze di una nuova Società Filarmonica (libretto by G. Jacopetti, 1776, Massa)
- Diana amante (serenata, libretto by Luca Serio, basato su Endimiione di Pietro Metastasio, 1781, Naples)
- La felicità dell'Anfriso (componimento drammatico, libretto by Giuseppe Pagliuca, 1783, Naples)
- Pallade (cantata, libretto by Carlo Giuseppe Lanfranchi-Rossi, 1786, Naples)
- Debora e Sisara (azione sacra, libretto by Carlo Sernicola, 1788, Naples)
- La Passione di Gesù Cristo (oratorio, 1790, Madrid)
- Aminta (favola boscheraccia, libretto by C. Filomarino, 1790, Naples)
- Il serraglio (cantata, libretto by A. L. Palli, 1790)
- La morte di Oloferne (tragedia sacra, based on La Betulia liberata by Pietro Metastasio, 1791, Rome)
- Gionata Maccabeo (oratorio, 1798, Naples)
- Il paradiso perduto, cioè Adamo ed Eva per il loro noto peccato discacciati dal paradiso terrestre (azione sacra, libretto by Rasi, 1802, Rome)
- Cantata sagra (libretto by A. Grandi, 1802, Rome)
- L'Asmida (cantata)
- L'amore occulto (cantata)
- La morte di Abele (oratorio)
- Le lagrime di San Pietro (oratorio)