Cimarosa, Domenico

Childhood and adolescence

Domenico Cimarosa was born in Obverse in 1749. In 1750 ^[9] (according to other sources, in 1756 ^[5] ), the family moved to Naples. Domenico's father, Gennaro Cimarosa, was a bricklayer and died during the construction of the Palace of Capodimonte ( Italian: Reggia di Capodimonte ) ^[8] , falling from scaffolding ^[9] . After her husband’s death, Cimarosa’s mother was able to get a job as a laundress in the nearby Minorite Monastery of San Severo, and Domenico himself was accepted to the monastery school ^[8] .

Cimarosa soon attracted the attention of his mother’s monastery organist and confessor , Fra Polcano, who gave him music lessons. The priest devoted himself to the development of a talented boy, teaching him Latin and music and introducing German and Italian classical poetry ^[9] . Domenico made great strides and was admitted to the Conservatory of Santa Maria di Loreto ^[10] in 1761, where he remained for 11 years. His teachers were masters of the old Italian school: Gennaro Manna , Fedele Fenaroli , Antonio Saccini , Niccolo Piccini and others ^[9] . Cimarosa learned to play the violin and harpsichord, and also proved to be a gifted singer (in particular, performing the title part in the two-act intermezzo Sacchini's “Fra Donato”, which went on in various theaters of Naples ^[11] ). After graduating from the conservatory, he took singing lessons from castrate . He also demonstrated the makings of composing skills in his years of study, in 1770, along with Dzingarelli and Giuseppe Giordani, attending senior courses in the Kapellmeister class and composed a number of spiritual motets and masses . Having already graduated from the conservatory, in 1771 he may have taken additional lessons in composition from Piccini ^[8] .

Career start

In 1772, the premiere of the first opera by Cimaroza, “The Fads of the Count” ( Italian. Le stravaganze del conte ), performed at the in Naples on the same day as the “Wonders of Merlin and Zorastro” ( Italian: Le magie di Merlina e Zoroastro ^[8] . After that, his fame as a composer began to expand, and in just a year he became equal in his fame as an opera composer to Paisiello, a longtime favorite of the public.9 In the same year, he married the daughter of successful musical impresario Gaetana Pallante , but this marriage did not last long - the very next year, Gaetana died. Apparently, Cimarosa again married shortly afterwards, having conceived two children with his second wife, however, the second wife of Cimarosa did not live long ^[5] .

The works of Cimarosa soon became popular in Rome, where his comic intermezzo was performed at . “The Return of Don Calandrino” ( Italian: Il ritorno di Don Calandrino ), “Italian in London” ( Italian: L'italiana in Londra ), “Women rivals” ( Italian. Le donne rivali ) and “Parisian Artist” ( Italian. Il pittore parigino ) were placed there between 1778 and 1781. Also in Rome, in the theaters della Dame and Argentina , the premieres of the opera series Cimarosa, including his first work in this genre ^[12], “Guy Mari” ( Italian: Caio Mario , 1780) and “Alexander in India”, were held ( Italian: Alesandro nelle Indie , 1781). Goethe was very fascinated by the play "Impresario in Need" ( Italian: L'impresario in angustie ), which he heard during his visit to Rome in 1787. July 10, 1780 "Italian in London" was the first of the operas of Cimarosa, which were presented at the La Scala theater in Milan, starting the tradition of performing his works, which lasted until the XIX century ^[8] . In Naples, the opera buffa Imaginary Parisian ( Italian: La finta parigina ) and Noble Frascatanka were staged, the oratorios Absalom and Judith and two dozen works of major genres, mainly opera buffa, were created. Since 1784, Cimarosa lived for several years in Florence, where he mainly wrote spiritual works (including several masses and a requiem ) ^[9] .

