Life
His entire creative trajectory, from training to full maturity, unfolded consistently and exclusively within the Baroque period, of which he was one of the greatest masters in the field of Venetian opera.
Born in Crema in 1602, Francesco Cavalli (born Caletti-Bruni) was a pupil of Claudio Monteverdi in Venice. He entered as a singer in the chapel of San Marco, where he became an organist and later chapel master. He was among the first to write operas for the public Venetian theaters, contributing to the explosion of melodrama in the lagoon.
He composed over forty operas, including Giasone (1649), the most frequently performed opera of the seventeenth century, and Eliogabalo. His music was distinguished by its melodic cantability, use of the orchestra, and dramatic variety. He was also in demand abroad, conducting in Paris in 1660. He died in Venice in 1676.
Aneddoto
The success of Giasone
Giasone was the most popular opera of the seventeenth century, performed throughout Europe and appreciated by princes and public theaters alike.Works
Over forty operas, including Didone (1641), Ormindo (1644), Giasone (1649), La Calisto (1651), Xerse (1654), and Eliogabalo (1667). He also composed masses and sacred music, such as the Magnificat and Vespers.
Briciole di storia
Eternal love carried in a coffin
In Persia, Pietro Della Valle fell in love with and married a beautiful Assyrian woman named Sitti Maani in 1622. Theirs was a deep but tragically brief love, as the young woman died during the return journey to India. Stricken with grief, Pietro refused to part from her; he had his wife's body embalmed and, for the next four years, continued his adventurous travels through Asia always carrying his beloved's coffin with him. When he finally returned to Rome in 1626, he celebrated a grand funeral, worthy of a queen, burying Sitti Maani in the family tomb in the basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, completing the final, poignant act of love.
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
