Life
His entire career, from training to his premature passing, is situated entirely within the period of Neoclassicism.
Born in Danzig in 1772 to an Italian father and a Latvian mother, Cartellieri grew up in a musical environment: both parents were singers. After his parents' separation, he moved with his mother to Berlin, where he received his first composition lessons.
In 1791 he obtained the position of court composer for Count Oborsky. Returning to Berlin, he achieved great success with the cantata Contimar und Zora and the singspiel Die Geisterbeschwörung. Thanks to the support of his patron, he was able to further his studies in Vienna with Antonio Salieri and Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, coming into contact with Ludwig van Beethoven, with whom he shared both friendship and studies.
In 1795 he composed the oratorio Gioas re di Giuda. The following year, he entered the service of the Princes Lobkowicz as court composer, a position that ensured him economic stability and prestige. He married Franziska Kraft in 1803, with whom he had three children. He died prematurely in 1807, leaving behind a rich musical heritage that partly anticipates the features of Romanticism.
Aneddoto
A canon attributed to Mozart
The canon Oh come lieto in seno from the opera Il segreto was long erroneously attributed to Mozart, a sign of the refinement of his writing.Works
He composed theatrical works such as Die Geisterbeschwörung (1793, Berlin), Anagarda Regina di Boemia (1799, Vienna), Der Rübezahl (1801), Il segreto (1804), Atalinda, Il duello fortunato, and Il giudice nella propria causa. He wrote cantatas like Kontimar und Zora (1792, Berlin) and Siegesfeier (1797, Vienna), as well as numerous arias, duets, and quartets.
The sacred production includes the oratorio Gioas re di Giuda (1794, Vienna), La purificazione di Maria Vergine (1807, Prague), 11 masses, motets, and other liturgical works. He also composed three symphonies, five concertos, wind divertimentos, and much chamber music.
Briciole di storia
Two lions in the heart of Christianity
While revolutionary France declared war on Austria and prepared to overthrow the monarchy, a major artistic event was celebrated in Rome, in the heart of Christianity. After years of work, the famous sculptor Antonio Canova unveiled to the public his monumental tomb for Pope Clement XIII in St. Peter's Basilica. The work, a masterpiece of Neoclassicism, left everyone breathless due to its perfection and expressive power, particularly the two majestic figures of crouching lions guarding the tomb. In a Europe that was about to be overwhelmed by Jacobin fury, the inauguration of this masterpiece was a final, magnificent tribute to the greatness and tradition of a world that, shortly thereafter, would be swept away.
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
