Life
His entire artistic trajectory, from his formative period to full maturity, unfolded consistently within the Arcadia movement, of which he was a significant exponent.
Born in Correggio around 1668, Colombani moved to Rome where he studied under Giovanni Bicilli. He is documented from 1692 as a violone player for the celebrations of San Lorenzo in Damaso, under the patronage of Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. He debuted as a composer in 1695 with the Latin oratorio Iahelis de Sisara triumphans to a text by Antonio Checchi, performed at the Oratorio del Crocifisso di San Marcello.
From 1696 he entered the circle of Marquis Francesco Maria Ruspoli, and in the same year, he was appointed coadjutor to the chapel master of the Chiesa Nuova. Between 1702 and 1705, he composed oratorios for the Oratorio della Vallicella, sponsored by nobles such as Livio Odescalchi and Annibale Albani. His music was also performed in the apostolic palace and at the Academy of San Luca, where the cantata L’Apollo (1706) was conducted by Arcangelo Corelli and sung by the famous soprano Paoluccio.
His career also took him to Terni and Perugia; he composed cantatas for Queen Maria Casimira of Poland and maintained relations with various Italian courts. He died in Rome in 1711, probably in a hunting accident. He was an author of oratorios, cantatas, sacred and instrumental music, including sonatas for cello and for oboe.
Aneddoto
A concert with Corelli
His cantata L’Apollo was performed in 1706 at the Capitoline Hill with an orchestra conducted by Arcangelo Corelli, an event that established him among the protagonists of the Roman scene.Works
Oratorios: Iahelis de Sisara triumphans (Rome, 1695), Moysis nativitas (Rome, 1696), David penitentia invicta (Rome, 1699), San Valentino (Terni, 1700), L’ape industriosa (Rome and Perugia, 1701), La fede trionfante (Rome, 1702), Le glorie della fede (Rome, 1704), San Lorenzo (Rome, 1705), L’inimico riconciliato (Rome, 1706), S. Romualdo (Perugia, 1706), S. Francesco, and La conversione di Clodoveo. Cantatas with instruments: Il genere umano consolato (Rome, 1704), L’Apollo (Rome, 1706), and La gloria innamorata (Rome, 1709). Solo cantatas: L’Agrippina, L’Andromeda, La Cleopatra, Il Fileno, Stravaganza, Dimmi ingrato Mirtillo, and Odi amato tesoro. Sacred music: motets such as Accede ad agni mensam, Serve bone, Magnificat, and Fuga di un Amen. Instrumental music: sonatas for cello and for oboe.
Briciole di storia
Pubblico dominio (Commons)
