Bladmuziek
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BPA1865
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edited by Yvonne Morgan
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Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante was baptized on 17 September 1795 in Altamura (Bari). In 1808 he entered the Collegio di San Sebastiano in Naples, where he studied harmony with Giovanni Furno and counterpoint with Giacomo Tritto. From 1816 he studied composition with Nicola Antonio Zingarelli at the Real Collegio di Musica. Encouraged by Rossini, whose acquaintance he made in 1818, he rapidly and very successfully produced symphonies, concerti, quartets, Masses and cantatas, bringing him the 'Scittura' of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. His first opera L'Apoteosi d'Ercole appeared in 1819, followed with increasing success by 59 further operas for Turin, Milan, Venice, Vienna and Paris. From 1827 to 1829 he lived in Spain and Portugal, composing seven operas. In 1833 he was appointed cathedral kapellmeister in Novara. On a trip to Paris in 1836 his acquaintance with the works of Meyerbeer was a further source of inspiration. Mercadante saw himself as an innovator in Neapolitan opera. His ideas for reform targeted the triviality of belcanto, and in his works he aimed for richer harmonies, more imaginative orchestration, more extensive modulations and a more focused approach to singing. He triumphed with I Normanni a Parigi (Turin 1832), Il Giuramento (Milan 1837) and La Vestale (Naples 1840). Yet despite these innovative efforts, which even drew praise from Franz Liszt, his oeuvre was denied lasting success. In 1840 he succeeded Zingarelli as director of the Naples Conservatoire. Despite becoming blind in 1862, he continued to compose smaller works by dictating them to pupils. Showered with honours, Mercadante died on 17 December 1870 in Naples. His instrumental oeuvre, however, has met with a kinder fate, although little of it is accessible at the moment. No less a person than Rossini encouraged him here to give of his best. Mercadante's Concerti and Paraphrases for the flute, in particular, are back in favour and demand. Besides symphonies (including funeral symphonies on the death of Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti and Pacini), he wrote orchestral fantasies, quartets and lesser ensemble pieces, often for several identical instruments (violins, flutes, violoncellos). This includes the present Duos, the parts of which were published around 1818. These pieces need no endorsement: this is excellent music which, with some virtuosity, exploits the flute's specific techniques. And although avid for reform, the master remained true to belcanto in writing these melodies.
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BPA1865
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ISBN:
9790015186509
Volgnummer:
210306
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edited by Yvonne Morgan
