Life
Trained at the dawn of the Arcadian taste, his long career led him to reach full maturity in an era of great stylistic richness, in which Arcadian solidity fused with the new elegance of the Rococo and with the critical spirit of the Enlightenment.
Born in Lucca in 1680, Agostino Bonaventura Coletti began as an author of theatrical works and pastoral dramas but soon oriented himself toward sacred music as well. In 1707 he presented the pastoral drama Ifigenia in Venice at the Teatro Sant’Angelo, which earned him great notoriety. In 1714 he was appointed third organist of St. Mark's Basilica, a post that later led him to hold the role of first organist under the direction of Antonio Lotti, the chapel master.
Simultaneously, he also served as organist at the Church of the Holy Apostles, in close friendship with Benedetto Marcello, who was both teacher and colleague to him. His activity combined technical competence and fine musical sensitivity, contributing to the prestige of Venetian institutions. He died in Venice in 1752.
Aneddoto
A Venetian partnership
At the Church of the Holy Apostles, Coletti shared the service with Benedetto Marcello, with whom he established a bond of friendship and collaboration.Works
Among his principal works are the pastoral drama Ifigenia (1707), Prassitele in Gnido (1700), Paride in Ida (1706), and the cantatas Bruto e Cassio (1699), Muzio Scevola (1723), Cedro, re d’Atene (1726), and Timoleonte, cittadino di Corinto (1729). He also composed the oratorio Isacco, figura del Redentore (1741) and the collection Armonici tributi, twelve cantatas for solo voice and harpsichord.
Briciole di storia
Professional diner
In Florence, in the early 1700s, Fagiuoli was a regular at the dinners of the nobles, who invited him to delight in his sparkling replies. He would arrive, sit down, and serve up jokes and improvised octaves. He paid the bill in wit, not in florins.
Pubblico dominio (Google Art Project)
