Antonio Sacchini

Antonio Maria Gasparo Gioacchino Sacchini (14 June 1730 – 6 October 1786) was an Italian classical era composer, best known for his operas.

Sacchini was born in Florence, but raised in Naples, where he received his musical education. He made a name for himself as a composer of serious and comic opera in Italy before moving to London, where he produced works for the King's Theatre. He spent his final years in Paris, becoming embroiled in the musical dispute between the followers of the composers Gluck and Niccolò Piccinni. His early death in 1786 was blamed on his disappointment over the apparent failure of his opera Œdipe à Colone. However, when the work was revived the following year, it quickly became one of the most popular in the 18th-century French repertoire.

Life

Childhood and education Sacchini was the son of a humble Florentine cook (or coachman), Gaetano Sacchini. At the age of four, he moved with his family to Naples as part of the entourage of the infante Charles of Bourbon (later to become King Charles III of Spain). The young Sacchini's talent for music caught the attention of Francesco Durante, who enrolled him in the Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto at the age of ten. Here Durante and his assistant Pietrantonio Gallo taught Sacchini the basics of composition, harmony and counterpoint. Sacchini also became a skilled violinist under the tuition of Nicola Fiorenza as well as studying singing under Gennaro Manna. Sacchini was one of the favourite pupils of Durante, a hard teacher to please. It was said that Durante would point out the young Sacchini to his fellow pupils, warning them that he would be a difficult rival to beat and urging them to try to match him, otherwise Sacchini would become the "man of the century."

Early career in Italy

Sacchini was 25 when Durante died in 1755. The following year, he became a "mastricello" (a junior teacher in the school) and had the opportunity to compose, as the final exercise of his studies, his first operatic work, an intermezzo in two parts entitled Fra' Donato. It was performed to great acclaim by the school's students and was followed a year later by another intermezzo, Il giocatore. The warm reception these works enjoyed paved Sacchini's way to commissions from the smaller theatres which performed opera in Neapolitan dialect. One of his major successes was the opera buffa Olimpia tradita (1758) at the Teatro dei Fiorentini, which led to commissions from the Teatro San Carlo, where his first opera seria, Andromaca, was premiered in 1761. Meanwhile, Sacchini was pursuing his career at the Conservatorio, where he had initially taken up the unpaid position of "maestro di cappella straordinario", assisting the "primo maestro", Manna, and the "secondo maestro", Gallo. When Manna retired in 1761, shortly before the premiere of Andromaca, Sacchini was promoted to "secondo maestro". In Venice, Sacchini soon made a name for himself as a singing master (his pupils included Nancy Storace and, possibly, Adriana Gabrielli, who, under the name Adriana Ferrarese del Bene was subsequently to go down in history as the first singer to play Mozart's Fiordiligi). While continuing to pursue his career as an opera composer, he also spent time writing sacred pieces (oratorios, masses, hymns, motets) for the Conservatorio and various Venetian churches, as his contract required.

London

In 1772, Sacchini moved to London, accompanied by Giuseppe Millico, one of the finest castrati then active on the European stage and Gluck's favourite. Beginning with two new operas staged at the King's Theatre in 1773, Il Cid (in January) and Tamerlano (in May), in the words of Burney, Sacchini soon "captured the hearts" of the London public. He was so popular that Tommaso Traetta was unable to make any impression with his operas when he arrived in the British capital in 1776, even though Sacchini himself had supported the move by his old friend. Sacchini remained in London for a decade, until 1782, despite the fact his enormous mounting debts created growing difficulties and even enemies. Among the latter was Venanzio Rauzzini, who had taken over from Millico as the leading male singer at the King's Theatre, and who claimed that he had written some of Sacchini's most famous arias himself. As far as music for the stage is concerned, new operas by Sacchini were produced every year over the whole period apart from 1776/1777, probably in connection with the composer's trips to the Continent and with the staging in Paris of French-language pasticci based on two previous works: the dramma giocoso from the Roman period, L'isola d'amore, now entitled La colonie, and the opera seria L'Olimpiade, which became L'Olympiade. The translator of the libretti into French was the musician and writer Nicolas-Étienne Framery, a lover of Italian music. At that time, the Parisian operatic scene was divided between supporters of the German composer Gluck, famous for his musical reforms, and followers of his Italian rival Niccolò Piccinni. A member of the emerging Piccinnist faction, Framery also admired Sacchini and formed a lasting friendship with him. On 8 June 1779, a work by Sacchini appeared for the first time on the stage of the Paris Opéra. It was a revival of the dramma giocoso L'amore soldato, which had premiered in England the previous year, and was now advertised as an intermède in three acts. During his stays in Paris in the seventies Sacchini is also said to have imparted the rudiments of a real singing education to the future European star of opera and refined cantatrice, Brigida Banti.