Mature life

On November 29, 1779, Cimarosa was appointed a freelance organist (without salary) in the Royal Naples Chapel. On March 28, 1785, he was transferred to the post of second organist with a monthly salary of eight ducats , which continued to be paid to him even during his absence in Naples. From the beginning of the 1780s he was also appointed maestro (teacher) of the conservatory at the orphanage in Venice; it is definitely not clear when this event took place, although 1782 is the most probable date, since in that year his previously composed oratorio Absalom ^[13] was rewritten for this conservatory. Several of his opera productions in the following years (beginning with the operas The Chinese Hero and The Loved Ballerina staged in Naples in 1782) are also associated with his service in Ospedaletto ^[8] .

In 1787, Cimarosa was invited to the court of Catherine II to take the place of the court composer, who was released due to the departure of Paisiello ^[9] . On the way to St. Petersburg, Cimarosa and his wife visited Livorno as guests of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopold , who later, as emperor, played an important role in the successful stay of Cimarosa in Vienna. In Parma, Cimarosa visited the Duchess Maria Amalia , and in late August and September spent 24 days in Vienna, where he was introduced to Emperor Joseph II . These days, the emperor repeatedly invited Cimarosa to sing and play for him. All these contacts strengthened the composer's ties with the Vienna court ^[8] . After Vienna, Cimarosa visited Warsaw, also staying there for a month at the request of the local aristocracy ^[9] .

Sources differ on the question of when Cimarosa arrived in St. Petersburg. His biography in the “New Dictionary of Grove's Music and Musicians” reports on his arrival in the Russian capital in early December 1787 and in the same year Requiem written in G minor for the death of the Duchess Serra Capriola, wife of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of both Sicilies ^[8] . At the same time, the Russian Biographical Dictionary writes that the composer spent much more time on his way to Russia, only in July 1788 he left Naples and managed to stage the opera Vladimir ( Italian: Il Valdamiro , so that’s the place) he reached the service only at the beginning of 1789 ^[9] .

Having made a good impression on the empress upon arrival in Russia, Cimarosa, in addition to the duties of a court composer, was also appointed a teacher of singing for her grandchildren ^[9] . At the court of Catherine II, Cimarosa followed the traditions of Italian composers, among whom were Manfredini , Galuppi , Traetta and Sarti . His operas were staged in theaters of the Hermitage and the theater of the Gatchina Palace . The opera series Cleopatra and two previously written comic operas, Women Opponents and Two Barons ( Italian: I due baroni di Rocca Azzurra ), were also presented to the general Russian public. However, shortly after the arrival of Cimarosa, the empress hired yet another Italian composer, Vicente Martin y Soler , as the second bandmaster. His operas took place at the Russian court with more success than the operas of Cimarosa ^[8] .

R.-A. Mooser notes the strangeness associated with the time of the service of Cimarosa in St. Petersburg. If about Galuppi, Paisiello, Sarti, many different documents and evidence have been preserved in memoirs and correspondence, according to which you can find out the details of their stay in Russia, then the Russian period in the biography of Cimarosa is known mainly from indirect sources. Cimarosa, who became famous in Europe as a singer, harpsichord player and author of not only operas, but also sonatas and chamber works , left almost no trace in Russian documents. If after St. Petersburg musical evenings held by his predecessor Paisiello, there were numerous instrumental and orchestral works, then in the case of Cimarosa nothing of the kind was noted. This is all the more surprising because the Russian court did not leave him unattended: for example, the future Emperor Paul I was the godfather of his son Paolo, and the baptism ceremony itself took place in the church of St. Catherine in the presence of courtiers and diplomats ^[14] .

The splendor and brilliance of Catherine’s court began to fade by 1791, when economic crises forced the empress to refuse the services of most Italian singers. Cimarosa, who could not tolerate Russian winters, left the yard in June 1791 ^[14] . By this time it was already known that the service of Cimarosa in Russia was nearing its end and that he planned to return to Naples due to poor health. Joseph II intended to invite him as soon as he reached Vienna, and in 1789 a number of works by Cimarosa were transferred to the Burgtheater in preparation for his return. Between May and September, the production of the opera Two Imaginary Counts ( Italian: I due supposti conti ) was resumed with new actors; In addition, Two Barons were staged, for which Mozart composed the aria Alma grande e nobilcore (k578) ^[8] . Having reached Vienna shortly after the death of Joseph II, Cimarosa succeeded Antonio Salieri as the court bandmaster of the new emperor Leopold II ^[5] . He was commissioned to write the opera The Secret Marriage ( Italian: Il matrimonio segreto ) on the libretto by , created on the basis of the play of the same name by George Coleman and David Garrick . The opera, performed at the Burgtheater on February 7, 1792, was so successful that Leopold II ordered it to be repeated that evening in his chambers. Cimarosa, whom Joseph Weigl described as a person of a cheerful and friendly character, was very popular among Viennese society and often entertained high society by playing the clavier. During his two years in Vienna, he composed two more operas - "Cardiac Inaction" ( Italian: La calamita dei cuori ), which was not successful, and "Love gives prudence" ( Italian. Amor rende sagace ), and also revised Paris artist " ^[8] .

