Salvatore Viganò
Encyclopedia
Salvatore Viganò was an Italian
choreographer, dancer and composer
.
He was born in Naples
. He studied composition with Luigi Boccherini
(his uncle) and by the mid-1780s was composing original music. In 1788 he appeared as a dancer on the stage in Venice
. He performed in the coronation festivities of Charles IV of Spain
in 1789. He became a pupil of the French dancer and choreographer Jean Dauberval
. In 1791 he and his wife achieved success as a dancing team in Venice, where he choreographed his first ballet, Raoul de Créqui. He was ballet master in Vienna
and collaborated with Beethoven on the ballet The Creatures of Prometheus. He returned to Italy in 1804 and became the ballet master of La Scala ballet school
in Milan
. He is considered the father of a new kind of performance called "coreodramma" where the pantomime served the dance and the ensembles where very significant. He died in Milan
.
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...
choreographer, dancer 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...
.
He was born in 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...
. He studied composition with Luigi Boccherini
Luigi Boccherini
Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini was an Italian classical era composer and cellist whose music retained a courtly and galante style while he matured somewhat apart from the major European musical centers. Boccherini is most widely known for one particular minuet from his String Quintet in E, Op. 11, No...
(his uncle) and by the mid-1780s was composing original music. In 1788 he appeared as a dancer on the stage in 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...
. He performed in the coronation festivities of Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
in 1789. He became a pupil of the French dancer and choreographer Jean Dauberval
Jean Dauberval
Jean Dauberval, a.k.a Jean D’Auberval, , was a French dancer and ballet master...
. In 1791 he and his wife achieved success as a dancing team in Venice, where he choreographed his first ballet, Raoul de Créqui. He was ballet master in 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...
and collaborated with Beethoven on the ballet The Creatures of Prometheus. He returned to Italy in 1804 and became the ballet master of La Scala ballet school
Scuola di Ballo del Teatro alla Scala
La Scala Theatre Ballet School is one of the leading classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of La Scala Theatre Ballet, an international ballet company based at La Scala in Milan, Italy...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. He is considered the father of a new kind of performance called "coreodramma" where the pantomime served the dance and the ensembles where very significant. He died in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.
Major works
- La vedova scoperta, 1783 (opera)
- The Creatures of Prometheus , (1801) (mus. L.V. Beethoven)
- Coriolano, 1804 (mus. Josef Weigl)
- Gli Strelizzi, (1809) (various artists)
- Il noce di BeneventoBeneventoBenevento is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, 50 km northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill 130 m above sea-level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino and Sabato...
, 1812 (mus. Franz Xavier Süssmayr) - Il Prometeo, 1813, pantomime balletPantomimePantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
. (mus. Beethoven, MozartWolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, HaydnJoseph HaydnFranz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
, Viganò) - Numa Pompilio, 1815
- Mirra, 1817
- Otello, 1818 (various artists, among the others Gioacchino RossiniGioacchino RossiniGioachino Antonio Rossini was an Italian composer who wrote 39 operas as well as sacred music, chamber music, songs, and some instrumental and piano pieces...
, Paolo Brambilla and Michele CarafaMichele CarafaMichele Enrico Carafa di Colobrano was an Italian opera composer. He was born in Naples and studied in Paris with Luigi Cherubini. He was Professor of counterpoint at the Paris Conservatoire from 1840 to 1858...
) - Dedalo, 1818
- La Vestale, 1818 (various artists)
- I Titani , 1819 (mus. Johann Caspar Ayblinger and Viganò)
- Giovanna d'Arco 1821
- Didone, 1821. Finished by Vigano's brother, Giulio as Salvatore died before completing it.