Paris

Sacchini's position in London eventually became untenable: his health had declined and his work was no longer attracting the same success. These factors and the looming threat of debtors' prison finally induced him to accept Framery's invitation to move to Paris in 1781. Sacchini received a warm welcome in the French capital: the Piccinnists saw him as a natural ally in their battle against the influence of Gluck; but, more importantly, Emperor Joseph II happened to be in Paris at the time, travelling incognito. The emperor was a passionate devotee of Italian music, and Sacchini's in particular, and he eagerly recommended the composer to his sister Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France. The Queen's patronage paved Sacchini's way to the Opéra (she had helped Gluck in much the same fashion eight years earlier). In October, Sacchini signed a lucrative contract with the Académie Royale de Musique (the Paris Opéra) to produce three new works. He plotted to delay the premiere of Sacchini’s first French opera, Renaud. Meanwhile, the Gluckists were manoeuvring to detach Sacchini from his Piccinnist supporters. When Renaud finally appeared on 25 February 1783, its reception was positive but not overwhelming. The libretto was a reworking, to which Framery contributed, of a libretto by Simon-Joseph Pellegrin (Renaud, ou La suite d'Armide), which had originally been set to music in 1722 by Henri Desmarets. Contrary to what has often been claimed, the Parisian Renaud was not a revised version of Sacchini's Armida of 1772, itself revised to create a new opera Rinaldo for London in 1780. Instead, Renaud was "a completely new opera, starting with the action, which begins at the point where the other two leave off; the subject of the opera was no longer the love of Armida and Rinaldo in the enchanted garden, which Armida destroys after her lover leaves her, but based on their subsequent story in Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata (with many liberties taken)." However, Renaud pleased neither party: "Piccinni's faction asserted that the score ... was influenced by Gluck, while the Gluck supporters condemned the work for lacking dramatic power and originality." performed instead of your Œdipe that I could not refuse. You see the position I am in, please forgive me.'

Sacchini, struggling to contain his distress, bowed respectfully and immediately returned to Paris. He was brought to my mother's house. He entered in tears and threw himself into an armchair. We could only get a few broken phrases from him: 'My good friend, my children, I'm finished. The Queen, she no longer loves me! The Queen, she no longer loves me!' All our efforts to allay his grief were in vain. He refused to have dinner with us. He was very ill with gout...we took him back to his house and three [days] later he died at the age of 56.

Sacchini died on 6 October 1786, aged 56, leaving the score of Arvire et Évélina incomplete. It was finished by Jean-Baptiste Rey, the head of the Opéra, and successfully produced on 29 April 1788.

Sacchini's dramatic death caught the public's imagination. The involvement of the queen and a sincerely appreciative article by Piccinni, who dedicated a moving funeral oration to the dead composer, turned popular opinion in his favour. The management of the Académie Royale, without even waiting for the usual pressure from above, ordered Œdipe à Colone to go into rehearsal at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin, then the temporary home of the Opéra. "The first performance of Œdipe à Colone took place on Tuesday 1 February 1787 ... The hall was packed, and many people had to remain standing ... The turnout made the triumph even more impressive." Its success was resounding and lasting: henceforward, the work was staged in Paris's leading theatre every year from 1787 to 1830, and revived in July 1843 and May 1844, giving a total of 583 performances, making it Sacchini's most famous opera and one of the most durable of the eighteenth-century repertoire, surpassing even the operas of Gluck, at least until it fell into the oblivion in which it has more or less remained until today, along with the rest of Sacchini's work.

