Life
Trained at the dawn of the Arcadian taste, his long and prolific career led him to reach full maturity in an era of great stylistic richness, in which the solidity of Arcadia merged with the new elegance of the Rococo and the critical spirit of the Enlightenment.
Born in Milan in 1699, Giuseppe Ferdinando Brivio was a pupil of famous masters in the city and embarked on a career that saw him active as a violinist, conductor, and composer. His name was linked to the main Milanese theaters, particularly the Teatro Regio Ducale.
He composed numerous theatrical works that achieved success and were performed even outside Milan. Simultaneously, he dedicated himself to sacred music, writing masses, oratorios, and motets for the city's main churches.
Brivio was also the author of sonatas and symphonies, contributing to the dissemination of Lombard instrumental music in the 18th century. He died in Milan in 1758, leaving a catalog of works of great historical and artistic interest.
Aneddoto
From the podium of the Teatro Regio Ducale
As a conductor, Brivio knew how to win over the Milanese public with lively performances that made many productions memorable.Works
Among Brivio's theatrical works, La costanza di Rosmonda (1738) and Scipione nelle Spagne (1740) stand out, performed in Milan with considerable success. His sacred music includes solemn masses and motets, some of which are still preserved in Milanese archives.
He also wrote sonatas for violin and basso continuo, as well as collections of symphonies that circulated among the instrumental ensembles of the time. The variety of his production testifies to the versatility of an author capable of moving between the theater, the church, and the concert hall.
Briciole di storia
The vices of the Italians
In the middle of the 18th century, Pietro Calepio wrote a Letter on Italian Customs which was translated into French and published in 1728 in the prestigious Bibliothèque Italique. In this text, which became very well known, Calepio did not limit himself to describing Italy in general but clearly and sincerely denounced various vices of Italian society. Among his harshest criticisms was the poor functioning of educational institutions and, in particular, the idleness in which most of the nobility lived, considered the cause of their dissoluteness. He also denounced the low consideration given to the female role.
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