The last years of life

In 1793, Cimarosa finally returned to Naples, where he also took up the post of bandmaster ^[10] and where the Secret Marriage (having endured 67 performances) and the new opera buffa Women's Tricks ( Italian: Le astuzie femminili ) ^{[ 9]} . In 1796, his third (according to other sources, the second ^[8] ) wife died, from whom Cimarosa had a son, Paolo ^[5] . Subsequently, he worked in Rome and Venice, once again reaching Naples in 1798 and enthusiastically meeting the French revolutionary army under the command of General Champion ^[9] . Liberal leaders, under the auspices of the French, proclaimed the Parthenope Republic , after which King Ferdinand IV was forced to flee Naples. To the proclamation of the republic of Naples, Cimarosa wrote the “Patriotic Anthem” to the words of Luigi Rossi, who sang on May 19, 1798 with the solemn burning of the royal flag. However, at the end of June, the republic fell, and the Bourbon forces again entered the city. Cimarosa found himself in a dangerous position due to his Republican sympathies and attempted to make amends by writing (at the suggestion of the priest Gennaro Tanfano) a cantata in praise of Ferdinand IV, performed on September 23. Nevertheless, on December 9, 1799 he was arrested ^[8] , he was charged with complicity with the invaders, and his portrait was put to public burning ^[5] .

The composer spent four months in prison and was saved from death only thanks to the intervention of his influential friends, including Cardinals Ercole Consalvi and Fabrizio Ruffo , Lady Hamilton and Russian Ambassador Andrei Italinsky ; perhaps some European monarchs, in whose service he had previously served, also stood up for the composer ^[15] . After being released from prison and banned from appearing in Naples, Cimarosa returned to Venice, where he was invited to compose a new opera, Artemisia. There he wrote a mass for Pope Pius VII ^[9] . Soon, however, his health deteriorated sharply, and he died on January 11, 1801, without completing work on Artemisia ^[8] . The sudden death of Cimarosa from a stomach illness gave rise to a rumor that he had been poisoned by order of the Neapolitan Queen Carolina ^[9] , and in order to refute it, the Neapolitan government even had to send a life doctor to Venice for an official body examination ^[5] . Cimarosa, inveterate in Venice, was buried in Rome at the expense of Cardinal Ercole Consalvi; a bust of Cimarosa, installed in the Roman Pantheon ^[9], was also commissioned by Consalvi.

Domenico Cimarosa, author of about 80 operas, is one of the leading representatives of the opera buffa ; the completion of the development of this genre in the second half of the 18th century is the merit of Cimarosa and Giovanni Paisiello . In his best operas, and in particular in The Secret Marriage, comedy plot and stage lyricism are combined with great artistic taste, their music is chanted and uses folk song traditions, while being richly instrumented and showing elements of developing symphony ^[10] . Cimarose holds the lead in introducing final ensembles at the end of acts summing up the development of events at this point ^[5] .

Cimarosa’s vocal and instrumental heritage also includes a significant number of cantatas (including the popular cappella “Kapellmeister”, which parodies modern methods of rehearsing opera productions ^[6] ), mass and oratorios (among which the most famous are “Judith” and “Triumph of Religion” ^{[ 9]} ), and among his instrumental works - 40 harpsichord sonatas and a concert for two flutes ^[5] .