Musical style "The real significance of Sacchini's work is difficult to determine aesthetically, although the obvious historical importance of the composer and his activity undoubtedly demands more careful study and more thorough investigation":

In his own time, Sacchini was described as the champion of melody. Indeed, the composer Giuseppe Carpani, about twenty years his junior, said that Sacchini might even be considered the finest melodist in the world. This melodic gift, along with the general facility Sacchini found in composing music, was undoubtedly the result of his upbringing amid the flourishing Neapolitan school of opera. The list of works is still incomplete, mainly as far as non-operatic music is concerned.

Operas

Operas written in collaboration with other musicians In this section are listed the operas containing original music by Sacchini and by other composers. Niccolò Piccinni Le donne dispettose (Naples, 1754) (uncertain) Le trame per amore (Naples 1759) (uncertain) Il curioso imprudente (Naples, 1761) La massara spiritosa (Naples, 1761) Il Cavalier partigiano (Naples, 1762) Fedele Fenaroli I due sediarii (Naples, 1759) Baldassare Galuppi Villano (Venice?, 1762?) Tommaso Giordani Le vicende della sorte (1770)

Instrumental music Nearly all instrumental music published by Antonio Sacchini dates from his London years (1772–1781). Most of the works listed below, first published in London, were later reprinted in Paris and elsewhere.

2 sinfonias printed in Paris in 1767 Periodical Overture n. 49, in 8 parts, Bremner, London, 1776 6 trio sonatas, for two violins and basso continuo, Op. 1, London, Bremner, 1775 6 string quartets, Op. 2, London 1778 6 sonatas for harpsichord or piano and violin, Op. 3, London, 1779 6 sonatas for harpsichord or piano and violin (2nd set of favourite lessons), Op. 4, London, 1780

Sacred music Sacchini's sacred works were composed for the most part during his directorship at the conservatoire of the Ospedaletto in Venice. Significantly, all Venice compositions are in major tonality.

1761 Gesù presentato al tempio, oratorio, Naples 1764 L'umiltà esaltata, oratorio, Naples 1766 L'abbandono delle richezze di San Filippo Neri, oratorio, Bologna 1768 II popolo di Giuda liberato della morte per intercessione della regina Esther, oratorio, Venice 1768 Magnificat in D major, Venice 1768 Salve Regina in G major, antiphon, Venice 1768 Fremo gemendo in poena in B major, psalm, Venice 1768 Sicut lilia in valle amoena in F major, psalm, Venice 1769 Mass in D major (Kyrie, gloria), Venice 1769 Te Deum in D major, Venice 1769 Habet amor suas procellas in D major, Venice 1769 Aurae de caelo in B major, Venice 1769 Charitas omnia vincit (modi sacri), motet, Venice 1769 Paventi ut nautae in G major, psalm, Venice 1770 Salve Regina in F major, hymn (antiphon), Venice 1770 Machabaeorum mater, azione sacra (actio sacra), Venice 1771 Ave Regina caelorum in F major, hymn (antiphon), Venice 1771 O quam carae et quam beatae silvae, psalm, Venice 1771 Jephtes sacrificium azione sacra (actio sacra), Venice 1772 Miserere in EFile:flat.svg major, psalm, Venice 1772 Regina caeli in D major, antiphon, Venice 1772 Missa solemnis in D major (Kyrie, gloria, credo), Venice 1772 Cor serba te fidelem in F major, psalm, Venice 1772 Nuptiae Ruth, azione sacra (actio sacra), Venice 1786 Juditta, oratorio, Paris

Undated, but traceable back to the Venetian period (1768–1772) Ave Regina caelorum in EFile:flat.svg major, hymn (antiphon), Venice Regina caeli in B major, antiphon, Venice

Salon vocal music Georges Sauvé reports that there exist "numerous works not yet catalogued, in Italy, in London (including nine 1775 duets), in Paris, in Dublin, ariettas which were published long after his death, arias, cantatas ..." There also exists Fanny Bazin's Music Book, a completely unpublished handwritten collection by Antonio Sacchini, dating back to 1785 and currently belonging to Sauvé himself, a descendant of Madame Bazin. It contains 19 melodies (16 for piano and soprano, 1 for piano solo, 1 duet for two sopranos and a quartet), and is due to be published by ELPE-Musique (Le Cahier de musique de Fanny Bazin). The book was used in the lessons Sacchini gave to the 11-year-old Bazin at the behest of Queen Marie Antoinette and "is witness to the refinement and intensity of the artistic life that Queen Marie Antoinette shared with those close to her".

Notes and references