Life
Trained in the heart of Neoclassicism, his long mature career took place in the heart of Romanticism, embodying the stylistic transition and the operatic taste of the early nineteenth century.
Born in Naples in 1782, the son of a violinist, he showed an early inclination for music. After initial studies with local masters, he was guided by Giovanni Paisiello, who refined his compositional skills and supported his career. He debuted in 1807 in Rome with Il matrimonio per lettera di cambio, but true success came with Il poeta fortunato (Florence, 1808). He subsequently composed numerous opera buffa and seria that earned him recognition in Italy and abroad.
In the 1810s and 1820s, he worked intensely, with triumphs such as Clotilde (1815) and failures such as Etelinda (1816). He moved to Lisbon in 1820 as director of the Teatro São Carlos, and in 1824 he was in London at the King’s Theatre, where he staged Maria Stuarda, regina di Scozia with prestigious performers such as Giuditta Pasta and Filippo Galli. He published cantatas and vocal music and taught harmony and singing at the Royal Academy of Music.
From 1828 he returned to Italy: in 1836 he directed the Philharmonic Academy of Turin, and in 1840 he assumed the post of chapel master of the Novara Cathedral. There he dedicated himself to sacred music, composing masses, motets, and above all a Requiem for the death of Charles Albert (1849). In 1841 he presented his last opera in Turin, Il lago delle fate, which was not successful. He nonetheless remained a reference point for Piedmontese and Novarese musical life, teaching and composing until his death in 1873. In the same year, Novara dedicated its main theater to him, today the Teatro Coccia.
Aneddoto
An exceptional substitute
In Ferrara, during a performance of Voglia di dote e non di moglie, Coccia replaced an indisposed singer on stage, receiving enthusiastic applause.Works
He composed over 40 operas, including Il poeta fortunato (1808), Clotilde (1815), Etelinda (1816), Maria Stuarda, regina di Scozia (1827), Caterina di Guisa (1833), and Il lago delle fate (1841). His scores were performed in Rome, Florence, Ferrara, Lisbon, London, Turin, Milan, Saxony, and even in Mexico. He also wrote sacred and symphonic music, including the 1849 Requiem and two symphonies for the Brera Musical Institute in Novara.
Briciole di storia
The professor who spoke plainly to Napoleon
When Napoleon Bonaparte became President of the Italian Republic, he wanted to meet the elderly and famous professor Melchiorre Cesarotti. During their meeting in Padua, Napoleon asked him for an opinion on public education. Cesarotti, instead of limiting himself to servile praise, took the opportunity to expound his reformist ideas with frankness and clarity. Napoleon was so impressed by his intelligence and courage that he immediately appointed him Rector of the new national institute.
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