List of Works Performed During the Life of the Composer

The list is given in the encyclopedic dictionary “Musical Petersburg” ^[14]

• 1772 , Naples - opera-buffa Le Stravaganze del conte ("The Count's Freaks"); Burlesque Le Magie di Merlino e Zorastro ("Miracles of Merlin and Zorastro")
• 1773 , Naples - opera buffa La Finta parisina ("Imaginary Parisian")
• 1777 , Naples - opera buffa Armida immaginaria ("Imaginary Armida")
• 1778
  • Naples - operas Le stravaganze d'amore ("Freaks of Love") and Gli Amanti comici ("Comic Lovers")
  • Rome - Opera L'Italiana in Londra (Italian in London)
• 1780 , Rome - opera Donne rivale (rival women)
• 1781 , Rome - operas Il Pittore parigino (Parisian Artist) and Alesandro nelle Indie (Alexander in India)
• 1782
  • Naples - operas La Ballerina amante (Ballet Dancer in Love) and L'Eroe cinese (Chinese Hero)
  • Rome - opera L'Amor constant ("Constant love")
  • Milan - Opera La Circe (Circe)
• 1783
  • Naples - opera Chi d'altrui si veste presto si spoglia (“You won’t get hold of someone else’s good”)
  • Rome - opera I dui baroni di Rocca Azzura ("Two Barons from Rocca Azzura")
• 1784
  • Venice - Opera L'Olimpiade
  • Naples - Opera Il Credulo ("The Gullible")
  • Rome - opera I Matrimoni inaspettati (“Unexpected Marriages”)
  • Florence - opera La Vanita delusa, o sia Il Mercato di Malmantile ("Deceived vanity, or Market in Malmantile")
  • Milan - Opera Due supposti conti (“Two Imaginary Counts”)
• 1785 , Naples - opera Il Marito geloso ("Jealous husband")
• 1786
  • Naples - operas Il Credulo and L'Impresario in angustie (Impresario in Need)
  • St. Petersburg - opera buffa L'Amor constant
• 1787
  • Naples - Opera Il Fanatico burlato ( Grumpy Fanatic)
  • St. Petersburg - Missa pro defunct
• 1788 , St. Petersburg - opera series La Vergine del Sole ("Virgin of the Sun") and 2 dramatic cantatas
• 1789 , St. Petersburg - the operas Le Donne rivali (“Two Brides”) and Dui baroni di Rossa Azzura (“Two Barons”) are presented in Russian, the Italian opera series Cleopatra
• 1790 , Paris - L'Italiana in Londra
• 1791 , St. Petersburg - opera La Serenata non preveduta ("Unexpected Serenade")
• 1792 , Vienna - operas Il Matrimonio segreto ( Тай Secret Marriage ’), La Calamita dei cuori ( Серд Cardiac Inaction’)
• 1793 , Vienna - opera Amor rende sagace (Love gives prudence)
• 1794 , Naples - opera Le Astuzie femini ("Women's Tricks")
• 1795 , Rome - opera I Nemici generosi (“Generous Enemies”).
• 1796 , Naples - opera Gli Orazi ed I Curiazi (Horace and Curation)
• 1798 , St. Petersburg - operas Chi deel'altrui si veste presto si spoglia and I Nemici generosi
• 1799 , Naples - The Patriotic Hymn
• 1801 , Venice - Artemisia opera

• Nick Rossi, Talmage Fauntleroy. Domenico Cimarosa: His Life and His Operas : [ eng ] . - Greenwood Press, 1999 .-- ISBN 0-313-30112-3 .

• Cimarosa D. // Musical Encyclopedia : [in 6 vol.] / Ch. ed. Yu. V. Keldysh . - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia: Soviet Composer, 1973-1982. - (Encyclopedias. Dictionaries. Directories).
• Vladimir Berezkin. Cimarosa, Dominico // Russian Biographical Dictionary : in 25 volumes. - SPb. , 1905. - T. 22: Chaadaev - Shvitkov. - S. 383-385.
• Cimarosa, Domenico // Encyclopedia " Round the World ".
• N. S. Chimarosa, Domenico // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.